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EVPlus - December 2012 News

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New Warranty Plan for LEAF Battery.
Added by admin 29/12/12

Nissan has announced starting spring 2013 they will offer a limited warranty on battery capacity loss.
Confirmed by Nissan's executive vice-president Andy Palmer, this will be applied starting with next spring as part of the revised New Electric Vehicle Limited Warranty plan. It was created to protect against battery capacity loss in the first 5 years / 60,000 miles for U.S. customers only. If in this period the battery capacity gauge drops below 9 bars - from a total of 12 - Nissan will repair/replace the battery "to restore capacity at or above a minimum of nine bars". Replacement will be done with either a brand new battery or a remanufactured unit.
The revised warranty plan comes as a response after several problems experienced by Leaf owners living in warmer climates. A few drivers from Arizona asked Nissan to analyse battery capacity loss after they noticed important capacity losses during high temperatures.
                                                                   Photo & text courtesy Electric Vehicles News

 

Mitsubishi announces the release of the Outlander PHEV.
Added by admin 28/12/12

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announced today (December 26, 2012) that the new Outlander PHEV will go on sale at dealerships throughout Japan from January 24, 2013. Powered by the Plug-in Hybrid EV System powertrain derived from MMC's lineup of electric vehicles (EVs), the Outlander PHEV will have a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of ¥3,324,000 - ¥4,297,000 (including consumption tax). The Outlander PHEV qualifies for Japan's "eco-car" tax incentives*1 and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "Subsidies for measures designed to promote introduction of clean energy vehicles" (maximum ¥430,000), making the actual cost to the customer as low as ¥2,894,000.
The world's first plug-in hybrid SUV, the Outlander PHEV represents a fusion of the EV technologies developed by MMC for models such as the i-MiEV, 4WD technologies honed in the Lancer Evolution, and SUV know-how gained from the Pajero (Montero or Shogun in some countries). The result is a groundbreaking new model that brings together the superior environmental performance and quietness of an EV, the stability and handling of a 4WD, and the practicality of an SUV. More...

                                                  Photo & story and more, courtesy... Electric Vehicle News

 

Looking back at EVs in 2012.
Added by admin 28/12/12

Check out this great report by Shruti Prakash of IHS Automotive at Hybrid-EV.com.                      Follow this link - Hybrid-EV.com

 

Martin and his brand new Holden VOLT.
Added by admin 27/12/12

My first impressions of the Volt were back in 2007 when I saw the concept car that GM’s Bob Lutz had a vision for. I thought it was a very throughout practical way of actually doing a real plug in EREV that would be financially feasible for a large company like GM.
I then followed this vehicle very closely as GM at the time were fully open with information / continually leaking via what is now the GM-Volt.com site and via GM themselves. Little did I know about the amazing complexity and effort GM went into designing this product which resulted in this brilliant consumer product.
So, I was little a taken a back when this became at one point a political football in the US. That chapter is over and I hope that US citizens will be very proud and support it as and into the future.
Compared to other offerings it Volt pampers it’s battery for long life, provides you with the maximum EV benefits for it’s range and doesn’t leave you stranded when your battery is depleted. How can you beat that!
I decided to purchase the Volt – as I fully appreciate both its technology, what it does achieve and a lifelong dream from a childhood reading a futuristic book from our State Electricity Commission that the future would be electric, and that included an electric car – which at the time left me wondering how?     ... more... InsideEVs  Photo and text courtesy MartinT and... InsideEVs
 

 

4WD with an Electric Motor in each wheel.
Added by admin 24/12/12

Protean Electric has designed and developed a unique in-wheel electric drive system for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric light-duty vehicles. The Protean Drive™ system can improve vehicle fuel economy, add torque, increase power and enable improved vehicle handling to both new and existing vehicles.
Protean Drive™ is a fully-integrated, direct-drive solution that combines in-wheel motors with an integrated inverter, control electronics and software – no separate large, heavy and costly inverter is required. Each motor packages easily in the unused space behind a conventional 18- to 24-inch wheel and can use the original equipment wheel bearing. The direct-drive configuration reduces part count, complexity and cost, so there is no need to integrate traditional drivetrain components such as external gearing, transmissions, driveshafts, axles and differentials.
Direct-drive, in-wheel motors require no gearboxes, driveshafts or differentials thus giving far greater flexibility to vehicle designers while substantially reducing drivetrain losses. The reduced drivetrain losses mean less energy is wasted (during both acceleration and regenerative braking), resulting in more of the energy from the battery pack being available to propel the vehicle.
Each in-wheel motor can be controlled entirely independently, providing far greater control, performance and vehicle dynamics than any other drive system.
In addition, traction control, launch control and torque vectoring are all easily implemented through the use of in-wheel motors.
Prototype manufacturing will begin in early 2013 with volume production in 2014, out of Protean’s new manufacturing facility in Liyang, China.
                                                       More... logo, text and image courtesy... Protean Electric
 

