Evergreen Electromotive Looking To Produce Three-Wheel Utility Vehicles

Evergreen Electromotive based in Bainbridge Island is raising funds to finish additional prototypes and establish production facilities for three-wheeled utility vehicles. Led by Bob Fraik, a former software engineer from Sun Microsystems and NeXT, the company has already produced the ECH, a four wheeled MSV prototype with a carbon composite body and lithium iron phosphate battery pack giving it a range of 80 miles.

Evergreen Electromotives Prototype Four-Wheel Vehicle

Evergreen Electromotive's Prototype ECH - Four-Wheel MSV

The company is finishing work on two prototype three-wheel vehicles and is looking to establish production facilities in the Port of Bremerton, WA industrial center. The production vehicles are expected to have a top speed of over 50 mph but can be calibrated for lower speeds, and will be targeted for government and corporate fleets. Learn more: Kitsapsun.com

Think Inks Deal For Dutch Market

Think Global has signed a memorandum of understanding to supply 500 Th!nk vehicles in 2009 to Elmonet for sale in The Netherlands.?? Elmonet is a subsidiary of Mobility Service Netherlands.?? The cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam are expected to be key markets.?? The Dutch government has developed a 10 million euro fund to advance the introduction of electric vehicles.

Previously in financial difficulty, Think Global has recently raised funds from a variety of sources and is looking to expand beyond Norway, it’s original market, to Europe and the US.???? Learn more:?? Cleantech.com

Road Use Regulations Round Up

This round up features some action in Canada, Wisconsin, Colorado and some other states as well as signs of growing interest in medium speed vehicle regulations.

Grand Chute, WI – Town asking state for help regarding the use of NEVs on some of the many roads under state jurisdiction that criss-cross the city.

Loveland, COHouse Bill 1026, which would allow neighborhood electric vehicles on public highways, passed the Judiciary Committee and will be going to a House vote.

North Vancouver, Canada – City council rejects staff recommendations to wait for additional LSV safety standards before allowing vehicles on roads.

Sedona, AZ – Public transportation commission recommends feasibility study to look at NEVs as a public transportation option.

British Columbia, Canada – Motor vehicle regulations amended to allow incidental use of roads by utility vehicles during their normal off-road use.

Kennebunk, ME – ZAP Xebra three-wheeled truck doesn’t pass registration as a motorcycle and therefore cannot be legally driven. Amendment to address issue in process.

Flower Mound, TX – Transportation commission is urged to look at LSV regulations in anticipation of increased usage of the vehicles.

Denver, CO – State Senate bill aims to create uniform road use regulations for LSVs

South Daytona, FL – After a favorable feasibility study, city officials are moving ahead on allowing golf carts to be used on city streets.

Manitoba, Canada – Manitoba province is looking at enacting similar legislation as Ontario and Quebec to allow LSVs on public roads.

Merrill, WI – City officials are drafting legislation to allow NEVs on public roads with speed limits of 35mph or less

Medium Speed Vehicle Regulations – At the end of February nine states were considering medium speed vehicle laws: Hawaii, New Mexico, Kentucky, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Georgia and Colorado. Speed limits proposed ranged from 35mph to 50 mph with most at 45 mph. Five states who have already adopted MSEV laws include Washington, Montana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

Connecticut – Some State Representatives are pushing to legalize NEVs

BG Automotive Shows Off Prototype Electric Vehicle

BG Automotive C100 Prototype               Photo Credit:  Clifford Atiyeh & Boston Globe

BG Automotive C100 Prototype Photos: Clifford Atiyeh/Boston Globe

BG Automotive recently showed a prototype of their C100 NEV to Massachusetts officials in hopes of generating financial support for production facilities in the state. They are also looking to obtain funding from the US Department of Energy.

The C100 features a 48 volt, 18 hp electric motor powered by eight lead acid batteries and has a range of 60-80 miles according to the company. Except for the controller, motor and batteries which are produced in the US, the rest of the vehicle’s parts are produced in China. Price range will be $16,000 to $18,000.

A Boston Globe reporter took the vehicle for a parking lot test drive and had a mixed review.

Pros:

  • Decent economy car
  • Good seat position
  • Some nice features

Cons:

  • Noise
  • Slow acceleration
  • Poor braking

The company still expects to make a May/June 2009 launch date despite not having any facilities in place. Learn more: Boston Globe Article

Update 3/23:?? The article is updated to note that the vehicle is actually the Chang’an Ben Ben or Chana Benni produced in China.

