Latest Updates: plug in 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.

   

• Power Grids To Get Smarter
  Srikant Rajan 02:10:54 pm on September 28, 2008 | 0 | # |
  Tags: grid integration, gridPoint, Hybrid, plug in, power grid, renewable energy, v2green

  Grid integration technology is slowly gaining a foothold in the much ignored domain of energy transmission.GridPoint has raised $120 million to bolster its “   smart grid   “ technology development .It has also acquired V2Green , an enterprise engaged in providing technology to utilities for managing electricity demands of plug-in vehicles.GridPoint termed this acquisition as “   first step in an acquisition strategy to be fueled by the $120 million investment from undisclosed previous investors  “

  The company has built what it calls the SmartGrid Platform, which gives utilities more insight into the grid so that they can, for instance, strategically discharge and store power according to demand. Such development can act as a potential push for advancing the commercialization of plug in hybrids.

   

• Here Comes the Electric Bike !
  Srikant Rajan 05:14:27 am on August 14, 2008 | 0 | # |
  Tags: A2B, electric bikes, electric cars, plug in, texas transportation institute, ultra motor

  Move over electric cars , now comes the sleek electric bike.Ultra Motor has developed and manufactured a state of the art electric bike – A2B , specifically for urban transport across USA.Its makers describe it as a having a heart of a bicycle and the soul of a scooter ! The A2B is a fusion of an electric bicycle and a scooter and is powered by a proprietary motor that produces sufficient torque to ensure comfortable ascent and descent.Additionally energy is also stored in lithium ion batteries which may be charged as easily as recharging a laptop ( huh !!! is it that simple ??  ).The A2B also has features such as full suspension and a large sized seat for comfort.

  According to the Texas Transportation Institute , gridlock’s( traffic jams) cause an estimated loss of 2.9 billion gallons of gasoline , a sizeable quantity relevant particularly in the present era when gasoline is $4/gallon.As compared to currently available alternatives such as the electric cars , the A2B offers a decent value proposition particularly in terms of cost.

   

• Google Sees a Bright Future for Electric Vehicles
  Srikant Rajan 04:23:04 pm on August 10, 2008 | 1 | # |
  Tags: acta cell, aptera motors, electric vehicle, google, plug in, rechargeIT

  Google’s initiative RechargeIT ,  has put in a $10 million to promote development of plug in hybrid vehicle technology.The recipients of its plug in vehicle program are Acta Cell – a battery developer and Aptera Motors – an electric vehicle maker.This initiative of Google has further lead credence to the viability of electric vehicles for mass uses.

  Through such ventures Google is not only scripting the future but also looking to play a major part in it.Given the  advanced level of technology currently employed in electric vehicles , Google’s expertise as a software developer can surely come in handy for designing the IT needs of such vehicles.As Rolf Schreiber – engineer Recharge IT says , beyond the se initial investments Google is also looking to backing companies that control the rate of plug in vehicle charging rate.The future of transportation seems to be software controlled and maybe manipulated via the internet . (Trust Google to come up with something of that sort ! )