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December 18, 2008
By Justin Couture, Sympatico/MSN Autos
Ford’s Transit Connect will go on sale next year, and is likely to be available as an electric vehicle. (Photo: Ford)
As a part of its presentation to Congress last month, Ford announced that it would have a battery-powered electric vehicle for commercial fleets by 2010 in North America. This sounds like an ambitious plan, but, Automotive News is reporting that the vehicle is well underway. The electric van will be sourced from Europe, and that it will be based on the Transit Connect compact commercial vehicle which will arrive in dealerships next summer.
Although Ford remains tight-lipped about the van’s details, there’s good reason to believe that it will be the same vehicle that Ford of Europe developed with Tanfield Group Plc., a purveyor of Ford-based electric commercial vehicles.
This past April, the two unveiled an electric version of the Transit Connect, which Tanfield will sell under the Smith brand name. In Europe, the vehicle will be branded as both the Smith Ampere and a Ford, similar to how the Sprinter van is sold as a Dodge, a Mercedes-Benz and a Freightliner in North America.
Smith’s Ampere (left) and the bigger Faraday (right). (Photo: Smith) The electric Ampere/Transit Connect will feature an iron phosphate lithium-ion battery pack and a 50-kW electric motor that enables a range of 160 km and a top speed of 110 km/h. It has a payload rating of 800 kg. This sounds like a pretty good alternative for couriers, telecommunications companies and contractors that operate in urban areas.
For consumers that demand a heavy duty truck, Smith Electric will also offer the Faraday Mark II, a battery-powered version of the Ford F-650 to North American customers. The truck boasts a gross vehicle weight of up to 13,000 kg, and has a range of 160 km.
According to a press release issued by Tanfield Group, it has reached a broad agreement with Ford to collaborate on future zero-emission vehicle projects in both Europe and North America.
Thank you to stephanie goldivase who updated me on Tanfield’s current state and that plans for a North American factory have been shelved.
Source: http://blogs.carpoint.ca/2008/12/shocking-fords.html
December 23, 2008
By Justin Couture, Sympatico/MSN Autos
ToyotaevbadgeIt turns out that the new 2010 Prius won’t be the only vehicle that Toyota will be debuting in Detroit this coming January. Yesterday afternoon, the Japanese giant unveiled a sneak peek of its latest concept car’s… badge.
The official word from Toyota is that details on the EV concept will follow in the coming days, but a few publications including the New York Times have hinted at a few of the EV’s particulars. The newspaper suggests that the concept is a preview of a subcompact-sized vehicle which Toyota is prepping for sale.
The production car is expected to have a fairly small range, but the upside of the is that its price tag is expected to be genuinely affordable. The New York Times pegs the road-going version as costing less than $20,000 – about the same price as the new Honda Insight hybrid.
While it’s a pretty big deal that Toyota is considering pure electric car for production, it will be one of a number of car manufacturers with pure electric vehicles on display. Mercedes-Benz will have its E-Cell concept, Chrysler an electric version of the Jeep Patriot, as well as Chinese automaker BYD.
Source: http://blogs.carpoint.ca/2008/12/toyota-previewi.html
December 22, 2008
Recently, scientists at UCLA announced a new strain of E. coli. Cool, I suppose, but you’re probably wondering what this has to do with the motoring industry.
While the bug, formally known as Escherichia coli, can be responsible for the occasional bout of food poisoning, this resident of your lower gut has been tweaked to produce biofuel which can power vehicles.
Under normal circumstances, E. coli is capable of producing short-chain alcohols (ethanol and methanol) from organic matter. The big breakthrough here is that this new strain of bacteria is capable of producing alcohols that are five or six chains long. This alcohol has a much greater energy density, making it more ideal for fuel.
Scientists say that a carbon chain that’s eight units long, derived from E. coli is a possibility, a structure that would closely resemble conventional petroleum products like gasoline, jet fuel and diesel.
Although the fuel factor is a hot topic, Ketchun Zang, a member of the UCLA research team says, “this technique can actually be used on many different organisms, opening the door to vast possibilities in the realm of polymer (manufacturing), as well as drug manufacturing.”
