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Mitsubishi evolves Concept-cX into lower-impact Compact Crossover

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Oct 29th, 2009 at 6:51PM Geneva Motor Show


Already getting ready for next spring's Geneva Motor Show, Mitsubishi has release a sketch of the all-new Compact Crossover that will be introduced soon in time to go on sale in Japan in February. While details are scarce, Mitsubishi says that the all-new on-road Compact Crossover will follow the i-MiEV and be "the Corporation's next game changer towards lower impact vehicles, in their format and/or in the innovative MMC proprietary technologies they will feature." From previous reports, this should mean a 1.8 liter clean turbodiesel engine with diesel particulate filter will power the production version.

We await further details, but it sounds like this evolution of the Concept-cX from the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show makes good on the company's promise to move Mitsubishi's line-up in the eco direction. Mitsubishi says it wants to get away from the SUV-centered focus that its had in the recent past and into being knows as "a manufacturer of environment-friendly passenger cars & crossovers." Guess they can get in line.

[Source: Mitsubishi]

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Toshiba to build second plant for automotive lithium batteries

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Oct 29th, 2009 at 6:04PM


Toshiba, like most other battery manufacturers, has decided that the market for automotive grade lithium ion cells is going to be huge in the next decade. As a result it has decided to build a second factory dedicated to automotive battery production in Kashiwazaki, Japan. The new 355,000-square foot plant will cost about $274 million and construction is expected to start in April of next year with production scheduled to start about one year after that.

The plant will build Toshiba's SCiB cells which are claimed to have better thermal stability than traditional lithium cells while also having a much higher charge cycle life. The SCiB are rated for 6,000 charge cycles and can support rapid charging in 30 minutes. No automakers have publicly announced plans to use the cells, but Toshiba likely has someone lined up if it is committing to a second plant already.

[Source: Toshiba]

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Megacity will be BMW's first to use carbon fiber "on a large scale"

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Oct 29th, 2009 at 5:01PM

The idea that BMW's line of electric vehicles will cater to the same premium buyers as the company's other vehicles seems more assured with today's announcement that it has established a joint venture with SGL Group to produce carbon fiber and textile semi-finished products for "vehicle construction" with an eye to getting the lightweight materials into production models, starting with something small and efficient.

The two vehicles mentioned in the release are the BMW M6 Coupé and the Megacity, which is part of the automaker's Project i. BMW still isn't spilling the beans about the type of powertrain – is it a hybrid or will it be offered with different powertrain options? – in the Megacity, but did say that, it:
will be launched under a BMW sub-brand in the first half of the next decade, the high-strength yet ultra-light material will make up a significant proportion of the materials used. In the Megacity Vehicle, The combination of the advanced CFRP fibres developed by the SGL Group and the BMW Group's expertise in the industrial manufacture of CFRP components is making it possible, for the first time, to install CFRP on a large scale in a series vehicle at a competitive cost.
Sounds positive.

[Source: BMW]

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Electric motorcycle revolution means business not-as-usual

by Domenick Yoney (RSS feed) on Oct 29th, 2009 at 3:57PM



Looking back, 2009 may be seen as the year that electric motorcycles began their rise to market dominance. If that is to happen, the start-ups in that sector will have to be successful in the execution of their various business models. What they are trying to do with the motorized two-wheeler is more revolutionary then evolutionary and so their approach to the market must be distinct, perhaps diametric to that of the companies that currently occupy the landscape. In a series of articles at Asphalt & Rubber under the caption Tradition is Not a Business Model, Jensen Beeler talks with the heads of Zero Motorcycles, Brammo, MotoCzysz and Mission Motors about their views on the topic. The posts discuss the company's ideas about engineering, education, identity and platform design that is quite insightful and worth the time spent reading.

Even if motorcycles really aren't your thing, it's interesting how the principles discussed are also easily applied to other types of electric vehicles. Before you immerse yourself in this thought-provoking series though, hit the jump for a great video by vlogger Paul Maverick showing part of Brammo's business plan in action as potential customers check out their product at the El Segundo Best Buy with (mostly) positive results.

[Source: Asphalt & Rubber]

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STUDY: Market share for plug ins, hybrids set for huge growth by 2013

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Oct 29th, 2009 at 2:56PM



Reports that hybrid vehicles would continue to be popular are nothing new and seem to be coming true. But a new study by NextGen Research paints a picture that might be a bit too rosy. Maybe.

Components used in electric and hybrid vehicles will see a huge growth spurt in the coming years, NextGen found. Vehicle battery modules, for example, are expected to go from about $1.3 billion last year to $3.7 billion by 2014. For comparison, read these recent posts discussing these sorts of components with David Cole (difficult but positive) and Guido Reinking (expensive and negative).

The growth is expected to come from a huge increase in the sales of plug-ins and hybrids. NextGen predicts that, in 2013, these vehicle types will make up eight percent of the new vehicle sales in the U.S., compared to something like two percent last year. In numbers, NextAuto sees hybrids climbing from sales of 550,000 last year to two million in 2013, with plug-in vehicles going from 10,000 last year to 350,000. An overall four-fold increase in the four years? That'd be something.

