Author: Nick Chambers

Ford is having a great run of it. Just today they announced a $2.1 billion first quarter 2010 profit, which is up from 2009’s first quarter by $3.5 billion (yep, they lost $1.4 billion in Q1 2009). I don’t think there’s any other greater vote of confidence in their new line of products than that… but the good press on their products keeps on coming.

In a comparison on the San Francisco Chronicle website, out of 7 hybrids analyzed the Ford Fusion Hybrid came out number one in terms of how many years it will take to pay off the added cost of the hybrid system versus a non-hybrid model. According to the paper, at only 5.6 years the Fusion Hybrid beats the next closest competitor by almost 6 years. But is the analysis really meaningful or has the SF Chronicle bunged this one up badly?

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It was a couple years ago, when China overtook the U.S. as the largest new car market in the world, that it started to become clear to me the U.S. wouldn’t have the same influence in the development of this next generation of automobiles as we did in the first.

As witnessed by the incredible amount of diversity of green car tech at the Beijing Auto Show this year, China has suddenly become the place to watch for emerging car trends — and it’s getting a larger share of the limelight to boot.

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As we get closer to the launch of the Chevy Volt extended range electric vehicle (EREV), it’s becoming clear that GM has some hard work ahead of themselves trying to figure out how best to explain to the average consumer everything from EREV fuel economy to how a range-extender system works.

In a new short video, GM walks you through what they think could be just about the average daily commute for many people — plus they use some fancy graphics from Google Earth to make sure you are wowed by flying and zooming over the world as we learn about Volt commuting!

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We’ve seen it, we’ve lusted after it and we’ve dreamed of owning it. Combining amazing fuel economy (78 mpg) with rockstar performance (0-60 mph in 3 seconds) and sexy curves, the Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid concept supercar has been on the minds of green speed freaks ever since its debut in Geneva earlier this year. Porsche has been hinting that they will eventually build it, saying that they’ve never made a concept car they didn’t actually put into production.

Well, now it looks like it’s essentially a sure thing after comments by a Porsche Exec at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show.

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And just like that, we have proof that the upcoming Nissan LEAF will be a big seller. Today I got a quick note from Nissan spokesperson, Katherine Zachary, who wrote to tell me that as of this morning 6,635 people have plunked down the $99 refundable deposit to get in line for the first truly affordable, mass market electric car ever available… myself included.

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Ahead of the 2010 Beijing Auto Show BMW has announced that the company’s first mass-produced electric car will be released in 2013. Having just completed a year’s worth of electric vehicle testing with the Mini E, the BMW group now feels it has collected enough data to go full steam ahead with battery-powered cars.

Although it is likely a bit of a bummer to Mini fans, as BMW has previously stated, the Mini E (shown above) is not slated for production. Instead, BMW will start a completely new sub-brand to sell EVs dubbed ‘Megacity.’ Reportedly, the first Megacity will be a 5-seater in the size class of a VW Golf and will have a rear-mounted motor as well as rear wheel drive.

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I’ll admit, it’s hard to get all hot and bothered about a minivan… but there’s a reason they have been a perpetually popular option for decades now. They’re practical, functional people movers with gobs of cargo space, comfort and convenience. Ever since the original Dodge Caravan defined the segment back in the 80’s, families the world over have swarmed to them in droves.

Of course, on the fuel economy front they’re a bit lacking. Which is why, as a dad of two (who likes to subject his family to the great American roadtrip every now and then), a green car nut and a supporter of the resurgence of the American automobile, I can honestly say I AM all hot and bothered by Chevy’s unveiling of the previously rumored, Volt-based, extended range electric minivan/crossover concept called the ‘Volt MPV5′ at the Beijing Auto Show today.

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Last Summer I brought you word of the potential for ethanol made from woody crops such as poplars with a yield of up to 2,000 gallons per acre… per acre. On top of that, the process could result in ethanol cheaper than $1.00 per gallon without any government support.

And today ZeaChem, the company behind this groundbreaking process, announced that they have successfully completed a crucial step in converting wood to ethanol, proving that their core technology works and is commercially viable.

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As we get closer to the impending launch of the next generation of electric cars from manufacturers like Nissan, Mitsubishi, Ford, GM, Tesla and Fisker, the chorus of commentators claiming they will be a flop and are likely to never pay back their investment for the automakers that choose to build them is getting larger.

In the past couple months alone I’ve seen two rather high profile “parade rainers” — from Forbes and Ward’s Auto — come right out and say they think electric cars are an overly risky business bet which the overwhelming odds favor losing. But I don’t think these folks are looking at the big picture and they haven’t gotten their minds around the reality of our situation.

Once you take these things into consideration, EV manufacturers have nothing to worry about. (more…)

As I’ve been covering for the last few months, a bill that makes converting vehicles to run on compressed natural gas about 57% less expensive was signed into law in Utah yesterday.

The law should bring the current $14,000 average cost of installing natural gas conversions in Utah down to about $6,000.

