At the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, South Korean automaker CT&T unveiled two new electric vehicles on Tuesday, both which are scheduled to go into production in the second quarter of this year.

While the vehicles are not approved for regular roadway driving in the States, and are classified as low-speed vehicles (LSV) by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, they offer a variety of advantages, such as energy-efficiency, less pollution and a much quieter ride, unlike gasoline-powered vehicles.

While low-speed electrics have smaller, less-expensive batteries and can be good vehicles for specific uses, they are still costly to own, no thanks to the expense of the battery.

Curt Westlake, marketing director for CT&T, said at Tuesday’s unveiling:

“Until the battery technologies get to the point where batteries are affordable, full-speed electrics are going to be expensive.”

On Tuesday at the auto show, CT&T offered up a sharp looking, very light blue 2-seat roadster, known as the C Square. While Westlake wouldn’t talk price, he did reveal that the C Square has a top speed of 93 mph and can travel 155 miles on a single charge, getting its’ power from a lithium-polymer battery pack.  Joe White, the company’s chief operating officer in America, has stated publicly that the C Square will set you back roughly $50,000 - or less than half the price of the electric Tesla Roadster.  Click here for short video.

The second CT&T vehicle is the eZone Plus, a 2-seat car specifically designed for drivers to run about in larger cities downtown. The eZone Plus can reach speeds up to 45 mph with a range of 75 miles. Reps for CT&T say plans to design and build a 4-door version are in the works.

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Filed Under: Auto Shows, Eco Friendly, General, Korean Automakers, LSV, electric cars, electric vehicles, ev, golf carts, transportation

The Crayola colored Kandi COCO, an all electric, plug-in low speed vehicle that can be driven on streets with speed limits under 35 MPH, is receiving $4,435 in Federal tax credits, while the state of Oklahoma has kicked in an additional tax credit of 50% of the sales price, or $5,299. The Kandi COCO has a retail price of about $10,995, so if you buy one in Oklahoma before December 31, 2009, it can be yours for almost a steal – or about $865.00.

While you can’t drive it on the highway, and it doesn’t go over 45 miles per hour, it’s being compared to the smart fortwo in the states, which I find interesting since the only thing I can truly find comparable might be the size and the amount of time it takes to fully charge.  The COCO goes 40-60 miles on one charge and takes about 5-6 hours to fully charge using a 110 volt.   

There are some distinct advantageous though, as they’re no doubt great for people who own motor homes and want the flexibility of having a small car in tow. I think those who live in retirement communities might also find these little gems handy to scoot around in, too. They could probably be useful on college campuses, as well as film studios and practically anywhere transportation is needed in a smaller, less congested traffic area.

For less than the cost of a big screen TV, you can own a brand new set of wheels. Imagine a Kandi COCO under the Christmas tree this year – or not.

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Filed Under: Eco Friendly, General, LSV, electric cars, electric vehicles, ev, golf carts, smart, transportation

Fisker Automotive announced on Tuesday that it has selected the Wilmington Assembly plant in Wilmington Delaware to build plug-in hybrid cars. Fisker executives made the announcement inside the facility and were joined by Vice President Joe Biden, Delaware Governor Jack Markell when the announcement was made.

The plant will support Fisker Automotive’s Project NINA, the development and build of an affordable, family-oriented plug-in hybrid sedan costing about $39,900 after federal tax credits.

Production is scheduled to begin in late 2012. Fisker Automotive anticipates Project NINA will ultimately create or support 2,000 factory jobs and more than 3,000 vendor and supplier jobs by 2014, as production ramps up to full capacity of 75,000-100,000 vehicles per year. More than half will be exported, the largest percentage of any domestic manufacturer.

Fisker Automotive has signed a letter of intent with Motors Liquidation Co. (MLC), formerly known as General Motors Corporation, to purchase the Wilmington plant for $18 million after a four month  evaluation period.  An additional $175 million will be spent to refurbish and retool the factory over the next three years with funding coming from the conditional loan of $528.7M, which the Department of Energy awarded the company in September.

The company’s first car, the Fisker Karma, will be the world’s first production plug-in hybrid when it goes on sale this summer at retailers in the United States and Europe.

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Filed Under: Autos, Eco Friendly, Fisker Karma, General, electric cars, electric vehicles

Tonight’s episode of “Dan Rather Reports”, which will appear on HDNet at 8:00 pm Eastern, will focus on electric cars. Rather will get behind the wheels of the 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport. After watching Rather zoom around in the $125,000 electric supercar, Rather will host a round table discussion about the future of electric cars.

