By John Addison (8/18/10)

Hot, Flat, and Crowded

An entire nation will be covered in 2011 with electric car charge stations. One car company has received a non-binding order for 100,000 electric cars. The company managing the entire project is Better Place, headquartered in Silicon Valley USA. Israel is the nation that desperately wants to end its dependency on oil from hostile neighbors. Renault is the French company supplying up to 100,000 vehicles.

The advanced lithium-ion batteries are made by AESC, a joint venture of Nissan-NEC. Any car with a depleted lithium battery can be recharged in hours or simply have a robot switch in a new battery in one minute. By the end of 2011, Israel will have 70 robotic switching stations so that cars can cross the nation without waiting for recharging.

Electrifying the transportation of a nation takes a lot of money. Better Place has over $200 million from venture capital investors. Better Place just received an added $350 million from HSBC, a financial giant with deep roots in Hong Kong.

The vehicle electrification of a nation involving technology and financial partners from many countries could be a poster child for Thomas Friedman’s bestseller Hot, Flat, and Crowded. In electrifying a nation’s automotive transportation, Better Place will provide program management, system integration, large-scale project financing, vehicle procurement, battery switch stations, and a network of charging stations. Better Place will deploy its sophisticated software services to support the network of charging stations, provider driver information such as the location of the nearest public switch station or charging unit, and provide the electric utility with all needed information.

Hugh McDermott, VP Global Utility Alliances for Better Place, included some details of the Israel project when I attended his presentation at Plug-In 2010 Conference. Already operational in Israel are a few Renaults converted to be plug-ins, a few charging stations, and two Better Place battery switch stations. Better Place will conduct a full system test of the network of charge and switch stations, including software, by October 1, 2010.

Thousands of new Renault Fluence Z.E., a stylish battery-electric 4 door sedan that seats 5, will be in daily use in Israel by the end of 2011. All of the new Fluences will support Level 2 smart charging with J1772 connectors. All will have removable lithium batteries that can be robotically switched in about 3 minutes. Fifty to 100 of the new Renaults will be in Israel by the end of 2010.

Better Place CEO states that he has placed an order for 100,000 electric cars from Renault; the Renault-Nissan Alliance states that 100,000 is a memorandum of understanding. In either case, the agreement is likely to result in thousands of Renault Fluences being delivered with switchable batteries.

150 fleet owners have signed to take delivery of the Renaults by the end of 2011. Thousands of individual orders are also expected. By the end next year, 1,000 Better Place charging stations will be available for these electric Renaults and other plug-in vehicles. Twenty battery switch stations are expected to be installed by the end of 2011. 70 stations would give all drivers in the nation a location every 25 miles to have a fully-charged battery in minutes. By law, all vehicles in Israel must be electric by 2020.

Shai Agassi’s Vision

Last month, I attended a speech by Shai Agassi, Better Place’s CEO and founder. TIME Magazine named him to the 2009 TIME 100, the world’s 100 most influential people, and one of TIME’s “Heroes of the Environment 2008.” He passionately spoke of a better world, cleaner air, reduction of climate risk, and energy security. He sees electric cars as less expensive over their lifetime and falling prices as battery price performance continues to improve. He envisions batteries being charged with renewable energy.

Shai Agassi envisions Better Place removing the higher upfront cost of an electric car, by allowing customers to lease or subscribe to the vehicles, batteries, and charging, much as your wireless provider includes mobile phones with wireless subscription plans. His speech emphasized the need for cars with switchable batteries, so that drivers could have the same “fast fill-up” experience that they now get at a gasoline station.

The subscription model is great. The program and project financing capabilities are welcome by the industry. Most auto makers do not want switchable batteries. Whether I talk with Ford, Toyota, or GM, battery packs are seen by automakers as their core competency. Most welcome the battery cells being made by battery giants, especially if they have a joint venture partnership, but the pack design, shape, and vehicle integration are seen as core to the automakers.

Renault-Nissan Alliance

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is open to battery switching. The Alliance is investing $5 billion in the development of electric cars. In 2011, Nissan plans to sell over 20,000 LEAF electric cars in the U.S. alone. Nissan future plant in Tennessee has the capacity of making 150,000 electric cars per year. The lithium-ion battery pack in the LEAF is not removable. In fact, it is shaped and placed for passenger comfort and car weight balance, not for switching.

Battery packs for Nissan and Renault electric cars are made by AESC, a joint venture between electronics giant NEC and Nissan. AESC also makes the removable battery pack for the Renault Fluence.

Renault will be selling four Z.E. (zero emission) models in 15 European and other countries in 2012: the Fluence larger 4 door sedan, the Zoe young-hip subcompact 4 seat city car, the Twizy 2-seater reminiscent of the GEM, and the Kangoo Van for commercial fleets. Nissan will be selling the LEAF in the U.S. Renault has no announced plans to sell the Z.E. family in the U.S.

