Wheego's Highway Capable LiFe Electric Vehicle
LSV manufacturer Wheego has started selling their LiFe electric vehicle to customers. The two-passenger vehicle is capable of speeds up to 65 mph and has a range of 100 miles. The car is priced at $32,995, on par with the Nissan Leaf, but for two passengers instead of four. Learn more: Blogs.WSJ.com
While technically not a STOV since it is a pickup truck, I thought this story of innovation on the farm was interesting and could be applied to a STOV just as easily. A farmer in Oregon, with the help of a friend, converted a diesel pickup to an all electric. While this is not common it has certainly been done before, but the real innovation was developing a remote control to operate the truck. Not only does the truck save on fuel but operations that required two people could now be managed by one.
…Feeding cattle is now a one-man operation, saving on hired labor. Anderson can start, steer, throttle and stop the truck with a hand-held remote control device from up to 500 feet away. He can feed off the back while driving with the remote. He can also honk the horn from the remote if cattle get in front of the rig. Driving through gates no longer requires a second person to keep the cattle from running into the next pasture. As an added benefit, Anderson said that during calving he can check the cows at night without disrupting them because the truck is so quiet….
Other benefits typical of electric vehicles also apply such as low maintenance and no vehicle emissions. Learn more: Eastoregonian.com
Yesterday Polaris Industries announced that they will acquire Global Electric Motorcars, LLC (GEM) from the Chrysler Group. GEM has annual sales estimated to be $30 million and has been the leading LSV manufacturer. IMS estimates their annual sales volume to be around 3,000 units, although they have been under pressure lately as more manufacturers have entered the market. The sale will take about two months to complete and will strengthen Polaris’s On-Road division. Polaris also recently acquired Indian Motorcycle. Learn more: Tradershuddle.com
Comment: GEM is strong in the commercial LSV segment particularly in government and fleet sales to end user such as parks and universities. Polaris already has their Breeze LSV for the consumer personal transportation market and an LSV version of their Ranger EV which originally targeted the military segment but has commercial applications as well. The acquisition gives Polaris probably the most recognized brand in the LSV market and saves them time and money spent developing a brand of their own. GEM has not substantially changed their vehicles in recent years so they will definitely benefit from high level and continuous innovation that Polaris puts into their product lines, as witnessed by their model development in the UTV market. In addition, Polaris has an existing network of dealers that is around ten times the size of GEM’s current network. The acquisition could add a real boost to the level of competition in the LSV market.
Another question is whether Polaris will be seeking more acquisitions in this space. While GEM is more oriented to the commercial market, a company like Tomberlin produces LSVs targeting the consumer market. Tomberlin’s management has a relationship with Polaris from helping them develop some of their off-road products in the past. Tomberlin also has other products such as the Vanish electric UTV, electric ATVs and the Schwinn brand of scooters that could supplement Polaris’s existing product lines .
From the press release:
A conceptual effort that would allow cities in Riverside County to plan and implement networks allowing Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) has received a “Vision Award” from the Orange County/Inland Empire Chapter of the Urban Land Institute. The Western Riverside Council of Governments’ 4-City Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Transportation Plan created potential NEV routes connecting the cities of Corona, Norco, Moreno Valley and Riverside….Key components of the plan include a low to no cost Phase One network that leverages prior infrastructure investments (Class II bike routes) connecting employment, housing and activity centers. A long range phase is included to provide a complete backbone network over time. Learn more: WRCOG.cog.ca.us (pdf);
4 City NEV Plan(pdf)
A recent story reports that Hawaii currently has 268 registered taxable electric vehicles in use. Approximately 250 of the vehicles are NEVs and the remaining are highway capable vehicles. In the last year the total number of electric vehicle grew 51% which works out to be about 90 vehicles. The state government has established a goal of using clean energy for 70% of the transportation needs. Since it is an island, Hawaii is a good fit for NEVs and other electrics because of the shorter travel distances required, a mild climate which improves battery performance and a less expansive area for building out EV charging infrastructure. Learn more: Dailyjournal.net & Hawaii.gov
Kandi Technologies has received a purchase order from Share corporation of Italy for 1,000 electric vehicles. Share was founded in 2010 to reinforce and develop new industrial and commercial activities, including the marketing of electric cars with zero emissions. This EV order fits into the plans of the Rome city government to introduce more EVs into the city to reduce pollution and protect ancient sites. Kandi’s management expects the Italian market to serve as a launching point for further expansion into Europe. Learn more: Coalgeology.com
