New posts from Gas 2.0!

Braking Trains = Fully Charged EVs
A123 Systems Scores Smith Commercial Fleet Deal
Honda’s Insight is Back, Baby!

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 02:00 PM PDT

High gas prices are changing the way people live and commute, pushing more and more Americans (myself, included!) to ride the rails. Sometimes, though, we still need to actually drive somewhere – and that’s a problem for EV and alt-fuel enthusiasts who live in suburban apartments.

Why? Because suburban apartment communities are usually none-too happy about you installing EV charging stations into their parking lots.

So, what’s a rail-commuting EV owner to do? Simple: plug the car in to the train!

That last line might not seem so silly in the near future. In fact, the managers of Spain’s railway infrastructure (the ADIF, for Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias) have already pulled off a bit of a coup in electric vehicle charging tech when, a few days ago, a group of engineers succeeded in converting the kinetic energy produced by the the ADIF’s commuter trains under braking to charge electric cars. The “proof-of-concept” demonstration took place May 23rd, fully charging a Th!nk City car using only electricity generated by the train’s brakes.

The demonstration was a joint project by the ADIF and Going Green, and is part of a proposal for large-scale implementation that has been submitted to INNPACTO, a grant program funded by Spain’s Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Tech ideas like this are so obviously brilliant that you want to kick yourself for not thinking of it first (I do, anyway), and great news for anyone who wants an EV but lacks access to at-home charging. If this technology becomes wide-spread in the US, you could drive your EV to the train station, plug it in, and come home from work to a fully-charged EV, ready for an afternoon grocery run and night on the town.

Once the INNPACTO grant is approved, the ADIF could begin installing braking-powered EV chargers at commuter parking facilities as early as next year.

Source: Motorpasion.

A123 Systems Scores Smith Commercial Fleet Deal

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 01:00 PM PDT

Earlier this week, A123 systems announced that the company had been tapped to provide high-capacity (up to 45 kWh!) li-ion battery packs for the upcoming Smith Newton 7.5 ton, medium-duty commercial truck – which already sees service in fleets owned by such diverse outfits as Pepsi, Staples, and the US Marines Corp.

One of my first articles for Gas 2.0 was about an initiative within CARB that threatened A123 in its early days, so it’s safe to say that I’m a fan, and genuinely happy to hear news about the company’s successes. Add the 7.5 ton Smith Newton to the similarly-powered 2 ton Navistar eStar electric delivery vehicle in service over at FedEx, and you’ve got a compelling case for both EVs in large-scale fleet use and A123′s future success.

Full press release, below.

May 9, 2011 - A123 Systems (Nasdaq:AONE), a developer and manufacturer of advanced Nanophosphate® lithium ion batteries and systems, today announced a production agreement with Smith Electric Vehicles to supply battery modules for Smith’s portfolio of zero-emission all-electric commercial vehicles. A123 expects to begin shipping its 5kWh automotive-class prismatic modules to Smith for integration into battery packs in the second half of 2011.

“We selected A123 Systems as a strategic supplier of lithium ion battery technology because it offers cost-competitive, high-quality solutions that meet the performance, safety and life requirements for our electric vehicles,” said Bryan Hansel, president and CEO of Smith Electric Vehicles. “The highly scalable, building-block design of A123′s modules also enables us to build customized battery packs to meet individual customers’ range specifications. This allows our customers to maximize the performance of their electric vehicles while realizing a faster return on investment.”

According to Smith Electric Vehicles, A123′s battery technology will be first implemented in the Smith NewtonTM truck, an all-electric, 7.5 ton (16,535 GVWR)-15 ton (33,000 GVWR) vehicle that has been commercialized globally. Smith’s customers include Frito-Lay (a division of PepsiCo), Staples, Coca-Cola, Sainsbury’s and Dairy Crest, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps.

“The addition of Smith Electric Vehicles to our growing portfolio of blue-chip customers reinforces our position as a leading provider of lithium ion battery technology for heavy-duty and commercial transportation applications,” said Jason Forcier, vice president of the Automotive Solutions Group at A123. “The long-term economic, environmental and operational benefits of fleet electrification can only be fully achieved with the right battery technology, and we believe that the performance capabilities and modular design of our systems make A123′s solutions optimal for commercial transportation applications. We expect that our systems will enable Smith to deliver vehicles that offer significant fuel economy improvements and total cost of ownership advantages over trucks with conventional powertrains.”

Source: AOL’s Translogic.

Honda’s Insight is Back, Baby!

Posted: 11 Jun 2011 10:00 AM PDT

Japan’s March 11th earthquake forced the nation’s automakers to halt production of their hybrid models, all but handing US hybrid sales game to Ford and its Fusion/MKZ hybrid twins. Ford dealers had better take note, though: Honda is back in the game!

The Japanese automaker announced last Thursday that it had “turned a corner”, and gave US dealers “the OK” to begin ordering the cars again. In the same memo, Honda’s sales VP John Mendel asked his dealers to aggressively advertise and “push” sales of the Insight on other hybrid models (which were up 111% before the quake), saying that “Honda’s manufacturing operations in Japan are returning to nearly normalized levels by the end of summer. This means our next allocation will include the fuel efficient Fit and Insight. This represents a major improvement from the recovery timetable (Honda) provided you last month.”

Granted, I haven’t exactly swallowed Honda’s Insight Kool-Aid, but I’m glad to see Honda’s quick recovery. Keep it up, Honda!

Source: Automotive News, via the Autoblog.