Better Place’s battery switching could be a fairly ideal way to electrify millions of fleet vehicles globally. Better Place battery-switching is already being demonstrated at Nihon Kotsu, Tokyo’s largest taxi operator. Better Place is developing a partnership with Cherry Automobile in China. Large taxi and other fleets are in discussion with Better Place from San Francisco to Shanghai, and from Chicago to Copenhagen.

Although most major auto makers are unlikely to embrace switchable batteries for consumer cars, they would be open to business partners who purchase electric cars in volume and then provide them to consumers in a low-cost lease that includes vehicle charging and no worries about long-term battery depletion.

Better Place is positioned to be successful, even if battery-switching is confined to millions of fleet vehicles. Communities need program managers to pull all the smart charging infrastructure pieces together, finance vehicles and infrastructure, and provide the network software services to manage.

Shai Agassi was an executive at Apple and SAP. He has personally been part of taking disruptive technology and business models and making them billion dollar successes. In cities around the world his team and partners are creating a Better Place.

Better Place Moves Ahead with 100,000 Electric Cars is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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By John Addison (8/9/10)

The San Francisco Bay Area will add over 5,000 electric car charging stations (EVSE) in the next 2 years and continue as one of the nation’s leading areas for electric cars. The Bay Area’s 7 million people live in cities that have adopted hybrid cars, like the Prius, faster than in 99 percent of America. One in 5 new car sales are hybrids in cities like Berkeley, Palo Alto, and Sonoma. The San Francisco Bay Area already has about 8,000 electric cars on the road from Tesla Roadsters to Prius Plug-in Hybrids to light EVs limited to 25 miles per hour.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board of Directors approved $5 million to support further development of a regional electric vehicle charging infrastructure program in the Bay Area. Most health damaging air pollution in the Bay Area is from cars and trucks. Electric cars and plug-in hybrids are also critical to achieving an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the SF Bay Area.

“The past several years have seen exciting progress in the development of electric vehicle technology,” said Air District Executive Officer Jack P. Broadbent. “Creating a useful charging network will make it easier for Bay Area residents to Spare the Air every day by going electric.” Mr. Broadbent will present at the CAPCOA Climate Change Forum at the end of this month.

The new program will leverage up to $5 million in Air District funds to support electric vehicle charging infrastructure grants including:

• 3,000 home chargers at single family and multi-family dwellings
• 2,000 public chargers at employer and high-density parking areas
• 50 fast chargers within close proximity to highways

The plan will especially help the majority of early adopters that do not have houses with garages. Electric cars with ranges of less than 100 miles are well suited for people who live in the urban density of cities like San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. Most in these cities live in multi-family dwellings such as apartments and condos. Chargers for these dwellings, places of employment, and key public areas will be critical to encourage the Bay Area’s 4.5 million car and truck owners to buy and lease electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt.

Dozens of companies are now offering electric car charging stations that are smart grid enabled with network services for drivers and fleets: Aerovironment, Ecotality, Coulomb Technologies, Eaton, and GE.

Over 20 percent of the SF Bay Area’s energy comes from renewable sources such as wind, hydropower, solar, geothermal, and biowaste from agriculture. Ocean power is being added. Coal power plants are not allowed in the Bay Area. The new electric cars can be programmed to charge at night when excess power is on the grid. As utilities make the information available, they can even be programmed to charge when excess renewables are on the grid.

5,050 Electric Car Charging Stations for SF Bay is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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(7/26/10)

CT500 Level II Charging Stations for Residential and Light Commercial Use Coulomb’s Advanced ChargePoint Network

Coulomb Technologies today announced the availability of its residential charging stations for electric cars. Coulomb’s new CT500 Level II ChargePoint® Networked Charging Stations are designed for home and light commercial use. The announcement expands Coulomb’s spectrum of products for EVs from home to Level III fast charging stations. CT500 charging stations will be sold through Coulomb’s OEM and distribution channels. The ChargePoint Network is based on an open interface, standards-based architecture that provides station owners with a complete set of business applications to market and bill for electric transportation fueling services, and provides drivers with EV charging applications to make fueling easy.

The home charging announcement is timely. Nissan has received over 16,000 deposits for the LEAF, including one from me. We are getting recommendations to have Aerovironment inspect our garages and plan on average installation costs of $2,000 including electrical work. GE recently entered the smart charging competition with the GE WattStation EV Charger and will soon announce its home charger.