“Tesla, has just received a 465 million dollar loan from the U.S. Government and plans to use the money to build a larger, seven-person Tesla “S” sedan, which will have a 300 mile range, go from 0-60 in 5.6 seconds and will retail at around $50,000.” Source: PR Newswire

The round table discussion will feature environmental writer Jim Motavalli and Slate contributor Matt DeBord. I’ve got my DVR set to record the show as I’m looking forward to the round table discussion.

I know that I’m excited about the possibility that electric cars will experience a boom in the coming decade, but I’m curious what your thoughts are. Do you think electric cars will be a scene changer here in the US?

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Filed Under: Tesla, electric cars

Wheego Electric Cars has officially became its own entity; previously, it was part of Ruff and Tuff Electric Vehicles Inc. (RTEV). Due to the distinct differences in markets and product focus, the split is the best decision for both entities.

“Wheego Electric Cars is a high growth potential venture that will have large capital needs as it launches its first electric car, the Wheego Whip LSV, in late July. It is pursuing a national dealer distribution strategy and is building out its infrastructure. Wheego has a sales growth strategy.” Source: PR Newswire

The Wheego Whip is a low-speed two-seater that sells for under $19,000. The vehicle is currently eligible for a 10% Tax Credit but once the vehicle is modified and is no longer classified as a low speed vehicle, it will likely qualify for a $7,500 tax credit.

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Filed Under: electric cars

The UK power grid is prepared for the expected surge in electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Several companies are testing plug-in hybrids in the area including smart and MINI. The positive news about the British power grid comes after a research study by Ricardo UK Ltd, Jaguar-Land Rover, E.ON and Amberjac Project.

“The study marks completion of the first stage of the REHEV project and has focused on a range of vehicle charging scenarios and levels of market penetration in order to predict the likely increase in national energy usage. Four vehicle fleet charging scenarios were simulated, comprising uncontrolled domestic charging, uncontrolled off-peak domestic charging, ’smart’ domestic charging and uncontrolled public charging throughout the day - for example, by commuters who recharge their vehicles while at work. Charging was assumed to be single phase AC as this is the most likely near-term solution, but the study also considered fast charging scenarios as for a large number of vehicles the energy demanded over a time period is likely to be the same and distributed evenly.” (Source: PR Newswire)

The State of California is also preparing for the likely surge in the next few years. For more on that state’s readiness, read California Prepares for Plug-Ins.

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Filed Under: electric cars, electric vehicles

If you have not picked up a newspaper, turned on the TV or read a blog in the past few weeks then you are not aware of the Detroit 3’s plea to Congress. Let me bring you up to speed. In mid-November, Richard Wagoner (CEO of General Motors), Robert Nardelli (CEO of Chrysler) and Alan Mulally (CEO of Ford) went to Washington to ask Congress for financial help. Although this was newsworthy, what ended up in the headlines was the fact that these three flew in private jets to Washington DC. Yup, these three who make millions of dollars a year, and are asking for billions of dollars in assistance, hopped on company-paid private jets.

They were called on the bad choice and instructed to come back with a better plan by tomorrow. Now, a whole host of hybrid and electric vehicle technology companies are looking to get their chance before Congress. Ener1, a company that makes advanced lithium-ion batteries, is one of the companies attending the Electric Drive Transportation Association conference this week in DC. They are also hoping to get their chance to speak on the issue in front of Congress.

Ener1 CEO Charles Gassenheimer had this to say:

“Whether it is a plug-in hybrid like the Chevy Volt or a fully electric car like the Th!nk City, the future depends on better batteries. We need dedicated federal support to ramp up production and drive down costs. That’s already happening in China, Korea, and Japan, as well as in Europe. It needs to happen here, and it needs to happen quickly or we will miss the boat.” (Source: PR Newswire)

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Filed Under: Li Ion, electric cars

The Cascadia Center along with Microsoft, United States Department of Transportation, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and others are sponsoring the fifth annual TransTech Conference.  The theme of this year’s conference is “Beyond Oil:  Transforming Transportation” and will be held on September 4 and 5th at the Microsoft Executive Conference Center in Redmond, Washington.

Conference History
In the past, the conference looked at the future of plug-in hybrids, which was followed the next year by announcement of plug-in hybrids by major auto manufacturers including Toyota (plug-in Prius) and General Motors (the Chevy Volt).  According to the 2008 conference brochure, “This year, we will move beyond concepts and announcements to discuss how to transform transportation–how to move beyond oil.”

Keynote Address
From the official conference press release, “Shai Agassi, founder of Project Better Place, will give Friday’s keynote address. Mr. Agassi and the Israeli government have agreed to test concepts for moving the entire country away from oil in transportation through wide-scale implementation of electric cars.”

Presenters
The conference will feature many well-known members of the transportation and energy sectors as well as government figures.  Washington Governor Chris Gregoire, Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Jon Wellinghoff and former Director of Central Intelligence R. James Woolsey will all attend.

