Polaris Industries, which recently acquired Global Electric Motorcars, will be closing GEM’s manufacturing facility and offices by the end of the year. GEM’s operations will be integrated into Polaris’ Spirit Lake, IA manufacturing plant, product development facilities in Wyoming and corporate headquarters in Medina, MN. Some of the 80 people now employed at the Fargo location have been offered jobs at these new locations. Learn more: Startribune.com
Australian Market – Polaris introduced their Ranger Diesel utility vehicle in the Australian market not too long ago. Reports are that New Zealand and the Australian outback serve as a testing ground for some of the companies vehicle prototypes. International sales have been a significant growth area for Polaris UTVs and other vehicles as well. Learn more: Ferret.com.au
GEM Acquisition – In a recent interview Polaris CEO Scott Wine discussed the company’s recent GEM acquisition. Commenting on the potential GEM under the Polaris umbrella he stated “…if you think about Polaris’ ability to drive innovative design and performance, we really like what we can do with the GEM technology and brand.” He also remarked that they view the GEM as a vehicle for the electric city car/commuter car market, which they expect to grow “significantly faster” than GDP.
What’s interesting is that historically the majority of GEM sales have been to parks, colleges and other commercial customers. If Polaris is looking to push more into the commuter market they could add some muscle to lobbying efforts to push NHTSA to develop a medium speed vehicle standard, which they have resisted to date. Learn more: Dealernews.com
BamBoo Concept Electric Vehicle From Rinspeed
An auto tuning company, Rinspeed, debuted their BamBoo Concept Electric Vehicle at the recent Geneva Motor Show. The European-based company was showcasing technologies for the NEV market. The BamBoo features…
….a 54kW electric motor and enough battery capacity to give it a 104 km (65 mi.) range. The German made high-torque motor can accelerate the 1,090Kg vehicle to a top speed of 120 km/h. This lightweight vehicle features a steel chassis with horizontal shock absorbers with a sturdy composite body and extensive use of polymer plastic materials. The BamBoo sits on 17″ AEZ three-spoke billet aluminum wheels and eco-friendly Goodyear “EfficientGrip” energy-saving tires.
While not likely to ever be put into production, the vehicle’s styling continues to point to a movement in some parts of the NEV market away from the golf car look and more towards the styling of highway capable vehicles. In addition, the effort shows that Rinspeed, which usually works with companies such as Porsche and BMW, sees potential in the NEV market. Learn more: Golfcartcityonline.com
Some recent news stories point to the impact of gas prices on the STOV market as local governments try to reduce fuel costs by turning to electric vehicles. In some cases capital expenditures are reduced as well when these vehicles replace pickup trucks or highway capable cars. The cost effectiveness of these vehicles, in part, explains why the UTV market is significantly outpacing growth in the overall US economy.
One story comes from the Chicago area where the Naperville Park District is trying to manage a potential $30,000 budget shortfall driven by fuel costs. One of several responses by the district’s management is to purchase electric utility vehicles. Napervillesun.suntimes.com
In upstate New York the police department in the town of Rome are testing two Polaris EV LSVs. The electric UTVs, based on the popular gas-powered Ranger, are street-legal and will be tested for everyday use by patrolmen over a two to three week period. Besides cutting fuel costs, which can be substantial given the round the clock use of police vehicles, the police captain also noted the stealth nature of the vehicles. The Polaris vehicles were chosen for testing over vehicles such as the Chevy Volt and other electric UTVs from Bad Boy Buggies and Ruff and Tuff. Learn more: Romeobserver.com
Highlighting some of the many applications for small, task-oriented vehicles
Park Patrol & Emergency Response – Cramerton, NC police received a Gator utility vehicle as a donation from a local community group for use on the Carolina Thread Trail. With much of the park area inaccessible to cars, the utility vehicle will be used for regular police patrols and is outfitted with medical equipment for first responders to use in emergencies. Learn more: GastonGazzette.com
Stetson University's Miles Electric Vehicle
Sustainable Campus Patrol – In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, Stetson University recently replaced a SUV used for campus security with a Miles electric vehicle. The LSV cost $13,000. The university expects to add more electric vehicles to their fleet in the future. Learn more: News-journalonline.com
GreenGo Tek's Electric Van
GreenGo Tek Electric of Michigan has won a contract to supply the state of South Carolina with ten all electric vans. The E-Dyne passenger vans are LSVs. The contract could potentially include the purchase of ten additional vans in an optional second year.