The CT500 charging station is a 7.2 kw single output station designed for residential and light commercial applications. The station delivers Level II (208/240 V @ 30 A) charging and is compatible with plug-in electric vehicles that comply with the SAE J1772™ plug-in electric vehicle-charging standard. The station’s small size and flexible network interfaces make it an ideal solution for utilities, homeowners, fleet managers, and auto manufacturers. The CT500 is compatible with Leviton’s recently announced innovative Evr-Green™ EVSE installation system. This industry-first prewire mounting system provides for simple plug-in installation for new charging stations.

Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and provides authentication, management, and real-time control for the networked electric vehicle charging stations. The network of electric vehicle charging stations is accessible to all plug-in drivers by making a toll free call to the 24/7 number on each charging station, or signing up for a ChargePoint Network monthly access plan and obtaining a ChargePoint ChargePass™ smart card.

All Coulomb stations including the new home charger are network-enabled, capable of reporting energy usage and communicating over the network with Software Application Services and Network Support Services to activate capabilities such as:

Coulomb Announces New Home Charger for Electric Cars is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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GE CEO Jeff Immelt

By John Addison (7/13/10)

GE Smart Charging Stations for Electric Cars

General Electric intends to be the leader in smart grid charging of electric vehicles. GE’s Watt Station EV Charger was personally unveiled today by CEO Jeff Immelt. Globally, GE already helps thousands of electric utilities be more efficient in generating power and in distributing power. With a growing family of smart grid solutions including smart charging of vehicles, GE will help utilities lead in the intelligent generation, management, distribution, and use of energy. Mr. Immelt refers to this as Digital Energy.

After attending the presentation by Jeff Immelt and other luminaries, I was able to talk with Michael Mahan, GE’s Global Product Manager of EVSE.

The GE Watt Station is the first in a family of vehicle smart charging products and services from GE. It will be piloted this year at commercial sites and universities such as Purdue and the University of California San Diego. Within a couple of months we will see the announcement of a GE home plug-in car charger. These products will be made available commercially in 2011 simultaneously in all markets including the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Although GE’s press release positioned the Watt Station as having a faster charging rate than some competitive offerings, this Level 2 220 volt / 32 amp smart charger delivers electrons at the same speed as other Level 2 chargers such as Coulomb Technologies, Aerovironment, and Ecotality. These competitors have the early lead in installing 15,000 charging stations in the United States. GE is taking a fast-follower strategy with the intent of being the market leader.

The Watt Station complies with J1772 smart charging standards. Its attractive design will appeal to consumers, with a simply friendly interface and retractable cord protected inside the supporting pole. The Watt Station is modular and upgradeable. It can be purchased with an optional credit card reader, or that can be added later. Watt Stations also have optional smart suite communications to utilize smart metering and wireless AMI.

Where GE does have competitive advantage is in its long-term relationship with utilities, its family of end-to-end system solutions, its partnerships, and its financial prowess. Communities littered with last decades charging stations, some no longer working from bankrupt companies will find comfort in the GE brand.

GE Provides Digital Energy End-to-End

As global electric utilities modernize and embrace the added opportunity of transportation that depends less of petroleum and inefficient engines, and more on electricity and efficient electric drive systems, GE can be a major partner. Electric vehicles can be smart charged with GE charging stations, managed with GE software services. Areas with high concentration of electric vehicles can turn to GE for new substations and distribution equipment. Power plants can be upgraded with the latest GE turbines, and supplemented with GE wind turbines, solar power, and grid storage. With a digital energy demand can be shaped off-peak.

GE Unveils Nucleus™ and Brillion Home Energy Management

GE also unveiled Nucleus™, an affordable, innovative communication and data storage device that provides consumers with secure information about their household electricity use and costs so they can make more informed choices about how and when to use power. Nucleus is expected to be available for consumer purchase in early 2011 at an estimated retail price of $149-$199.

GE’s Nucleus brings the promise of the smart grid into consumers’ homes. As utilities deploy smart meters, the Nucleus will collect and store a consumer’s household electricity use and cost data for up to three years and present it to consumers in real-time using simple, intuitive PC and smart phone applications, helping consumers monitor and control their energy use.

Nucleus is the first product in GE’s Brillion™ suite of smart home energy management solutions that will help consumers control their energy use and costs. In addition to Nucleus, GE’s Brillion suite will include a programmable thermostat, in-home display, a smart phone application and smart appliances for the entire home.

By 2012, US utilities are expected to install more than 40 million smart meters. These digital meters enable utilities to charge “time-of-use” rates for electricity throughout the day. When demand is low, electricity will cost less, and when demand is at its “peak,” utilities will charge more to encourage off-peak consumption.

Future Brillion options will also include alerts to assist consumers with daily tasks, such as when to change the refrigerator’s water filter or when the dryer cycle ends. Software upgrades will further enable Nucleus to monitor water, natural gas, and renewable energy sources, as well as plug-in electric vehicle charging.

