EcoModding is all about DIY. While it’s nice to see the automakers doing their bit every so often, the things people dream up in the own garages are always infinitely more cool. The Illuminati Motor Works Seven is no different.

Runner up at the Progressive Automotive X-Prize, the Seven has recently posted impressive numbers at Chrysler’s proving grounds in Michigan. To be exact, they managed a cool 207.5 MPGe over the same course where the obviously impressive Nissan Leaf only managed to 99 MPGe.

This is an impressive feat considering that this number was posted using the official EPA test cycle for electric vehicles. Many people could squeak out that kind of number scooting around in a circle at 10 mph, but that’s not the case here.

Here are the final stats from the team’s run through the EPA test cycle:

207.5 MPGe

160.42 Wh/mile

Vehicle Weight = 2900 lbs.

Here’s some other stats for you to feast your eyes on:

Top Speed: 130 mph

0-60 Time: 8 secs

Range: 200 miles

Source: Illuminati Motor Works

The electric car has had a rough history in the last 100 years. Hell, the battle we are seeing now was fought out over 100 years ago. The introduction of the motor carriage opened up a new opportunity for an array of drivetrains. There was a time when steam, electricity, gasoline, and even some gas/electric hybrids (Porsche, see left) fought for supremacy in automobile motivation, and it’s easy to see who won out. Gas was cheap, plentiful and very, very powerful. Not only that, but it also was quick to refuel, and as long as there was a supply of fuel the gasoline car could go anywhere. However, the electric car was left in the dust- there were severe limitations to its range and our electric infrastructure was no where ready to supply power where needed.

Enter the last 20 years, and after learning lessons from a few fuel crises we are once again looking at the little electric car. Without conspiracy theories, the technology still wasn’t quite there for it, and the costs were too high to make a reasonable business case for much of anyone. However, in the last 5 years things have changed. We have an infrastructure that supplies electricity farther than any gas station, and a push for technology that can give birth to legitimate electric cars for mass production.

And this is where Nissan and the dowdy-looking Nissan Leaf come in. Maybe dowdy is too harsh, but it’s awkward with a reason. Nissan’s brutal GTR has a drag coefficient of .27. The Leaf, which spent more time in the wind tunnel to fine tune its shape according to the spokesman, manages a drag coefficient if .28, a massive improvement over the .31 of the Nissan Versa on which the Leaf is based on. While not totally outstanding, that is near supercar aerodynamics in a 4 door hatch back. One of the troubles engineers had to deal with was wind noise- While wind noise is a part of regular NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) concerns for gasoline cars, it’s an even bigger concern on the near-silent electric car with the lack of drivetrain noise. The bulbous headlamps on the Leaf play a role in fighting wind noise caused by the mirrors in that they’re raised several inches above the hood-line in order to split the air flow ahead of the mirrors, so that air passes over and under the mirror, instead of into the mirror. Taking advantage of the compact electric drivetrain, the low hood-line smoothly transitions into a laid back windshield, the shape as a whole contributes to the odd styling, but all in the name of aerodynamics. The wheel wells, which are small by today’s standards, house relatively small 16” wheels. The small wheel openings aid in reducing drag, and there are sharp creases along the rear flanks of the Leaf’s fenders, and with the shaped tail lights the design assists in bringing air smoothly away from the car’s rear. All of this is wrapped in Nissan’s new design language, which shares some of its DNA with their Juke. The Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Volt lean towards more conservative styling, but the Leaf is here to stand out.

For the tech geeks, the Leaf haz ze teknology. Some of the things worth mentioning are the LED headlamps, which consume less power than standard headlamps. The battery is actually 40 independent cells, each of which can be replaced if malfunctioning instead of the entire battery pack. The pack itself is surprisingly compact, but still heavy at 600 lbs. On the plus side, it’s mounted low and centered in the chassis, giving the Leaf a lower center of gravity than a standard car. And most importantly, it does not intrude into the passenger compartment, unlike the Chevy Volt’s T-bar battery which consumes the center of the interior. The interior floor appears to be just the same as it is in a gasoline car, and even still shares the vestigial hump in the center of the rear seat floor, though only an inch or two high.

Speaking of the interior, outside of the digital interfaces it’s absolutely nothing to write home about. The dash is hard plastic, but touch points are soft fabric and no better or worse than any other car in the segment, including the Corolla and Civic. I found the armrest to be a little high, and the steering wheel could use more than just up-and-down adjustment, but other than that the ergonomics are quite fine. Seats are softer than expected, but quite welcoming. And Nissan touts that most materials are made from recycled plastics. But, the juicy bits are the unique displays and controls of an electric car. Gone is a tachometer, and in comes an energy meter. Instead of displaying engine RPM, it displays how much electric power is being demanded, or alternatively when coasting how much is being regenerated. A gas gauge is predictably replaced by a battery meter, but unexpectedly is the coolant temp being replaced with a battery temp gauge. The standard PRND is replaced with a toy-like selector that pivots around 4 different positions. Center is where the shifter sits when released, moving it left and up selects reverse, moving it left and down selects drive (selecting drive again engages or disengages ECO mode), and simply moving it left selects neutral. Pressing the top button in the selector’s resting position engages park. It sounds more complex than it really is, and comes across as little more than a joy stick to select a gear. The parking brake handle is replaced with a pull-up button that electronically engages the brake. This is an electric car, everything has to be different somehow, right? Thankfully the center cluster is conventional by all means, and with in easy reach.

