Everyone wants to turn to electric vehicle technology but look a bit farther and you may find it an innovation far from being the solution to the transportation problems we face today. Easier said than done, electric vehicles still lack the support of being powered, particularly since one time charges can only go to a certain mile.

Further, the cost for getting one vehicle is quite hefty. We all know for a fact that we are in hard times and with that in mind, cash or financing issues related to the purchase of a new car seems to be close to nil. Can you imagine buying a car for 4,599,000 yen, or 2,990,000 yen? You do the conversion but either way, you know it is going to cost you.

Japan-based car manufacturers are excited on the new electric cars set to be released in the market. Mitsubishi (i-Miev), Toyota (Prius), Honda (Insight) and Nissan have ready plans for their electric cars either this year or next. During that time span, the matter of charging stations has to be addressed and though we have seen a lot of sectors coming up with their own charging stations, the matter of determining how many they are is another aspect that needs to be ironed out.

The age of electric cars is coming. That is a fact. But also, the matter of how many can maintain and find resources like charging stations is still in question. In the end, without these requirements met, expect electric cars to encounter turbulence along the roads.

(Source) Bernama

Tags: car manufacturers, electric cars, electric vehicle technology, electric vehicles, Honda, honda insight, Mitsubishi, new car, Nissan, sectors, time span, Toyota, toyota prius, transportation problems, turbulence, yen

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Earth Day has sprung a lot of firsts and Chrysler made one of its own. Picking off from where it started 25 years ago, Chryslers has revealed four all-electric Chrysler Town & Country minivan concepts to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) as part of the USPS Earth Day celebration.

Chrysler LLC, in conjunction with the USPS and select energy service providers, also announced that the company intends to apply for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DoE) Transportation Electrification stimulus program for a federal grant, which would enable Chrysler to establish a nationwide demonstration fleet of zero-emission electric minivans that could be used by the U.S. Postal Service for mail delivery.

“With more than a 40 percent market share, our Chrysler and Dodge minivans continue to lead the segment we created more than 25 years ago,” said Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President–Product Development, Chrysler LLC. “Our ENVI electric minivan concepts illustrate Chrysler’s innovation with electric vehicle technology and show what the future could hold.”

Chrysler’s ENVI group leveraged the flexibility of its electric-vehicle strategy to demonstrate an all-electric version of its best-selling minivan. These electric minivan concepts are targeted specifically for use by the U.S. Postal Service for mail delivery.

(Source) Press

Tags: demonstration fleet, department of energy, earth day celebration, electric vehicle technology, electrification, energy service providers, Minivan, minivans, town country

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It looks like we may be seeing an electric vehicle that traces its roots from the Hummer H3 concept come this 2009 SAE World Congress. FEV, Incannounced today that it will unveil the Hummer H3 Range-Extended Electric Vehicle (ReEV) demonstrator at the upcoming 2009 SAE World Congress, held at Cobo Center in Detroit on April 20 – 24.

FEV partnered with Utah-based Raser Technologies (Raser) in the development of the H3 ReEV, the first vehicle equipped with Raser’s range-extended electric vehicle technology. The H3 ReEV will be on display in the FEV booth. The unveiling of the H3 ReEV comes one year after FEV and Raser first showed the technology as a concept at last year’s World Congress.

The announcement was made jointly by Gary Rogers, FEV, Inc. president and CEO and Jim Spellman, Raser VP of Business Development.

The Hummer H3 ReEV is the first range-extended electric vehicle based on a full-sized SUV. The Raser scalable plug-in series hybrid design provides 40+ mile all-electric range and 100+ mpg fuel economy. FEV performed the full vehicle integration including electrical and mechanical design. Additionally, FEV developed all software for the hybrid control unit and in-vehicle graphical display.

Propulsion comes from Raser’s 200 kW traction motor mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. Raser’s 100 kW generator, driven by a 2.0L SIDI turbocharged engine, provides electrical power. Although a full-sized SUV, the concept has been achieved with only minimal sacrifice of acceleration performance, cargo space, or towing capacity.

(Source) Press

Tags: automatic transmission, cargo space, demonstrator, electric vehicle technology, electrical power, fuel economy, HUMMER, hybrid control, hybrid design, jim spellman, mechanical design, sae world congress, towing capacity

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