The E-Dyne van is powered by either a 6-kW (8-horsepower) or an optional 25-kW (33.5-hp) electric motor and comes packing a 72-volt or an optional 96-volt absorbed glass mat (AGM) battery pack. Top speed for the E-Dyne is listed at 25 miles per hour and total range is a quaint 40 miles. The E-Dyne can be configured as an eight-seat passenger van or a two-seat cargo van.
The vans will be used for a wide variety of applications from parking meter enforcement to campus maintenance. Learn more: Green.autoblog.com
According to one analysis, China will reach their 2020 goal of being the largest manufacturer of electric vehicles in part by focusing on low speed vehicles. The author states that the Chinese government believes this will help them develop expertise for highway capable electric passenger vehicles. This reasoning is disputed in the analysis and I would agree. In fact , one of the reasons California reduced how many credits an LSV is worth in their vehicle emissions regimen is that they did not believe the technology developed for LSVs was transferrable to highway capable electric vehicles. What will be interesting to see in China, where LSVs are more likely to be a consumer’s first vehicle ownership experience, is if LSVs will have greater traction than in the US, where they are typically being purchased by consumers with a lifelong experience with highway capable vehicles. Learn more: Plugincars.com
The Courtyard Charleston Historic District hotel in Charleston, SC includes use of an LSV as part of their “Be Keen and Go Green” package for guests. Guests have 24 hour access to the hotel’s Lightning Bugz vehicle, an LSV, to tour the city’s historic district and other locations. The package includes “…overnight accommodations, a tote bag with sun block, detailed map of Charleston outlining unique alleyways, attractions and city parking, breakfast for two in the Courtyard’s own Bistro and 24-hour access to the hotel’s Lightning Bugz vehicle. ” Learn more: Marketwire.com
Applied Geo Technologies Wins Club Car Supplier Award – Applied Geo Technologies recently received the 2011 Overall Operations Excellence Award from Club Car. The company supplies Club Car with cabling and wiring harnesses for all of Club Car’s golf, transportation and utility vehicles. Learn more: Cisionwire.com
Garia Review – Last week the Los Angeles Times published a short review of the Garia LSV. Learn more: LATimes.com
Tata Motors Launches Two Light Commercial Vehicles – Today Tata Motors launched the passenger carrier Magic Iris and a micro truck the Ace Zip. Both vehicles are for India’s domestic market. The vehicles are lesser versions of the Ace Magic and Ace respectively. The company plans to launch CNG powered variants in the future. Learn more: Business-Standard.com
A recent article by Sharesleuth raises questions about the veracity of Kandi Technologies sales figures of their Coco electric vehicle. Sharesleuth compared the overall Coco sales figure of over 3,700 to what they could piece together from calling the limited number of dealers in the US. Their figures point to less than 1,000 vehicles sold in the US, a main Coco market. Other figures that raise doubts include:
- Kandi said it sold 2,110 Cocos in its very first year on the market, which would have ranked it among the top companies in the industry.
- Although one of Kandi’s investor-relations representatives said the company took orders for 1,200 orders Cocos in Oklahoma in 2009, state records show that only 328 buyers claimed tax credits for Coco purchases.
- Kandi’s most recent SEC filings contain lower 2009 sales numbers for the Coco and other vehicles than the company originally reported — without any corresponding adjustments to revenue or earnings.