Today is acronym day here at TGM (TheGreenMotorist). EVs = electric vehicles and FCVs = fuel cell vehicles.

Nissan has partnered with Renault and regions around the world to begin the creation of electric vehicle charging stations in preparation for the company’s entrance into the US EV market – tentatively scheduled for 2010.

A report on the new Automotive News show, AN Today, reports that the Nissan EVs will likely be sold on a city-by-city basis. Cities that have an EV charging infrastructure in place will likely be the first to receive Nissan’s new electric vehicle in 2010. The report goes on to state that there is no reason for Nissan to hold back the entire production process while American cities get their infrastructure in place. Watch the entire video on the AN Today website; the Nissan report is the last one.

In other Nissan news, the company is currently testing a new fuel cell technology.

“The next-generation fuel-cell stack is part of a range of eco-friendly technologies that Nissan is pursuing under Nissan Green Program 2010, a plan focused on developing new technologies, products and services leading to real-world reductions in CO2 emissions, cleaner emissions, and expanded recycling of resources.” Source: Nissan News

Although Nissan has been affected by the global economy crisis (like the majority of other automakers), it is heartening to see this automaker continuing to strive towards meeting its green motoring goals.

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The famed Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts will be opening a “Juice Bar” for cars on Earth Day, April 22, 2009. This isn’t a fancy gas station in the middle of the Harvard Square Hotel; instead it is an area in the hotel garage for hybrid and electric car recharging. The price for access to this new juice bar? Free!

“Two separate parking stalls will be equipped with dual charging outlets, featuring a GFI protected outlet with 50/60 AMP, 240 volt and 20 AMP, 120 volt service, which will electrically charge cars between two to four hours. As an added service, The “Juice Bar” will keep an extensive inventory of back-up adapters on hand for popular EV models for guests who may have left theirs behind.” (Source: PR Newswire)

This certainly isn’t the first free EV charging station. One of my favorite local restaurants had two charging stations in their parking lot after the owner purchased one of the original Honda Insights. However, branding it as a juice bar for your car is great; combining this with an Earth Day launch and you have an ingenious product.

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The Renault-Nissan Alliance is expanding its Zero-Emission Vehicle Partnership program again, this time it is in sunny San Diego, California. The partnership will include San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E); the ultimate goal is an electric vehicle charging network.

“Nissan will introduce ZEVs in the United States in 2010 and will mass market ZEVs globally two years later. The announcement coincides with the first stop on a coast-to-coast tour of Nissan’s EV Prototype, a vehicle that’s powered by Nissan’s lithium-ion battery pack and zero-emission electric motor. While this vehicle does not represent the design of Nissan’s electric vehicle that will be sold in 2010, the EV Prototype is an indicator of what’s to come in zero-emission mobility.” (Source: PR Newswire)

Other communities/states involved in the partnership include Tucson, Arizona, Sonoma County, California, and the State of Oregon.

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Tesla Motors recently delivered its 250th vehicle and the company continues to grow. In the company’s March newsletter, details about the Midwest sales facility, located in Chicago, Illinois, were announced. The Chicago facility, at 1053 W. Grand Avenue, will be the first of seven to open this year. The second in line is in London’s Knightsbridge neighborhood. Other cities on the list include Manhattan, Miami, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and Munich, Germany.

In addition to the expansion of the sales offices, Tesla also announced that the company began selling vehicles in Canada earlier this month.

“We will begin delivering cars in the fourth quarter, and we believe Canada will become a premier showcase for the Roadster. In Canada, the majority of electricity comes from renewable resources, including run-of-river small hydro, wind, biomass, geothermal and solar energy. An EV recharged from the current Canadian grid, on average, would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 85 percent compared to an equivalent gasoline-powered vehicle. In hydro-dominant British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba, the reduction would be an impressive 98 percent.” Source: Tesla March Newsletter

Next week, Tesla is going to unveil the Model S prototype at the Hawthorne, California facility. The sedan should hit the streets in late 2011 and will come with a much more reasonable price tag - $57,400. The vehicle will likely qualify for a $7,500 tax credit, which brings the net price to under $50k.

Two factors about the Model S have me excited about the March 26 prototype reveal – the fact that it is a sedan and the price tag. Since I’m a mom, I need a sedan to port around the kids and the price point is within my range.

Now to begin convincing my husband that a Tesla Model S will be a nice 11th wedding anniversary present in a few years.

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Dr. Rob Wilder received his Tesla Roadster on Saturday, March 14, 2009. The “very orange” Roadster was Tesla’s 250th delivery and Wilder will charge his Roadster via a solar panel array installed at his home.

