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Just how electric vehicles will change the world is an evolving debate, but one new analysis says that EVs and connected industries could be a $300 billion business by 2020 and create over a million jobs globally along the way. In the U.S., somewhere between 125,000 and 300,00 jobs could be created, with the higher number only being reached if the U.S. adopts more "concerted and aggressive efforts" to promote EVs. These predictions come from global management consulting firm PRTM and are based on widespread adoption of the recently-released Electrification Roadmap that ambitiously foresees BEVs and PHEVs making up a...

Dorgan, who chairs the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, announced a $457,000 federal Energy Department grant to study the feasibility of a new oil refinery in North Dakota. What I’ve never understood is why the Rural Electric Co-Op is getting an earmark to study an oil refinery. And on top of that, why are we spending almost a half a million of our grandchildren’s as-yet-unearned tax dollars on studying the feasibility of an oil refinery in the state ? Plus, we already have one refinery in the state and there’s another one in the works... Other than the fact...

Paradigm smasher This guy is going to ruin everything for the global warming/carbon tax crowd. Non-polluting cars that are high performance and fun? Tell me it ain't so Big Al (Gore). How are we supposed to wallow in "inconvenient truths" if trouble-makers like this mess things up by smoking the car companies with superior home brew engineering? Remember, the personal computer was the creation of a bunch of unfunded individuals, not the military-industrial complex.

Nuclear Power The Electric Power Research Institute, (EPRI) whose members produce and deliver more than 90 percent of U.S. power, recently issued report, forecasting a need for five times more nuclear power capacity than U.S. Energy Department estimates. There are now 104 operating reactors in the U.S., and the last one came on line in 1996. It also calls building 100 million plug-in electric vehicles and retrofitting about 18 percent of U.S. coal-power plants to capture emissions. The department’s Energy Information Administration predicts 12,500 megawatts of new nuclear power by 2030. The EPRI report says 64,000 megawatts will be built....

America, are you ready for Rush Limbaugh in an electric car? The conservative talk show host has agreed to take Jay Leno's "Green Car Challenge." In the segment airing next Thursday on NBC's "Jay Leno Show," Limbaugh will race an electric Ford Focus around a custom-built track beside Leno's studio, the show's representative confirmed. The "Green Car Challenge" segment makes its debut on the primetime show tomorrow night. Celebrities who participate drive two times around the twisty track, which takes a little less than a minute to complete. By the time Rush gets behind the wheel of the zero-emission vehicle,...

OK, these ridiculous mpg claims are starting to get out of hand. Earlier this week, General Motors announced an estimated 230 mpg for the upcoming Volt extended-range EV--a claim that was later undermined by the EPA. No doubt attempting to steal a bit of GM's thunder, Nissan claimed (via Twitter) that its upcoming Leaf EV could do better: "Nissan Leaf = 367 mpg, no tailpipe, and no gas required. Oh yeah, and it'll be affordable too!" At first, we thought this was an odd claim to make, seeing that the Leaf is fully electric and (as stated in the same...

How long will it be before motorcycles run without gas? It’s a question for the ages, or the engineers. Now that cars and trucks are scaling back fuel usage and converting to electric power, don’t kid yourself, motorcycles won’t be far behind. There will always be a place for the classics, mind you, just the same as there’ll always be a place for classic cars – though perhaps alternative fuels will allow us to retain the internal-combustion engine without using fossil fuels. For the moment, there’s a heavy emphasis on electric power, and what can be accomplished with the new...

Green Car Journal: As a 'Moon Shot,' the Electric Car is a Challenging Mission The race to deliver electric vehicles to the market is on and competition is heating up. But like the Apollo Program, success is likely to be measured over many years and will come at great cost. San Luis Obispo, Calif. (PRWEB) July 2, 2009 -- As we mark the 40th anniversary of successfully landing a man on the moon this month, it's interesting to note the many comparisons that position electric cars as the next 'moon shot.' There are synergies at work since, after all, the...

(CNSNews.com) – The stimulus law enacted in February promoted the purchase of plug-in electric cars by the federal government and the broader market, but a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released this month says that the use of plug-in electric vehicles will not by itself decrease greenhouse gas emissions. To do that, the report argues, the United States would have to switch from coal-burning plants to lower-emission sources to generate electricity such as nuclear power. “If you are using coal fired power plants and half the country’s electricity comes from coal powered plants, are you just trading one greenhouse gas...

