Latest Updates: nissan RSS

• Mitsubishi To Produce Electric Cars by 2009
  Srikant Rajan 08:07:09 am on October 10, 2008 | 1 | # |
  Tags: detroit big three, electric cars, hybrids, i-miev, mitsubhishi, nissan, plug in, toyota

  Mitsubishi Motors is preparing to launch the worlds first commercial electric car.It anticipates its know how in electric cars to be a “   tremendous advantage     “ and is looking to rival the big  man of electric cars- Toyota,not withstanding its recent troubled finances .Mitsubhishi plans to market its “   I-Miev   ” running entirely on electricity in Japan by 2009.Many Japanese automakers are making some headway into developing hybrid and electric cars.Toyota is already planning to produce a small fleet of plug-in hybrids by 2010 and Nissan is also entering into this domain.

  Detroit “   Big Three   “ never had it so bad,a fumbling economy leading to a drop in car sales, and now the Japanese trying to capitalize on this period to strengthen their own capabilities.

   

• Reva – The Cute Electric Vehicle
  Srikant Rajan 03:07:24 pm on July 27, 2008 | 1 | # |
  Tags: electric car, ev, g-whiz, general motors, global environment fund, gm, nano, nissan, reva, tata motors

  Nissan ,General Motors, Mitsubishi, are just some of the major automakers trying to get the electric vehicle equation right.Now an Indian based company, Reva Electric Car Company ( RECC ) , has come out with an electric vehicle design that has gained global acceptance.The model, Reva has a fuel economy of 1 cent /kilometer and is capable of traveling  80 km on a single charge , with a top speed of 80kmph. Although only 2,500 models have been sold since 2001, Reva is arguably the world’s largest selling EV.In another demonstration of the feasibility of Reva’s technology, RECC has received $20 million from the Global Environment Fund that invests in business capable of providing cost effective solutions to energy and environmental challenges.Emboldened by this fund grant RECC is now targeting at 30000 cars annually and anticipates bulk of demand from Europe.RECC is also available in 13 countries worldwide and has sold in excess of 1000 units in Britain alone, under the brand G-Wiz.In India too the Delhi government has provided a 29.5% subsidy to promote sale of Reva.

  Indian technology is coming of age with the launch of globally competitive products such as the Reva.Recently Tata Motors created quite a ripple in the auto industry with the launch of the Nano, a mere $2500/car ,making it the cheapest car in the world.These events also signal that , considering Indian industry from the mere perspective of cost cutting by means of outsourcing would not augur well for sustainable competitive growth.

   

• Ford Wants US Assistance on Hybrids
  Srikant Rajan 11:22:54 am on June 16, 2008 | 0 | # |
  Tags: Department Of Energy, ford, gm, Hybrid, nissan, toyota

  Ford Motors  is still struggling to get its hybrid car out in the market.It has recently called for direct intervention of of the US government to help boost market for plug in electric vehicles.Mark Fields, head of Ford’s Americas business, says that government should be a “key partner in promoting American manufacturing” of plug-in cars and the lithium-ion batteries that power them through tax incentives, research subsidies and other measures".

  Ford does seem to be making some headway in its hybrid technology,it has recently begin road testing of its Escape model and also entered in an agreement for testing of other hybrid models with the US DOE and Southern California Edison.However unlike car makers like GM,Toyota and Nissan  who plan to have hybrids on road by 2010 ,Ford Motors is yet to finalize a date for commercial launch of its hybrid variants.

   

• Toyota to Boost Production of Electric Car Batteries
  Srikant Rajan 02:45:54 pm on June 12, 2008 | 4 | # |
  Tags: electric cars, honda, lithium ion, metal hydride, mitsubhishi, nissan, prius, toyota

  Toyota , of Pirius fame has set ambitious targets for sale of its new improved variant.Toyota anticipates global annual sales of a million electric cars post 2010.It is presently engaged in a battery venture with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co for production of nickel metal hydride batteries.Additionally Toyota is also planning to increase production of the lithium ion batteries by 2010. President Katsuaki Watanabe of Toyota says  ” We plan to use both nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries, choosing the appropriate option depending on the vehicle “.

  Companies like Nissan, Mitsubhishi, are also engaged in several partnerships to boost production of lithium-ion batteries.The supply of batteries presents the biggest bottleneck for the production of hybrid cars at present.Alternatives like ultracapacitors and fuel cells have not found much favor with car-makers barring Honda,which has replaced a battery in its FCX clarity by an ultracapacitors.