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While it’s easy for those of us in the thick of it to simply “know” that the eventual domination of plug-in vehicles and hybrids is a foregone conclusion, what we pundits conclude is essentially irrelevant (yes, that does represent an existential crisis of sorts). Truly, in the end it comes down to what the average person ultimately accepts.

And if a recent survey by Capital One Auto Finance (done in honor of Earth Day) is any guide, plug-ins and hybrids are not just a passing fad with fully 78% of U.S. consumers now sure that they are here to stay.

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As we chugg along into whatever alternative transportation and energy future we’re creating for ourselves, it is clear that it shouldn’t involve such a singular dependence on one energy source as we’ve had. If anything, our last 100 years have taught us that relying so completely on oil can have many disastrous effects, ranging the gamut from economic to social to environmental. And, while plentiful access to oil has clearly brought about an unprecedented amount of good, at this point we know that we can build a better and more sustainable system.

So the discussions going on right now at the highest levels of government on how to structure any future energy and transportation framework highlight the pitfalls that lie ahead in weening ourselves off of our stubborn and all-encompassing addiction to oil. (more…)

Just a friendly EV enthusiast reminder: the official process of buying a new Nissan LEAF starts tomorrow! Up until now the world of LEAF waiting lists involved a non-committal “interest” list that you could sign up for through the Nissan website. Although there are now 115,000 people on that list, it in no way put you in line for a LEAF… but it did keep you abreast of any LEAF news.

Tomorrow that all changes as Nissan will begin accepting actual deposits towards the purchase of a LEAF, which will place you in line to get your LEAF when it goes on sale in your area.

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In my view, one of the most important aspects of next generation vehicles is how well their drivers (and passengers) can interact with them. As our cars become much more complicated machines that provide increasing access to valuable information available through features such as detailed navigation, energy usage statistics, vehicle status reports, and Internet access, they also risk becoming too complicated for people to effectively use them.

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It’s a bit of a NASAriffic day in the next generation automobile world! First we heard about a burgeoning relationship between Chrysler and NASA, and today brings word that GM has also teamed with the space agency to work on building advanced robotics for both automobile manufacturing and future missions to space.

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The finalized design of Renault's Fluence Z.E. for the European and Israeli markets

Not to let its sister company Nissan get away with all the electric car press, Renault has also been busy finalizing its plans for releasing electric cars to Europe and Israel early next year.

Today Renault showed off the finalized designs of its Fluence electric sedan and its Kangoo small commercial electric delivery van. In addition, the company also announced a “pre-reservation” list, which will give potential customers a chance to get their name in line to order one of the upcoming electric cars.

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In an update on the Volt, GM says they’re charging ahead towards full scale production of the Volt for general release later this year. They’ve completed all sorts of harsh weather testing in the cold and will be conducting extreme hot weather testing this Summer. They’ve done marathon test drives and taken the car up to the tops of the mountains.

After all the testing this last year — 500,000 miles spread across all of their test mules — they say they’ve been able to eek out the average claimed 40 mile EV-only range and haven’t come up against any showstopping problems. So, as we come to the end of testing, it seems the only major question yet to be resolved is how the EPA will treat the vehicle when it comes to fuel economy ratings.

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If you’re a fan of small to mid-sized diesel passenger cars and are frustrated with our lack of choice on the matter in the U.S. listen up: Ford says that they won’t bring diesels here until they see enough demand. So get on the horn, type out an email, write letters to national magazines and let Ford, your politicians and your state auto dealer associations know that the demand is out there.

What’s crazy is that they need to be given the nudge though… all it takes these days is to look at the success other manufacturers are having with diesels in the U.S. to know that there is demand. (more…)

There is no race track steeped in as much history as the Nürburgring Nordschliefe in Germany. With over a hundred corners (by some counts) along its 20.8 km length, the course is considered by many to be the most technically demanding in the entire world. Yet, although it is uniquely challenging, one of its largest attractions is that it is almost always open to the public for a modest price, giving enthusiasts the world over a chance to test their race mettle.

As a common practice, many manufacturers also use the Nürburgring as a grueling test course for their most highly tuned race cars. But tiny, limted-edition electric cars? Not so much so. Apparently BMW didn’t get that note, however, having just run a *slightly* altered MINI E electric car around the track in a truly respectable 9m 51.45s. I’m impressed.

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Calling themselves the “underdogs,” the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) has today launched an advertising campaign and a new website, sweeteralternative.com, to bring awareness of the successes of the Brazilian ethanol industry to a U.S. audience.

The UNICA campaign claims to simply educate the U.S. about how beneficial Brazilian sugarcane ethanol is for both consumer’s pocketbooks and the environment… but the way I see it, the marketing is clearly aimed at changing the subtext of the convoluted tariff and taxation systems currently in place that have essentially banned the importation of Brazilian ethanol into the U.S.

Not coincidentally, those tariffs are expiring at the end of this year unless congress renews them.

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