The 30-year-old electrician, identified only as Dmitry K, lured victims to his house by posting adverts for computer equipment on the internet. Police in Yekaterinburg, a city in Russia's Urals region, tracked the suspect down after finding the charred body of a law student in a roadside ditch. Dmitry K admitted murdering the student, investigators said, before claiming that he had also killed several other victims as he conducted experiments on an improvised electric chair that he had invented. The suspect, who worked at a local power plant, told detectives he would confess to the other murders if they found...

With an eye toward equipping the US Postal Service with electric minivans for mail delivery, Chrysler said Wednesday it would apply to the US Department of Energy for economic-stimulus funding for a nationwide demonstration fleet. Chrysler said it would team with the Postal Service and electric-utility companies, including Duke Energy, Con Edison and DTE Energy. Each of the utilities has signed letters of intent with Chrysler to provide some post offices with equipment to charge the vehicles. Chrysler would seek DOE support through a program authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that provides $2.4 billion to promote plug-in...

With a 300-mile range and 45-minute QuickCharge, the $49,900 Model S can carry five adults and two children in quiet comfort – and you can charge it from any outlet, without ever stopping for gas. World’s first mass-produced electric vehicle offers performance, efficiency and unrivaled utility, making it the only car you’ll ever need.

Fallout from The Energy Policy Act of 2005 Revisited Update: Part I: Electrical Grid in Critical Condition by Diane M. Grassi NewMediaJournal.us Acclamations for energy independence from foreign sources have been oft-repeated rallying cries resounding throughout the halls of Capitol Hill, as well as echoed by its environmental lobbyists, most predominantly over the past 4 years. But rarely is it ever pointed out how energy independence from foreign sources is an incongruous notion with respect to United States energy policy. Moreover, it becomes ever more vulnerable yearly; not just as the result of its failing infrastructure, but from misguided public...

Star Wars-style laser weapons have taken another step closer to reality with Northrop Grumman reporting that it has produced a 105 kilowatt (kW) light ray from an electric laser in the final demonstration milestone of Phase 3 of the U.S. military's Joint High Power Solid State Laser (JHPSSL) program. At this energy level such a "weapons grade" laser would be capable of taking out cruise missiles, rockets and artillery from land, sea and airborne platforms, but Han Solo won't be slipping this still hefty device into his side holster anytime soon. Northrop Grumman's scalable modular system uses "laser amplifier chains"...

Ohio regulators approve 3-yr. rate increase for AEP of about 20 pct., half what company wanted. [...] Under the increase approved Wednesday by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, the bill for the average household will go up by more than $15 a month by 2011. The commission says AEP's electric rates will still be the lowest in Ohio. But that doesn't satisfy critics who had thought the company's original rate request was too much. Kevin Schmidt with the Ohio Manufacturers' Association says instead of giving AEP a ridiculous increase, the regulators agreed to a halfway ridiculous increase.

President Barack Obama's first budget includes $15 billion a year for renewable energy programs and an ambitious plan to raise $646 billion from a carbon reduction proposal. "Because our future depends on our ability to break free from oil that's controlled by foreign dictators, we need to make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy," Mr. Obama said Thursday morning. "That's why we'll be working with Congress on legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy." The plan uses money from a cap-and-trade program — which would allow companies to...

President Obama will pledge Tuesday night that the nation "will rebuild, we will recover," as he delivers an address to a joint session of Congress and with a nervous nation watching at home. "While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before," Mr. Obama will say, according to excerpts of his remarks. In lofty language, Mr. Obama is expected to promise a new path forward...

Barack Hussein Obama will propose a massive business tax on greenhouse gases in his FY 2010 federal budget to be presented this week.The massive tax increase and power grab was buried at the end on article on Obama's forthcoming budget proposal in The New York Times:On energy policy, Mr. Obama’s budget will show new revenues by 2012 from his proposal to require companies to buy permits from the government for greenhouse gas emissions above a certain cap. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the permits would raise up to $300 billion a year by 2020. Since companies would pass their...

WASHINGTON - "Fore!" The federal government is preparing to spend millions to purchase a fleet of small electric vehicles that critics compare to golf carts. The $838 billion economic stimulus bill that passed the Senate yesterday contains $300 million for the government to purchase a fleet of "green" cars. But the money won't just go to buy fuel-efficient hybrids such as the Ford Escape or Chevy Volt. The cash also can be used to purchase "neighborhood electric vehicles." The NEVs, which resemble streamlined golf carts, scoot at up to 25 mph, operate on battery power and can be plugged into...

