electric vehicles

Tata Plans Hybrid Indica and Buses

Tata Motors is working on a gas-electric hybrid vehicle capable of delivering about 20km/l complying with BS III and IV emission norms that could be applicable to Indica and its variants and also a possible adaptation of the concept to other platforms in the future.

The New Delhi firm is also working on five prototype EVs using Li-ion batteries to be produced on the Indica platform, which could have a range of 200km per charge.

A Tata spokesperson said, "We are working on or supporting development of alternate fuels, including bio-fuels, hydrogen, etc., and also EVs and hybrid vehicles, both for passenger cars and public transport."

The company is also working on fuel cell buses, which could have application on high capacity city buses initially as well as later for SUVs and cars. The travel range between refueling could be around 250km.

Volvo Plug-in Hybrid Being Tested

C/Net reports that Volvo's plug-in hybrid is on the road, in a test with the Swedish government. Also hooked into the program are colleagues over at GM's Saab brand and the Swedish power company Vattenfall. Over five years, the companies will field a fleet of 10 plug-in hybrids to evaluate their feasibility. Volvo will confirm which of its vehicles will go hybrid during the next five years.

The Recharge concept car uses four separate electric motors and a set of lithium-polymer batteries to provide primary motivation. When fully recharged, which takes about three hours, the battery system will provide a range of about 100 kilometers (62 miles) of driving. Recharging the batteries is a 1.6-liter four-cylinder Flexifuel engine, which cycles on and off as needed and essentially functions as a generator for the system, allowing long-distance driving. When functioning beyond the battery's original charge, on the gasoline engine only, fuel economy is about 43mpg, although Volvo says that for a 93-mile starting at full charge, the effective fuel economy is 124mpg.

Battery May Drive Up GM Volt's Price

General Motors Corp., aiming to sell a rechargeable hybrid-electric car by 2010, said the price of its Chevrolet Volt sedan will need to reflect relatively high warranty expenses to cover the Li-ion batteries. "We are going to include a substantial warranty cost for the battery in our overall pricing calculation," said Vice Chairman Bob Lutz.

GM hopes to build a Li-ion battery pack able to deliver at least 40 miles (64 kilometers) of all-electric driving range before the Volt needs a recharge from an onboard engine or household outlet.

The Volt's 300-pound battery pack will be among its most-expensive components. Menahem Anderman, a battery analyst based in Oregon House, California, has estimated each such pack may cost about $10,000.

Coca-Cola Continues Green Truck Push

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Enterprises, the biggest marketer of Coke products, will buy 120 new hybrid-electric trucks from Eaton Corp. Coca-Cola Enterprises said its testing found the trucks decreased emissions by roughly 32% and fuel consumption by 37% compared to their current fleet. It also found lower maintenance costs on the hybrid trucks.

Mitsubishi and Tokyo Electric Power Collaborate

Mitsubishi Motors has begun testing its i MiEV electric vehicle in collaboration with Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The i MiEV is an EV based on the i minicar launched in January 2006.

The electric powertrain replaces the car's mid-ship 660cc 3-cylinder engine. The batteries were developed by Lithium Energy Japan, a joint venture between Mitsubishi Motors and Yuasa, a Li-ion battery specialist.

Mitsubishi has sought out electric companies to test its fleet of prototype EVs. Instead, starting with TEPCO, the selected fleet operators will trial-drive the vehicles and report back on the practical issues of daily use, such as recharging. The vehicles take up to 14 hours to recharge. This can be reduced to seven hours with a higher voltage and just 30 minutes in rapid recharging mode, though this can only achieve 80% of the battery's full capacity.