What is unique is when you press the “Zero Emissions” button, which brings up an array of menus on the Leaf’s LCD screen related to the electric drive and charging systems. The Leaf has taken a page out of the GTR’s wizardry, giving more bar graphs, detailed information, and charging options than the average person would know what to do with. However, like the GTR, this information is directed solely for the intended enthusiasts. G-Meters and 0-60 timers are replaced with energy consumption dials, detailing power usage by the motors, accessories like radio and climate control, and finally “other systems,” whatever those maybe. It shows real time how using the various accessories affect the range. Another nifty feature is the programming that one can apply to the Leaf. Not only can you tell it to only charge between certain hours, in order to take advantage of off-hour rates, but also when to automatically kick on the heater or A/C at a set time so that the interior is at-temp before you get into the car, eliminating the need to split the energy between both systems while driving. Another adaptation for the electric car is what is displayed on the GPS. The map has a pair of circles, which show the Leaf’s range overlaid the map. The inner circle shows the low-ball estimate of the car’s range, and the outer circle shows the outer reaches of the range. A quick zoom out quickly demonstrates how much ground can becovered on a charge, and it’s a bit of a surprise at just how far you can go on this glorified golf cart. It can also update regularly with new charging locations, and display those on screen. And, as you run the battery lower and lower, it will eventually default the GPS to show local charging stations in a passive attempt at getting you to juice it up. And you can kill it dead, there’s no back-up battery to save stupidity. There is relief though, that most major cities plan to put in place charging stations at major stores, fastfood joints, and businesses so that the car can be charged while you’re out and about. Even 440v DC “Fast chargers” are an option so that the car can be charged from 0%-80% in roughly 25 minutes. These will even be placed between various cities so that cars like the Leaf can run on longer trips, albeit with a 20 minute break during the trip. This almost sounds like a deal breaker, while keeping in mind that the Leaf is meant to be a commuter car, much of the “range anxiety” can be relieved by changing how you treat a “fill up,” meaning unlike a gas car where it’s no problem to run it down near empty and refill it, it’s a good habit to top-off the Leaf where ever it can charge.

Introductions aside, it’s time to drive. Coming into this, it must be said that I drove to the event in a 1969 Chevrolet CST/10 pickup. It’s loud, rough, and has enough 40 year old components remaining that it shakes, rattles, and rolls down the road with quite a presence. I get into a Leaf, adjust my seat, and start to poke around for the “start” button when I’m told it’s already running. I know this is an electric car, but it’s still…odd… to hear nothing. When you do actually “start” the car, it does play a little juke while lighting up the gauge cluster to let you know that it’s actually on. The throttle is a bit spongy at low speed, but the Leaf’s instant 200 ft lb of torque makes its presence known if you dive deeper into the throttle. It’s an experience unlike any other car. Even though it’s an electric car, you can find an excuse for traction control at speeds where most 4 bangers are still building steam. Off the line it surges with authority, and thanks to the lack of a transmission, it steams right on up with an uninterrupted, slightly sci-fi soundtrack from the electric motor. No peaking power bands, no shifting… Just forward. And during all of this, the Leaf is beautifully smooth, quiet and dare I say; graceful. During cruising you’re more likely to hear the hum of the A/C blower motor than you are of the drivetrain. Wind noise is well controlled, an achievement that the reps were very proud of. It’s a level of cabin noise that’s surely lower than the best luxury cars, an interesting side effect to the electric drivetrain. It may still use a dated suspension, but the ride is well controlled and the handling is surprisingly quite precise and a little tossable thanks to the low center of gravity.

And it creates quite the proposition for future drivetrains. Here we have a $25,000 car with NVH levels competitive with cars twice its cost. A premium experience, in this regard. Without pistons violently thrusting up and down and transmissions jumping through gears it provides smooth thrust that will never be matched by a piston engine. Not even a CVT can provide the smooth responsiveness that the direct-drive electric motor gives. It gives a small car a level of refinement that manufacturers can only dream of with a gas engine, especially to the bread-and-butter cars. To the average consumer there’s less maintenance to worry about; there’s no oil to change, emissions systems to inspect, or cooling systems to worry about. Brakes are even given a lengthy life span thanks to their job being shared with the regenerative braking/charging system. In the future land of beige, it’s easy to see electric cars cross-shopped with Corollas, Cruises, and Civics. Its price is competitive with them, for instance to get the options that you get in the Leaf, a comparable 2011 Honda Civic runs the MSRP of just under $25,000. And other than out-right range, it just does everything better than they can. With all off this, and the fact that you’ll never buy gas for the damn thing, it starts to make sense, even financially. The current short comings of electric cars are solvable problems in time. Nissan has committed to designing the battery pack to be replaceable with future innovations, and designing the unit so that future Nissan EVs with more advanced batteries can have their guts transplanted into the Leaf, keeping older models relevant in 5-10 years.

However, there must be time taken to look at it from an environmental approach. And to me, it’s one that has few grounds to stand on. Whileelectricity has the advantage of being DIRT CHEAP (Even if gas was under 1.50/gallon, the cost to run the Leaf off your house is still cheaper, according to Nissan’s statistics), it’s not clean energy for the majority of the US. Roughly 48% of our electrical energy comes from coal. Only 7% comes from renewable resources, such as wind or hydroelectric power. Ever notice that any Nissan advertisement with Zero Emissions* has an astric? Their ad campaign is built on the fact that there are zero *tailpipe emissions. While you do have to consider the lack of pollutants being burned by the car, it must be said that it’s not free and clear from pollution. Granted, the extra demand for electricity from the cars will be insignificant for now, and the expansion of cleaner energy such as nuclear, and fuel cell technology in the future can be the better answer to that problem. The batteries are a point of scrutiny in most cars, but Nissan claims that they are recyclable, and even if the cells become too weak for automotive use, they can still be used for stationary applications as energy storage. One last point of contention on Lithium Ion batteries is the fact that the materials have to be mined. Keep in mind, so does the material for your cell phone, iDoodad, laptop, and high-performance R/C car. We’re already mining the materials, it’s wrong to scrutinize the electric car battery when lithium already powers an array of other devices in our lives.

