Once you start talking about 200 miles of driving in-between 5 minute “pit-stops”, it’s not really clear if you’re talking about gas or electric-powered cars – and that’s the whole point of developing quick-charging and battery-swapping stations for EVs: you can get all of the green, none of the sacrifice. Now, you can have that very thing!
Last week, Kanno Tomio and his team of engineers in Tochigi, Japan have patented and demonstrated a new, ultra-fast charging system that fully charged a (production-spec.) Nissan Leaf’s battery pack in under 300 seconds (that’s 5 minutes to you and me).
In order to transfer the huge amounts of electricity required to charge the Leaf so quickly, Tomi’s team made use of capacitors, which could power up their own charge over time, while still releasing huge amounts energy suddenly and, it should be said, cost-effectively (this is similar, in concept, to the KERS hybrid systems employed by current Formula 1 race teams).
Tomi’s capacitor-based charging stations can also be “set” to collect their reserves of power during off-peak times, and can be fueled themselves by Japan’s existing energy infrastructure without the need for special connections to be installed – another advantage to current “quick charge” systems which claim to be able to charge a car like the Leaf to 80% capacity in about 30 min (vs. 90% in less than 5).
The group expects to begin installing its ultra-fast chargers in homes and businesses in 2012 … and, yes, they do plan to offer them to the North American and European markets shortly thereafter. No word (yet) on pricing.
As Gas 2.0 editor Chris DeMorro put it, “another hybrid” – and here it is. Sort of.
According to our friends at PluginCars.com, the Accord up there (which looks like any other late-model Accord plus a few stickers) is actually an all-electric capable plug-in hybrid, which the company will likely position as a more “mainstream-friendly” alternative to Toyota’s hybrid Camry and Chevy’s slightly smaller Volt. Under the skin, the Accord sedan makes use of a two motor system (unlike Honda's current single-motor hybrid setup) combining a 120 kW traction motor with a 2.0 L four-cylinder engine, sending power to the wheels through a Honda-designed CVT transmission.
The plug-in Accord places its 6 kWh li-ion battery pack under the back seat, and is “about the size of a suitcase”. As it sits in the prototype Accord (above) the package is good for a top speed of 60 mph, and an all-electric range of about 15 miles. Honda believes this EV range will “satisfy about 70 percent of its users’ (driving needs).”
What does the world need? Another hybrid, duh. Honda has just announced the arrival of the Honda Fit Shuttle, and Fit Shuttle Hybrid, which can achieve 30km/liter or, in US terms, 71 MPG. Toyota Prius V, your competitor is here.
The Fit Shuttle, which already has 7,000 pre-orders in Japan, is more of the Fit. The already-versatile compact gains a big ol' butt for more cargo room, seats five, and gets gas mileage of 25 km/liter on the JC08 cycle, and 30 km/liter on the 10-15 fuel consumption cycle. The latter measuring method works out to about 71 mpg on the US EPA rating (though likely lower than that, given big differences between the testing cycles.) That is damn impressive for a five-passenger hybrid that has a starting price of about $22,400….$5,000 less than the five-passenger Prius V.
So how is this all possible? Honda provided a nifty chart showing that reduced brake rolling resistance, reduction of engine friction, and increased hybrid system control efficiency. It’d be awesome if they showed how much each of these improvements increased MPG, and I’m sure this technology will fit its way to other vehicles. This allowed the Honda Fit Shuttle Hybrid to achieve the same fuel efficiency as the regular Honda Fit Hybrid, which I have found to be a very versatile little vehicle. The Shuttle Hybrid only sacrifices about 70 liters of cargo space compared to the non-hybrid as well (517 liters for hybrid vs. 590 liters for non-hybrid.)
The Honda Fit Shuttle is even more versatile, and according to The Truth About Cars, it appears to be heading to the U.S. sooner rather than later. Just in time to compete with the Ford C-Max and Toyota Prius V. Funny how things work out, eh?
Not, if only they would make a hybrid Honda that also runs on natural gas…
Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
With another 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the history books, it is time to look to the future, again. A unique, hydrogen-powered racer from Green GT will make its 2012 track debut. Is this the future of Le Mans?
As part of an attempt to "green" its image, the world's premier endurance racing event has started a new tradition called "Le Mans ver le future," or, Le Mans Into the Future. It is a showcase for would-be, could-be future Le Mans racers, and Green GT was there this year with its Twenty-4 300kw electric racing prototype. There’s even some nice racing footage (posted below) from the car included with the press released. For next year though, they will be ditching the batteries in favor of a hydrogen fueling setup.
Called the LMP H2, Green GT will use an in-house hydrogen fuel station to provide 300kw (or more) of power to their Le Mans racer. I imagine that one of the advantages of going hydrogen power versus batteries is weight and power density. 150 grams of hydrogen can replace one liter of fuel according to Green GT, which means their 12kg high pressure storage tanks will displace about 80 liters of racing fuel, or about 21 us gallons. Pit stops play a major role in endurance racing, and the less refueling you have to do, the more laps you can complete.
Consider also the fact that the winning Audi Diesel racer from last weekend's Le Mans only had a 13 gallon fuel tank, and it would appear that the Green GT LMP H2 may have a significant endurance advantage. Factor the 400 horsepower+ and tons ‘o’ torque on tap from its electric motors, and the LMP H2 is shaping up to be a serious contender for future Le Mans races. All of that that only matters if it works, and as promising as hydrogen-powered endurance racing sounds, proving one's self on the race track with such a new technology is a monumental undertaking. Do they have the gusto to do it?
