Recent Comments:
Will nuclear-produced electricity be low carbon? {Autoblog Green}
May 19th 2008 4:16PM Whadya mean "..That leaves us with nuclear power" ??
Of course it doesn't. That selective list of renewables that got skimmed through and dismissed before declaring nuclear as the answer, very conveniently left out tidal power, left out wave power, left out geothermal power. All three of those are benign and reliable. And all three are sidelined by countries with a pro-nuclear agenda. Small amount of research funding are thrown at them as a passing gesture.
Nuclear is nasty. The nuclear industry has already polluted and contaminated the oceans the skies and land, in some cases with types of radioacyivity that will be there for thousands of years. It should never have been allowed in the first place - going back to using even more of it is just incredibly stupid.
Winners and losers in the age of $4+/gallon gasoline {Autoblog Green}
May 19th 2008 9:05AM My current car (Citroen Berlingo) averages 38mpg. That would feel quite good if it were not for the fact that my previous VW Polo averaged 45mpg and could manage 52mg at a steady 55mph.
I am talking imperial gallons - as used in the UK (about 20% bigger than a US gallon).
My mother's Smart car achieves 63mpg. And 40 years ago my old Morris Minor gave me between 35 and 40mpg. So I am always quite shocked when I se sub-20mpg figures being talked of on American sites - even allowing for the smaller US gallon. It's as if the US have never even bothered trying to improve mpg - which I guess is probably the case.
Winners and losers in the age of $4+/gallon gasoline {Autoblog Green}
May 19th 2008 3:37AM Winners: Investors selectively identifying PROFITABLE makers of electric vehicles. Companies that have them in production and out there on the highway, not just on display at auto show after auto show. Step forward UK-listed Tanfield Group (LSE:TAN), the engineering company that owns Smith EV www.smithelectricvehicles.com
They now have several hundred all-electric trucks and vans in service with parcel delivery firms and supermarket chains in the UK and beyond - and are about to open a new factory in the US in collaboration with Ford, to produce this all-electric version of the Ford F650 http://i29.tinypic.com/307raqg.jpg
GM engineers speak up for installing MPG displays in every vehicle {Autoblog Green}
May 18th 2008 8:05PM How about adding a feature allowing the driver to key in the price paid per gallon - so it can then display real-time consumption rate in dollars-per-hour.
AFVI 2008: Meeting the ZeroTruck face-to-face {Autoblog Green}
May 18th 2008 5:37AM The viability of the concept (of depot-based fleets being electric) is already proven.
SmithElectricVehicles.com and Modec.co.uk have now sold several hundred to hardheaded fleet managers who don't buy just to boast their greenness. They buy only if cost effective and practicable.
Parcels firm TNT this week ordered a further hundred 7.5t trucks from Smith, adding to the fifty they already bought.
The puzzle is why ZeroTruck needs to be so expensive. Almost twice the price of an equivalent Smith truck. The Isuzu N Series is the ideal truck to go with. It's extremely popular, and competitively priced. Probably more competitive than the Avia and Ford trucks used by Smith.
New Zealand Prime Minister goes for a ride in an i MiEV, falls in love {Autoblog Green}
May 16th 2008 10:15AM There seem to be bunches of runners in this race to bring EVs to the mass market. Mitsubishi with its MiEV in the leading foursome alongside Subaru with its R1e, with Renault and Nissan on their shoulders. GM with its Volt is several yards behind them.
Back down the field we have VW-Audi, and BMW, both tentatively jogging along without being fully committed yet. Peugeot-Citroen have yet to even announce themselves as a runner, but I suspect they will do so and will overtake VW-Audi and BMW soon - at which point those two will realise the race is worthwhile and will commit.
Those who turn up later than that will need to go for a joint venture with some Chinese maker in order to catch up.
AutoblogGreen pays a visit to the new Tesla Motors store {Autoblog Green}
May 12th 2008 1:23PM nice one tankd0g ;o)
Renault's electric car debuts in Tel Aviv {Autoblog Green}
May 12th 2008 5:29AM Lad - I think that point you make (about carrying no more battery weight than needed) is an excellent one.
I imagine that one of the advantages of this particular project is that, when calling at the network of battery-swap stations, drivers will be able to load whatever pack size is needed for the intended journey - and will be able to lease smaller packs when ony intending to drive locally.
AutoblogGreen pays a visit to the new Tesla Motors store {Autoblog Green}
May 12th 2008 5:07AM However quickly Tesla do or don't commence real deliveries of real cars, they are already doing a superb job in keeping EVs on the public agenda -- thereby prompting folk to look furher into areas where electric vehicles ARE already into production and selling. At present this is predominantly in the commercial vehicles sector, specifically the depot-based delivery fleets -- areas where economic viability is every bit as important as green imagery.
I hold shares in Tanfield Group - the UK company that owns Smith EV http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com and I also follow the progress of their smaller rival Modec http://www.modec.co.uk
They have sold several hundred all-electric trucks and vans from 3.5t to 12t in size. Meanwhile at the opposite end of the EV spectrum, more than 25 million electric bicycles are now in use. Mix these in with the exotic efforts of Tesla, Lightning, Aptera et al, and the downmarket street buggies, and what we have is a transport revolution with a hole in the middle - that middle being the affordable mass-market all-electric highway-capable family car. But we know that Mitsubishi, Renault, Nissan, Subaru, VW-Audi, BMW and others are all racing to fill that gap. It will happen. And even those who rubbish EVs will be driving them a very few years from now. The obstacles are known, are being addressesd, and will be overcome - sure as eggs is eggs. The future is electric and it's halfway here already - no matter how many headshakers try and hold back the tide.
Shai Agassi to drive Project Better Place prototype on Sunday in Tel Aviv {Autoblog Green}
May 11th 2008 12:52PM Reports elseewhere appear to indicate that the vehicle on show is not a prototype at all, but an ordinary Renault Megane with the exhaust system removed and a battery pack cobbled together by a local electrician. Why bother? Why not wait till a properly engineered version is genuinely available?
