GM partners with utilities to advance plug-in hybrids
SAN JOSE, Calif.--General Motors is teaming up with 30 utilities in 37 states and with the Electric Power Research Institute to develop a charging infrastructure for electric cars.
They aim to fine-tune the technology, safety, and customer experience for car-charging stations by 2010, when the Chevy Volt is due to be produced.
The challenges include providing an affordable, reliable electricity source that's weather-proof and child-proof at locations such as public garages, curbside meters, and workplace parking lots.
Another aim is to prevent utilities from being overwhelmed during peak hours when the grid is already challenged. Electric cars can be charged at night when electrical rates and demand are low, but that's not feasible for drivers either traveling away from a home outlet or living where a personal plug-in isn't available.
A national car-charging infrastructure will be far from being established by the time consumers can take the Volt for a 40-mile spin on a full charge of its lithium-ion battery.
However, Jonathan Lauckner, GM's vice president of global program management, said that involvement by big automakers will accelerate the spread of greener transportation, leading to a meaningful reduction of carbon emissions and dependence on foreign oil.
"Thousands of cars is a fail," he said at a dinner before the Plug-In 2008 conference, which is taking place here Tuesday through Thursday. "We need tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands over a number of years."
Lauckner said he hopes another 50 to 70 of the approximately 3,000 U.S. utilities will join the partnership by year's end.
"What's happening is the convergence of the energy and transportation industries," said Sherry Boschert, former president of the San Francisco Electric Vehicle Association and author of a 2006 book about plug-in hybrids.
Many electric car advocates have accused Detroit, at best, of lagging and, at worst, of killing progress to protect profits while lauding innovations in green transportation by Silicon Valley start-ups such as Tesla.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, hopes for his city to become a hub for electric cars. He has discussed partnering with Project Better Place, which is working toward electric-car infrastructure in Israel, Denmark, and Portugal.
Newsom's office on Monday invited companies to submit ideas by September 19 for charging infrastructure for plug-in hybrids and full-battery vehicles. The city next will seek requests for proposals.
"We will be the first bidder," said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies, which is designing charging stations for cars. The company launched a two-year demonstration contract on Monday with the city of San Jose.
come to town, mostly to rape his city's consumers, if one examines the infrastructure and monopolistic nature of the project. Newsome is compeltely ignorant of electrical propulsion technology : Project Better Place makes little sense in Israel, which, like every other place, only needs plug-in hybrids to meet all its oil avoidance goals. In the US it doesn't even make a little bit of sense - once any of the Project's enslaved customers want to travel outside the city limits of San Fran, too bad. So exaclty what does Newsome think he's gaining from this multibillion dollar extravaganza? A plug-in with a 40 miles range can eliminate over 95% of gasoline usage by private transportation - there is NO need whatsoever for these costly heroics, designed mostly, it seems, to advance his political career. The citizens of San Fran have been strangely silent in their lack of skepticism of a system that transparently makes no sense. So what else is new?
The existing grid US has plenty of capacity at night, and that is when most EVs will charge. And there is plenty of time to improve the grid while EVs ramp-up, and that is something that needs to be done anyway.
I do strongly agree that the USA should be drilling for oil, since we still need that too, and the speculation-induced price-gouging is getting absurd. If/when the USA does announce expanded drilling, I predict the price of crude will drop instantly by $40, all based on speculation (just like it dropped by $15 last week).
Gas powered cars inhabit 100% of roads today because they are the only thing available, not because they are inherently better. An electric motor the size of a watermelon can make 200HP. The batteries are the only thing that need to improve.
Lastly, I can't believe you claim plugin hybrids have failed, when they haven't even been marketed yet. Something must exist before it can fail.
The Volt is real and will be manufactured. The EV-1 was killed because ten years ago (when gas was cheap) there was no market for an $80K electric two-seater with limited range. That's why Toyota killed their electric cars too.
General Motors is falling apart, losing billions, and in jeopardy of going out of business. If we can convince them that there is a viable market for them taking drastic action to convert their cars and trucks to being the most environmentally efficient in the world, they have nothing to lose by unconditionally embracing the green movement.
Santa Clarita boy, 2, dies after being left in minivan for hours
L.A. County sheriff's investigators could not confirm if the death was heat-related. They say the child's mother forgot he was in the vehicle. The incident is being investigated as a homicide.
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
8:31 AM PDT, July 22, 2008
http://www.uwsa.com/issues/trade/japanyes.html
And is GM supposed ot ignore the sports car segment? The Mustang still sells quite well, so why not a Camaro that is far more fuel efficient then the previous Camaro? And while the sales of trucks adn SUVs has slumped recently, people are still buying them so the reality is that gas prices will increase to the point at which people will NO LONGER pay them... and we apparently aren't at that point yet.
Educate yourselves, PLEASE!
The Volt is a vehicle that will allow the typical commuter the possibility to travel UP TO 40 miles on electric. If the drive is longer then the vehicles small engine will start allowing the owner to travel much greater distances. Most people's commute would be less than 40 miles/day so they would only burn gas if exceeding that distance.
Future versions of the vehicle could have hydrogen fuel cells that would start after the initial 40 miles on electric.
Iphoneuser, I don't know what you issue is with GM, but I bet you were taught it and don't even know why!
Now if the Bureau of Land Management would sell the countless millions of desert acreage to Solar Utilities our Electric production would jump by 45% making way for more EV vehicles.
For all I care GM could layoff all of its 50,000+ employee's. That would allow for a large skilled workforce for EV auto production. Knowing GM's connections in the US Gov't they'll get bailed out just like the financial institutions.
In regards to energy shift, the main trends we need to pay attention to are...
1. Oil (production and combustion) is non- renewable, polluting, and becoming increasingly scarce. That being said, there's little sweet crude that does not require a relatively large investment to obtain.
2. Electricity can be created from multiple renewable resources to feed the grid. Solar, wind, geothermal, hydro electric and even biofuels are experiencing "growing pains", but have potential.
Oil does not, its a global commodity in decline.
The optimists for renewable resources aspire change and innovation. As an aspiring engineer, I like to believe that there is a solution in the path I have chosen. The existing system cannot last forever, therefore I inquire to the skeptics, when will the change occur? Please show deeper thought and exercise foresight for the much larger problems future generations will face.
We currently have a leased 2005 Saturn Vue that needs to be replaced in 2010. The problem is that the drive system we want in a replacement is going into the Chevy VOLT, not a larger vehcle that will meet our needs!
We also have a 2002 Saturn SC2 that we'd like to replace in 2014 with something that has the Chevy Volt's drive system.
We will refuse to purchase/lease anything that uses a fuel based engine to drive the wheels. That includes the current products from Toyota since they are electric assist systems, not electrict drive systems.
Genieve, Eric, Mariebeth & Stephanie (gemsFamily)
- by vistaakah July 25, 2008 3:21 PM PDT
- All the talk of hybrids and plug in electric cars. ooooooh plug in cars. Why not make an all electric car that can produce enough charging voltage while in operation so that it never needs to be plugged in with the exception of its initial first charge of the vehicle battery. These rocket scientists amaze me some times. I don't see why this wouldn't be possible at all but in the end its all a money game for the car builders and fuel suppliers.
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