While many automakers are getting a bit bullish about diesel cars in America (see Mercedes, Nissan and VW), a board member of parts supplier Continental AG told Handelsblatt (via Thompson Financial) that an overall downturn in diesel interest in the U.S. means his company is looking more toward electric cars than diesel-powered ones. Board member Karl-Heinz Neumann said, "Regarding diesel fuel, I'm more sceptical by now. There's not much happening in the U.S. The opportunities of the electrical car have surprised all of us."

Neumann's stance is bolstered by Ford's recent decline in diesel truck sales and, more importantly, by a recent Conti study that showed high consumer interest in zero-emission vehicles. Making the shift to EV support is not a problem for the supplier, because Conti is well into setting up advanced battery deals with some automakers. The lithium-ion battery in the upcoming Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid will be from Continental and then there's that whole Chevy Volt thing.

[Source: Thompson Financial]

How can we figure out how much potential electric car buyers are willing to pay for their battery-powered rides? Why not just ask them?

That's what Liberty Electric Cars did at the recent Eden Project 'Green' Car Show. Liberty conducted "in-depth interviews" at the show and found that green car fans are willing to pay up to 30 percent more for a car if it's powered solely by electrons. That's a huge premium that at least some in our little community are willing to fork over. On a $20,000, for example, that's six grand, and 65 percent of the people Liberty interviewed said the 30 percent extra is no problem. Forty-five percent, though, said that smaller, less powerful, "city" cars would not be acceptable. I guess that means that 55 percent think that the Th!nk City (pictured) would be OK, which is good.

Liberty Electric Cars is the company that's working to convert Range Rovers to EVs. More info after the jump.

[Source: Liberty Electric Cars]

A Wall Street Journal story today highlights the promise and potential problems with plug-in cars. More accurately, it highlights the problems and shoves most of the promise to the bottom. As automakers ready plug-in hybrids and electric cars for market, the sensational headline poses a clash of the titans: "Utilities, Plug-In Cars: Near Collision?"

As gasoline reaches $4 a gallon, the benefit to consumers of transportation energy at about $1 per gallon (equivalent) is undeniable. And if one reads down to near the end of the story, one finds the studies that show the tremendous upside in terms of carbon emission and petroleum reduction. As the article makes clear, as long as most plug-in cars charge up at night, the American electrical grid can already carry the load of more plug-in cars than are likely to be produced for a decade or more. Of course, night time charging is also more convenient; most cars are parked at night and used during the day. Still, the utilities are already exploring ways to ensure cars utilize the low-cost, excess capacity existing while consumers sleep, including incentive pricing, time of use metering, and smart meters.

And the environmental benefits reported are extraordinary. If enough plug-ins were on the roads, we could see oil consumption cut by 6.2 million barrels a day and U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions cut "by 450 million metric tons annually, equivalent to scrapping 82 million cars." Where the grid is comparatively clean, as in California, switching to electricity is a no-brainer. More surprising, the story reports, "Carbon-dioxide emissions would probably fall even if coal-fired plants made the electricity, some studies have found, because they burn coal more efficiently than automobiles burn gasoline." Of course as the electric grid becomes cleaner and more renewable thanks to state and federal mandates, the cars charging actually get cleaner, too.

[Source: Wall St. Journal]

Reader reaction to last week's California Air Resources Board vote to cut the ZEV Mandate by 70 percent was pretty resoundingly negative (although it's only fair to note some of you said the result was a good thing). Automotive News' Richard Truett has written an article that finds the decision's silver lining: it created a "sizable" market for plug-in hybrids. While pure EVs took a hit in the revision, automakers are now required to sell 66,000 PHEVs between 2012 and 2014. Considering you can't buy a single one today, this would be a nice change. Truett notes that Chrysler, Honda and Nissan could be face "major headaches" to comply with the rule, since they don't have any PHEVs in development. At least, there are no public plans for such vehicles from these companies. Smart grid PHEV charging technology is here, at least in testing form. What plug-in vehicles will we Californians (and people in the dozen or so states that adopt California's auto rules) be able to buy in 2012?

[Source: Richard Truett / Automotive News]

As I was cleaning out my digital files and getting ready for the Detroit Auto Show that starts for us media folks this weekend, I noticed I have a few EVS23 items left to process and post. I'll try to the them all up before NAIAS overwhelms us, but the one I have for you now is an interview I did with EDTA head Brian Wynne just as the show was ending. Wynne was quite pleased with the giant electric drive conference and expo, something you can hear for yourself here (9 min, 6MB). We were interrupted briefly during out talk, and you'll notice where it is on the recording by the way it jumps at one point.

You can also get an idea of what Wynne thought about the symposium by what he said in an email following the end of the event:

The success associated with EVS-23 was also unprecedented. More than 1,500 electric drive experts from around the world came together to share the latest information regarding technology and market developments. An additional 700 visitors joined us for public day to view 125 exhibits on the show floor and hear from local mayors, as well as from a forum of leading authors on energy policy.

With more than 37 countries represented, EVS-23 was truly global in its scope. Media coverage was extensive, with more than 90 accredited media working the show. If you were not able to attend, but would like to get a sense of the high-voltage energy that was in the air, please check out our wrap-up video, which was shot at the event.

All in all, let's just say that everyone's looking forward to EVS24, which will be in Norway in 2009.

Note: The picture above shows a plastic cup that was part of the breakfast tablesettings. I thought it was a nice touch.

