ECM3 Prototype
ECO Motor Car Company, a Seattle startup, is introducing their ECM3, a three-wheeled vehicle that is classified as a motorcycle.?? The gas powered vehicle with two wheels in front and one in the back has a 1.0 liter, 52 hp?? engine and gets a reported 60 mpg.?? The vehicle is built in China by Geely and weighs about 1,400 lbs.?? The ECM3 is expected to be available in May of 2009 for $13,995 to $14,995 depending on options.?? Learn more:?? Autopia
ECM3 Prototype Interior
A recent interview with Peapod designer Peter Arnell reveals some more information about the vehicle. The first version of the vehicle will be a four-door version with a 10hp motor. A two-door version, called the Twinpod, is coming later in the year and a utility configuration, the Utilitypod, hits the market in April 2010.?? Arnell remarks that one of the drivers for their target market of younger purchasers is iPod and iPhone integration.?? He also refers to the vehicle as an appliance because it is a “personal transport pod” that can be plugged in.?? Learn more:?? Treehugger.com
Comment: It will be interesting to see if they can reach the younger market.???? In other coverage they have talked about college students as a specific target segment. In a recent interview I had with a dealer that sells NEVs, including the GEM, they thought the Peapod might face tough competition from fully functional vehicles like the Kia Soul that do not cost much more than the Peapod.?? However, the dealer thought the speed restricted vehicle might have some appeal to parents purchasing the vehicle for their teenager to use.
I have spoken with an executive of another NEV manufacturer?? who also likes to sell their NEV as an appliance, but more in the context of an appliance as part of the typical set of appliances you would associate with a home.?? It will be interesting to see if this “appliance” label gains any traction in the market.?? mcesare
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
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.
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.
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:
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.
Yamaha Rhino 660 without doors installed
Yesterday, Yamaha, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a voluntary recall and suspension of sales of their popular Rhino utility vehicle so dealers can make appropriate repairs.?? The action affects all the Rhino 450, 660 and 700 models sold since the fall of 2003.?? Consumers are urged not to use the vehicles until repairs have been made.
According to the CPSC:
CPSC staff has investigated more than 50 incidents involving 46 driver and passenger deaths in these two Rhino models. More than two-thirds of the cases involved rollovers and many involved unbelted occupants. Of the rollover-related deaths and hundreds of reported injuries, some of which were serious, many appear to involve turns at relatively low speeds and on level terrain.
The recall involves an estimated 145,000 vehicles:?? 120,000 of the model 450 and 660 Rhinos?? and?? 25,000 of the model 700.
Repairs to the vehicles are designed to improve handling and reduce the chances of rollover and include inserting a spacer on the rear wheels and removing a rear anti-sway bar.?? Additional hand holds and half doors will also be installed, if they have not been already.?? Yamaha can be reached at 800-962-7926 or www.yamaha-motor.com.
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 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
Greenwit Technologies reports increasing sales of their Motorino electric scooter.?? While not the usual type of vehicles covered in this blog, scooters do rub up against some of the vehicles we cover in the urban use segment and I think it is important to track this tangential market.
Steve Miloshev, company president, estimates that a 1,000 units were sold in 2008.?? He recently made his first shipment to the US for East coast distribution and plans further expansion into Florida and California.?? He attributes fuel prices, environmental concerns and the practicality of the vehicles.?? In the article he remarks that some buyers are replacing second vehicles with the scooters and about 15% use it as their main means of transportation.?? The scooters, which reach speeds of 60km/h and can travel up to 60 kilometres on a single charge, retail between $3,700 and $5,000. Learn more