Slade Gorton, co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Transportation Policy Project, V2Green co-founder David Kaplan and Dr. Bill Rogers of the Idaho National Laboratory and Andy Frank (called the father of the plug-in hybrid) are slated to speak during the two-day conference.

Alternative Fuel Vehicles on Display
A conference on reducing the United States’ reliance on oil would be incomplete without a bevy of non-oil reliant vehicles on display.  The conference will feature a Toyota RAV4 EV, Ford Ranger EV, the ZENN Motor Car and even a Chelan County school bus that has been converted to a plug-in electric.

The Green Motorist readers who are interested in attending the conference can register on the Cascadia Project website.  Registration fees are $95 for both September 4 and 5, $35 for September 4 only and $65 for September 5 only.  The conference organizers have also offered a reduced $65 rate for non-profit members that would like to attend both days of the conference.

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Filed Under: Conferences, electric cars

The 2008 Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase just wrapped up its weeklong push to bring attention to electric vehicles to those attending the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Denver, Colorado. Famed Hollywood actress Darryl Hannah even stopped by for a visit and to film a spot for The Daily Show.

Sebastian Blanco from autobloggreen posted an interview with Paul Scott about Hannah’s appearance, here is an excerpt: “We got a call from Obama delegate, and the organizer of the Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase, Nate Vanderschaaf, asking us if we were available to pick up Daryl Hannah and assist her with a shoot for the Daily Show. Hell yes!”

About the EV Showcase
Held from August 24-28, 2008 in Denver, the EV showcase was created to allow anyone in the area the opportunity to ride in an electric vehicle and learn more about the technology. There were ten different EVs in attendance including the Tesla Roadster, Plug-in Prii and the Toyota RAV4 EV from “Who Killed the Electric Car?”.

“Who Killed the Electric Car?”
“Who Killed the Electric Car?” is a 2006 documentary by filmmaker Chris Payne that looks into why the electric car concept failed to take off. Two people from the film, Paul Scott and Colette Divine, were in attendance at the EV Showcase.

Nate Vanderschaaf

The Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase is the brainchild of Longmont, Colorado resident Nate Vanderschaaf. According to the official EV Rolling Showcase blog, “He feels that Electric Vehicles are the only logical pathway to clean air, energy independence, and freedom from high gas prices.” Vanderschaaf then goes on to say in a blog post, “I’m a “real guy” who drives my 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV to work everyday and, by my own confession, enjoys the ability to haul a large supply of cargo in my car.”

With the 2008 Presidential election on the horizon, it is only natural that green motoring options are being discussed by both parties. Alternative fuel vehicles were discussed during the DNC and it is likely that they will be discussed during the Republic National Convention (RNC) which will be held next week in Minnesota.

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Filed Under: electric cars, electric vehicles

With the recent dramatic increase in gas prices (okay, I paid less than $4 gallon today, but it is still high!), car companies across the world are looking at alternative fuel vehicles to add to their lineup. It seems that 2010 is the forecast year for several of the big name car companies to have electric vehicles for sale to the public. The following cars are projected to be released in 2010.

Chevrolet Volt
If you’ve read any of my previous entries here at The Green Motorist then you know I am a fan of the Chevy Volt. If General Motors stays on track, the Volt should be ready for purchase in 2010.

Saturn Vue Plug-in Hybrid
General Motors has plans to release a Saturn Vue Two-mode Hybrid in 2009 and then hopefully release a plug-in version in 2010. Preliminary statistics show that a fully-charged Saturn Vue Plug-in Hybrid will be able to go 10 miles without the need to use gasoline. Not bad for a quick trip to the store.

Toyota Prius Plug-in
Of course we’d expect to see the Prius on this list. The Toyota Prius is the most popular hybrid vehicles and it is only natural for Toyota to plan a plug-in version of this bestselling hybrid car.

Jeep Renegade Concept
Chrysler gave car enthusiasts a glimpse of three concept electric vehicles at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2008. In typical Chrysler fashion, they are planning one for each of their individual brands – Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep. The Jeep Renegade Concept is projected to go up to 40 miles on a full charge (then the diesel engine would kick in).

Nissan Electric Car
Nissan has plans to release an electric vehicle in the United States sometimes in 2010 as well. The designers at Nissan are actually pretty close-lipped about the project other than the fact that they want to enter the electric car market in 2010 alongside their competitors.

These are just five vehicles out of many that might be released in 2010. It will be interesting to look back at this post, and others like this, as 2010 rolls around to see exactly which cars make it to market and which are but a distant memory.

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Filed Under: chevy, electric cars, electric vehicles, nissan, toyota