Nemo Motors has signed a development agreement to integrate and test Energy 1 electrical products in their utility trucks. Learn more: globalnewswie.com
Nemo Motors Partners With Energy 1
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Category Archives: Sourcing
ZENN Takes Larger Stake In EEStor
Last week ZENN completed an additional $5 million equity investment in EEStor. This investment increases ZENN’s stake in the energy storage developer from 3.8% to 10.7%. The option to increase their stake was triggered when EEStor reached a previously agreed upon technical milestone earlier this year. Learn more: Stockhouse.com
Tiger Truck Lands $11M Air Force Contract
Tiger Truck Vehicle line
Tiger Truck of Oklahoma recently won an $11 million GSA contract to supply the US Air Force with 863 mini-trucks. The purchase is funded by the recent federal stimulus package since the mini-trucks will be replacing less fuel-efficient vehicles. All the vehicles will be fueled by either gas or a gas/ethanol mix and are slated for delivery in about four months. The recently opened Tiger Truck assembly plant employs 90 people and can produce approximately 35 vehicles per shift per day. The company assembles the vehicles from a mix of US and foreign sourced parts. Learn more: www.newsok.com
Miles Automotive Creates Coda Automotive For highway Speed Electric Vehicle
Miles Automotive has created a new company, Coda Automotive, for the marketing of their first highway speed all electric vehicle, aptly named Coda. The Chinese manufactured vehicle will have a top speed of 80 mph and a range of 90-120 miles. The four-door sedan will seat five and include amenities like bluetooth and an iPod dock. According to the company’s CEO, Kevin Czinger, a test fleet of 200-300 vehicles will be on the road in June 2010 and vehicles will be available for consumers later in the fall. The vehicles will be priced around $45,000 but that could be reduced to around $35,000 with federal and state tax credits.
The vehicle has been modified from a Mitsubishi designed internal combustion vehicle manufactured for the Chinese market by China-based Hafei and sold under the name Saibao. Coda has partnered with Tianjin Lishen of China to manufacture the vehicle’s lithium ion batteries. Learn more: MSN Autos
US Special Ops Lets The Good Times Roll With The Teryx
Kawasaki Teryx Joins US Special Ops
After extensive research and evaluation the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has ordered 1,625 Kawasaki Teryx recreation utility vehicles to serve as tactical vehicles. The $28.4 million order was won through a bidding process by Houston based UV Country. The order will be filled over five years and works out to be about $17,500 per vehicle.
The specific model in the contract is the 2009 Kawasaki Teryx 750 FI 4×4 RUV which features side-by-side seating for two adults, a roll over protective structure (ROPS), front discs and a special sealed rear brake, four wheel independent suspension, a tilting cargo bed with 500 pounds of carrying capacity and the ability to tow up to 1,300 pounds. Learn more: UTVguide.net
ZAP Completes Made In USA Electric Pickup Engineering Project
ZAP reports finishing an engineering project to develop an electric pickup truck where most of the parts and components will be made in the United States. The project is an extension of the company’s efforts to shift vehicle production back to the US. Learn more: marketwire.com
Smith Electric Vehicles USA Update
The company is on track to begin production in July and reports a”strong expression of interest from fleet operators” including Frito-Lay and Canteen Vending Services. The related story also includes a short video with the CEO where he talks about some of the advantages for drivers including less fatigue from constantly having to shift gears, as well as the need for developing a supply chain to support an electric vehicle market in the US. Learn more: treehugger.com
ZENN Certifies EEStor Technology Milestone
ZENN recently reported that a third party had certified an important technology milestone reached by EEStor. Independent tests showed that…
…the main material in the ultracapacitor technology achieved relative permittivity of at least 22,500 over an operating range of -20 to +65 degrees Celsius. Permittivity is a measurement of how much energy can be stored in a material.
Per the agreement with EEStor, reaching the milestone triggers an additional $700,000 payment by ZENN and an opportunity to increase their equity stake. The next milestone is to commercialization of the technology, which according to the agreement, is supposed to start by the end of 2009. ZENN still plans to incorporate the ultracapacitor technology in vehicles in 2010. Learn more: cleantech.com
Bad Boy Buggies Looking To Import More Parts From China?
A recent article covering a trade forum involving the state of Mississippi and the city of Changzhou in China noted that a Mississippi based company was looking to import parts for use in off-road utility vehicles. According to the report Bob Kirkland business development officer for Mississippi State University’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems remarked that:
… a Mississippi company, which he wouldn’t identify, is interested in assembling parts that would be sent to it from China to be used in off-road utility vehicles.
One such company could be Bad Boy Enterprises located in Natchez, Mississippi, manufacturers of the Bad Boy Buggie, an electric powered off-road utility vehicle. Government officials from both sides are looking at the automotive industry as a potential area for increased trade. Learn more: clarionLedger.com