California Rep. Henry Waxman said Thursday the environment and U.S. economy depend on congressional action to confront the threat of climate change. Waxman, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, spoke as he opened Congress' first hearing on climate legislation. A group of 14 corporate

We got our first look at the new smart ed for America yesterday (well, actually, it's just a European smart ed that's been brought over the pond). Daimler has now released details of just how Americans will be getting our hands on the vehicle that is already being tested in the UK and Italy. In Europe, the smart ed will be going into production with lithium-ion batteries at the end of this year. Since Daimler is actually moving forward with making these cars now, it's high time we found out who would provide the batteries. Oh, and what's this? At...

FDK Corp. will begin mass production of its line of lithium-ion capacitors (LIC) as early as spring. The company will install new production lines at its factory in Kosai, Shizuoka Prefecture, with a gradual expansion in monthly output capacity to 500,000 units, according to a report in the Nikkei. FDK plans to invest ¥2-5 billion (US$21.7-54.2 million) by the end of 2012. FDK announced its EneCapTen lithium-ion capacitor in 2007. The EneCapTen performs well under high temperatures (up to 80 °C); offers a maximum cell voltage of 4.0V; maximum capacitance of 2,000F; and an energy density of up to 25...

Shenzhen, China (AHN) - China's BYD Co., which is 10 percent owned by U.S. investor Warren Buffett, said Monday that it has launched the world's first homegrown electric, mass-produced plug-in hybrid car.

While Detroit executives beg for bailouts, Japanese automakers speed through turns in a race whose winner could dominate the next generation of car sales.

Obama spokesbot says this was taken out of context: “So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can. It’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.” Can we shut down the coal industry? Yes we can. Can we double everyone’s electric bill? Yes we can. Can we shut down the economy and put aluminum workers out of work? Yes we can. Can we ship even more jobs to China? Yes we can. Can we have China burn even more coal not as...

In a further sign that full-electric drive vehicles are headed for the mainstream, BMW BMW Group will showcase a lithium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium -ion battery powered version of the MINI at next month's Los Angeles Auto Show Detroit-Auto-Show-2008 ahead of a pilot project that will see 500 of the cars evaluated on US roads in 2009. Based on the current MINI Hatch, the MINI E will initially appear in two-seater form with rear seats dropped to make way for the battery pack. Rather than an in-hub motor arrangement, an electric motor mounted under the bonnet drives the front wheels through a single-stage...

Italian contract carmaker and engineering firm Pininfarina has unveiled an own-badged electric car. For decades, the firm has built some of the most stunning cars known to man, without getting much credit for it beyond petrol-head circles. "This car is real," declares Paolo Pininfarina, grandson of the company's founder, as the covers are whipped off the sleek vehicle at the Paris motor show. Pininfarina's electric car, which has been built in partnership with battery producer Bollore, is set to hit the road by the end of next year and should go on sale in the US, Europe and Japan by...

September 27, 2008 The Tesla Brand of luxury electric vehicles is certainly capturing a lot of the limelight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limelight as the era of the EV dawns. The company has announced a state-of-the-art US$250(sic) assembly facility in the heart of Silicon Valley Silicon Valley . The facility will build a new US$60,000 five-passenger luxury sedan with exceptional perfroamnce and a lithium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium -ion battery pack capable of delivering 240 miles per charge. The first sedans are likely to roll off the assembly line in late 2010. The new plant will be able to produce at least 15,000 sedans – up to...

September 24, 2008 Last week saw the one year anniversary of SSC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scleroderma ’s Ulimate Aero http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AERO becoming the fastest production car in the world at 256.18 mph, pushing past marks set by Koenigsegg’s CCR and Bugatti’s Veyron. It’s the first time the top speed record has stood for a whole year since McLaren’s F1 held it for seven years with 386.4 kmh (240.1mph). Now comes news that an Ultimate Aero EV (Electric Vehicle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle ) is in development. A 500 bhp EV is planned for late 2009 and a 1000 bhp 4WD EV is also under consideration. Now here’s...

video here.

Some stuck without power powerless to fight bank fees Friday, September 19, 2008 By Margaret Harding THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH When his power returned without Internet service Monday, Tom Perry had a bit of a financial freakout. "It was kind of a panic-stricken moment there: 'Oh, no, what am I going to do?' " said Perry, whose credit-card and mortgage payment were both due that day. Perry, like many others, pays his bills online. Online banking and bill payment are pushed as the easiest and most efficient ways to handle such transactions, but a power outage such as the one central...