[Source: NextGen Research via Green Car Advisor]
Photo by mujitra (´･ω･). Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

A123 Systems partners with IHI to sell lithium batteries in Japan

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Oct 29th, 2009 at 2:03PM

A123 Systems has garnered plenty of attention for its lithium ion battery technology over the last several years, mostly here in the United States. The Massachusetts-based startup has now formed a partnership with IHI to market its batteries in Japan, a market that already has a number of domestic suppliers. According to IHI, it favors the A123 batteries because they are lower in cost.

A123's battery chemistry has an advantage over other suppliers because it uses no rare earth materials. Rare earths are becoming increasingly important because many batteries use them but 97 percent of current production is coming from China. The increased demand is driving up prices for these materials. IHI will be marketed toward plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles as well as ships. Here in the U.S., A123 has worked with both General Motors and Chrysler on development of plug-in vehicles.

[Source: Reuters]

Vroom for everyone: Local Motors unveiling crowdsourced Rally Fighter at SEMA

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Oct 29th, 2009 at 1:06PM

Local Motors Rally Fighter – Click above for high-res image gallery

The wild things have left the movie theaters and are headed to SEMA. Case in point, the Rally Fighter. Coming from Local Motors, which dipped into the collective wisdom of the Internet (not sure if wisdom is the right word there, but whatever) to crowdsource the design and specifications of their first vehicle. Intended to be an eco-minded Baja-like daily driver, the Rally Fighter uses a BMW 335d engine to achieve 36 mpg on the highway, or 30 mpg when off-road. Why is decent fuel economy important? Local Motors' CEO Jay Rogers fought in the Iraq war as a Marine and "saw the oil problem with his own eyes," according to Local Motors PR.

The Rally Fighter is scheduled to leave Wareham, Massachusetts today in order to make it to SEMA for its unveiling on November 3. For more on Local Motors' microfactory and crowdsourcing processes, check out a video of Rogers after the jump. You don't often hear an automotive CEO compare his company to Build-A-Bear, but you can in this case.

Gallery: Local Motors Rally Fighter


[Source: Local Motors]

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Mitsubishi to work with Netherlands government on EV promotion

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Oct 29th, 2009 at 11:52AM



Osamu Masuko, president of Mitsubishi Motors, paid a visit to the Netherlands this week to meet with prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende on the subject of electric vehicles. Mitsubishi recently delivered a production iMiEV to the Dutch embassy in Japan for use there. The Dutch government launched a tax incentive program to promote EV field tests last June and wants to expand the program beyond just fleets.

Mitsubishi will be working with the Dutch just as it is in numerous other countries (including Monaco, Iceland and Hong Kong) to expand availability of both plug-in vehicles and build out a network of public charge points to facilitate the use of EVs. Mitsubishi is now offering the iMiEV for sale in Japan and showed a small cargo box version of the car last week at the Tokyo Motor Show.

[Source: Mitsubishi]

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Report: General Motors delays Cruze launch by three months

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Oct 29th, 2009 at 10:55AM

2011 Chevrolet Cruze - click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors is desperate to avoid the recall stigma that plagued the first year of North American production of the original Ford Focus a decade ago. That car was recalled five times in the first year to fix early production glitches. The new Chevrolet Cruze had been scheduled to launch production at the company's Lordstown, Ohio factory in April of next year, but that has now been pushed back to July.

Although earlier launches of the Cruze in China and Europe have not had any serious problems, as the first major new product since GM was re-born out of bankruptcy this summer, and the company wants to make sure nothing goes wrong in the U.S. as well. The Cruze is expected to hit 40 mpg in highway driving with its new 1.4-liter turbocharged four cylinder. According to reports, the delay will also give GM time to have every variant of Cruze ready for customers on day one. Often, production launches are staggered with some versions held back. This can frequently cause problems for an automaker if they don't build enough of the version people actually want to buy.

Gallery: 2010 Chevy Cruze - live shots


[Source: Detroit News]

REPORT: Tesla gets creative $28 million tax incentive in California

by Sebastian Blanco (RSS feed) on Oct 29th, 2009 at 10:05AM


While not every state offers as big a rebate on the Tesla Roadster as Colorado does, there is a federal tax credit of $7,500 available to people who buy the electric sports car. Drivers aren't the only ones that various governments want to help in getting electric vehicles on the road. Tesla Motors itself will benefit from a favorable bit of tax massaging by state of California Treasurer Bill Lockyer.

We've know for a while that Tesla wants to open a new plant in the U.S. to build the Model S and, while Albuquerque was in the running, California has always been more likely. The state certainly has made it a point to offer up tax incentives. The latest offer is to waive the sales tax on EV manufacturing equipment worth about $320 million. Instead of buying the tools directly, Tesla will have the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority, a state entity that was formed almost 30 years ago and doesn't need to pay sales tax on equipment used to make advanced vehicles, hold the deeds for a short while and then give them to Tesla. This creative move will apparently save Tesla almost $29 million dollars, and makes us wish we could do something the next time we need to buy more blogging equipment.

[Source: San Francisco Gate, Reuters]

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