In addition to E. coli, it was recently discovered that a fungus called G. roseum in the Patagonian jungles that naturally produces fumes that are structurally similar to diesel.
Source: http://blogs.carpoint.ca/2008/12/new-strain-of-e.html
Michael Macdonald, THE CANADIAN PRESS
As rain slides down the showroom’s plate glass and the conversation turns to the storm clouds on Canada’s economic horizon, Richard Vinson smiles and confidently predicts plenty of sunny days ahead for his business.
Vinson is the marketing and sales director for Halifax-based Creative Solar, a new company that sells Ontario-made solar air panels.
“We haven’t noticed any significant impact on the business or any decline in interest,” he says, noting the company had three installations to complete before Christmas. “If anything, it’s peaking, and continuing to generate more interest.”
Now that Canada is officially in a recession and jobs are disappearing at a rapid rate, it
would be reasonable to assume that public concern about the environment – and investment in green technologies – will ebb as worry grows about the economy.
But there is evidence to suggest there’s more to Vinson’s optimism than a salesman’s pitch.
When the price of crude oil peaked at $147 a barrel in July, consumers redoubled their efforts to reduce their home heating costs, prompting renewed interest in renewable energy.
More importantly, there’s a growing consensus that Canadians have undergone a profound shift in how they regard the environment and, in particular, the issue of climate change.
“The reaction in the past has typically been: when times get tough, people step back from environmental concerns … and concentrate on their jobs,” says Peter Robinson, CEO of the Vancouver-based Suzuki Foundation.
“This is a much different moment for us. … You don’t see the environment slipping off the minds of Canadians. It’s still there.”
Vinson says his colleagues in the alternative energy business share his optimism about rising sales as consumers try to save money while doing right by the environment, a trend has already taken hold in the United States.
The Solar Energy Industries Association, based in Washington, says that between 2006 and 2007 there was a 45 per cent increase in the number of solar energy systems installed.
The industry already employs about 35,000 in the U.S., a figure that is expected to jump to 110,000 by 2016, the association says.
In Canada, the solar industry is much smaller, with only about 2,000 employees. But its prospects look bright, says Elizabeth McDonald, executive director of the Ottawa-based Canadian Solar Industries Association.
Earlier this month, the association’s annual conference in Toronto attracted about 600 industry delegates – a five-fold increase since 2006.
“Even given the economy, it was very upbeat,” she says, noting that Germany’s renewable energy laws have helped that country create 100,000 new jobs since 2004. “There is a real feeling that opportunity is there.”
McDonald says Canada remains “woefully behind” the United States when it comes to public knowledge and government support for alternative energy, and the gap could get much wider as president-elect Barack Obama prepares to assume office next month.
Obama has pledged to spend US$150 billion over the next 10 years to create five million green collar jobs in the clean energy sector.
He also wants to put one million next-generation, plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015 and ensure that 25 per cent of America’s energy comes from renewable sources by 2025.
“We can create millions of jobs, starting with a 21st century economic recovery plan that puts Americans to work building wind farms, solar panels and fuel-efficient cars,” Obama told a Dec. 15 news conference.
In Canada, a chorus of environmental groups is complaining that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has no such plan, even though Canadians appear ready to embrace a similar approach.
“There’s no reason why the Canadian government can’t be thinking in similar terms,” says Matthew Bramley, director of the Pembina Institute’s climate change program.
“It’s like looking at Silicon Valley in the late 1970s and turning your back and walking away.”
Earlier this month, a green coalition released the results of a poll that found 83 per cent of 1,000 respondents agreed that Canada should commit to “strong action on global warming without waiting for other countries.”
As well, two thirds of respondents disagreed when asked if “governments in Canada should cut back on efforts to tackle global warming because of the current economic crisis.”
The survey, with a 3.1 per cent margin of error, was conducted in late November as the Canadian and U.S. economies spiralled downward.
“We’ve got economists weighing in from all sides, saying this is a great opportunity to address the economic crisis and get a head start on addressing global warming with one package of public spending,” Bramley says.