So what does this mean for the piston engine? It means nothing in the short run, but maybe everything in the long run. The electric car is just moving past the point of being a novelty; it’s now a legitimate player. It’s the birth of a new era for the automobile, one that’s deprived of cam shafts, valves, pistons, and gasoline. It’s strange to think that there is going to be a time where the familiar exhaust note is nowhere to be found in new cars. And in part it’s because the electric motor can accomplish everything we want piston engines to do; flat torque curve, smooth power delivery, low noise, low maintenance, efficiency and low center of gravity. As time progresses, outright performances gets better and better as well (Fisker and Tesla want to show you). While the source of power may change and evolve (to one that doesn’t rape the land for battery materials with the impression of environmental goodness), the electric drivetrain is going to make its comeback over the next century.

The 20th century will always be the rise of the gasoline engine. Maybe the 21st will be the rise of the electric motor.

Okay, I know the photo isn’t great, but I didn’t have much time to snap a picture on my phone and the car had already disappeared by the time I returned. For those of your who can’t quite make out the photo, it is of a Nissan Leaf standing in the taxi line. While I have seen several Mitsubishi iMiEVs running around town here in Japan, this is the first time I’ve seen Nissan’s EV offering in regular service.

While the car was adorned with markings of “EV Taxi” and the like, it was clearly a regular service vehicle, picking up fares at normal rates along will all the other taxis. This is an important test of the EV platform, as taxis are a large contributor to downtown air pollution and fuel use, as their regular service cycle includes hours of idling and heavy stop and go traffic. If EVs can effectively replace gas vehicles as taxis, it will be a big step forward for air pollution issues in cities across the world.

However, there is one big issue standing in the way of widespread EV use for taxis – battery recharge takes time. While a normal gasoline vehicle can be filled up in a few minutes after several hours of work, EV charging can take hours and if rushed can lead to eventual battery damage or a reduction in total cycles.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get out the door fast enough to get a ride, but next time I see one on the street we’ll go for a spin and see how the Leaf stacks up against your average Japanese taxi cab (aka, the Toyota Crown).

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Infrequently do we find a homebuilt car that is well-designed, aesthetically appealing, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive. In Dave Cloud’s Dolphin — originally discussed (with many more photos) in the EcoModder forum — we find that all our expectations for a homebuilt EV are surpassed. That’s probably because Dave has had his fair share putting together electric cars, having done over 45 conversions.

While the Dolphin may look like nothing you’ve ever seen before, the base vehicle is a 1997 Geo Metro, one of the classical examples of frugal driving. There are plenty of examples of Geo Metros being converted, but none are quite as unique as the Dolphin (if you need more examples, check out our very own ForkenSwift).

The Dolphin was put together for a miserly $3,000, but can do impressive things for the meager amount of money that was used to create it. Running on used batteries, the car managed a 70mph top speed and overall range of upwards of 80 miles, despite the fact that curb weight is well over 3000 pounds. The Dolphin is designed for highway cruising, lacking a transmission and geared to top out at 71 miles an hour. While this does allow for efficient highway cruising, it makes low speed operation and acceleration inefficient, dragging down the vehicle’s overall impressive numbers.

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Here’s a quote direct from Dave Cloud on the comprises that were made to keep the project under budget:

Another thing I would like to clarify is that my goal was to build a vehicle that can go 200 miles on a single charge with a speed of 60-65 mph for 85% of the miles, for under $3,000. I accomplished this goal. Because of my $3,000 limitation I made a lot of compromises in the chassis design hoping that the aerodynamics of the vehicle would make up for those inefficiencies. Inefficiencies such as front wheel bearings that rumble, back tires that are 10 years old and misshapen, single speed dual series motors (that were $100), no re-gen and inexpensive Curtis controllers.

Using the conversion factor listed on Wikipedia (33.4 kWh/gal) and Dave Cloud’s own estimates of power usage, the Dolphin clocks in at an amazing 214MPGe, beating everything on the road (and everything likely to be on the road in the near future). While this is an amazing vehicle, it’s unfortunate it was built for a specific EV distance challenge and will probably not be explored in depth in the future.

Here are the Dolphin’s in depth stats (found on EValbum):

Basic Vehicle: 1997 Geo Metro

Motor: Advanced DC 203-09-4001 Series Wound DC 2X “Shorty’ version of typical 8″ ADC motor

Drivetrain: 8″ ADC motor on each rear wheel, with independent battery packs and controllers

Controller: Curtis 1209B-6402 72 Volt, 400A

Batteries: 60 Interstate Various, 12.00 Volt, Lead-Acid, Flooded Group 56 BLEM batteries, 33 lbs ea.

Voltage: 72V

Top Speed: 72 mph

Range: 200 miles

Watt Hours/mi: 162 wh/mi

Weight: 3,200 lbs

—

More information:

• Check out the EcoModder forum discussion about this car, with much more information & photos, including several posts by the builder.
• For more on Dave Cloud, check out the below videos:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhIhdLKKTI

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yravv7jT-jE&feature=player_embedded

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTqcb0bLv1I&feature=player_embedded

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I am very happy to see another electric vehicle on the near horizon: the Nissan Leaf was announced on August 2nd.  There’s a very comprehensive post on AutoBlogGreen, including a video.

They appear to have done a lot of careful design: they did as much aerodynamic design as they could without having obvious things like wheel skirts.  They did not want it to look like a Prius/Insight, and though it has the same basic shape of those cars, it obviously looks more “normal” than they do. Personally, I would prefer a lower window sill line — which would improve rearward visibility. And I hope that it can be had with steel wheels, so one can use smooth wheel covers.

I want it to work well; and as long as it avoids any “stupid” styling (which I think it does!) that hurt how it works, then I’m happy. Form should follow function, like with the Aptera. Styling should be limited to the “graphic” adjustments of the aerodynamic shape. Again, the best example of this is comparing the earlier Aptera MK-0 and Typ-1 to the current model. They changed the height, and they changed the “graphics” of things like the shape of the windows and the headlights, and while the overall shape is the same slippery form, the newer models look much better.

