Category Archives: electric vehicles

London Mayor Pushes For Electric Vehicles

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The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has laid out plans to have 100,000 electric vehicles by 2025 and 25,000 charging stations in London by 2015. The plan calls for putting charging stations on main roads, retail and work places, parking garages and train stations.?? The mayor’s plan also calls for 20% of new parking spaces and new building developments to have charging points and excludes electric vehicles from congestion pricing in London’s center.

The plan will cost about $90 million and is expected to be funded by a mixture of public and private sources.?? It will be helped by recent efforts of the national government which earmarked about $370 million in January for consumer incentives for buying electric vehicles for anywhere in the UK.?? The incentive is about $3,000 per vehicle. Learn more

Golf Car Manufacturers In the Rough

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Bloomberg News reports on the current difficulties golf car manufacturers are facing. The industry is dominated by Club Car and E-Z Go which account for nearly all the fleet sales to golf courses. Besides the recession, these companies have also been dealing with pre-existing negative trends of declining golf course construction and fewer rounds played. The former is in part a market response to record course construction in the preceding years. Some courses are turning to refurbished rather than new vehicles to lower costs.

According to the story the manufacturers have reduced their work forces by about 3% and Club Car states that “orders for new carts have fallen by as much as 20 percent.”

I have started conducting some dealer interviews for a new version of our market study covering small, task-oriented vehicles like golf cars, NEVs and utility vehicles and have identified similar themes. In addition, some dealers told me that some courses are extending by a year the leases for their existing fleets. They also report that the once tight supply of used vehicle has now swung in the opposite direction. While golf course driven demand is not likely to improve in the short term, my interviews indicate that the utility vehicle and NEV markets will provide some growth.

Boshart EV’s Prototype Tersus Electric Truck

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Boshart Tersus

Boshart Tersus

The Boshart Tersus is an electric powered general utility truck that can carry up to four people and is designed for closed campus and private property environments. What I find interesting about the Tersus is that it looks more like a typical gas powered truck.

The truck has a top speed of 25 mph and a payload capacity of 1,000 lbs. It uses a 72 volt system that powers a 28Kw AC motor and can be charged to 80% in one hour using a fast charger. A standard charger will recharge the AGM battery pack in six hours. I contacted the company and they told me that the vehicle is not available yet and didn’t provide a timetable or estimated price.

The company is also planning a heavy duty electric utility truck for 2010 that will have a payload of 3,000 lbs. Learn more: boshartev.com

Update: I received some more information from the company.?? the vehicle can be purchased directly from Boshart Engineering and costs from $20,000 to $26,000 depending on options.?? The vehicles has 220 ah capacity AGM battery pack and operates on a 72 volt system.

Taxis: A Niche Market For LSVs

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Over the past few months I have seen a number of stories about LSVs being used as taxis in various cities across the country and see this use of LSVs as growing niche market.?? One example is Chicago’s pilot project.

Sometimes the taxi service is being offered for free and generates revenue from on vehicle advertising.?? In other instances, a government agency may be offering the service as a form of public transportation and as a “green” demonstration project.?? Not surprising, they have also faced some opposition from existing taxi services.?? Aware of potential conflicts with existing taxis and limited to lower speed roads, the LSV taxis are often allowed to operate in only restricted geographical areas.?? There have also been instances where concerns about LSV safety in a mixed vehicle use environment or existing laws have prohibited businesses from operating LSV taxi services.

This story from Tampa, FL is an interesting example of how one operator avoided existing taxi regulations by not charging for the service and operating only on advertising and tips.

MSV Law Speeds Through Texas Legislature

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According to reports, a bill that will allow NEVs to operate at speeds up to 35 mph on roads with speed limits of up to 45 mph is moving through the Texas legislature.?? The bill was passed unaminously by the Transportation Committee and is expected to pass and become effective in May or June of this year.?? Learn more:?? houstonelectriccars.net

G-Wiz Will Li-Ion LSVs Be Available Soon?

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The UK’s best selling electric vehicle, Reva G-Wiz, will shortly be available with a Li-ion battery pack according to the vehicle’s retailer GoinGreen. The city car with a top speed of 51 mph will also have an off-board fast-charger. The new setup will be available in May of this year offer a number of advantages according to the company including:

  • Range increase from 48 to 75 miles
  • Fast-charging off-board – 90% in 1 hr and complete in 1.5 hrs
  • Regular charging reduced to 6 hrs
  • 20% less energy required for charging
  • Lighter weight (15% less) and better acceleration

The vehicle will be priced at ??15,795 ($23,300)

Learn more: thegreencarwebsite.co.uk.com

Comment: Since this city car is only one step above an LSV and has a price point not that far above higher end LSVs can Li-ion battery packs be that far behind for LSVs? We reported earlier that Dynasty was looking into this possibility. This may become even more likely as states pass more MSV laws and allow for greater functionality in these vehicles. -Mcesare.

Aspen To Add NEV Charging Outlets To Parking Garage

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The city of Aspen, CO has approved a plan to add 27 electrical outlets to their Rio Grande Parking Garage so NEV owners can recharge their vehicles when parking them overnight.?? Since NEVs are?? no emission vehicles they are allowed to park for free and owners use them while in town during the day.

The city parks department is drawing up contracts for owners based on access charges so the charging won’t be for free.?? The system is expected to be ready by the summer.?? Learn more:?? aspentimes.com

Smith Electric Vehicles Chooses Kansas City As Plant Site

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Later today Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. Corp is expected to announce that they have chosen Kansas City, MO as the site for their assembly plant. The plant will be located near the Kansas City International Airport and is expected to eventually employ 200 people within three years. The consortium involving Ford and British based Tanfield Group is expected to invest $5 million in the plant that will produce an electric version of Ford’s Transit Connect delivery vans and Smith’s Newton electric truck.

The first vehicles to be produced will be the Newtons with a third quarter launch date as the target. The company expects to produce 10,000 vehicles annually for a US market estimated to be 200,000 for delivery trucks of this size. The Transit Connect vehicles are expected to roll off the line in 2010.

The plant will be located near Kokam America Inc, a lithium ion battery manufacturer, and Fords assembly plant for Escape and Mariner hybrids. In addition, Valence Technology, battery supplier to Smith’s UK parent company, is located relatively close in Austin, TX. Learn more: KMBC.com

and bizjournal.com

In related news, Smith Electric Vehicles announced they sold their first electric Newton in the Ireland market to a building materials retailer. The company will use the vehicle for deliveries. Ireland plans to have 10% of all their vehicles be electric powered by 2020. Learn more: greencarcongress.com

Update: Smith Vehicles will receive an estimated $2 million in tax credits and $1 million in job training assistance from the Missouri state government .?? The company is leasing an 80,000 sq. ft. facility and expects to create 120 jobs by 2010.?? Learn more:?? bizjournal.com

Canada’s Ministry of Transportation Approves LSV Test Project

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Pelee Island in Ontario will be the location for Canada’s Ministry of Transportation’s pilot project to assess the use of LSVs on public roads.?? The island has no traffic lights and only a few hundred year round residents but the population swells to over a thousand during the summer.?? The experiment is slated to run through 2014 after which recommendations will be made about allowing LSVs in mixed traffic.?? Besides insurance and registration the vehicles will also need a slow moving vehicle sign on the back. Learn more:?? windsorstar.com