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EVPlus - February 2014 News

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Volkswagen Unveils Golf GTE Plug-In Hybrid
Added by admin 22/02/14

Volkswagen is the first automaker worldwide to offer a model line with a full range of conventional and alternative powertrains. The new Golf GTE plug-in hybrid, which will be presented at the Geneva International Motor Show (March 4 to 16, 2014) is the fifth powertrain to be offered in the Golf, adding to gasoline, diesel, CNG and full electric versions. The Golf GTE has an NEDC hybrid combined fuel economy rating of 157 mpg (equivalent to 35 g of CO2) and has an all-electric range of 31 miles along with an overall range of 584 miles.
GTI, GTD, GTE. The Golf GTE name is in line with the GTI and GTD abbreviations-two sporty icons of the Golf range. The first GTI in 1976 invented the term "hot hatch" and is currently the most successful compact sports car in the world. The "I" in the name stands for electronic fuel injection while the "D" in GTD, introduced for the first time in 1982, stands for diesel fuel injection. The latest versions of these two best-selling Golf sports cars were introduced in 2013. Now Volkswagen has transferred its sporty compact car philosophy to a third model-the Golf GTE.
The new Golf GTE has two engines: a 1.4-liter 148 horsepower turbocharged and direct-injection TSI® engine and a 101 hp electric motor. These combine to provide the stated system power of 201 hp. If the electric motor is the sole source for propulsive power, the Golf GTE is capable of speeds of up to 81 mph. When the full power of the system is harnessed, the GTE sprints from 0 to 62 mph in 7.6 seconds and achieves a top speed of 135 mph on the autobahn and race courses. Of more significance is the superior pulling power of the Golf GTE thanks to its alliance of a gasoline engine and electric motor that produces a maximum torque of 258 lb-ft. This torque sets this first "GTE" apart from other plug-in hybrid models...

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                                                   Story and image courtesy: Electric Vehicle News
                                                  
                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Hydrogen gets a boost from proton flow
Added by admin 14/02/14

Anna Salleh ABC - Tuesday, 4 February 2014

A new battery fuelled by hydrogen could one day provide a cheaper and more effective alternative to lithium ion batteries, say researchers.
The concept involves integrating a metal hydride storage electrode into a reversible fuel cell, says Associate Professor John Andrews from RMIT University's School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.
"It is an experimental system that we've used in a preliminary way to show the basic feasibility of the concept," says Andrews, whose research with colleague Saeed Seif Mohammadi is published in a recent issue of the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.
Hydrogen power involves using electricity to split water to produce hydrogen and oxygen.
In conventional systems, the hydrogen ions (protons) initially produced during this electrolysis are converted to hydrogen gas, which is then stored in compressed form.
Getting electricity back out of the system requires a fuel cell that combines hydrogen and oxygen.
"The normal hydrogen system for storing electrical energy has got three components. It's got the electrolyser [which splits water], the storage of gas, and a fuel cell," says Andrews.
"We were seeking to get one integrated unit that was more like a battery but still using the basic principles of hydrogen production from water."...

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                                                   Story courtesy: ABC
                                                   more: Gizmag
                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Can an Australian Tesla emerge from wreckage of car industry?
Added by admin 13/02/14

By Giles Parkinson on 13 February 2014

A year or two before its demise, Holden was offered the opportunity to throw in a small amount of money to try and help the development of an electric Commodore. The sum requested was minor, but refused.
In retrospect, the request was possibly a little like suggesting Kodak should go digital, or a coal-fired generator go green. Incumbents find it difficult to look beyond their own business model and the quarterly report to shareholders. And then they fall flat on their face.
The question about an EV manufacturing industry in Australia is an interesting one. There will be huge debate about whether an Australian EV maker could compete on the international market, in the same way that the local subsidiaries of Holden, Ford and Toyota struggled.
But there is one key element that may be overlooked – over and above the obvious technical talent and infrastructure that Australia deploys in its car manufacturing sector. And that is latent demand, and the potential support of the huge electricity utility industry, who could throw their considerable weight behind EV deployment to address their own weaknesses in their business model.
As RenewEconomy noted last year, the utilities industry has been looking for some time to EVs, and its infrastructure of storage and charging stations, as an antidote to declining demand and the threat of the death spiral. It’s about the only way they can see themselves being able to buy into the new distributed energy model.
It is remarkable to see how vocal those interests have become. The major utilities are now actively pushing EV adoption in their submissions to the Energy White Paper and other reviews. Could their involvement lead to the development of a “clean car” industry in Australia. There is an awful lot at stake, and an awful lot of reasons why it could.
The Australian Electric Vehicle Association says the departure of Mitsubishi, Holden, Ford and Toyota - owing to their “uncompetitive business models”, presents Australia with a unique chance to foster its own auto-manufacturing capacity...

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                                                   Story and more courtesy: RenewEconomy
                                                   AEVA Logo courtesy: Australian Electric Vehicle Association
                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Toyota Solid State batteries performance greatly exceed that of lithium-ion batteries.
Added by admin 09/02/14

Hans Greimel - Automotive News January 27, 2014

Cells pack more power than lithium ion units
TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp. says it has made major advances in developing smaller, more powerful solid-state batteries as the next-generation power pack to succeed lithium ion battery technology.
The new batteries, which have more than twice the energy density of lithium ion units, could power electric vehicles more than 300 miles on a single charge and enter production in the early 2020s, top engineers at the company said.
Since 2012, Toyota has managed a fivefold increase in the power output of its experimental solid-state batteries, Senior Managing Officer Soichiro Okudaira told a conference here.
The current coin-sized cell is still in the laboratory stage. But Toyota expects the technology to be ready for cars in the early 2020s, Hideki Iba, general manager for the Japanese carmaker's battery research division, said separately.
Toyota detailed its developments at Automotive World, an annual engineering and technical conference in Tokyo.
Solid-state batteries could herald a breakthrough in electrified driving because they are more compact and offer higher power output and energy density than today's batteries...

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                                                   Story and more courtesy: Automotive News
                                                   Image and more courtesy: Toyota
                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Audi guns for Tesla with Q8 e-tron SUV
Added by admin 06/02/14

Battery-powered version of the upcoming Q8 SUV due in 2017 with a range of 370 miles (595Km) expected.
An all-electric version of Audi's upcoming Q8 sports SUV has been approved for production as a direct rival to Tesla, according to senior company sources.
The Q8 e-tron will use battery and electric powertrain technology from the upcoming R8 e-tron supercar, with Audi engineers targeting a practical range of 370 miles. It’s thought that the new car will not be seen before 2017.
The R8 e-tron project was recently reprised, with the updated car getting twin electric motors, 376bhp and a range of around 250 miles.
The new Q8 model is aimed directly at the upcoming Tesla Model X SUV, which is due to be launched later this year. Like the Tesla, the Q8 e-tron will have electric motors driving the front and rear wheels.
The Q8 e-tron is expected to have a large battery pack, at least equal to the 80kWh pack that will be available in the Tesla. Battery technology is expected to make significant advances by the time the Q8 arrives, which will improve its potential range...

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                                                   More story and photo courtesy:  AUTOCAR
                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                               

 

   
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