To quote the ABG article on this subject:

A Question of Style

Interestingly, unlike the current alt-fuel darlings from Toyota and Honda, Nissan has purposefully eschewed a fastback shape for a more formal five-door appearance. Shiro Nakamura, Nissan’s senior vice president and chief creative officer (read: styling director) admits he wanted the car to be unique, but not so bizarre as to be off-putting to most car buyers:

“From the beginning, we did not want to make the car very strange, because one of the perceptions of the EV [is that] people think that EVs are toys, or cheap… that you cannot drive high-speed, that EV means ‘not real car.’ But the car we have is a real car – you can drive it at 140 kilometers, you can sit four or five passengers comfortably.

By that measure, the more upright yet unique Leaf is a success – it is a slippery shape with real passenger space, yet it doesn’t resort to visually polarizing aerodynamic tricks like faired-in wheel housings and to maximize aero. Instead, it has a smooth face (secreting two charging ports hiding beneath the Nissan logo), strangely prominent blue-tinted headlamps that manage airflow as much as they do nighttime vision, and a roofline whose rearmost pillar reminds us of another Nissan – the Murano. The Leaf has an almost Gallic rump that recalls that of the Versa, a design that in turn reminds us of offerings from Nissan’s European partner, Renault.

From what we have been told so far, the Leaf will have range of 100 miles, carrying four adults or five people, and it has two charging plugs: a 120v and a 240v (~16 hours and ~8 hours for a full charge, respectively) — and there is the ability to use a 3-phase fast charge (if you have access to an expensive special charger) that does an 80% charge in less than 30 minutes, or an ~30% charge in about 10 minutes.  The battery pack is ~200kg (440 pounds) and is made up of 48 laptop-sized modules (each of which has 4 magazine-sized cells).  These are thin, laminated lithium ion cells (that may be similar to the battery used in the newest MacBook Pro laptops) — and they are installed in the floor of the Leaf.  The total weight of the car is probably similar to say the Versa, but the Cg is probably much lower because of where the batteries are installed.

So, the (non-exhaustive) list of EV’s that we already have seen, or will be seeing in the next few years grows a bit longer:

• Nissan Leaf
• Toyota/Scion FT-EV
• Mitsubishi iMiEV
  
• Aptera 2e
  
• Coda Automotive
  
• Ford Focus EV
  
• Mini E
  
• Th!nk City
  
• BYD F3DM

(Photo: Egan Snow)

For a while now I’ve been mulling over a blog post featuring top online resources about EV conversions: sites that educate, facilitate and inspire.

I already had a short list of what I wanted to point to, but instead of wracking my brain to flesh it out, through chance I found myself mulling over nearly the same list I had in mind over at Nikki Bloomfield’s blog, aminorjourney.com.  (Nikki has plenty of EV experience: she owned and upgraded a City El, and has modified her Toyota Prius to plug-in operation.)

You will of course arrive at link #7 of Nikki’s list and may think, perhaps cynically, “well of course EcoModder would like this list.  It’s ON it!” (We’re recommended specifically for info about efficient driving techniques and aeromods.)

While it is generally true that flattery will get you everywhere, you’ll just have to believe me when I say finding EcoModder there was nothing more than an unexpected bonus (though entirely deserved, it can be argued).

Head on over to aminorjourney’s Ten Top DIY EV conversion links and read Nikki’s reasoning behind each of her selections:

1. www.evalbum.com
2. The EVDL
3. www.KiwiEV.com
4. DIYElectriccar.com
5. EVconvert.com
6. EVCapri.com
7. Ecomodder.com
8. EVparts.com
9. Project Forkenswift
10. WhiteZombie, Blue meanie and Plasmaboy

What do you think?  Are there any must-see or must-read conversion resources that are missing?  Let us know in the comments.

UPDATE: Just found this great link on electric car conversion issues.

This past weekend was the first (and only) Citicar World Gathering in Columbia, Maryland. If you don’t know, the Citicar was a small electric vehicle built in the U.S. between 1974 and 1983 before it was sold off and turned into Commutacar.

In attendance were three EcoModders, two of whom brought their own Citicars down to the event from Wisconsin.

As of this writing the event is still going on, so we can be sure we’ll hear even more once the EcoModders in attendance head home, probably even including some good videos from our HD video wizard, Ben Nelson.

Congrats to all the Citicar aficionados for a successful event!

It’s no secret that I am not a big fan of Elon Musk or the way that he leads the company. From calling reporters nasty names to deceptively overhyping new products, it feels like Musk is going to the extreme just to drum up any sort of press he can for Tesla Motors.

Now Musk is up to it again. Except this time, instead of over-representing the value of his company’s products he is lying about the products that his competitors produce. From ABG:

In a recent interview discussing Tesla Motors, CEO Elon Musk didn’t really reveal much new information, although he did manage to misrepresent the performance capability of the Chevy Volt, again. He refers to the Volt’s range extender as a “lawn mower engine” and says highway performance “will be anemic.” While the Volt will no doubt feel anemic next to a Roadster, the reality is that the 160-horsepower electric motor will provide more than adequate performance for almost anyone’s needs and should accelerate to 60 mph in about 8.5-9 seconds.

This reminds me of the recent Chevy ad where the company teases Honda about its superior line of lawnmowers. While people who know about quality engine design know that Honda has good lawnmowers because they have good engines, the association between a car and a lawnmower is an entirely negative one.

Musk just doesn’t seem comfortable with competition. Neither of the cars have been released yet, with the Model S even further away than the Volt, but already he is waging a nasty marketing campaign against it.

