electric bicycle prototypes

If there’s an interesting aspect to the rise and rise of electric mobility devices, it’s the number of companies that were once associated with vastly different fields which are now investigating the arena of electric bicycles. At SinoCES in China last month we saw a white goods manufacturer proudly showing a new range of electric scooters alongside its new range of washing machines. At IFA today we spied yet another big name on two electric bicycles – 107 year-old German electronics company Telefunken.

The bikes were being wheeled through the show floor when we came across them, and it seems that we were looking at the only two prototypes in existence which had been brought to the show to test consumer opinion on the day of the highest crowds – Sunday. Founded in 1903,

Telefunken has produced everything from television and radio apparatus to missile guidance systems and its new electric assist two-wheelers really looked the part. There was no information available whatsoever, and there were no markings to suggest the power output of the front wheel motor, though we’d suggest somewhere between 250W and 500W.

 Noel McKeegan was allowed to pick the bike up and he thought it was a tad heavy for an electric bike, but the quality and design of the machines was clearly obvious, and there were a few aspects where the bikes looked likely to be able to save significant weight when they go into production, most notably the thick cast aluminum wheels.

In all other respects, the bike was high spec with disc brakes and suspension at both ends, a single-sided swinging arm, an enclosed chain, three gears for the human powered side of things, and high quality running gear.

When Noel asked about the potential for seeing the bike in showrooms soon, we were told that subsequent to a positive response from the public (cheers please), the bikes would be available early next year at a price of around EUR 900 (US$1150).

Source:Telefunken

Toyota Motor to Install Vehicle Audible System for Prius

While majority of consumers expressing their interest for purchasing hybrid or electric vehicles (EV) for their fuel efficiency as well as their environmentally friendly features, one major issue in using such vehicles are their near silent operating engine, to such a level that a committee has been assigned to assess possible
countermeasures back in July of last year. The silent operation does not only concern people with hearing or vision disabilities or such, it is a concern that has been raised by everyone. Based on these findings, Toyota Motor Company has incorporated an audible system for Prius, designed to alert pedestrians as well as others audibly to the presence of a quiet vehicle, such as hybrid cars.

The onboard device will automatically emits a synthesized sound of an electric motor when the Prius is functioning in electric mode at speed of up to 25 km/h. The aim in creating the sound is to simply alert not to annoy the individuals through rises and falls in pitch that is relative to vehicle’s speed, indicating to the pedestrian vehicle’s proximity and movement. In Japan major metropolitan cities where the noise pollution is a norm due to is congested nature, the silent vehicle may need to raise their voice before being accepted by general population.

The EcoRide BE-35 all-electric bus

Even in the form of diesel-powered buses, mass transit is a much more environmentally friendly way to get people around than individual cars. All- electric buses, however, take the eco-credentials of mass transit to the next level and from next week, commuters in the San Gabriel/Pamona area of Los Angeles County can do their bit for the environment by traveling on three Proterra EcoRide BE35 all-electric buses purchased by Foothill Transit.

 Proterra unveiled its HFC35 composite body, hybrid-electric bus prototype back in 2008, which evolved to become a 35-foot (10m) bus capable of carrying 37 passengers that was described as the world’s first plug-in fuel cell hybrid transit bus. Now the company has produced the all-electric EcoRide BE-35, which is also 35 feet long, but has room for 68 passengers and is able to fast charge in under 10 minutes.

Public transportation company, Foothill Transit, has purchased three of the buses and two charging stations from Proterra. The buses have 72 kW-h lithium-ion battery packs that are just 50 percent larger than the 53 kW-h battery packs found in the Tesla Roadster and provide the buses with three hours of running time or a range of 30 miles (48km). They come in 550lb (249kg), 18 kW-h modular units supplied by Altairnano.

The buses will be deployed on Foothill Transit’s Line 291, which travels between La Verne and Pomona, and they will recharge about every 30 miles at the Pomona Transit Center at a drive-in docking station.

The buses will also soon be hitting the streets in San Antonio, but those will have 54 kW-h battery packs that will need to be charged more frequently. While the Foothill buses are likely to spend 10 minutes every hour charging and complete several laps of their route, the San Antonio buses may top up their charge on nearly every lap.

Foothill Transit is paying Proterra US$5.6 million for the three EcoRide BE-35 buses and two chargers but, if all goes well, hopes to expand its fleet to 12 buses. And they’re likely to attract other buyers. By 2012, 15 percent of the buses purchased by municipal agencies in California will have to be zero-emission vehicles.

Source Foothill Transit Proterra

1972 VW Beetle futuristic looks and high technology of cars

Despite the stunningly futuristic looks and high technology of cars such as the Aptera, practical electric vehicles don’t need to be exotic. Take, for instance, the E-Beetle. It’s a 1972 VW Beetle, which a group of students from the University of British Columbia Electric Car Club retrofitted with an electric motor. They had originally intended to enter it in the Zero Race, in which teams in electric cars are racing each other around the world. Once they realized they couldn’t make the deadline, however, they settled for a more modest goal – to drive it 6,400 km. (3,977 miles) across Canada... and they’re almost done.

The UBC Electric Car Club is made up of students from a variety of disciplines. What they all share, according to their website, is a desire “to break the fossil fuel dependency for transportation and commuting purposes.” They’re also interested in establishing UBC as a center of excellence for green technology, and in motivating other students worldwide to get involved in the field.