$10 Billion Ecomagination R&D

GE is driving a global energy transformation with a focus on innovation and R&D investment to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology. Since its inception in 2005, 92 ecomagination products have been brought to market with revenues reaching $18 billion in 2009. With $5 billion invested in R&D its first five years, GE committed to doubling its ecomagination investment and collaborate with partners to accelerate a new era of energy innovation. The company will invest $10 billion in R&D over five years and double operational energy efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption.

CEO Immelt expects over 30 new ecoimagination product announcements in the next 24 months, including the GE Watt Station EV charger.

$200 million Challenge

CEO Jeff Immelt said, “No one is better at commercialization better than GE.” He does recognize that the innovation for that commercialization can come from a surprising range of innovators outside of GE. He announced a stunning $200 million open innovation challenge that seeks breakthrough ideas to create a smarter, cleaner, more efficient electric grid, and accelerate the adoption of more efficient grid technologies.

This funding from one company compares with the United States ARPA-E proposed budget of $300 million for next year.

The global challenge invites technologists, entrepreneurs and start-ups to share their best ideas and come together to take on one of the world’s toughest challenges – building the next-generation power grid to meet the needs of the 21st century. The challenge is one of the largest ever and is open immediately at www.ecomagination.com/challenge.

“Innovation is the engine of the global effort to transform the way we create, connect and use power,” Immelt said. “At GE we have invested broadly and deeply in digital energy solutions and see this as a substantial market for us, but we can’t do it alone. We want to work with our partners to make sure we have a comprehensive digital energy offering. This challenge is about collaboration and we are inviting others to help accelerate progress in creating a cleaner, more efficient and economically viable grid. We want to jump-start new ideas and deploy them on a scale that will modernize the electrical grid around the world.”

The Challenge, launched in collaboration with leading venture capital firms Emerald Technology Ventures, Foundation Capital, KPCB, and RockPort Capital, and Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief, Wired magazine, is part of GE’s ecomagination initiative, a global commitment to build innovative clean energy technologies and will help fund the most promising ideas. Proposals are sought in three, broad categories: Renewables, Grid and Eco Homes/Eco Buildings. Submissions can now be made. On September 30, the submission process closes, with awards announced on November 8, 2010.

GE is accelerating the commercialization of innovative systems that can reduce our dependency on oil, shrink our emissions of the greenhouse gases that create dangerous climate risks, and facilitate the efficient use of energy.

GE Bets 10 Billion on Digital Energy including Electric Car Charging is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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Carsharing SF Plugs-in

As people start ordering electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf, Tesla Roadster, and Chevy Volt, a vast network of charge points becomes more important. Drivers want to extend their range by hundreds of miles by charging at work, downtown, and on the road. Many who live in cities are interested in electric cars but do not have garages. They want work and public places to charge.

The automotive industry will reach a turning point during 2010, as it begins the gradual transition away from the internal combustion engine and towards electrification. According to a new report from Pike Research, this evolution will require a market-by-market expansion of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, ranging from residential equipment to public, private and workplace charging stations. The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that a total of 4.7 million such charge points will be installed worldwide during the period from 2010 to 2015. Electric Car Charging Articles. 

Thousands of new charge points are now being installed. Ford is promoting smart charging as it now takes orders for the Ford Transit Connect, next year for the 2011 Ford Focus EV, and in 2012 the Ford Plug-in Hybrid. Ford is partnering with Coulomb Technologies to provide nearly 5,000 free wall-installed charging stations for some of the automaker’s first electric car and electric delivery van customers.

Pike forecasts that by 2015, more than 3.1 million EVs, including plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles, will be sold worldwide. Pike Research’s indicates that competition from infrastructure providers will intensify by the end of 2011. Leading the first 20,000 U.S. charge point installations are AeroVironment, Better Place, Coulomb Technologies, and ECOtality. GE, Panasonic, Samsung, and Siemens are moving into the space with hardware and network services.

Pike Research’s study, “Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment”, analyzes technology and expansion issues for the EV charging infrastructure in global markets. It examines the market for residential, public, private, and workplace charging stations as well as reviewing the key operational and technological impacts of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles on the grid. Analysis includes an in-depth assessment of market drivers and barriers, along with profiles of charging infrastructure vendors and utilities. Detailed forecasts for EV charging equipment are included through 2015. A free Executive Summary is available online.