Perhaps he’s worried that Tesla Roaster sales don’t seem to be going anywhere.

Mitsubishi has been putting a lot of eggs in the i MiEV basket, and with good reason. Mitsubishi recently announced that the vehicle would be on sale in the North American market and that the car has already sold out its 2009 production run on pre-orders alone.

Currently, the i MiEV is only for sale to corporate and fleet clients in Japan, but in the next few years the company will be selling the car to individuals in Japan, Europe, and North America. Originally, the company was planning on building about 20,000 units per year, but now Mitsubishi will be building at least 30,000 units per year by 2013.

In case you’ve forgotten what day it is today, it’s Earth Day! To celebrate, Chrysler is showing off its electric minivan in United States Postal Service colors. Along with the nice paint jobs, Chrysler has announced that it will apply for the Department of Energy’s Transportation Electrification stimulus program alongside the USPS.

As Chrysler likes to point out, they invented the minivan back in the 1980s and still have a large market share in that segment. Now, Chrysler is trying to reinvent the minivan by taking the often stereotyped “mommy-mobile” and turning it into a posterchild for personal electric transportation.

Though you may rarely see them, there are more than 10,000 of Chrysler’s minivans in the service of the USPS, which gives both Chrysler and the USPS a good entrypoint for phasing these electric vehicles into service.

Source: Chrysler

Check out the gallery at the bottom of this post for more pictures.

We recently saw some of Chrysler’s full line of ENVI concept cars at the New York International Auto Show, so it’s exciting to hear that one of those concepts is slated to go into production in 2010. With the Dodge Circuit, an electric car based on the Lotus Europa, Chrysler hopes to show that it’s not just California start-ups that can convert European sports cars to battery power.

The car will sport sub-5 second 0-60 times and an electric range of 150-200 miles, putting it in direct competition with the Tesla Roadster. Just one vehicle from Chrysler’s ENVI program, the company is hoping that the Dodge Circuit paves the way for them to perfect their battery technology and roll out some of the more practical electric vehicles they already have in the concept phase.

There’s no doubt that this car will compete with the Tesla Roadster, but I think the deciding factor in that competition will be which automaker can produce the vehicles in higher quantity. The demand for the Tesla Roadster has shown that the limiting factor, to this point, is production capacity. As far as that is concerned, Chrysler is in a far better place than Tesla to churn out several thousand of these vehicles a year.

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Source: ABG

For more photos of the Fisker Karma, check out our gallery at the bottom of this post.

Before I saw the Fisker Karma in person at the 2009 New York International Auto Show, I didn’t think much of the car. To me, it was just another high-priced, luxury eco-mobile competing with Tesla Motors for the top spot as most expensive gasoline alternatives.

However, I’ve come to realize that Fisker is a lot more than another car company. Unlike Tesla Motors, the company is headed by an actual car guy, Henrik Fisker. As a former designer from Aston Martin, you can see Fisker’s style at work in the design of his cars. Unlike his counterpart at Tesla, Elon Musk, his efforts are put into designing beautiful cars and not calling critical reporters bad names.

Yes, Fisker is also designing expensive cars. Yes, they are series hybrids and not fully electric. Yes, they are relatively impractical vehicles for the average person to own. And yes, they’re not even on sale yet.

However, Fisker has a longer lead time with their cars, because unlike the Tesla Roadster, the Fisker Karma is all Fisker Automotive’s design from the ground up. Their efforts are also complicated by the series hybrid design, which takes more effort to design than a straight up electric vehicle.

So, why am I so excited about this car? Well, it will be shipping to consumers in about a year for around $80,000, and should provide about 100 mpg when it passes the 50 mile electric-only range and the gasoline engine kicks in to charge the batteries.

For all intents and purposes, you can think of the Karma as the luxury version of the GM Volt that will be on the market sooner and in much lower quantity. Unlike Tesla Motors, Fisker Automotive will attempt to be a brand of green supercars, not the everyman’s luxury sedan.

If a green car lover could ever be excited about a supercar, they will likely be excited about something from Fisker Automotive. Anyway, to end a meandering post on a somewhat coherent note, I think that Fisker is now the company to watch. Free of pesky lawsuits, I expect the company to begin producing the kind of unattainable auto that everyone loves to love.

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Unlike most automakers with EV concepts, Chrysler is not focusing on just one electric car. Instead, the company is trying to cut costs and improve quality by designing a full line of electric cars on a common platform.

While the concept vehicles are not ready to hit the road yet, you can see them at this year’s New York International Auto Show.

Chrysler Showcases 3 Electric Cars in New York

Dodge Circuit EV Concept
If you wondered where Tesla’s competition would be coming from, this is the car that is set to do it. The Dodge Circuit also sports Lotus styling and will be able to go 150-200 miles on a single charge. This is one car I’d like to see in a race with the Tesla Roadster.

Chrysler 200C EV Concept
The 200C is Chrysler’s answer to the GM Volt: a sleek looking car that will be able to drive 40 miles on electric power alone before a gasoline generator kicks in to recharge the batteries. Chrysler is also advertising the car’s “social media” capabilities, which, to be honest, sounds like something that we should leave to phones instead of trying to integrate into our cars.

Chrysler Town & Country EV Concept
This is the minivan that started it all. Now, Chrysler is hoping that it will be the first minivan to head into our alternatively-fuelled future. Built on the same ENVI platform as the other vehicles, the Town & Country will, like the 200C, be a parallel hybrid with range extending capabilities.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37UqQa8ik1o

This morning at the New York International Auto Show, Mitsubishi announced that they would be beginning sales of their i MiEV electric car to the public in the near future. The car, which will begin to roll off the line in Japan in July expects to reach production goals of 2,000 units in 2009 and 5,000 in 2010.

