Vollkswagen has struck a deal worth "at least 10 million euros" with Wilhelm Karmann GmbH to keep the insolvent Karmann alive so it can reorganize a new company and "focus on building electric-powered cars," according to an unsourced report in the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung that can be found on Bloomberg. A report on HLN.be says that the deal is worth 20 million euros for the EVs, which are planned to go on sale in 2011.

Earlier this year, Karmann showed off an EV concept called the E3 Limosine, codeveloped with utility company Oldenburg Energy Group (EWE). Last October, Karmann said it would help build some of DuraCar's Quicc! DiVas EVs. Karmann's classic Ghia model can sometimes be found with an all-electric drivetrain, as well. Thanks to Frederik for the tip!


[Source: Bloomberg, HLN.be]

Vancouver, British Columbia makes a big deal of promoting hydrogen-powered vehicles. But the city is not letting the potential of H₂ get in the way of other gasoline alternatives. In fact, local blog The Hook is reporting that Vancouver is considering making electric vehicle charging outlets mandatory in any parking lots for newly-constructed multi-family buildings. The idea is to get the infrastructure ready now and to help make PHEVs and BEVs an easier choice, once they become more widely available.

Specifically, Vancouver would require that 10 percent of the stalls in the buildings would need to have a 240V charging port. City officials said the mandate would add 0.5 percent to the total cost of a building. A local EV advocate told The Hook that, while the move is admirable, a better goal would be to put plugs in all stalls. "If you're building a building to last 50 years, it's ridiculous to put in only enough plugs to last you five," John Stonier of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association said. Thanks to Alvin S. for the tip!


[Source: The Hook]

When the price of oil was soaring last summer Japan Post said it would switch its fleet over to electric vehicles as soon as possible. It's not a little over a year later and this change is starting to take place. By the end of July, Japan Post should have started 5-year lease programs for 20 Mitsubishi i MiEVs and 20 Subaru Stellas. Most of these cars will be based in Kanagawa Prefecture where there is already some amount of recharging infrastructure.

In addition to the consumer type vehicles, the mail services company will also try out 9 solar panel-topped battery-powered trucks (pictured above) and several copies of a single-seat open-side affair that's based on the Toyota Auto Body's Ultra Small Electric Everyday COMS. Speaking of Toyota, the company proper will be supplying Japan Post with an example of the 2010 plug-in Prius around the end of the year. Thanks to Yanquetino for the tip!






[Source: Green Car Congress / Japan Post]

If any car screams "Alabama!" it's the e-Zone electric car pictured above, right? The quirky low speed vehicle is a project of CT&T Co. Ltd, a South Korean company, and might be built in the Heart of Dixie in the next few years. CT&T wants to build a variety of vehicles for the U.S. market, including "City Drive Electrical Vehicles (EVs), Mid-speed Electric Vehicles, High-speed Electric Vehicles, Utility Electric Vehicles." The vehicles will use lead acid, advanced lead acid, lithium polymer and lithium ion chemistries and will cost between $8,000 and $16,000. The company says that, "By the fourth quarter of 2009, the company expects to begin selling c-Zone utility EVs for commercial and government applications as well the e-Zone City Drive EVs." Nothing like an ambitious goal.

CT&T is looking at building a North American headquarters, a research and development center and several manufacturing facilities in America, likely in the Southeast. CT&T is looking at Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and California as potential locations for its operations, which it says will employ 2,600 people. The company's U.S. subsidiary is called CT&T United. Thanks to Mart for the tip!

[Source: CT&T, Birmingham News]

Ford CEO Alan Mulally says the automaker is on track to return to profitability by 2011, despite posting a record $14.7 billion loss in 2008 and a forecast to continue posting losses through the rest of 2009 and 2010. A major portion of Ford's turnaround plan revolves around "more and more electrification, both hybrids and battery electric vehicles," Mulally said shortly after the automaker accepted $5.9 billion in U.S. Department of Energy loans as part of the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program to retool factories to build more environmentally friendly cars and trucks. Ford plans to use the DOE funding to convert a couple of former truck plants into new automobile assembly facilities and help fund its planned electric van in 2010 and the Focus EV in 2011.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

The electric vehicle money is flowing everywhere. Following the U.S. DOE's announcement yesterday, the UK has announced it will spend £25 million ($40 million) on a large project to get EVs and "ultra-low carbon vehicles an everyday feature of life on Britain's roads in less than five years." Automotive partners include Ford, MINI, smart, Mitsubishi and Toyota. More information available at the links and in the press releases after the jump.

