Gas 2.0 |
- Ford Plans To Outbuild Chevy Volt With Electric Focus
- Behind the Scenes: Building Audi’s Electric Spyder
- French Post Office Will Have 10,000 EV’s In Use By 2011
| Ford Plans To Outbuild Chevy Volt With Electric Focus Posted: 22 Oct 2010 02:43 PM PDT
What about those who don’t want any gas at all? Well the Focus has you covered too, because Ford plans to start selling an all-electric Focus late next year. By 2012, they plan to sell as many cars as the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, both of which hit the market almost a year ahead of the Focus. Precious few details are known about the electric Focus right now, though judging by Ford’s cockiness they must have an Ace up their sleeve. Word through the grapevine is the electric Focus, which should debut a few months after the all-new Focus goes on sale next spring, will have a 100 mile all-electric range and no “range-extender” gas engine. While the Volt goes on sale next month, and the Nissan Leaf early next year, the electric Focus will not be out until the end of 2011 (even though they’ve already lent out working examples to the likes of Jay Leno for his brief stint post- “Tonight Show”). That did not stop Ford executive Sue Cischke from speculating that during 2012, Ford expects to make more Focus electrics than Chevy makes Volts, but to not sell quite as many as the Nissan Leaf. That would put it in the ballpark between 10,000 and 20,000 cars, not a tremendous number but nothing to sneeze at either. Ford is also planning two more hybrids (Fiesta?) and a plug-in hybrid to add to its lineup as well. By the time the Focus electric is ready to go though, the Leaf and Volt won’t be its only competition. It is still hard for me to believe we are on the verge of mass market acceptance of electric cars…and at the same time, very exciting. Could America sell 100,000 electric vehicles in 2012? Source: The Detroit News |
| Behind the Scenes: Building Audi’s Electric Spyder Posted: 22 Oct 2010 11:26 AM PDT
When Audi released the E-Tron Spyder concept car at this year’s Paris Auto Show, the car’s sleek lines and daring proportions took the show-goers’ breath away. Earlier today, Audi released a series of behind-the-scenes photos chronicling the design team’s efforts to get the sport roadster’s shape “just right”. It’s a bit art, a bit science, and a bit of insight into what the 17-person design team at Audi’s Ingolstadt studio goes through to build an auto show dream car – in fact, these photos seem to be just the tip of the iceberg, since one article reports that “teams were created, contestants were narrowed down, and the final two designs were projected as 3D computer models at an office at (Audi’s headquarters).” Once the winning design was chosen, the design was tweaked to fit over existing “parts-bin” components and a full clay model of the final E-Tron Spyder was rendered (in the gallery). Molds were made from the final clay, along with literally thousands of hand-crafted foam-core and carbon-fiber parts. The finished, assembled showpiece came together – from final approval to transport – in less than six weeks … which was ideal, because it was all the time they had!       In the end, the car was a stunner, and Audi’s concept construction coordinator Uwe Haller even remarked (about the car’s wheels) that “the design for the wheels was so well received … we did whatever was necessary to turn the proposal into reality." reflecting the design team’s determination to make sure the final product exceeded everyone’s expectations. Job well done, guys! SOURCE: Audi, via Wired’s Autopia.
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| French Post Office Will Have 10,000 EV’s In Use By 2011 Posted: 22 Oct 2010 10:13 AM PDT
This is an area that even skeptics agree electric vehicles will flourish, and not just in the U.S. France plans to have its postal system, La Poste, using 10,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2011. I love the USPS, I just don’t love how it cannot sustain itself. I rarely say this, but the U.S. needs to take a cue from France. The French postal service, La Poste, has been seriously working on reducing fuel consumption since 2009. First, they started teaching their drivers how to get the most out of their tank of gas through hypermiling techniques. This alone has produced annual fuel savings of around 15%. The plan to put 10,000 electric vehicles in La Poste’s hands actually began back in 2007, and should culminate by the end of 2011. Some offices will get Citreon Berlingo electric delivery vans (pictured above), many of which are already on the roads. Other postal carriers will have their four wheels replaced by electric bicycles, and still others will have to walk, aided by an electronic trolley. All told though, it should have the effect of smoothing out much of La Poste’s overhead and save millions, if not billions of dollars over the years. France is in fact replacing much of its government fleets with electric vehicles, multiplying the savings at a time when even major governments are feeling the squeeze of the worldwide recession. Implementing such a plan in American cities would be a breeze, and the USPS is experimenting with alternative fuel vehicles already. However, even if the USPS went about bought 20,000 electric delivery vans tomorrow though, it would be but a drop in the bucket as the USPS employs over 200,000 vehicles to ship and deliver mail. Almost all those vehicles need fuel…and that fuel ain’t cheap. Sounds like before they start buying replacement vehicles, they might want to consider some serious downsizing first. Source: TreeHugger |
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