Since Mitsubishi announced the car’s sale to fleets they have already gotten purchase orders for all 2,000 units that will be produced this year. This is a strong indicator of desire in the Japanese for small, electric cars. That’s why Mitsubishi has finally announced that it will sell the car to individuals in Japan and other markets as the vehicle becomes available there.

Mitsubishi has plans to sell the car in both Europe and North America, but those sales are slowed by lack of production capacity to satisfy all markets. However, in a not so shocking move today, Mitsubishi has announced that they will release their electric car in the United States before 2012.

The car is currently selling for about $40,000 in Japan, and we should expect a similar price in the United States. If you’re interested, check out my i MiEV test drive. This car really is ready to go on the world market.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sswhzuNgXFQ&feature=channel_page

The other day when I first saw the P.U.M.A., a combination of efforts between GM and Segway, I was skeptical. Who would want to buy this ugly, awkward, and flimsy excuse for a car? Even though it was electric, I didn’t think it was much of a vehicle and didn’t think it would go anywhere.

Well, after seeing it in person today, I must say my tune has changed a little bit. Not only is the little EV quiet and quick, but it operates smoothly and deftly. There is no question that this vehicle will be good at what it is intended to do.

Not only that, but GM is working on the technology to allow these vehicles to network with each other, allowing them to travel together in sync without driver input. This could lead to self-driving transportation pods that eliminate the driver completely.

However, safety is still an issue. If the above networking model is put into place, accidents might not be such an issue. Until then, it is still troublesome to imagine this kind of vehicle in an accident. Besides being incredibly small, I doubt the PUMA could remain balanced during an accident, putting the occupant at risk of serious injury.

As you can see in the video above, all they currently have is a driving prototype. In the coming months we will see an electric vehicle with a full body and more safety features.

Note: This post is not an April Fools joke

For a while now, Tesla has been all the rage in the green automotive community. Not only is the car sexy and fast, but “green” and “the cure to all our woes.” With the long awaited release of the Tesla Model S, all sorts of expectations for a quasi-affordable, electric family car came to a head.

If you read the title, I’m sure you can tell I’m disappointed. If you wonder why I haven’t caught Tesla Fever like everyone else, just give the following point some consideration.

Tesla’s Hyped Up Track Record

• The Roadster is just a Lotus: Just look at the above picture. Beautiful car, right? Well, Tesla didn’t design it, Lotus did. However, whenever you see that car from now on, you will be thinking Tesla and not Lotus. Lotus designed a sexy, comparatively fuel-efficient, and relatively inexpensive sports car long before Tesla came along to claim the styling for itself. Sure, the Model S (below) may look good too, but it’s hardly visionary.

• Tesla’s Rocky Track Record: First they couldn’t get the transmission right. It took so long that they started shipping out cars without the promised transmission, hoping to swap them for upgraded versions later. Then the company laid out grand plans for new manufacturing facilities and jobs, only to roll them back later when they couldn’t come up with the money. So far, the only tangible thing the company has done is stick an electric plant in 250 cars, as many as had been ordered as this time two years ago. The release of the new Model S is far in the future, and little more than a pile of promises floated on the hopes of receiving $500 million of funding from an outside source.
• The Roadster is a sports car: The cornerstone of any honest environmental movement is that conservation is necessary. We may be increasing the percentage of wind power in the grid, but globally power use is ballooning. Continuing to hype the dangerously fast, unnecessarily expensive, and wasteful cars in the world, whatever they are powered by, will not cut to the great issue of actually saving energy. At most, Tesla makes cars for millionaire yuppies to drive around, wasting twice as much energy as a more sensible electric car. Besides, do you really need another two fridges running in your garage?
• The Tesla Model S is disappointing: Maybe I am asking too much. It seats seven, after all! As long as you pop the hatch and shove the kids in back like a couple of golf bags. Not to mention your 50″ TV and mountain bike. The thing sounds like a land boat, or perhaps an electrified tank. Let’s not forget that it will handily beat most of the cars in a Gran Turismo game and capitalize on federal rebates. This car has it all. It can even talk to your iPhone! But what is it? A luxury car. They quote a price of $50,000, after a rebate that will likely disappear before many people even have a chance to buy an electric car. Just like the Roadster, this is not a car for the mass market.
• Fleecing the federal government: Ever heard people complain about the home business owner that buys an Escalade and writes it off on their taxes as heavy duty work vehicle, claiming big bucks from the government? Seems similar to the rich car collector buying a Tesla and collecting $7,500 cash back on their luxury car. Usually such an expensive, flashy car would have higher taxes, not lower.
• Tesla’s deceptive advertising: “With a 300-mile range and 45-minute QuickCharge, the $49,900 Model S.” The Model S has consistently been advertised as a $50,000 electric car that will do 0-60 in 5.5 seconds and get 300 miles per charge. However, that price is after tax rebates, and will not be the price for the model getting 300 miles per charge (and perhaps the 5.5 figure is only for a sports version, we don’t know). Tesla claims that you can drive cross country while stopping to charge the batteries. According to the company this only takes 45 minutes. However, that is with the (expensive) 440 volt plugs, which you won’t be able to find anywhere you don’t have it specifically installed. This time figure is also likely for the smallest battery pack size. Do you even want to stop every 2 hours for 1 hour to charge your electric car? I’m not bashing electrics, but Tesla shouldn’t pretend the car is what it’s not.
• Tesla is not zero emissions: “Zero Emissions Equals Zero Guilt” Tesla wants you to believe that their car uses no energy and has no environmental impact. This is a lie. Not only should you feel guilty for wasting over $100,000 on a car (like the Roaster), but doing so shouldn’t absolve you of any responsibility to the environment.
• Who’s in charge?: Tesla has gone through 3 CEOs in its short period of time. Now the company has Elon Musk at the helm, a man who not only relentlessly pushes the PR envelope, but tries to trap his employees in an effort to oust leaks. Perhaps I am being pessimistic, but who knows who will be in charge next year or the year after? It’s difficult to trust a company that keeps changing direction under new leaders.