 Although the club was formed just a year ago, they’ve already put together an impressive little car. The E-Beetle’s original combustion engine has been replaced with an electric three-phase AC induction motor, powered by a lithium-iron phosphate battery pack. Some extra power is generated through a four-wheel regenerative braking system. The car has a range of 550 km. (341 miles) at 50 km/h (31 mph), or 300 km. (186 miles) at 100 km/h (62 mph), and takes about four hours to recharge. It has a top speed of 140 km/h (87 mph).

The two drivers and their dog set off from Vancouver, British Columbia on August 21st, and hope to arrive at their destination of Halifax, Nova Scotia by September 3rd – by doing so, they hope to break the speed record for driving across Canada in an electric vehicle. They are making the trip without the assistance of any support vehicles.

Unlike many EVs, the E-Beetle doesn’t require special charging stations. The team have been recharging at standard 50 amp outlets in places like campgrounds along the way. Unfortunately, soon into their journey they discovered that one of their onboard chargers was defective, bumping their required charging time up to about six hours. That may have been remedied as of the time of this writing, as they are currently in Toronto, where they were hoping to get their system repaired.

They still have another 1,264 km. (785 miles) to go before they reach Halifax.

Source:UBC Electric Car Club

environmentally friendly are electric vehicles?

Because they produce no exhaust gases in operation electric vehicles (EVs) are seen as the eco-friendly alternative to conventional gas-fueled cars. While zero-local emissions is clearly a big plus, other factors contributing to the overall environmental impact of EVs are often overlooked – namely the manufacture, usage and disposal of the batteries used to store the electrical energy and the sources of power used to charge them. Now, for the first time, a team of scientists from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (or EMPA) have made a detailed life cycle assessment or ecobalance of the type of lithium-ion batteries most frequently used in EVs, to see if they really are as environmentally friendly as their manufacturers would have us believe.

Results

The study shows that the electric car’s Li-ion battery drive is in fact only a moderate environmental burden. At most only 15 per cent of the total burden can be ascribed to the battery (including its manufacture, maintenance and disposal). Half of this figure, that is about 7.5 per cent of the total environmental burden, occurs during the refining and manufacture of the battery’s raw materials, copper and aluminum. The production of the lithium, in the other hand, is responsible for only 2.3 per cent of the total.

“Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are not as bad as previously assumed,” according to Dominic Notter, coauthor of the study which has just been published in the scientific journal Environmental Science & Technology.

The outlook is not as rosy when one looks at the operation of an electric vehicle over an expected lifetime of 150,000 kilometers (93,205 miles). The greatest ecological impact is caused by the regular recharging of the battery, that is, the “fuel” of the e-car. Topping-up with electricity sourced from a mixture of atomic, coal-fired and hydroelectric power stations, as is usual in Europe, results in three times as much pollution as from the Li-ion battery alone. If the electricity is generated exclusively by coal-fired power stations, the ecobalance worsens by another 13 per cent. If, on the other hand, the power is purely hydroelectric, then this figure improves by no less than 40 per cent.

The EMPA team concluded that a petrol-engined car must consume between three and four liters per 100km (or about 70mpg) in order to be as environmentally friendly as the electric car studied, powered with Li-ion batteries and charged with a typical European electricity mix.

Hybrid to debut at Paris Motor Show

Honda is set to unveil a hybrid version of its Jazz model at the Paris Motor Show next month. Destined for market in 2011, the Hybrid Jazz will use Honda's IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) parallel hybrid system, placing an electric motor in between a CVT gearbox and the same 1.3-litre i-VTEC engine found in the Hybrid Insight.

The supermini has also undergone a style overhaul for its hybrid rebirth – the headlights, grille and bumpers have all been revisited. There's also been refinements to the dashboard and a for the first time a leather trim is on offer.
Honda isn't releasing MPG or emissions data until the debut – we'll bring you full details from Paris next month.

Mitsuoka Supercar Motors Osaka

Beginning on September 1st at the Mitsuoka Motors showroom in Osaka, car enthusiasts will be able to rent the company's supercar, the Orochi, for 33,000 yen per day (or about US$390). While Mitsuoka is not an especially well-known name in the motor industry, the company is making a splash among gearheads looking for a slick car that will make heads turn.

 First introduced as a concept car in 2001, the Orochi finally saw a limited production run in 2006. The car is a 5-speed automatic, two-door coupe with a V6 3.3 liter engine.

 For anyone who has been waiting to take this car for a spin, the Mitsuoka Osaka show room is taking reservations by phone. According to a Mitsuoka representative, however, operators speak only Japanese.
The design is pretty wild, and it's one that you'll either love or hate. While I'm not a fan of the fish-like grill, the Orochi's body has more than enough sexy curves to compensate for such a goofy grin. Or at least, I think so.

 Also available for rent in Osaka is the company's other sports car, the Himiko roadster. This one can be rented at a lower 15,000 yen per day fee (or US$177), and would certainly make for a fun car to cruise the Japanese coastline as summer winds to a close. Although the Nude Top version of the Orochi could be an even better bet for such an occasion, if it's on offer.

 Some of you might remember that the guys at Top Gear featured the Mitsuoka on the tail end of their train-racing trip a while back. If you'd like to see some video footage of their Orochi test drive, check out the video here.