May 13, 2010 8:18 AM PDT
by Candace Lombardi
Mazda2 cars, known as the Mazda Demio in Japan, have been converted to all-electric drive trains.
(Credit: Mazda)
A Japanese town near Tokyo is about to become a test community for cars that run mainly on solar energy, several companies announced Wednesday.
Through a partnership with Mazda, Think Global, EnerDel, and Japanese conglomerate Itochu among others, Tsukuba City will be testing cars that rely on solar-generated electricity for their batteries, which will be rapid-charged at stations at local FamilyMart stores.
Mazda2 vehicles (known as the Mazda Demio in Japan) have been outfitted with all-electric drive trains made by Think containing EnerDel lithium ion batteries.
Solar panels attached to stationary grid-storage units designed by EnerDel will also have rapid-charging stations for the all-electric cars. The stationary storage units, gleaning and storing electricity from solar panels, will supply almost entirely solar-generated electricity for the cars.
The Japanese community is testing use of the Mazda2 EVs with a ZipCar business model through a program announced in December. Drivers will have smart cards that will be used for billing, tracking charges and wear, and for granting access to the cars and charging stations.
EnerDel said that combining battery storage units with rapid re-charging stations will allow for the use of direct current, which is designed to sharply reduce the amount of time it takes the car batteries to charge.
Showing posts with label EnerDel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EnerDel. Show all posts
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Think's electric cars to roll into New York
April 1, 2010 8:16 AM PDT
by Candace Lombardi
Will New Yorkers take to the Think's City EV?
(Credit: Think City)
Think will begin selling its all-electric City cars in the New York metropolitan area within the coming months, the company said Thursday.
Think's City model is a highway-legal electric vehicle that runs solely on a lithium ion battery system and gives off zero emissions. The car, which has a top speed of 60 mph, can be charged from either a standard U.S. 110-volt household outlet, or a fast-charging 220-volt station that can be installed for home use. The small two-door car, clearly intended for city driving and parking, has a battery system with a range of about 112 miles per charge.
Via the fast-charging 220-volt station, a Think City car can charge from zero to 80 percent capacity in about 15 minutes. However, using a standard household outlet can take up to eight hours.
New York had made Think's shortlist for the first U.S. release of its cars, but Los Angeles, Chicago, San Diego, and San Francisco were also contenders.
The choice of New York as Think's first U.S. market was due to state and local government support of the vehicle, according to Think.
Think, which has applied for U.S. Department of Energy loans, has gotten a lot of attention from both the U.S. media and government in large part because the Norway-based company offered to make the Think City a somewhat American-made car and help create green U.S. jobs in the process. And the New York government support that Think mentions is not such a coincidence given the fact that Ener1, a New York-based company, is the parent of Indiana-based EnerDel, the exclusive supplier of the lithium ion battery system for the Think City car in the U.S.
In January,Think announced plans to open a U.S. "assembly facility" in Elkhart, Ind. That is set to open in 2011 to supply Think's North American market and is in close proximity to EnerDel's battery manufacturing facilities, also based in Elkhart. The plant is expected to produce 20,000 cars in its first full year of operation but has the capability to turn out up to 60,000 cars annually, according to Think.
Think said Thursday that Chicago was runner-up. It's a good bet that it will be the next city where Think City cars become available, given the company's ties to nearby Indiana.
Think's U.S. battery supplier, EnerDel, has been held up to the public as an example of the U.S. stimulus package working successfully. The Indiana-based battery manufacturer, which also has deals with Volvo, Nissan, and Fisker Automotive, received $118.5 million in U.S. stimulus grants. The money to expand its production facilities is estimated to create 1,700 jobs
by Candace Lombardi
Will New Yorkers take to the Think's City EV?
(Credit: Think City)
Think will begin selling its all-electric City cars in the New York metropolitan area within the coming months, the company said Thursday.
Think's City model is a highway-legal electric vehicle that runs solely on a lithium ion battery system and gives off zero emissions. The car, which has a top speed of 60 mph, can be charged from either a standard U.S. 110-volt household outlet, or a fast-charging 220-volt station that can be installed for home use. The small two-door car, clearly intended for city driving and parking, has a battery system with a range of about 112 miles per charge.
Via the fast-charging 220-volt station, a Think City car can charge from zero to 80 percent capacity in about 15 minutes. However, using a standard household outlet can take up to eight hours.
New York had made Think's shortlist for the first U.S. release of its cars, but Los Angeles, Chicago, San Diego, and San Francisco were also contenders.
The choice of New York as Think's first U.S. market was due to state and local government support of the vehicle, according to Think.
Think, which has applied for U.S. Department of Energy loans, has gotten a lot of attention from both the U.S. media and government in large part because the Norway-based company offered to make the Think City a somewhat American-made car and help create green U.S. jobs in the process. And the New York government support that Think mentions is not such a coincidence given the fact that Ener1, a New York-based company, is the parent of Indiana-based EnerDel, the exclusive supplier of the lithium ion battery system for the Think City car in the U.S.
In January,Think announced plans to open a U.S. "assembly facility" in Elkhart, Ind. That is set to open in 2011 to supply Think's North American market and is in close proximity to EnerDel's battery manufacturing facilities, also based in Elkhart. The plant is expected to produce 20,000 cars in its first full year of operation but has the capability to turn out up to 60,000 cars annually, according to Think.