While EV fans here on AutoblogGreen will undoubtedly be happy to hear this news, there was a line in the Automotive News Europe (subs req'd) write-up of the announcement that doesn't exactly bode well. The automakers brought their vehicles together at the Guildhall in London for the day, which gave a reporter the chance to hear what the i MiEV sounds like: "When the demonstrator started the car and pressed the accelerator, it did not rev nor growl. It sounded like a toy." Really, a toy?


[Source: Automotive News Europe (subs req'd)]

A couple of years back, Nissan announced its Green Program 2010 which was a comprehensive plan to reduce the energy consumption and emissions of both its vehicles and operations. The automaker has just issued an update on its progress so far with the with the program, and things are moving along quite well. Since January of 2008, Nissan and its French alliance partner Renault have signed 27 partnership agreements around the world to help build out the infrastructure necessary for mass deployment of of electric vehicles. Nissan has also publicly demonstrated a Cube-based powertrain prototype for its upcoming electric car. That new EV will go into production in 2010 in Japan and in 2012 in the U.S., thanks in part to the DOE. Nissan is also moving forward with its lithium ion battery joint venture with NEC, Automotive Energy Supply Corp. Besides using the AESC batteries for its own, Nissan is offering up the hardware to any automaker that wants to use them.

On the non-electric front, Nissan launched its first clean diesel engine in the X-Trail SUV last fall and plans to launch an automatic transmission model soon. Nissan reached an recyclability rate of 95.7 percent for its cars last fall and is also promoting more efficient driving techniques to save fuel.


[Source: Nissan]
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Late last week, the Internet rumormill was abuzz with reports that Renault would bring a trio of electric vehicles to the Frankfurt Motor Show this fall. Might one of those zero-emission automobiles be the Twingo ZE? According to Auto Express in the UK, a clay model for an all-electric Renault Twingo was spotted by French journalists from Auto Plus, and it will reportedly hit the market next year £13,000 plus a lease for the battery.

If there's any truth to this particular rumor, the three-seat Twingo ZE will be powered by a 59-horsepower electric motor that's capable of pushing the car to 60 miles per hour in around 10 seconds and up to a top speed of 80 mph. Regenerative braking will be included in the package, which helps push maximum range to around 100 miles.

Of course, the car will be equipped with a plug that allows the car to be recharged from home, though we're not sure about the four-hour time that's being reported. Further, Renault dealerships would be equipped with battery swapping capabilities, probably using the Better Place technology.


[Source: Auto Express]

Speaking at the Wired Business Conference that's currently taking place in New York, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk had some rather interesting things to say. For instance, Musk believes that gasoline "should probably be $10" per gallon. While that doesn't sound like a popular sentiment for those Americans struggling with the thought of paying just $3 per gallon, but Musk offers an environmental reason to promote higher fuel prices:

I'm not paying for the true cost of gasoline at the pump...since nobody's explicitly paying for the CO₂ capacity of the oceans and atmospheres, it's getting consumed. We will pay for it down the road, but we are sort of ignoring it for now.

Naturally, Tesla Motors stands to benefit from the high cost of gasoline though the sale of its electric cars – possibly at the expense of the current crop of automakers – but Musk doesn't have all bad things to say about the Detroit-based competitors:

I think it'll probably be a healthier place... I think this will be a cathartic experience. I think GM and Ford, maybe not Chrysler, but GM and Ford will come out of this healthier... and more competitive.

Further, Musk says he'd "like to take up some of the manufacturing plants. When the mess gets sorted out I'd like to have a conversation with whoever's in charge."

And what of the current crop of environmentally-friendly automobiles? Musk's not a big fan, saying, "A Prius is not a true hybrid, really. The current Prius is like, 2 percent electric. It's a gasoline car with slightly better mileage."

[Source: CNET]

Here's an interesting concept: too many electric cars. While even the most optimistic EV proponents don't see electric cars making a huge dent in the number of traditional ICE vehicles any time soon, a powertrain analyst for J.D. Power and Associates, thinks that there soon (within the next decade) might be a "glut" of plug-in cars. Go figure.

Actually, here's how analyst Mike Omotoso's figuring goes: right now, governments and greenies are the driving force behind electric cars. WIth the high cost of the plug-ins and the low cost of gas, there just won't be enough customer demand for EVs once the initial rush (and the first wave of subsidies) is over.

In this (potential) environment, which electric companies have the Right Stuff to survive? Jay Yaron, over at Business Insider thinks that Nissan, Toyota, Tesla, GM and Coda (yes, brand new Coda) are the ones to watch. Your thoughts?

[Source: Reuters, Business Insider]