4.7 Million Electric Car Charge Points by 2015 is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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By John Addison (6/4/10)

Test Drive of Japan’s Most Popular Electric Car

Fortunately, the new 2012 U.S. iMiEV will have the steering wheel on the standard left side, because I am struggling with this test drive of the 2010 iMiEV Japanese version. Steering from the right-hand side is not so bad, but every time I use the “turn signal lever” the windshield wipers start flying. This is going to be a safe test drive, because the other drivers on this San Jose street are giving me lots of room.

Bring on the traffic; this little car has plenty of acceleration due to the torque of the electric motor. Although it is only 2,276 pounds, it feels solid due to a low-center of gravity with the lithium batteries embedded in the floor of the vehicle and the electric motor in the rear, providing real-wheel drive. Mitsubishi has done a good job of balancing the vehicles weight, which is easier to do in an electric car than one with an ICE with everything linked in the drive system. When I hit the brakes, stopping was quick but a bit uneven.

The 5-door hatchback feels like a roomy sub-compact inside. My 5 foot, 10 inch frame, fit easily in the driver’s seat and in the back seat of this 4-seater. The car is definitely designed for the urban environment. Parallel parking is a breeze, just nose in, turn off the car, and walk away. Mitsubishi is well experienced with small urban vehicles. Almost 40,000 of the 660 cc gasoline engine version of this vehicle have been sold since 2005.

Some 2,400 iMiEV are already being driven by their owners in Japan and Europe. By the end of 2010, Mitsubishi expects to have sold 5,000 of these pure battery-electric cars. Mitsubishi’s President Osamu Masuko drives this electric car today.

Bigger U.S. iMiEV on Sale Next Year

Late next year, Mitsubishi will start taking orders for the 2012 U.S. version of the popular iMiEV. Mitsubishi is currently suggesting a ballpark price in the low 30s, basically matching the Nissan LEAF pricing. Because the iMiEV only uses a 16 kW lithium battery pack, it could undercut Nissan’s pricing with the LEAF using 24 kW.

The U.S. model will have steering wheel will be where you want it. The wheel base will be 5 inches wider for the U.S. market, but the micro-compact will still be able to get those precious city parking spaces that no other car can take by the smart. The more powerful U.S. version will have an electric range of 50 to 80 miles between charging in real world driving. Mitsubishi cautions that some of its competitors are advertising ranges that will not be experienced by most drivers. The iMiEV includes an Eco mode that helps range by limiting excess power going to the motor and captures more regen energy on downhill. The high-energy batteries are made by Lithium Energy Japan, a joint venture company of GS Yuasa Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.

Living in San Francisco, I see Mercedes smart cars everywhere, boastfully perched in neglected parking spots, saving the owners $20 per day in parking lot fees. Soon those smart cars will have to race for the spots and the iMiEV can beat them every time.

Specfications

• Dimensions (L x W x H) = 133 x 58 x 63 (2012 USA expected to be 5″ wider)
• Vehicle Weight = 2,376 lb (2010; 2012 USA expected to add 100 to 200 lb)
• Maximum Speed = 80 mph
• Electric Range 80 miles
• Charge Time
  • 6 to 7 hours with J1772 (220v / 15 amp)
  • 14 hours (110v / 15 amps)
  • 80% in 30 min (2012 = 18 min) with Fast Charger (Level 3 200v / 50kW TEPCO)
• Motor = 64 hp (47kW) Permanent Magnet Synchronous
• Torque 113 lb-ft
• Lithium Batteries = 16 kWh with 88 cells

Clean Fleet Report Top 10 Electric Car Makers

Mitsubishi iMiEV Electric Car 2012 U.S. Model is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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By John Addison – June 3, 2010

Coulomb Technologies Smart-Charging for Ford Family of Electric Vehicles

Ford is promoting smart charging as it now takes orders for the Ford Transit Connect, next year for the 2011 Ford Focus EV, and in 2012 the Ford Plug-in Hybrid. Ford is partnering with Coulomb Technologies to provide nearly 5,000 free wall-installed charging stations for some of the automaker’s first electric car and electric delivery van customers.

Under the Ford Blue Oval ChargePoint Program, fleets and residents in nine designated markets could receive a free ChargePoint® Networked Charging Station with the purchase of a Ford Transit Connect Electric vehicle. The nine markets designated by Coulomb Technologies include Austin, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Sacramento, the San Jose/San Francisco Bay Area, Redmond, Wash., and Washington D.C. The installation of ChargePoint charging stations will begin immediately.

