All About Alternate Fuel Vehicles (AFV)

New Delhi, Jan 25, 2008
Source: AFP
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g-uVfiynOIkSxc1PhM7CJCXOFefA

India’s Tata Motors, which recently unveiled the world’s cheapest car, may make its US debut with a tie-up to sell an electric version of its popular Ace mini-truck, an official said Thursday. “We’re looking at that opportunity to sell a vehicle on the Ace platform with an electric motor” in association with a US company, the senior official said, asking not to be named.  “It’s premature to give more details,” he added. (more…)

by Monica Perin, Reporter, Houston Business Journal, Jan 23, 2008
Source: Bizjournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/01/21/daily36.html

ExxonMobil Chemical’s new battery film technology has enabled a Canadian firm to roll out a new generation of all-electric vehicles.  Toronto-based Electrovaya today launched its zero emission low speed vehicle, the Maya-300, which incorporates ExxonMobil’s battery separator films to enhance the power, safety and reliability of the vehicles’ lithium-ion batteries.

“ExxonMobil’s film technologies allow lithium-ion batteries to meet hybrid and electric vehicle requirements, helping to make vehicles like the Maya-300 pelighter and more efficient.” said Jim Harris, senior vice president of Houston-based ExxonMobil Chemical.  Much of the work on the battery technology was carried out at ExxonMobil’s Baytown Technology Center, said spokeswoman Susan Kattelus.
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by Melissa Burden. The Flint Journal, January 21, 2008
Source: MichiganLive.com
http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/01/teen_building_his_own_electric.html

He’s finished one, so why not convert a second?  Andrew Angellotti spent nine months and about $6,000 to buy and transform his gasoline-powered 1988 Mazda B2200 pickup into an electric vehicle. Now he’s doing the same with a 1992 Toyota Tercel. And, by the way, he’s 17. “I think alternative energy is very important in our future,” said Andrew, who is homeschooled. “I just wanted to get the word out that electric vehicles are possible.”
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Jan 23, 2008 /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Source: Thestar.com
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/296641

Battery maker Electrovaya Inc. (TSX: EFL) plans to build a small, low-speed commuter car powered by its proprietary lithium ion polymer power pack technology.  The zero-emission Maya-300 is said to offer a range of 190 kilometres with a top speed of 55 kilometres per hour – “ideal for fleet operators in cities, universities and parks as well as the many households with a second or third vehicle for urban driving within a local neighbourhood,” the company said Wednesday.
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by Krithika Sundaram, TNN, 24 Jan 2008
Source: Economic Times of India
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/LiveITUP/
Electric_vehicles_to_replace_petrol_fleet/articleshow/2722661.cms

The ‘going-green’ concept is yet to strike a chord with the automobile industry. Although it is this sector which contributes 60% of the pollution which chokes the urban populace, the Indian automobile industry hasn’t shifted its gear into the green mode. Substituting petro-diesel vehicles with eco-friendly variants can never be easy.  Government support has been minimal. Infact, electric vehicles were offered a subsidy of Rs 1.05 lakh in 1997 which was abruptly stopped in a year. After several efforts by manufacturers of electric vehicles (EVs), central subsidy was reintroduced in 2002-03, reducing the amount to 33% and making it applicable only to institutions such as government departments, public sector undertakings, educational institutions, hospitals, tourism and archeological sites. High fuel costs and congested city roads have only added to the pollution menace.
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By Terry Kosdrosky, Dow Jones Newswires /
Detroit, Dow Jones, January 24, 2008
Source: Money.CNN.com
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/
200801241243DOWJONESDJONLINE001053_FORTUNE5.htm

General Motors Corp. (GM), looking to bring fuel- efficient, advanced vehicles to market more quickly, formed a new engineering group to focus on hybrid vehicles, extended-range electric vehicles and battery technology. The move comes as GM and other auto makers are under more pressure from governments and consumers to improve fuel mileage and reduce emissions. GM is working to bring a commercially viable, electrically driven car, the Chevrolet Volt, to market by the end of 2010. (more…)

MOU signed today in Jerusalem for first application on Israeli market
Jerusalem, Israel, January 21, 2008
Source: Autochannel.com
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/01/21/075500.html
In a significant move towards reducing CO2 car emissions as well as particles pollution, the Renault-Nissan Alliance and Project Better Place engage in a breakthrough with electric vehicles in Israel.  The solution framework comes in response to the Israeli State’s challenge to the auto industry and its supply chain to migrate the country’s transportation infrastructure to renewable sources of energy. (more…)

By Chuck Squatriglia, January 29, 2008
Source: The Wired.com
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/01/feds-exempt-tes.html

Tesla Motors won a three-year exemption to a federal airbag requirement after regulators decided that forcing the company to comply could put it out of business.  Although the Tesla Roadster will have driver and passenger airbags, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the company need not comply with a 2006 rule requiring that passenger airbags vary their deployment speed according to the size of the passenger.
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Sao Paulo, Brazil, Jan 24, 2008
Source: AFP
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5goQpr15wNPArazFwqOy3z5Lf95QA

Brazil, the world leader in making ethanol from sugarcane, is homing in on Europe’s biofuel market following a decision by the European Commission to combat climate change by reducing the dependency on petrol.  The EU plan calls for biofuels to be used in at least 10 percent of fuels used in transport in the 27-nation bloc by 2020.  For Brazil’s sugarcane industry, the news is seen as a golden export opportunity.
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First car powered by algal biodiesel to demonstrate real-world driving at Sundance
South San Francisco, Calif. - January 22, 2008
Source: Solazyme, Inc press release
http://www.solazyme.com/news080122.shtml

Solazyme, Inc., a synthetic biology company unleashing the power of aquatic microbes to create clean and scalable solutions for biofuel, industrial chemical, and health and wellness markets, today revealed the first ever algae-derived biodiesel fuel (SoladieselTM) to have undergone road testing by successfully powering a factory-standard automobile for long distances under typical driving conditions. The car and fuel are making their public debuts at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, where they are also featured in Fields of Fuel, Josh Tickell’s documentary about renewable fuels. Soladiesel biodiesel is clean, renewable, environmentally sustainable and scalable.
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