EV solar charging station at Brooklyn Bridge Park
A Solar Charging Station Grows In Brooklyn – Brooklyn Bridge Park recently became home to the city’s first solar powered electric vehicle charging station. The station was developed and donated by the Beautiful Earth Group, a renewable energy developer based in Brooklyn, and uses two recycled shipping containers stacked on top of one another and 24 photovoltaic panels. The station will be used by the park’s fleet of four electric vehicles which include two GEM LSVs and two Toro utility vehicles. The charging stations fits with the park’s sustainability efforts and will also be incorporated into educational programs for children. Learn more: Brooklyneagle.com
Plugless Power wireless charging station from Evtran
Google Testing Wireless Charging Station – Google is testing wireless EV charging technology developed by Evtran of Virginia. Called Plugless Power, the recharging station will be used to power up one of Google’s NEVs that are used in the company’s vehicle sharing program for employees. The vehicle had to be retrofitted to work with the charger which works on the principle of induction similar to electric transformers except that the transformer is split between the charger and the vehicle. Evtran is looking for additional corporate or municipal NEV fleets to field test their product. Learn more: Cleantechnica.com
Cruise Car All American LSV with solar panel
Cruise Car management is reporting that some of their All American solar powered LSV customers are able to operate their vehicles completely off the grid. Customers are driving up to ten miles per day on just solar power alone and some have not had to use an external power source since purchasing their vehicles.
These reports provide more evidence that the STOV market continues to be sliced up into many sub-segments which are being satisfied by vehicles with a particular set of features and functionality. In this case the question is how large is the potential market for vehicles that can exclusively or predominately operate on solar power.
In the future we can anticipate an attempt to increase the solar power generated by these vehicles through larger solar panels, new photovoltaic technology and innovative placement of photovoltaic material on vehicles. As the range improves this sub-segment can grow incrementally.
It will be interesting to see if the market for fully functional electric vehicles like the Leaf and Volt can similarly develop based on range specific use. While some critics of electric vehicles seem to believe in an all or nothing approach when it comes to electric vehicle range, I think the STOV market demonstrates that there are niche markets based on the specific range needs of customers. In both markets, instead of producing a “perfect” vehicle in terms of range from the start, there exists the possibility to incrementally grow the market as technology and vehicle range improves. Learn more: Domesticfuel.com
From the press release:
Among 4,433 entries from approximately 1,700 companies from 60 countries, The Garia has been awarded with an ’Honourable Mention’ in the Red Dot Design Award 2011. The jury of highly respected experts grants this recognition to products with especially refined detail solutions.
“As always, our jury cast a very careful eye over the products submitted. Design quality has asserted itself clearly in the judging process, with genuine and new creative solutions also being rewarded. Both of these criteria are not just yardsticks for good design, but also for the potential for success on the market. This potential is increased several times over by the targeted use of our renowned design award”, says Professor Dr. Peter Zec, the initiator of the Red Dot Design Award.
Designed and developed in Denmark, The Garia is a complete reinvention of the traditional golf cart. It is developed according to the user’s needs with a wide range of user-friendly features such as an extra large cabin with a comfortable and car-like driving position, an innovative easy-access golf bag holder, a new type of director selector and a digital cluster. Other features for improved convenience and usability include a built-in refrigerator, storage options integrated in the design and an onboard charger.
“We set out to build the world’s best golf car and based many of the design improvements on in-depth usability research, and with this prestigious recognition I truly believe that we have succeeded in our efforts”, says Mr. Anders Lynge, designer of The Garia.
Along with hundreds of other prize-winning product designs, The Garia will be on display from 5 July to 1 August 2011 in the exhibition “Design on stage – winners red dot award: product design 2011” in the red dot design museum at the world heritage site of the Zeche Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen. With in excess of 1,500 products spread over an area of more than 4,000 m2, the Red Dot Design Museum houses the largest permanent exhibition of contemporary design worldwide.
While the modern day version of the Oklahoma Land Rush ended in 2009, the legal dust related to the electric vehicle tax credits is still settling nearly two years later. In early March an administrative law judge in the state issued a ruling allowing purchasers of Tomberlin LSVs in 2009 to receive income tax credits. The Oklahoma Tax Commission is reviewing the decision. Learn more: Adaeveningnews.com