We're back for AutoblogGreen Podcast #16. In this installment, Sebastian updates us on some of the really amazing things he saw while at EVS23 in Anaheim. Speaking of really cool stuff, our interview this time is with Beau Boeckmann of Galpin Autosports. Sebastian and Beau talk in depth about the crazyawesomelywild hybrid F450 that was done up for Pimp My Ride, while Sam got to see the Chevy Volt showing a little leg on a recent tour of the E-Flex design studio. We take some time to discuss the Volt and E-Flex in depth, touching on some of the discoveries that have been made as the platform gets developed, as well as how far along the E-Flex is, which is surprising. We're looking ahead to NAIAS in Detroit in a few weeks, for now, enjoy this installment, clocking in at 43 minutes.

UPDATE: Read the transcript and view a picture of Beau's truck here.

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One of the benefits of an electric motor powering an ATV, says Ken Stasiek, the national sales manager of Electric Vehicle Systems (EVS), is that you can sneak up on wild game easier. That's a benefit to hunters. Police forces, too, can benefit from the silence because it allows for easier radio communication, even when driving. I spoke with Stasiek at EVS23 this past week, and he gave AutoblogGreen a rundown on his company's new ATEV 28 (All-Terrain Electric Vehicle). The vehicles were released just last week.

While there might be a lot of benefits to an electric ATV, the engineers were not able to offer all the goodies they had hoped for. The ATEV 28 has a 35 mph top speed and a maximum range of 25 miles on a flat surface. These numbers don't meet the goals the company had set for the ATV (42 mph top speed and a 30 mile range, numbers that are still advertised on the company's website), but there's still a lot to like about this battery-powered ATV.

Check out my video interview with Stasiek and see the ATEV in action after the break.

EVS23, the 23rd major symposium on Electric Vehicles organized by the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) and the World Electric Vehicle Association (WEVA), began Monday morning in Anaheim, California with a series of addresses that set the stage for what will happen here over the next three days.
It is true that there were a series of press conferences on Sunday (and the public ride and drive), but the less said about me traveling out of the Midwest in some nasty, nasty weather, the better. All I'll say is that you all can blame icy roads and a lame taxi company for a lack of EVS23 updates from Sunday.

Anyway, opening remarks for EVS23 were delivered by Rick Kasper, the president and CEO of GEM. He introduced professor C.C. Chan from the University of Hong Kong (and the president of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Asia Pacific (EVAAP) and Robert Stüssi, the president of the European Association for Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles. I'm not sure how the welcome speakers were selected, but I don't think that it was an accident that Asia, Europe and the US were all represented. The electric vehicle market, which, for the EDTA and WEVA includes hydrogen, hybrids and pure-electrics, is a global one. Fitting for a global problem.

(continue after the jump for more on the EDTA opening session, including audio files)

At the Electric Vehicle Symposium this week in Anaheim CA, Valence Technology is introducing a new line of large-format lithium ion batteries designed for use in electric and hybrid vehicles. The phosphate-based lithium batteries are being branded Epoch. The batteries are equipped with an integrated management system to monitor the state of the battery. The batteries will be available in 12.8V and 19.2V modules for integration into packs up to 390 kWh. The batteries are also rated for at least 2,000 charge cycles. The Epoch batteries could be available beginning in 2008.

[Source: Valence Technology]

OK, China, you're on notice. Not by Stephen Colbert, but by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Oh, and it's not everyone in China, but just "manufacturers for automobiles powered by new energies." What are new energies? Chinaview says it means "hybrid cars, battery electric vehicles (BEV), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), hydrogen-fueled vehicles and vehicles powered by other new types of fuel."

Basically, this announcement means that automakers who go green are going to need to make sure their cars are produced in a sensible manner and be reliable when they're on the road. As Professor Zha Daojiong, director of the Center for International Energy Security at Renmin University of China in Beijing, explained, "Enterprises wanting to manufacture new-energy cars should pay attention that their development of new type of energies should be truly 'energy-efficient' rather than only 'new in name. It is also crucial to avoid creating new sources of pollution in the process of the production of vehicles fueled by new energies."

Boy, if this regulation is taken seriously and China greens up its auto industry for real and Wal-Mart is able to muscle its product producers to go green, China's environment might not become a total wasteland after all. Just a little wasteland, like so many other places.

[Source: Chinaview via TTAC]

Do hybrids and pure electric cars help reduce CO2 emissions? Not in China, according to Tatehito Ueda, a managing officer at Toyota Motor Corp, in this article from Reuters. The problem, as you might expect, is how China produces its electricity (mostly from coal). Ueda told Reuters, "In France, 80 percent of electricity is produced by nuclear stations so if electric cars replace fossil fuel cars then you have a clear reduction in the emission of CO2. But in China they make electricity by burning coal, so China is not the place for electric cars."

Ueda is exactly right when he criticizes powering cars from coal, but I'm not sure about the hybrid charge. And, while I don't have the information in front of me right now, I heard at some point over the weekend (at the Santa Monica Alt Car Expo) that using coal instead of petrol is, on the whole, cleaner. I'm willing to be proven wrong on this point, as it was just something I think I remember hearing.

Anyway, back in China, Ueda says that the simple fixes, like reduced running resistance tires, will be the way Toyota cuts emissions in its Chinese cars.

[Source: Reuters]

Fashion industry stars André and Coqueline Courrèges have produced a third fully-functional EV prototype, the Zooop, a lightweight car that can go 450 km (about 280 miles) per charge and uses "Lithium Polymer batteries that are lighter, have greater power density don't overheat, charge quicker and offer many more recharges" and can reach speeds of 180 km/h (about 112 mph), according to Gizmag.

The Maison de Courrèges, the fashion house run by André and Coqueline is a long-time promoter of EVs, using them in fashion shows since 1969. The duo revamped its EV promotion with the release of La Bulle at the 2002 Michelin Bibendum Challenge, then came out with the EXE in 2004. Typical of their behind-the-scenes involvement with EVs in the past, the Courrèges are not saying what their future plans are in the EV field.

[Source: Gizmag]