Think said Thursday that Chicago was runner-up. It's a good bet that it will be the next city where Think City cars become available, given the company's ties to nearby Indiana.
Think's U.S. battery supplier, EnerDel, has been held up to the public as an example of the U.S. stimulus package working successfully. The Indiana-based battery manufacturer, which also has deals with Volvo, Nissan, and Fisker Automotive, received $118.5 million in U.S. stimulus grants. The money to expand its production facilities is estimated to create 1,700 jobs
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Think City EV promises 80 percent charge in 15 min.
January 27, 2010 9:51 AM PST
by Candace Lombardi
Think City, like EnerDel, has manufacturing facilities in Indiana.
(Credit: Think)
Think announced Monday that EnerDel will be the exclusive supplier of lithium ion batteries for Think City's U.S. cars and for 60 percent of its cars sold in Europe.
The company also announced that AeroVironment will be partnering with Think in the U.S. to build a series of "very-fast-charge stations."
The result of the fast-charging stations, combined with EnerDel's lithium ion batteries in Think City cars, will be electric cars that take only 15 minutes to charge from zero capacity to 80 percent capacity, according to Think.
As previously reported, the Think City all-electric car will have a range of about 112 miles per charge. It will be compatible with both a standard U.S. 110-volt household outlet, as well as a special 220-volt fast-charging outlet designed for home use.
In conjunction with Mazda, EnerDel and Think Global have already partnered on a pilot project in Japan set to start March 2010. Drivers will be able to rent all-electric Mazda2 cars (known as Mazda Demios in Japan) that will have Think drivetrains with EnerDel batteries and utilize fast-charging stations.
EnerDel, a subsidiary of Ener1, is an automotive lithium ion battery manufacturer that has become an auto industry darling and a poster child for the U.S. stimulus package success.
In August, it was announced in conjunction with President Barack Obama's trip to Elkhart, Ind., that the Indiana-based battery manufacturer would receive $118.5 million in federal grants to double its U.S. production facilities resulting in the creation of approximately 1,700 new jobs as part of the U.S. stimulus package. Since then, EnerDel has also signed a contract with Volvo for its C30 electric-car project, and a $1.29 million contract with the U.S. Army to develop a lithium ion battery system for a hybrid version of the iconic High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV aka Humvee).
EnerDel also has deals with Fisker Automotive, Nissan, and the Japan Postal Service among others.
AeroVironment, on the other hand, is probably best known in recent years for its high-profile work on unmanned aerial vehicles for DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. But the California-based company has actually been involved in electric cars for decades. AeroVironment has made charging systems for industrial and construction electric vehicles (forklifts, light duty trucks), and was involved in General Motors' EV1 project in the 1980s. Most recently, AeroVironment signed a deal to supply Nissan with 220-volt home charging stations as part of its widespread Nissan Leaf rollout in the U.S.
by Candace Lombardi
Think City, like EnerDel, has manufacturing facilities in Indiana.
(Credit: Think)
Think announced Monday that EnerDel will be the exclusive supplier of lithium ion batteries for Think City's U.S. cars and for 60 percent of its cars sold in Europe.
The company also announced that AeroVironment will be partnering with Think in the U.S. to build a series of "very-fast-charge stations."
The result of the fast-charging stations, combined with EnerDel's lithium ion batteries in Think City cars, will be electric cars that take only 15 minutes to charge from zero capacity to 80 percent capacity, according to Think.
As previously reported, the Think City all-electric car will have a range of about 112 miles per charge. It will be compatible with both a standard U.S. 110-volt household outlet, as well as a special 220-volt fast-charging outlet designed for home use.
In conjunction with Mazda, EnerDel and Think Global have already partnered on a pilot project in Japan set to start March 2010. Drivers will be able to rent all-electric Mazda2 cars (known as Mazda Demios in Japan) that will have Think drivetrains with EnerDel batteries and utilize fast-charging stations.
EnerDel, a subsidiary of Ener1, is an automotive lithium ion battery manufacturer that has become an auto industry darling and a poster child for the U.S. stimulus package success.
In August, it was announced in conjunction with President Barack Obama's trip to Elkhart, Ind., that the Indiana-based battery manufacturer would receive $118.5 million in federal grants to double its U.S. production facilities resulting in the creation of approximately 1,700 new jobs as part of the U.S. stimulus package. Since then, EnerDel has also signed a contract with Volvo for its C30 electric-car project, and a $1.29 million contract with the U.S. Army to develop a lithium ion battery system for a hybrid version of the iconic High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV aka Humvee).
EnerDel also has deals with Fisker Automotive, Nissan, and the Japan Postal Service among others.
AeroVironment, on the other hand, is probably best known in recent years for its high-profile work on unmanned aerial vehicles for DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. But the California-based company has actually been involved in electric cars for decades. AeroVironment has made charging systems for industrial and construction electric vehicles (forklifts, light duty trucks), and was involved in General Motors' EV1 project in the 1980s. Most recently, AeroVironment signed a deal to supply Nissan with 220-volt home charging stations as part of its widespread Nissan Leaf rollout in the U.S.
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