Ford plans to introduce five new electrified vehicles in North America by 2012, providing a range of products to meet a variety of customer needs. These include:

• A Transit Connect Electric small commercial van. Test Drive Report

• A Ford Focus Electric passenger car debuting in 2011. Test Drive Report

New USA Jobs for Plug-in Cars and Advanced Batteries

Ford’s increased use of lithium-ion batteries is also increasing jobs in the United States. Ford will make its own battery packs in Michigan, using Focus EV cells from nearby Compact Power, an LG Chem company. The plug-in hybrid cells will be made in Wisconsin by Johnson-Controls Saft. The U.S. made new lithium-ion batteries will be used instead of the currently Mexican made nickel metal hydride batteries. Over 6,000 new jobs are coming to Michigan just for advanced batteries. “Michigan will be the place where the electric vehicle and battery-powered vehicle will be researched, developed, produced, manufactured and assembled,” said Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

The Ford Blue Oval ChargePoint Program is part of Coulomb Technologies’ $37 million ChargePoint America charging station infrastructure project made possible by a grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the Department of Energy.

Coulomb Technologies Leads in Smart Charging Build-Out

Coulomb Technologies is a fast-growing venture capital backed firm headquartered in California. Coulomb’s ChargePoint® Network, is open to all plug-in electric vehicle drivers and provides authentication, management and real-time control for the networked electric vehicle charging stations. The network of electric vehicle charging stations is accessible to all plug-in drivers by making a toll-free call to the 24/7 number on each charging station, or signing up for a ChargePoint Network monthly access plan and obtaining a ChargePass™ smart card. Other future payment options include using any smart (RFID) credit/debit card to authorize a session or using a standard credit or debit card at a remote payment station (RPS) to pay for charging sessions. To locate available charging stations, visit mychargepoint.net and click “Find Stations.”

As electric cars start to ship with the new J1772 smart charging capability, Coulomb has taken the lead in installing a smart charging infrastructure with over 700 networked charging stations worldwide shipped to more than 130 customers in 2009. The ChargePoint Network provides multiple web-based portals for Hosts, Fleet managers, Drivers, and Utilities, and ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations ranging in capability from 120 Volt to 240 Volt AC charging and up to 500 Volt DC charging.

Smart charging will allow customers to save money by charging off-peak when rates are low. Major utilities also plan to inform smart charging station customers that excess renewable energy is available if that is their charging preference. Electric Utilities Facilitate Smart Grid

ChargePoint America will offer home and public charging stations to individuals and businesses. Businesses interested in applying for free public charging stations or consumers exploring an electric vehicle purchase can visit www.chargepointamerica.com for more information. Three automakers have committed to deliver electric vehicles in designated US regions. The Chevrolet Volt, the Ford Transit Connect Electric and Ford Focus Electric through the “Ford Blue Oval ChargePoint Program”, and the smart fortwo electric drive will be introduced along with this program. ChargePoint America plans to provide 4,600 public and private ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations by October 2011.

Clean Fleet Reports about Electric Cars

Top 10 Electric Car Makers for 2010 & 2011

5,000 Free Electric Car Charging Stations from California to New York is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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(March 30, 2010)

Sale, Lease and Reservation Details for the Nissan EV

Nissan announced U.S. pricing for the 2011 Nissan LEAF electric car, which becomes available for purchase or lease at Nissan dealers in select markets in December and nationwide in 2011. Nissan will begin taking consumer reservations for the Nissan LEAF April 20, months ahead of other electric cars in this price range.

Including the $7,500 federal tax credit for which the Nissan LEAF  will be fully eligible, the consumer’s after-tax net value of the vehicle will be $25,280. The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the 2011 all-electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF is $32,780, which includes three years of roadside assistance. Additionally, there is an array of state and local incentives that may further defray the costs and increase the benefits of owning and charging a Nissan LEAF – such as a $5,000 statewide tax rebate in California; a $5,000 tax credit in Georgia; a $1,500 tax credit in Oregon; and carpool-lane access in some states, including California.

As a result of aggressive pricing and the availability of the $7,500 federal tax credit whose benefit is immediately included, Nissan will be able to offer a monthly lease payment beginning at $349, not including state or local incentives, which could further reduce the net cost of the Nissan LEAF.

The vehicle at the standard SV trim level is well-equipped with a variety of standard features, including an advanced navigation system and Internet/smart phone connectivity to the vehicle, including pre-heat/pre-cool and charging control. Nissan LEAF is equipped with energy-efficient LED headlights and makes extensive use of recycled and recyclable materials, such as seat fabric, instrument panel materials, and front- and rear-bumper fascias. Other standard amenities include Bluetooth connectivity; Intelligent-key with push button start; Sirius/XM satellite radio capabilities and roadside assistance. Safety features include vehicle dynamic control (stability control), traction control and six airbags. The SL trim level, available for an additional $940 (MSRP), adds features including rearview monitor, solar panel spoiler, fog lights, and automatic headlights.

Reservations on April 20

In order to ensure a one-stop-shop customer experience, Nissan is carefully managing the purchase process from the first step, when consumers sign up on NissanUSA.com, until the customer takes the Nissan LEAF home and plugs it into a personal charging dock.