Although it is the home of hulking C-130 cargo planes and scorching F-16 fighter jets, I headed out to the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in St. Clair, Michigan, for a drive in something more green than mean: electric Chevrolet S10 pickups. The transportation department at Selfridge has been constantly tinkering with alternative fuel vehicles (including a hybrid-electric tow tractor, CNG-fueled pickups and hydrogen fuel cell-powered SUVs), but the use of the electric S10s came by chance. When other military installations were finished with the trucks, they offered them up to Selfridge, who happily placed them on active duty around...

WHITE BEAR LAKE — The ignition key is turned and all you hear is a “click.” For most automobile owners this would illicit a sinking feeling, followed by a scramble for jumper cables and assistance — for Thomas Birkeland, the “click” is a signal that his electric powered car is turned on and ready to roll. Early morning bird songs and the sound of the neighbor’s sprinkler are clearly audible as Birkeland quietly backs his vintage 1974 Volkswagen Beetle out of the garage. He shifts out of reverse and then begins whirring forward down Lake Avenue on his daily commute...

Snip-"I have been as fast as around 35 mph on a flat stretch of road. On one particular hill, it's almost crawling at the top. Yet if I get a good run down the hill which precedes it, I can maintain more of a momentum -- memories of riding a bike as a child!... Snip-This is definitely a city car. It doesn't replace a "normal" car; we have a second car which we use for longer journeys or when going out with friends.Snip-The range on a single charge is supposed to be 40 miles but I think that's only in...

Owners’ effort to go green suffers blackout HINGHAM — Greenhouse gases and melting polar ice caps were never pressing concerns for Hingham carpenter Ben Burnham. Still, Burnham found himself buying an electric-powered ZAP Xebra last month to do his small part for the environment. The three-wheeled vehicle has become a neighborhood oddity, a futuristic looking pickup truck with no tailpipe and a row of batteries instead of a gas tank. Drivers point cell phone cameras at Burnham as he zips nonchalantly past $4.19-a-gallon gas pumps, albeit at a top speed of 40 mph. But the state has put the...

In the wake of an economic downturn, General Motors Corp is hurrying production of its Chevy Volt. It now hopes to unveil a showroom-ready model in September, according to sources close to the project.

What Is GM Thinking? "Violent change" in consumer tastes is not a new challenge for the car business. The phrase is Lee Iacocca's, from his autobiography, referring to public demand for small cars after the 1979 oil shock. Less violently, a sudden shift in taste for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars amid the recession of 1958 helped doom the Edsel. The 1950s also happen to be the last time GM's share price sank as low as $11 per share. Two morals must be drawn. One is that GM's ability to avoid bankruptcy has again become doubtful in the minds of investors....

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd exhibited "Plug-in Stella Concept," a new electric vehicle, at the G8 Hokkaido-Toyako Summit. Fuji Heavy Industries brought five of the vehicles to the site of the summit and showcased them to government officials and journalists from all over the world. The company plans to commercialize an electric car in 2009. The Plug-in Stella Concept is based on "Stella," the company's practical wagon-type kei car. The main characteristic of the vehicle is that it has a secondary battery in the lower part of the vehicle, securing as much interior space as the Stella. The secondary battery...

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp is rushing to finish the production version of its Chevy Volt and plans to unveil a showroom-ready model of the heavily touted electric car in September, people familiar with the project say.

Top-end versions of the Toyota Prius hybrid are set to receive rooftop solar panels. News agency Reuters reports that the Japanese giant intends to install solar cells in order to power the air conditioning unit. Silicon prices are currently rising, pushing up the cost of solar panels. At this stage, it is unclear how much the solar-panelled versions would cost. The third generation of Toyota Prius with a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain is due to reach the market in 2009. Over 1 million Prius cars have been sold, with the strong demand for 'green' vehicles accelerating thanks to high oil...

NAPOLEAN, OH -- To find the future of the auto industry, Doug Pelmear looked to the past. He says he's perfected an engine developed by his grandfather 60 years ago. The engine gives his 1987 mustang 110 miles to the gallon. Doug Pelmear says "my grandfather had the idea back in the 40's that he can make a difference then. There was quite a need at that time also with the war going on and everything, there was quite the need then." So, Pelmear, a mechanic in Napoleon, has been tweaking this engine for the past 10 years, squeezing out...