 

Drive-Away an i-MiEV at a lower price. (Australia).
Added by admin 19/12/12

Announced today... the Mitsubishi i-MiEV has had a considerable price drop. The Drive-Away price in Australia is now in the low thirty thousands. The South Australian price is $33,990 (Drive-Away) with other states being close to that, the price depends on each state's Stamp Duty etc.
This special is so new, even the dealers may not know about it.
If you are interested, please contact Mark Whyte at Mitsubishi Motors Australia Headquarters and he will direct you to your local dealer. Mark's contact details: mwhyte[at]mmal[dot]com[dot]au, or phone Mark on 08 8275 2562 or Mobile: 0408 164 527.
 

 

LEAF now cheaper & more options to own one (Australia).
Added by admin 10/12/12

The Nissan LEAF, the first mass-produced, purpose-built, all-electric car on the Australian market, is now available at the drive away price of $46,990 until 31 March 2013.
The campaign also includes a Nissan Financial Services Australia offer of 0.0% per annum comparison rate with zero deposit.
Nissan is also offering a repayment package starting at $499 per month (36 month term calculated at 3.0% per annum comparison rate) and has also made special Fleet Pricing available.
To-date a total of 71 Nissan LEAF vehicles have hit the road in Australia in 2012.
The Nissan LEAF is slated for an upgrade in 2013 following the launch of the updated model in Japan last month.                 Photo & story courtesy Electric Vehicle News  Subscribe via the same link.

 

A123 goes to Wanxiang.
Added by admin 09/12/12

Chinese auto parts firm Wanxiang is the proud owner of battery maker A123 Systems, having won this week’s bankruptcy auction with a bid of between $250 million and $260 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. Other bidders included Johnson Controls, NEC and Siemens.
Wanxiang will not be buying the segment of A123 that provides batteries to the US military - that business went to another firm. Several in Congress have expressed concerns about A123’s taxpayer-funded technology going to a Chinese purchaser. Divesting the military-related contracts will surely make the deal more likely to go through.
                                                           More... story and photo courtesy: Charged EV Magazine
 

 

Toyota Hybrid Engines to be made in Australia
Added by admin 07/12/12

Australia's car manufacturing industry has received a shot in the arm with the opening of a multi-million dollar engine plant in Melbourne's west.
The Toyota petrol-electric hybrid engine plant is the first of its kind built outside Japan and makes Australia one of only four countries capable of producing the AR-series four cylinder engines. The plant is expected to turn out 108,000 engines a year - 15 percent of which will be hybrid engines. Speaking at the opening of the plant yesterday, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the new hybrid engine plant was good news for the environment and industry.
"It's a great example of the opportunities for manufacturing that come from Australia's move towards a clean energy future." Ms Gillard said. The Federal Government contributed $63 million to the new plant from its Green Car Innovation Fund.
Toyota Australia president Max Yasuda, said the opening of the plant was part of the company's overall mission to both transforms its operations and build a more sustainable business. "I am a true believer in local car making." Mr Yasuda said.
                       Photo Courtesy GreenCar.com   Story: The Advertiser, December 7, 2012, Page 79.

 

November 2012 Figures - Toyota Prius Plug-in on top... (US)
Added by admin 05/12/12

The good news: 2012 plug-in vehicle sales may turn out to be triple the 2011 figure. The bad news: November’s total is down a little from October, and sales of the former front-runner, the Chevy Volt, took a big hit. The Volt sold 1,519 units in November, a steep decline from October, in which the Volt set a monthly record of 2,961. GM’s extended-range EV seems to have clinched the top spot for 2012, however, with year-to-date sales of 20,828. GM blames inventory issues for the drop. “Volt sales were modest in November due to availability in most key markets including California, our largest market,” said GM spokesperson Michele Malcho. “We had a really low daily stock for most of the month, and expect to have more Volts available in December.”
GM VP Don Johnson told the Detroit News that “dealers are just clamoring for more” in California, where inventory levels recently fell to an eight-day supply (about 23 days is the ideal level). A package of sales incentives also expired in November, which could explain part of the decrease.
Meanwhile, the Prius and the LEAF plugged along as the Volt dropped back. Toyota’s Prius Plug-in moved 1,766 units in November, a slight decline from the record 1,889 units it sold in October. Year-to-date for the PPI is 11,389 since it went on sale in February.
The Nissan LEAF did 1,539 in November, also falling short of its monthly record of 1,579 in October (but greatly improving on its November sales of 672 a year ago). Year-to-date sales for the LEAF are 8,330, and it has a good shot at beating its 2011 sales figure by year-end.

                                                           More... story and photo courtesy: Charged EV Magazine
 

 

   
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