Graham Saul, executive director of Climate Action Network Canada, says Canadians no longer believe there has to be a trade-off between the economy and the environment.
“We’re past that,” he says. “The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment. … If we’re going to create a prosperous society, economically and environmentally, we need to be looking at the two at the same time.”
Saul says Harper and his party, once derided by environmentalists as “climate change deniers,” are now openly admitting more has to be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
But their policies haven’t kept pace with their rhetoric, he says.
“They’ve put forward a weak strategy that is not going to get us to where we need to be,” he says, expressing a common sentiment among environmentalists after Canada was criticized for obstructionist behaviour at the recent UN climate conference in Poland.
At the conclusion of the conference in Poznan, federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice said dealing with climate change was a priority for Ottawa.
“The economic circumstances are certainly important, but what we’re talking about crafting is an international protocol that will reduce carbon emissions and withstand many economic up cycles and down cycles,” he said on Dec. 12.
Environmental groups claim federal officials hindered the talks by focusing on reducing greenhouse gases through intensity-based targets rather than on the Kyoto Protocol’s absolute reduction targets.
Saul argues that the ruling Tories should recognize that 65 per cent of Canadian voters cast ballots on Oct. 14 mainly in support of opposition parties with bolder environmental plans.
“This was an overwhelming expression of support for real action on climate change,” he says, suggesting there’s a disconnect between the public’s concerns and the government’s plans.
“This government hasn’t put those two sides together. There’s no reason why it can’t. They’ve still got a few weeks to make that decision.”
A federal budget will be tabled Jan. 27, and it will include an multibillion-dollar spending plan aimed at stimulating the economy, even if that means running a deficit.
So far, there’s been a great deal of talk about bailout packages for traditional industries, such as mining, forestry, agriculture and auto manufacturing.
In Vancouver, Robinson says the Suzuki Foundation wants Ottawa to ensure that any public investments in traditional industries should be tied to environmental goals.
As well, spending on repairing roads and bridges should be complemented by investments in public transit, subsidies for renewable energy companies and retrofitting programs aimed at improving the energy efficiency of homes and businesses.
“I’m really hopeful that this will be a time for governments to be bold,” he says.
Back at the solar panel showroom in Halifax, Vinson’s optimistic pitch is tempered by the fact that during an hour-long interview, not one person has come in from the rain to look at his wares.
“The future does bode well for us, and others in our field,” he says, unfazed. “There’s nothing but growth that is possible here.”
Source: http://green.sympatico.msn.ca/canadianpressarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=801724
Posted Jun 2nd 2008 at 9:50AM by Domenick Yoney
From time to time we get questions about the status of Neil Young’s Linc-Volt project, the transformation, nay, transmogrification of the rock icon’s gas guzzling ‘59 Lincoln Continental into a sweet serial-electric hybrid by John Goodwin. There have been a few teasers and the odd announcement made but now, thanks to shoe-leather reporting by The Wichita Eagle, we are happy to disclose to you that the Linc Volt lives! Though not completed, Young and Goodwin were able to take it for a successful 12 mile spin under, what sounds like, electric power. Young described the car as quiet and powerful, though apparently as there is no accelerator pedal or power steering yet, and Goodwin was applying the juice via a knob located somewhere in the back seat, the short trip almost ended in disaster. As they approached an entrance ramp, the knob was twisted the wrong way and they found themselves hurtling toward the backside of another vehicle. Fortunately, Neil still has good reflexes and he reached over with his foot from the passenger side to stomp down hard on the brake. Disaster averted.
No completion date was mentioned in the article or accompanying video but hopefully it will be finished soon. The pair are planning on making a road trip to Washington, DC and across California as part of a promotional tour. The trip should generate lots of press as well as footage for a documentary being filmed about the project. It will also give Goodwin the chance to actually listen to Neil Young’s music, which he admits, he still hasn’t heard. It will also give the oddball pair an opportunity to discuss future plans to extend the scope of their venture.
[Source: The Wichita Eagle - http://www.kansas.com/]
Source: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/06/02/neil-young-goes-for-a-test-ride-in-his-new-1959-lincoln-electric/
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