Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA)Weekly Media Watch

Electric Drive Transportation Association EV News Round-up

Automakers focus on affordable electric cars
San Francisco Chronicle
October 23, 2009

--There's more than one path to the electric car. Ford Motor Company's first mass-marketed, all-electric car is a battery-powered Focus. In order for electric cars finally to win public acceptance, they'll need to be affordable, said Nancy Gioia, who this month was named Ford's director of electrification efforts.

"This is not about making a small niche," she said. "It's about affordable transportation for the masses. Electric transportation is still expensive."
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Japan's Big Three Rev Up Green Cars
Wall Street Journal
October 23, 2009

--As the competition for greener cars ratchets up,Toyota Motor Corp. signaled its strong endorsement of a new generation of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles that may serve as a successor to its best-selling Prius.
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Barriers loom on road to plug-in cars
CNET
October 23, 2009

--For plug-in electric cars, it's no longer a question of if. It's a question of when and how. After many years of buildup, plug-in vehicles aimed at mainstream buyers are set to come to the market starting next year. But even with the momentum around plug-ins, many questions remain unanswered over how this technology transition will impact the ailing auto industry and how the cars will received by consumers.
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India's Reva plans NY electric car site
Associated Press
October 23, 2009

--The Reva Electric Car Co. will work with Bannon Automotive, a new electric car company in Freeport, N.Y., to assemble a three-door plug-in hatchback, the NXR, at a site in the Syracuse area, according to an official who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the announcement hadn't been made.
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Charge of the climate protection brigade
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
October 23, 2009

--Over 30 years ago, the everyday Malaysian was not concerned with plastics and recyclable cans while most were not aware of greenhouse gases and the disappearing ozone layer. But thousands of miles away, a different story was unfolding in Germany, where a swell of grassroots concern for Mother Earth was gaining momentum.
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South Korean company to export 38,000 electric cars worth $400 million
Asia Pulse
October 23, 2009

--CT&T, a South Korean electric vehicle maker, has signed contracts at the ongoing Tokyo Motor Show in Japan to export 38,000 electric cars worth $400US million.
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Judge gives group, OTC deadline to reach tax credit agreement
Enid News & Eagle (Oklahoma)
October 22, 2009

--Oklahoma Tax Commission and a group suing to maintain a tax credit for low-speed electric vehicles have until Oct. 28 to reach an agreement before a judge issues a decision in the case. District Judge Dennis Hladik gave both groups the deadline following a day of testimony Wednesday from LSV manufacturers, dealers and buyers.
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Sanyo to Mass Produce Plug-in Hybrid Batteries
Jiji Press Ticker Service
October 21, 2009

--Sanyo Electric Co. will start mass production of lithium-ion batteries for plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2011. The company will set up a new facility in Kasai, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, to produce such batteries at a monthly pace of 300,000 to 400,000 units.
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Infiniti confirms plans to launch electric vehicle
Auto Business News
October 21, 2009

--Infiniti has confirmed its plans to launch an electric vehicle.
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Electric sparks flying
Evening Gazette
October 21, 2009

--The boss of Nissan's Sunderland plant said he was confident it had done all it could to attract electric vehicle manufacturing to the region - but said it was still in a race with two other European countries to land the work.
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Demand for hybrid, electric cars boosts Japan autoparts makers
Asia Pulse
October 21, 2009

--The rising demand for hybrid cars and electric cars has begun giving Japanese autoparts manufacturers a much-needed boost.
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Motorists put lots of spark into plans for electric cars
Birmingham Post
October 21, 2009

--An invitation for Birmingham and Coventry motorists to take part in government-backed trials of electric cars has been ten times oversubscribed. Mitsubishi Motors, which will be running the 12-month trials with 25 of its i MiEV asked for interested parties from the two cities to contact them and was inundated with replies.
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Nissan, Sumitomo Eye Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling Biz
Jiji Press Ticker Service
October 20, 2009

--Nissan Motor Co. and major trading house Sumitomo Corp. will start a joint project to reutilize used electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries. The companies said they will "reuse, resell, refabricate and recycle" such batteries to give them a "second life."
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Driver finds freedom from pump by converting car to electric
The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 18, 2009

--At first glance, Bushrod Lake's 1979 Mazda RX-7 looks like it might be harming the environment. It's old, it looks heavy and it looks like it could really be puffing some black smoke clouds out of a muffler -- if it had one. But when Lake climbs into the old aerodynamic car and turns the key, it's another story.
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Nissan bets on battery power, electric car future; Carmaker and its parent Renault will manufacture both
The Business Times Singapore
October 20, 2009

--Japan's second biggest car marker, Nissan, and its French parent Renault intend to sink a huge investment into producing batteries for electric cars in the belief that electric vehicles will account for 10 percent of the global car market by as early as 2020.
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43 contestants head into next round for $10M X Prize
E&E News PM
October 19, 2009

--The automotive equivalent of the competition that saw the first private launch of a manned spacecraft announced today the final 43 contestants vying for a $10 million prize to the team that can build the best car capable of getting 100 miles per gallon. Organizers of the Progressive Automotive X Prize say that 43 teams have passed the qualifying round in the contest and will enter 53 separate vehicles in a head-to-head competition, beginning with road and safety tests.
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EDTA Press Release:
EDTA Applauds Utility Industry Pledge for Electric Vehicles

The EDTA Conference will also feature an Advanced Technology Superhighway, featuring EDTA members and other companies showcasing the latest in battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric drive vehicles. Meet suppliers and infrastructure providers as well!

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Industry Press Releases:
In Joint Pledge, Utilities Ramp Up Efforts to Make Electricity a Crucial Transportation Fuel
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Ford, U of M Explore New Ways To Speed Development of Future Hybrid Vehicles
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Honda CR-Z Concept 2009 Makes World Debut at the Tokyo Motor Show
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