It could travel 150 miles without using a drop of gasoline, accelerate from zero to sixty mph in about eight seconds, and handled crisply. Total cost? Below $40,000, in monthly lease payments sometimes as low as $299. In a world of $4 gas, it sounds like the car that could save General Motors. There's only one problem. Every single one of these cars was sent to the crusher in 2003. The EV1, GM's short-lived electric car experiment, was cancelled when gas was selling for slightly more than one dollar per gallon. Now, with gas four times as expensive, consumers demanding...

The "HUVO" electric vehicle weighing 150kg: The resin parts were manufactured by RP systems. HUVO's body frame Topia Corp, a company engaged in designing and prototyping automobiles, prototyped a single-seater electric vehicle "HUVO," which weighs only about 150kg (330 lb). The vehicle was exhibited at the booth of Marubeni Information Systems Co Ltd in the 19th Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions Expo (DMS), which is an IT solution exhibition for manufacturers and runs from June 25-27, 2008, at Tokyo Big Sight. The HUVO was developed by using Topia's proprietary design and production technologies, the company said. If a vehicle...

The G-Wiz, with its green and economic credentials, is here to stay The design guru has seen the future of transport, he tells Martin Hickman: solar-powered electric vehicles Britain's most famous inventor, Sir James Dyson, is working on a project that could lead to the creation of a fast, green car. Engineers at his research laboratory in Wiltshire are developing a powerful lightweight motor that could enable electric cars to zoom along for hundreds of miles without causing pollution. Solar panels on their roofs or in garages would charge them with renewable energy. In an interview with The Independent...

ON THE WAY: Norway-based Think plans to sell its City electric car in the U.S. in 2009 and has an eye toward the Southern California market. OSLO, NORWAY -- Ingvil Ladehaug is battery challenged.

Free parking for electric cars axed - for being too successfulDavid Williams, Motoring Editor 24.06.08   Charging time: owners of electric cars like this Nice Mega City will now have to pay to park in the City of London   A pioneering scheme that rewards owners of electric vehicles with free parking is being scrapped - because it works too well. Since 2001, the City of London has issued free roadside parking passes to nearly 500 drivers of the zero-emission cars in a bid to encourage other people to buy one. It has also handed out 539 permits for...

Prototype vehicle with a superconducting motor. If you plan to visit the exhibition, do not miss the car because it is quite a plain display. Superconducting motor Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd prototyped an electric vehicle driven by a superconducting motor for the first time in the world. The new electric vehicle will be showcased at 2008 Integrated Exhibition of the Environment in Celebration of the Hokkaido Toyako Summit in Sapporo, Hokkaido in Japan from June 19, 2008. The company intends to prove the feasibility of high-temperature superconductivity technology for electric vehicle motors and promote the technology to the public....

The motor of Renault-Nissan's electrically-powered vehicle, built on the Megane model, is shown to the media in Tel Aviv, 11 May 2008 Record high oil prices and sluggish sales are forcing the world's biggest automakers to turn to electricity to power their vehicles. Nissan Motor Company is the latest automaker to move in that direction, officially announcing Tuesday it plans to introduce an all-electric vehicle for sale in the United States and Japan by 2010. Nissan's chief executive officer says the company will mass-market electric cars globally by 2012. Nissan also forecast its profits will decline by 30 percent...

American Superconductor said it's the longest high temperature superconductor cable that's ever been installed. A piece of Long Island, N.Y.'s power grid has received an upgrade, with Devens, Mass.-based American Superconductor (Nasdaq: AMSC) announcing today that a section of high temperature superconductor cable was installed at a major interconnection point in the system. The 2,000-foot long cable, made with wire produced by American Superconductor, is the longest installation of high temperature superconductor, or HTS, cable in the world, according to the company, and the only HTS installation running at transmission voltage. The Long Island Power Authority has already flipped the...

Think is a Norwegian company specializing in small electric vehicles. Its new concept, called Ox, looks to be a much more mainstream vehicle than any of the minicars the company sells overseas. Roughly the size of a Scion xB, the front-wheel-drive Ox MPV will have a 60-kW electric motor and a range of 124 miles on a full charge. It can be charged via a normal household outlet. Charging the car to 80% will take just an hour using a special charger, while a full charge will take 12 hours. The company is planning to use either sodium or...