Archive for the ‘Electric Cars’ Category

Electric Automotive Sector Will Make This World a Better Place

Monday, December 13th, 2010 by David

I can not speak for everyone, but there is a vast majority out there who is interested in the electric automotive sector. However, we have not seen much growth in this sector. Is it because the companies are not organized enough to support the customer demand? There is one company out there who is grabbing the bull by it’s horns and doing something about it. That company is called Better Place electric car company.

Better Place electric car company has their technology centered around cars being produced by the French automobile giant Renault-Nissan. You might even see them on the road in 2011. They are accelerating the global transition to sustainable transportation. As good as this sounds, there are those who seem to be angered with the company already. Some find them monopolizing in some places. Israel, as an example, has “favored” them as the electric car company of choice.

This view may all change with the help of another company, ETV Motors. The company just announced a radically new concept to extend the range of  the lithium ion  battery cell packs that will be fueling these cars. They are  developing a unique micro- turbine device that will be able to extend the range of  the battery cell packs to up to twice the present driving range of 130 -160 km. ETV’s COO said, “the micro turbine device will be able to “create electricity while driving.” I don’t know about you, but that blows me away! The turbine utilizes a specially series of rotary blades, which will be located at the rear of the car’s undercarriage and will provide power by a rotating “universal joint” to the battery pack in the center of the car.

Watch this video below to learn more about ETV Motors. I would love to hear your comments. Shoot me your thoughts @ExpansionMedia.

 

Electric Taxis are Coming to San Francisco

Thursday, October 28th, 2010 by David

San Fransisco is going green in their mass transit. Better Place has just been awarded a contract that will allow it to bring its electric taxis and battery switching stations to the San Francisco Bay area in 2011. Better place has the support from the U.S. Department of Transportation via the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. San Francisco and San Jose will further cement the region’s position as the “EV Capital of the U.S.” This $6.9 million, three-year project will result in 61 electric-drive taxi cabs and four stations where depleted batteries can be swapped in for fresh ones.

Better Place has been successfully operating an EV taxi program in Tokyo, supported by the Japanese government. The pilot project began on April 26, in cooperation with Nihon Kotsu Co., Tokyo’s largest taxi operator, and focuses on the feasibility of an automated battery switch process as means for taxis to have instant, zero-emission, range extension. In the first 90 days of the trial, the EV taxis drove over 25,000 miles using battery switch as the primary means of “instant charge” or range extension.

Better Place remains on-track in developing and deploying countrywide networks of charging and battery-switching infrastructure in its first two markets, Israel and Denmark, for commercial launch in late 2011. Better Place will begin its initial network deployment in Canberra, Australia in late 2011 as part of a nationwide infrastructure roll out.