My rebuttal to some of the common claims supporting Tesla

• Battery prices won’t drop: Support is always drummed up for Tesla because of the thought that the company’s effort will help drive down the prices of Lithium Ion technology. This may be true in quantity, but I doubt the 250 battery packs in the Roadsters sold so far will do much when compared to major efforts from GM, Mitsubishi, and others that plan to sell EVs in the 10s of thousands in the coming years. The key to driving down costs is quantity, which will never come with expensive sports cars.
• Consumer acceptance: People like to think that fast, sporty electric cars will make people like the idea of electric a lot more. This may be true, Tesla has gotten lots of positive press. But how many people have to crash their Roadsters until owners get the same sort of reckless, we-own-the-road-and-you-don’t attitude that Hummer drivers are famous for?

What do you think? Do I have a weak case or is anyone else fed up with the tremendous amount of hype surrounding this company?

Note: Click for larger images

After months of PR, big claims, and worry over Tesla’s future, the young company is finally letting us see the specs on their new electric sedan, the Tesla Model S. For a cool $50,000, you’ll be able to get a very sleek looking sedan that will have a 300 mile range and can do 0-60 in 5.5 seconds.

The price is a bit deceptive, because the $50k number includes a $7,500 federal tax break. While that tax break is good to go for any buyer right now, it won’t be around forever, and might not be around for long enough for very many people to use it on the Model S.

Also, that price only comes with a 160-mile battery pack. For more you can upgrade that range, but don’t hold your breath if you expect that to be a cheap upgrade! Seating 7 means that you will have to stuff two kids into rear facing seats in the hatch. If you don’t find 6 people to drag around with you, the Model S should be able to haul quite a large amount.

I won’t bore you with all the details, you can check them out (and some more pictures at the end of the post).

Question: Where do you think this car fits into the market? The same high end that can afford the Roadster and the “green” price tag, or will the middle class be trying to buy this?

At a Glance: Production Model S

With a 300-mile range and 45-minute QuickCharge, the $49,900 Model S can carry five adults and two children in quiet comfort – and you can charge it from any outlet, without ever stopping for gas. World’s first mass-produced electric vehicle offers performance, efficiency and unrivaled utility with twice the energy-efficiency of hybrids, making Model S the only car you’ll ever need.

Convenience and utility bullet points:

• Up to 300-mile range
• 45-minute QuickCharge
• 5-minute battery swap
• Charges from 110V, 220V or 440V
• Seating for 5 adults + 2 child seats
• Unique hatch for oversized items
• 60/40 flat-folding rear seat
• 2nd trunk under hood
• EPA Roominess Index 121.6
• More room than station wagons
• 17-inch infotainment touchscreen
• 3G wireless connectivity

Model S powertrain includes a liquid-cooled 9-inch motor, floor-mounted battery pack and a single-speed gearbox, delivering effortless acceleration, responsive handling and quiet simplicity — no fancy clutchwork or gear-shifting required. Model S costs as little as $4 to fully charge – a bargain even if gasoline dropped to $1 per gallon. You can have affordable fun while being socially responsible.

Technical specs:

• 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds
• ¼ mile in 14 seconds
• 120 mph top speed
• Braking 60-0 mph 135 feet
• 42 kWh battery storage system standard
• 70 kWh and greater battery storage systems optional
• 9- inch liquid cooled electric motor
• Single-speed transaxle gearbox
• Curb Weight 3825 lbs
• Overall Length 196″
• Wheelbase 116.5″
• All-wheel-drive available (option available in future production models)
• Right hand drive available

At a Glance: Model S Show Car

The Model S Show Car is a drivable vehicle that exemplifies Tesla’s “no compromises” philosophy – an elegantly refined luxury sedan delivering optimal performance without sacrificing efficiency. Designed by Franz von Holzhausen, the car’s aggressive stance gives way to a modern silhouette, with minimal front and rear overhangs for maximum space efficiency. The car’s mature face defines the future of the Tesla brand and incorporates the touches from the Tesla Roadster. Environmentally friendly materials are incorporated throughout, including water-based paint for the exterior, chrome-free vegetable tanned Italian leather on interior, and 100 percent recycled PET carpeting from Futuris.

Other details:

• Panoramic roof with sliding moon roof
• Retracting door handles for improved aerodynamics
• Full-time 3G connectivity with Internet, HD and satellite radio
• Push button “gear” selector
• Brembo brakes
• Automatic rear lift gate
• 21-inch wheels, Front Tires 245/35ZR21, Rear Tires 285/30ZR21
• 17-inch haptic touchscreen and customizable vehicle information display
• Fully digital instrument cluster
• LED and neon headlight and taillights, with xenon Hella low beams
• Smart-key power and push button gear selector
• Brembo brake system with new one-piece monobloc calipers and integral stiffening bridge to optimize performance
Front brake system:
• Brembo Gran Turismo
• Brembo 6-piston Monobloc Calipers
• Brembo 405x34mm 2-Piece Floating Slotted Discs with Billet Aluminum Hats
Rear brake system:
• Brembo Gran Turismo
• Brembo 4-piston Monobloc Calipers
• Brembo 380x28mm 2-Piece Slotted Discs with Billet Aluminum Hats

Tesla unveils world’s first mass-produced, highway-capable EV
Model S sedan has anticipated base price of $49,900, up to 300-mile range and 45-minute QuickCharge capability

March 26, 2009

HAWTHORNE , Calif.– (BUSINESS WIRE) -Tesla Motors is now taking orders for the Model S, an all electric family sedan that carries seven people and travels 300 miles per charge.