“We’re not beholden to Middle East oil – and by the way my car is probably faster than your car!” joked Rob, CEO of WilderShares LLC and manager of WilderHill Clean Energy Index, the first Index on Wall Street for energy efficiency and zero-carbon solutions.” This car is an elegant solution to some of the world’s most difficult problems. And buying it is helping push along EV adoption generally because Tesla is investing the money in lower-priced cars down the line.” Source: Tesla March Newsletter

Congratulations to Dr. Wilder on your new vehicle and Tesla on reaching the 250-vehicle milestone.

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Th!nk, a Norway-based electric car company, is currently looking for a home for its first US manufacturing facility. Michigan is one of the eight states that the company is looking at; the other seven states were not mentioned in the press release.

“The plant will build the innovative THI!NK city, a sophisticated, high-tech compact electric vehicle recently nominated for England’s prestigious Britt Design Award. The all-electric car can travel up to 112 miles on a single charge. The car is designed, engineered and produced to have the lowest possible carbon footprint with recyclable plastic body panels and a fully recyclable interior. U.S. production is expected to start in 2010, with the first-year volume of 2,500 units being available to pilot and demonstration fleet projects.” (Source: Think)

Read the entire press release - Think Annouces U.S. Factory Plans

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When I saw the headline about a Volkswagen and Toshiba partnership to create an electric vehicle, I thought back to my trusty Toshiba laptop. It was the first laptop I had ever owned and it lasted for several years. If Toshiba can do with cars what they do with laptops, then this partnership might turn out to be a successful venture for both parties.

“Volkswagen AG and Toshiba Corp signed a letter of intent to co-develop an electric-powered version of Volkswagen’s subcompact Up! concept car according to a Reuters report.

“The objective is a cooperation for the development of electric drive units and the accompanying power electronics for Volkswagen’s planned new small (car) family,” Volkswagen reportedly said in a statement.” (Source: Environmental News Network)

So, I went to the Volkswagen website to see what the Up! looked like and had flashbacks of the Gremlin that my cousin drove in the 80s. Although the VW/Toshiba partnership is creative, the state of the world economy may put this project on the backburner before it can even get off the ground.

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Okay, a Tesla Smart Car is wishful thinking but the luxury electric vehicle company will be providing batteries for Daimler’s Smart EV. This announcement was made last week at the North American International Auto Show. The agreement has Tesla providing Daimler with the battery pack and charger for 1,000 of the new Smart electric vehicles, which will be available in the United States in 2010.

Other Tesla news from Detroit:

Tesla founder Elon Musk “detailed the company’s ambitious plans to develop a range of EV models and build a factory in San Jose, California, capable of building 20,000 cars a year.

This would cost between $300-400 million, Musk said. It would involve production of a new pure EV model, the Tesla S, a sedan model, with a family of different body styles to follow including a crossover, wagon and minivan.

This is likely to cost around $50,000 – less than half the $109,000 roadster - and is said to offer a 225-mile range on a single charge of its Lithium Ion batteries.” (Source: Newspress)

Sign me up for the Tesla crossover!

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Filed Under: Auto Shows, electric vehicles, smart

BMW is loaning 10 MINI Es to the City of New York as part of the city’s Street Condition Observation Unit (SCOUT). This announcement was made in Mayor Bloomberg’s State-of-the-City speech earlier today.

“We are delighted to work with New York City in developing this new form of sustainable transportation,” said Jim McDowell, Vice President of MINI USA. “Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC initiative has demonstrated a keen understanding of the importance of sustainability and we fully share the same vision and enthusiasm for developing new ideas, technologies and forms of transportation to make it a reality. This MINI E zero-emission vehicle is only our company’s first step.” (Source: PR Newswire)

These 10 will be a small portion of the 500 MINI Es that BMW will be testing in New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles. The MINI E has a range of 150 miles on a single charge, 201 horsepower, a top speed of 95 miles per hour and a 0 to 62 mph time of 8.5 seconds.

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Chrysler did not find success with its Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango Hybrids but hopes that its new line of electric vehicle cars are in demand once they make it to market. On Sunday, Chrysler revealed several new EV concepts including the sporty Dodge Circuit, the luxury Chrysler 200C sedan and the Chrysler Town & Country EV minivan. Chrysler has an EV for everyone including sports utility fans with the release of the Jeep Patriot EV SUV concept.

“The Jeep Patriot EV uses an electric-drive motor, advanced lithium-ion battery system and a small gasoline engine with an integrated electric generator to produce additional energy to power the electric-drive system when needed. Range-extended Electric Vehicles provide customers a no-compromise means of dramatically reducing their gasoline use and carbon footprint. The Jeep Patriot EV has a range of 400 miles, including 40 miles of zero fuel-consumption, zero-emissions, all-electric operation.” (Source: Chrysler)

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Filed Under: Auto Shows, Jeep, electric vehicles