Electric Motoring - EDTA Media Watch

EDTA Media Watch:

Ames firm prepares to sell its electric cars in fall
Des Moines Register
April 30, 2010

-- If Thomas Gleisner has his way, between 300 and 600 Iowans will start work this summer assembling what his company now calls the nation's "first economically viable, long-range, fully electric automobiles." Gleisner, chief executive of Envision Motor Co. in Ames, announced Thursday that his company is in the final stages of searching for an Iowa plant to assemble a family of three Electric Motor Cars vehicles crafted from foreign- and American-made parts. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Los Angeles Lures Chinese Auto Firm
The Wall Street Journal
April 30, 2010

-- City officials persuaded Chinese auto maker and technology company BYD Co. to open its first U.S. headquarters here, as the company gears up for an expansion of renewable energy and the rollout of electric vehicles. BYD, which is part-owned by Warren Buffett's MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., plans this year to introduce its electric car, the e6, in China and in the U.S. One utility predicts that Southern California will have 400,000 electric cars by 2020. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Electric van sales predicted to rise Fleet News Online (UK) April 30, 2010

-- A surge in sales of electric vans is being predicted as a new post-election government brings in more and more environmental legislation. Order books at Smith Electric Vehicles, which converts Ford Transit and Transit Connect to make the Edison and Ampere, are already at a record high and the manufacturer believes sales will continue to rise. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Battery-maker ReVolt wins $5 million grant to build Portland plant
OregonLive.com
April 29, 2010

-- Swiss battery maker ReVolt Technology has received a $5 million U.S. government grant that will help the company launch a planned Portland manufacturing and research center. Vice President Joe Biden announced $106 million in stimulus grants Thursday for 37 energy-research projects, including ReVolt's plan to develop a high-energy battery for plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Department of Energy Awards CU-Boulder $3.1 Million for Carbon Capture Research
University of Colorado - Boulder
April 29, 2010

-- Two Boulder projects, including one from the University of Colorado at Boulder, have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive a total of $9 million for research projects that could fundamentally change the way the country uses and produces energy. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Orlando's Planar Energy tapped for $4 million federal research grant
Orlando Sentinel
April 29, 2010

-- The Department of Energy said Thursday it has awarded a $4 million research grant to Orlando-based Planar Energy Devices Inc. for its work on next-generation batteries for electric cars. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Competitors for $10M Auto XPrize at MIS for testing
The Detroit News
April 29, 2010

-- The Automotive XPrize kicked off its final stage today as the final 28 competitors -- and their 36 vehicles -- vie for the top three spots and a piece of a $10 million prize for cars that can surpass 100 mpg. "It's like the future has finally gotten here," said California-based electric carmaker ZAP founder Gary Starr, whose three-passenger, three-wheeled car is in the competition. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Maryland firm generates power from moving traffic
BrighterEnergy.org
April 28, 2010

-- Maryland company New Energy Technologies (NET) has unveiled a full-scale demonstration facility to generate electricity from moving cars and trucks. The prototype MotionPower system converts motion energy within moving vehicles as they drive over a special platform, depressing small 'treadles' that then generate power through a hydraulic system that minimizes the number of moving parts used. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Eaton, Takaoka Electric Manufacturing Company Announce Collaboration on Electric Vehicle Charging
The Auto Channel.com
April 28, 2010

-- Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation today announced that it will collaborate with Takaoka Electric Manufacturing Company, Ltd. to develop and launch DC Quick Chargers, a key component in the charging of electric vehicle (EV) battery packs. The collaboration will enable Eaton to provide a complete line of charging stations across residential, commercial and industrial applications in North America. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Neighborhood electric vehicle dealer opens in Fresno
The Business Journal
April 28, 2010

-- A new car dealership has opened on Blackstone Avenue in Fresno that specializes in Neighborhood Electric Vehicles. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

FedEx's Smith backs tax credits for electric vehicles
The Commercial Appeal - Memphis, TN
April 28, 2010

-- FedEx CEO Frederick W. Smith came to Capitol Hill with an all-electric FedEx truck on Wednesday and told a House energy and commerce subcommittee that electric, grid-enabled vehicles could help wean the U.S. from imported oil. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Tesla Receives First Panasonic Lithium-ion Batteries
EV World.com
April 28, 2010

-- merican manufacturer Tesla announced yesterday it has been presented with the first production Lithium-ion cells manufactured by Panasonic. The partnership between the two will translate into Panasonic batteries being fitted into future Tesla vehicles. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Craig Knight: 'Gearheads are Going to Love Electric Vehicles'
Industry Week
April 27, 2010

-- The CEO of Protean Electric, a developer of in-wheel motor technology for electric vehicles, says a new generation of electric cars could do the seemingly impossible -- bring performance enthusiasts and environmentalists together. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Renault opens EV books
Car Dealer Magazine (UK)
April 26, 2010

-- RENAULT has started taking pre-reservations for the first raft of electric cars due in the UK next year. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE

Nine More Myths About Electric Cars
Forbes
April 26, 2010

-- Think City's CEO says much of what you think you know about electric vehicles is wrong. CLICK4COMPLETE ARTICLE