The Model S, which carries its charger onboard, can be recharged from any 120V, 240V or 480V outlet, with the latter taking only 45 minutes. By recharging their car while they stop for a meal, drivers can go from LA to New York in approximately the same time as a gasoline car. Moreover, the floor-mounted battery pack is designed to be changed out in less time than it takes to fill a gas tank, allowing for the possibility of battery-pack swap stations.

The floor-mounted powertrain also results in unparalleled cargo room and versatility, as the volume under the front hood becomes a second trunk. Combining that with a four-bar linkage hatchback rear trunk and flat folding rear seats, the Model S can accommodate a 50-inch television, mountain bike *and* surfboard simultaneously. This packaging efficiency gives the Model S more trunk space than any other sedan on the market and more than most SUVs.

“Model S doesn’t compromise on performance, efficiency or utility — it’s truly the only car you need,” said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. “Tesla is relentlessly driving down the cost of electric vehicle technology, and this is just the first of many mainstream cars we’re developing.”

Tesla expects to start Model S production in late 2011. The company believes it is close to receiving $350 million in federal loans to build the Model S assembly plant in California from the Dept of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program.

Building on Proven Technology

Tesla is the only production automaker already selling highway-capable EVs in North America or Europe . With 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, the Roadster outperforms almost all sports cars in its class yet is six times as energy efficient as gas guzzlers and delivers 244 miles per charge. Tesla has delivered nearly 300 Roadsters, and nearly 1,000 more customers are on the wait list.

Teslas do not require routine oil changes, and they have far fewer moving (and breakable) parts than internal combustion engine vehicles. They qualify for federal and state tax credits, rebates, sales tax exemptions, free parking, commuter-lane passes and other perks. Model S costs roughly $5 to drive 230 miles – a bargain even if gasoline were $1 per gallon.

The anticipated base price of the Model S is $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500. The company has not released options pricing. Three battery pack choices will offer a range of 160, 230 or 300 miles per charge.

“Model S costs half as much as a Roadster, and it’s a better value than much cheaper cars,” Musk said. “The ownership cost of Model S, if you were to lease and then account for the much lower cost of electricity vs. gasoline at a likely future cost of $4 per gallon, is similar to a gasoline car with a sticker price of about $35,000. I’m positive this car will be the preferred choice of savvy consumers.”

The standard Model S does 0-60 mph in under six seconds and will have an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph, with sport versions expected to achieve 0-60 mph acceleration well below five seconds. A single-speed gearbox delivers effortless acceleration and responsive handling. A 17-inch touchscreen with in-car 3G connectivity allows passengers to listen to Pandora Radio or consult Google Maps, or check their state of charge remotely from their iPhone or laptop.

Tesla is taking reservations online and at showrooms in California . Tesla will open a store in Chicago this spring and plans to open stores in London, New York, Miami, Seattle, Washington DC and Munich later this year.

About Tesla Motors

San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla Motors Inc. designs and manufactures electric vehicles with exceptional design, performance and efficiency, while conforming to all North American and European safety, environmental and durability standards. The Roadster, which has a 0-to-60 mph acceleration of 3.9 seconds and a base price of $101,500 after a federal tax credit, is the only highway-capable production EV for sale in North America and Europe. Tesla expects to begin producing the Model S sedan in late 2011.

For a few months, the Mitsubishi i MiEV electric car has been one of the new vehicles about which I have been truly excited. The i MiEV itself is being rolled out by the company over several years around the world, including in the United States.

However, one of the biggest complaints about the i MiEV is the small space and lack of styling, which is where the i MiEV Sport Air comes in. Sure, it may not be much bigger, but one thing about car buyers is that if you wrap the vehicle in a sexy exterior things like interior size seem to matter much less.

The new i MiEV Sport Air concept is not only sexier, but has a bigger engine (up to 60 kW from 47) and a range of 120 miles. We don’t yet know if the battery pack is any bigger, but according to Mitsubishi this model incorporates some solar panels to help extend the range. If it became reality, which would you pick: the standard i MiEV or the Sport model?

Source: ABG

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL88AidYTQQ

It’s always great to see a member from the fuel economy forums taking their passion and turning it into something more. That’s what I wanted to highlight a blog that prolific member Ben Nelson has been keeping over on blogspot, focusing on videos of his electric geo metro, electric motorcycle, as well as home and other projects.

By how much he posts on EcoModder you might assume it was his job, but in fact Ben is a video guy by trade, so all of his videos are well done and packed with interesting content. Follow this link to check them out, it’s worth it. Keep up the good work, Ben!

For the last couple of years, hydrogen cars have been the talk of the town. Unlike electrics, they’re so far in the future and so new that all the news about them revolves around giant advances in technology and the simple mystifying fact that someone was able to drive one around the block withot a. blowing up or b. running out of gas.

A few years ago, Honda came out with the first EPA-certified hydrogen vehicle, the FCX Clarity, and promised that hydrogen vehicles would be on sale to the public in limited quantities by 2018 (for an unannounced but likely extraordinary price). Since then Honda has begun leasing the vehicles to consumers for testing and GM has rolled out 100 test leases of their own hydrogen SUV.

However, it seems like Toyota is going to try to beat everyone to the punch by being the first to the market with their hydrogen cars. So far, Toyota only has a hydrogen version of their Highlander SUV, a relic of the SUV age to be sure, but hopefully they will be able to put their hydrogen system in a more manageable and less socially stigmatized vehicle before sale in 2015.

Is this a good step for Toyota? Being on the frontlines offering new technology to consumers is definitely something most major car manufacturers want to do, but will Toyota be wrapping up too much of its name in the success of hydrogen by investing so heavily in them? They already have plans for a purely electric vehicle based on the iQ and I can just imagine the efficiency comparisons that will abound between Toyota’s electric and hydrogen options. Now that electric is more viable in consumer opinion, shouldn’t we cut out the middle man (hydrogen)? Your thoughts are welcome in the comments