Aurora, IL: STOV Market Segment Example

NEV Replacing Full-size Vehicle

NEV Replacing Full-size Vehicle

The parks and recreation department in Aurora, IL has just purchased two NEVs from GEM to replace full-sized vehicles.?? The vehicles are being used for maintenance in a park and a zoo. Learn more

Comment: This is an excellent example of where a full-sized vehicle is overkill but a utility vehicle can be highly efficient performing the necessary tasks.?? In this case it also an example of market segments where end-users (often parks departments) are switching from gas-powered to and electric powered vehicles. mcesare

Electric Kandi COCO LSVs Hit The Market

Electric Kandi COCO a new LSV for the US market

Electric Kandi COCO a new LSV for the US market

Solus International, the exclusive importer for electric Kandi COCO vehicles, reports that 100 vehicles have been imported for the US market. The marketing drive was kicked off at the 2009 NADA show in New Orleans in early January. The LSVs have a range of 50-60 miles and operates on a DC motor with a 72 volt system using lead acid batteries. The MSRP for the vehicle is $12,995.

The vehicles are manufactured in China by the Kandi Group which also produces ATVs/Quads, go-karts, UTVs, electric scooters and other vehicles. Most of these other vehicles are gas powered including a gas powered version of the COCO. Franklin Motorsports is a regional distributor for the LSV and powersports vehicles. Learn more

Comment: While in previous years we have seen LSVs manufacturers looking overseas to source parts or an entire vehicle minus the electric drive system, the latest trend has more overseas manufacturers trying to export their own complete vehicles to the US market. They are also adding to the list of LSVs that are available on the US market which, while still dominated by GEM, is becoming more competitive and seeing more marketing dollars being put into the category as a whole. It will be interesting to see how well these imports are received in the market. mcesare

TH!NK Planning US Based Production

In the near future Norwegian-based electric vehicle manufacturer TH!NK is expected to announce plans for manufacturing a two seat city vehicle in the US. The company is hoping to take advantage of government funding for electric and hybrid vehicles. The vehicle would be available in mid-2010 if all goes according to plan.

Recently in financial difficulty, the company received a $5.7 million loan from the Ener1 Group which holds a majority stake in the battery maker for the vehicle. Learn More

Update: Initial production plans for first year production of 2,500 units. The company will be applying for low-interest loans from the US Department of Energy???s $25-billion Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVMIP) program. Michigan is among eight states being considered for the facility. Learn more

Baoya Vehicles Sold Through Dealership In Knoxville, TN

Second Chance Finance Auto Sales, soon to be called Wildfire Motors of Knoxville is selling a Chinese manufactured LSV supplied by Wildfire Motors of Steubenville, OH.?? The models, WF120-2C and WF120-4C, look similar to the Baoya electric vehicles produced by Shandong Baoya Vehicle Company of China. See earlier post

Wildfire Motors LSV Model WF120-2C
Wildfire Motors LSV Model WF120-2C

The vehicle has a 8.5 kilowatt, 120 volt, AC motor which runs on 10 105Amp maintenance free sealed lead acid batteries. ?? The top speed is set for 25 mph but can be programmed for speeds up to 50 mph.?? At a speed of 30mph the vehicle has a range of 70 miles and can be charged using a typical home outlet.???? The vehicle comes in two and four passenger versions as well as a utility truck version with MSRPs ranging from $14,618 and $15,325. There is also a 72 volt power system option available. Learn more about the dealer and Wildfire Motors

Phillipines Agency Approves Electric Jeepneys

The Phillipine Land Transportation Office agreed to issue plate numbers for e-jeepneys, making them available for commercial use.?? The vehicles were developed by Green Renewable Independent Power Producer Inc. (GRIPP), and the Dutch group Stichting Doen as part of their ???Climate-Friendly Cities??? project.?? They vehicles will be assembled locally with the cooperation of Philippine Utility Vehicles Inc. (PhUV), a local group of vehicle parts manufacturers.?? Powered by 12 six volt lead acid batteries, the e-jeeps can carry 14 passengers at speeds of 40km to 60km per hour.?? Each vehicle costs about $13,000 (US) which is slightly less than the diesel powered versions currently in use. Learn more

More Smith Electric Vehicle News

Smith All Electric Newton for the North American Market

Smith All Electric Newton for the North American Market

Smith Electric Vehicles US Corporation, currently headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, is planning on producing all electric trucks for depot-based delivery fleets in North America. In the UK companies like Starbucks and DHL use the vehicles in dense urban areas.

The Newton model will be the first Smith vehicle available in this market. This is a class 5,6 o 7 vehicle with a payload of up to 16,280 lbs. While not quite a highway speed vehicle, the Newton is not a low speed vehicle either can reach speeds of up to 50 mph and has a range of over 100 miles depending on the battery option chosen.

The Newton originally used anywhere from two to six Sodium Nickel Chloride batteries produced by Zebra and each battery cost $16,000 and provided 22KW hours of power. However the company expects that most of the models sold in the US will use this Lithium ion type batteries. The 2007 version of the truck costs $150,000 with the Zebra batteries accounting for $64,000 or just over 40% of the cost. Additional batteries also reduce payload capacity.

Learn more and at Autobloggreen.com

Update:?? See some video interviews from some people in the industry that drove the truck at Autobloggreen.com