I certainly hope so. A new age of motorsports is dawning, and it looks like hydrogen may have a place at the table after all.
Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
If you ask me, a plug-in Toyota Prius is way overdue, but as it turns out, may well be worth the wait. The 2012 Prius Plug-In will come with a selectable EV mode that gives drivers more flexibility for their drive.
The current Toyota Prius comes with three selectable driving modes; Eco, Power, and EV, and the non-selectable Normal mode. When the Prius first starts up, it automatically enters Normal mode, draining the battery before switching over to the gas engine. There's nothing wrong with this, although if you're planning to just hop on the highway before going downtown, you're losing fuel efficiency as the EV mode is better suited to slow city driving than highway speeds. The 2012 Prius Plug-In will also offer a selectable EV mode.
What that does is allow you, the driver, to decide when to enter EV mode, and when to let the gas engine do the work. It's a small but brilliant maneuver on Toyota's part that puts control back in the hands of the driver, something sorely lacking in most modern cars. Now you can save EV mode for when you want it, allowing you to increase your efficiency, as long as you use it wisely.
This EV Mode goes along with another very nifty feature which will allow drivers to refill the EV battery via regenerative braking, no plugging in required (though an charger is still the fastest way to refill the battery. This feature means that, technically, you would be able to recharge your Prius Plug-In to its full 13 mile or so EV range without ever having to plug in, although you’ll need a long hill to do so. And that, my friends, is nothing short of amazing…if it works. Which I have a feeling it will.
Ford may be catching up to Toyota, but the Prius keeps moving the goal posts. Gotta give them props for that, and it looks like Toyota's hearty hybrid may keep the MPG Crown for at least a few more years.
Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
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Today marked the beginning of the end for the 45-cent-per-gallon ethanol blending subsidy, as the U.S. Senate voted 73-27 to end the subsidy. But that doesn't mean the ethanol subsidy will end overnight. Here's why.
First and foremost, President Obama and the White House have already released a memo stating that they do not support ending all ethanol subsidies, which cost the government about $6 billion. That means Obama could veto the bill (if it makes it through the House), even though the subsidy is widely regarded by deficit hawks and environmentalists alike as a wasteful windfall to the oil industry. As it is, the main beneficiaries of the blending subsidy are oil companies themselves, who earn a hefty 45-cents per gallon of ethanol they blend into gas reserves.
The bill that passed the Senate would also end a 54-cent-per-gallon import tariff on ethanol, which was largely designed to protect domestic corn growers from Brazilian sugarcane growers. So at the same time we would be ending an ethanol subsidy, we'd also be encouraging growth of the biofuel by allowing imported ethanol to compete on a level playing field. So don’t expect domestically-produced ethanol to just disappear. It’ll be around for a while yet.
Like I said though, don't count on it happening anytime soon. That such a measure was even able to make it through the Senate, and with such a whooping majority, is a bit of a breakthrough. Just not enough of a breakthrough to make a difference. Make no mistake though, this is the beginning of the end for ethanol subsidies in America, and its days are numbered. So what’s next on the chopping block?
Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
Even the Department of Defense knows that oil is a volatile and limited resource, and they are planning for a future without it. The DOD has released a new energy strategy designed to get more fight out of less fuel.
Currently, all military vehicles are required to be able to run JP-8, jet fuel, and many of them do run it on a daily basis. As you might imagine, keeping a massive military well fueled takes a lot of gasoline. It took over 10 billion gallons to power our war machine in 2010, at the cost of over $13.2 billion, with some fuel costing more than $400 per gallon. That helps the DOD makes up about 80% of the entire federal government's energy use. 80% of convoys in Afghanistan are primarily for using fuel, and some 3,000 U.S. servicemen have been wounded or killed in Afghanistan and Iraq defending these fuel convoys. Those are some scary numbers to military brass, who have outlined a new energy strategy designed to get them off the oil standard.
There plan is simple, and three-fold; reduce demand and improve efficiency, secure energy security, and build energy security into the future fighting source. The military has explored multiple alternative fuel options, and at this point there is no telling what direction they could go, though they only have by 2040 to do it. But from biofuel jets to hybrid Hummers and algae-powered Navy vessels, the future of our armed forces is looking leaner, meaner, and greener.
Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
Political analysts agree that China is expanding its influence across much of Asia through dramatic economic and diplomatic policies. One such policy is the creation of a high speed rail across much of Southeast Asia, and eventually into Europe.
Right now, there is no official "master plan" regarding the when, where, and how of this huge high speed rail network. The first step though is to link neighboring land-locked Laos (which has just 2 miles of train track total) with China. From there, experts believe China will expand its rail network through Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and eventually Singapore. Such a network could eventually wind its way right into Russia and perhaps one day, Western Europe. Imagine being able to hop a train from Paris to Hong Kong, without the aggravation of a plane flight.
The end goal for this network is a two-day trip from London to Shanghai…not quite as fast as an airplane, but infinitely more comfortable. However, this rail network is as much about economics as it is expanding China's influence across Southeast Asia. Of course, given that the current rail network in China is subject to poor construction, high corruption, and anger over costly ticket prices, government leaders may want to solve these problems before exporting a Silk Rail Road.
Meanwhile America can’t even get its trains into the triple digits. Sigh…
Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
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