■Nissan begins accepting reservations on April 20 first from people who have signed up on NissanUSA.com, and, after a brief introductory period, to all interested consumers.

■Consumers will be required to pay a $99 reservation fee, which is fully refundable.

■Reserving a Nissan LEAF ensures consumers a place in line when Nissan begins taking firm orders in August, as well as access to special, upcoming Nissan LEAF events.

■Rollout to select markets begins in December, with nationwide availability in 2011.

Charging Equipment

In tandem with the purchase process, Nissan will offer personal charging docks, which operate on a 220-volt supply, as well as their installation. Nissan is providing these home-charging stations, which will be built and installed by AeroVironment, as part of a one-stop-shop process that includes a home assessment.

■The average cost for the charging dock plus installation will be $2,200.

■Charging dock and installation are eligible for a 50 percent federal tax credit up to $2,000.

■Using current national electricity averages, Nissan LEAF will cost less than $3 to “fill up.”

■Nissan LEAF also will be the sole vehicle available as part of The EV Project, which is led by EV infrastructure provider eTec, a division of ECOtality, and will provide free home-charging stations and installation for up to 4,700 Nissan LEAF owners in those markets.

This major announcement gives Nissan a lead over Toyota, General Motors, Ford and others that will also be offering electric cars. Top 10 Electric Car Makers 2011 U.S. Offerings

Nissan LEAF Electric Car will start at $32,780 including the Lithium Battery is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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(1/15/10)

The smart grid charging of electric cars with renewable energy advances. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Friday (ORNL) announced that they will deploy solar-assisted charging stations for electric vehicles across the state of Tennessee as part of one of the largest electric transportation projects in U.S. history.

Speaking at an event in Knoxville introducing the Nissan LEAF,  TVA Chief Executive Officer Tom Kilgore said that the first prototype charging station using solar-generated electricity will be tested at EPRI’s Laboratories for Electric Transportation Application in Knoxville this spring, possibly near the University of Tennessee campus where many electric car enthusiasts may live in multi-unit dwellings where garage charging is not available.

A second prototype will be built by ORNL in Oak Ridge. The prototypes will be tested for three to six months before expanding and constructing additional stations in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville over the next few years.

Modular solar charging stations can start with the charging of four cars and expand to over 10 electric cars and may be part of future fueling stations. Both stations and Nissan LEAFs will use J1772 smart charging communication.

This regional electric vehicle initiative is being done in conjunction with ETEC, which has received $100 million matching funding from DOE to install over 12,500 electric charging stations nationwide and a smart grid infrastructure.

Years of Added Use for Lithium Batteries

The solar-assisted charging stations will use the sun to generate power needed to offset the charge of the electric vehicles during peak power demand periods. While vehicles are charging, the stationary batteries and smart grid controls will provide additional localized support to mitigate any impacts on the power system.

The TVA Fact Sheet also discusses re-use of automotive lithium batteries stating, “Stationary battery storage will provide additional localized grid support to mitigate the impacts of charging multiple vehicles in one centralized location. Stationary storage will also provide future opportunities to re-use automotive batteries that are no longer ideal for vehicles. These batteries may have 60 to 70 percent life left in them and can be used to support the power grid.”

The solar-assisted stations will complement the standard home, commercial, public and fast-charging infrastructure needed to support the Nissan LEAF and more electric vehicles.

TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self-financing. TVA provides power to large industries and 157 power distributors that serve approximately 9 million consumers in seven southeastern states. TVA’s expansion into solar power complements its renewable energy leadership in hydro and wind power.

Electric Car Solar Charging Stations by TVA and EPRI is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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Duke Energy’s Electric Vehicle Future

By John Addison (10/19/09). Duke Energy joined the FPL Group in a commitment to buy 10,000 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in the coming decade, as they upgrade their fleets. The energy storage in these vehicles could eliminate the need for peaking plants and enable the expanded use of renewable energy. Duke Energy’s electric vehicle future may save billions in future power plant investments.

On October 10, Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) CEO Jim Rogers shared a few minutes with me in discussing electric vehicles and future strategy before he spoke at the Society for Environmental Journalist Conference. At first his commitments to electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and renewable energy seem surprising, given that he is CEO of the nation’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases. The emissions are largely the result of being the nation’s third biggest consumer of coal. He does not hide Duke’s emissions, instead he puts the issue right up front and talks about the future where Duke will replace all power plants between now and 2050.

First, let’s look at the commitment to 10,000 electric vehicles made with FPL at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). The $600 million investment over 10 years has more to do with good business than PR. Vehicle operations impact the earnings of any utility. Hybrid trouble trucks are already cutting fuel cost in half, as they use hybrid batteries to run lifts and auxiliaries for hours. Clean Fleet Report of PG&E. Plug-in hybrids would cut fuel more. Mr. Rogers stated, “We need to wean our country from dependency on oil.”

“A 10-year commitment gives us time to adopt, test and integrate new technology into fleets as a wider range of vehicles are developed,” said Jim Rogers at the CGI. “Currently, the only near-term options for available PEV supply are sedans, minivans, vans and a few bucket trucks. Over a 10-year horizon, it is expected that options will be available for most utility service categories.”

Electric vehicles including plug-in hybrids can be charged at night when there is excess electricity available. That electricity costs far less than gasoline and diesel. Duke Energy has 634 megawatts (MW) of land-based wind energy in Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming and another 99 MW under construction. An additional 251 MW of wind projects scheduled to begin operation in 2010. Siemens is one beneficiary of Duke’s renewable expansion. Duke even plans to lead in a pilot of offshore wind in North Carolina. Offshore wind has benefited Denmark, providing electricity for longer hours than land-based and more renewable energy during peak demand hours. This December, global leaders will see the wind towers in Copenhagen Harbor as the leaders discuss climate solutions.

In a 1993 annual report, Mr. Rogers was ahead of other utility leaders in stating, “We must turn our attention to carbon.” Jim Rogers has been active in climate meetings leading up to Copenhagen including co-founding US-CAP, chairing the Edison Institute who supported Waxman-Markey, and as a Copenhagen climate counselor. Rogers sees it as unlikely that Congress will deliver a bill before Copenhagen, yet Duke’s CEO feels that business leaders can achieve significant progress. His progress in diversifying Duke away from coal and oil dependency is one example. Working with China is another.

“What I admire about China is the mindset of can-do,” said Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, who at CGI announced a joint technology development deal with Chinese energy giant ENN Group encompassing solar, biofuels, smart grid, efficiency, carbon-capturing algae and other areas. “They’re not looking for excuses as to why we can’t do something.” Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Quotations from Clint Wilder’s report at Clean Edge

The recession has given utility executives some breathing room by reducing electricity demand. Electricity consumption in the U.S. fell reports the EIA. Coal usage dropped 13 percent in one year. Nuclear is off 2 percent. Net generation from wind sources was 18 percent higher and was the second largest absolute increase after natural gas. New drilling techniques make natural gas cheap and plentiful.

Duke wants coal power with carbon capture and sequestration (CSS) to be a big part of its future generation. After 20 years of experiments, “clean coal” is still largely non-existent. No doubt that coal can be captured. It can even be sequestered, at least for years. There is no evidence, however, that coal with carbon sequestering can economically compete with natural gas plants. “Clean coal” takes significant extra coal, capital expenditure, pipelining of CO2 and finding a willing oil company or cavern owner to store the greenhouse gas. Coal mining causes environmental damage and release of methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more destructive than CO2. Duke wants to bet on coal, yet it may find difficulty getting taxpayer or rate payer support for the added billions for CSS. For baseload power, natural gas would be cheaper, but natural gas prices have fluctuated wildly in the past years.

Utility executives want predictable pricing to make the best decisions about investing in power plants that may run for 40 years. Predicable pricing is one reason that Duke supports cap-and-trade. Rogers does not see cap-and-trade as hurting Duke or the U.S. economy. Rogers states, “We run our business as if COP-15 is in the rearview mirror.” A price for carbon is assumed in all Duke decision making.

Most promising for Duke, may be energy efficiency and renewable energy. Duke, like many utilities, has experimented with supporting electric vehicles. In partnership with Progress Energy, Duke is piloting drawing energy from vehicles during peak hours (V2G) using GridPoint technology. The key is to shape charging demand off-peak. Rogers feels that “variable pricing to shape demand is quite doable.” If successful, V2G could lower Duke’s investment in frequency management, spinning reserves, and peak generation.

It will be a smart grid that manages efficiency, demand management, critically needed distributed generation, and electric vehicles. Echelon, Cisco, and GridPoint, are some of the suppliers for smart grid hardware and software for Duke. Renewables include wind, solar, woody biomass

“Water is going to be the next oil.” stated Rogers. Global warming is already correlated with draughts, loss of water storage in snow, and agricultural losses in Duke’s North Carolina headquarters state and in its multi-state service area. Although coal, nuclear, and natural gas are water intensive, wind and solar are not.

Jim Rogers is looking to the future, “We are in most transformative period in history of power industry.” He recognizes that challenges and opportunities are different in this 21st Century.  Duke Annual Report Summary

Top 10 Electric Car Makers

Duke Energy’s Electric Vehicle Future is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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