Global sales of electrified vehicles to approach 4 million annually by 2020, says Pike Research
Annual global sales of electrified vehicles will reach 3.8 million by 2020, Pike Research forecasts in a new report. The company, part of Navigant's Energy Practice, projects the compound annual growth rate for hybrid vehicles at 6% for the remainder of the decade. The growth rate for PEVs—which include full electric vehicles (also called battery electric vehicles, or BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs—is projected at nearly 40%. That compares to a growth rate for the overall auto industry of about 2%, according to Pike. It believes PHEVs will outsell EVs in North America and Latin America, while the reverse will be the case in most other regions.
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Ford says the 2013 Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicle will deliver more than 100 mpg-equivalent.
Algae and cellulosic biofuel supported in U.S. federal tax act
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is expressing gratitude to the U.S. Congress for including extensions and modifications of the Second Generation Biofuel Producer Credit and the Special Allowance for Second Generation Biofuel Plant Property in final passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. The Act will incentivize investment in both cellulosic and algae biofuel production by renewing a $1.01 per gallon tax credit for producers and accelerated depreciation for newly constructed facilities during 2013, and modifying these credits to include algae. Said Brent Erickson, Executive Vice President of BIO’s Industrial and Environmental Section, in a Jan. 2 statement: “We thank Congress for extending the producer tax credit and bonus depreciation and enabling algae producers to qualify. Stability in such policies is crucial to maintaining private investment. We hope to work with Congress in the coming year to extend and maintain additional policies that support this innovation, such as a strong energy title in any upcoming Farm Bill, and the Renewable Fuel Standard.”
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Petri dishes of Solazyme's tailored algae strains.
Nissan charges up its new EV battery plant in Tennesee
Nissan recently began operations of its new advanced-battery plant in Tennessee that will supply the energy-storage devices for the Nissan Leafs to be produced at an adjoining vehicle-assembly plant. Regular North American production of the Leaf is to start at the automaker's Smyrna plant early in 2013. To date, the Leaf and its lithium-ion battery pack currently are made in Japan only. The first batteries produced in Smyrna for the 2013 Leaf have completed the required aging process and are ready to receive their first charge, the company said in a recent announcement. The plant is fully integrated, with raw battery cell materials coming in one end and finished battery packs going out the other (see accompanying image). Nissan has not yet released specifications for the 2013 Leaf and its battery pack. The Leaf will be assembled alongside the Nissan Altima and Maxima.
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The production process at Nissan's new U.S. battery plant begins with formation of electrode sheets.
Detailed FEV study shows the way to major vehicle mass savings
Significant vehicle mass reduction—up to 20%—is achievable if weight reduction is pursued as part of a "full-vehicle approach," according to a study by FEV Inc. released Dec. 13. The company used a 2010 Toyota Venza for its research because that model was used in an earlier, related study. The comprehensive phase-two study by FEV was conducted for the U.S. EPA. The previous study, by Lotus Engineering (go to www.sae.org/mags/aei/8512 to read more), was conducted for the International Council on Clean Transportation. That study did not address mass savings from the powertrain to the extent the new one does, nor did it use advanced CAE tools to judge the impact of mass-savings measures on safety, according to FEV. In both cases, the mass savings were to be achieved with no degradation in safety or other parameters. The new study shows that the body-in-white and closures offered the most mass reduction at 68.32 kg (150.62 lb), followed closely by suspension. Total mass savings of 18.3% (312 kg/688 lb) was achieved, and at a cost savings of $148 from manufacturing efficiencies.
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Advanced CAE tools were used as part of the comprehensive study that resulted in a report of 890 pages.
Wireless EV charging advances with Evatran testing program
The City of Raleigh is the first municipality nationwide to join a special program to test wireless electric vehicle charging technology. It joins six other participants to date in the second phase of Evatran's so-called Apollo Program launching early in 2013 to further demonstrate the company's technology, which it brands Plugless Power. Its second-generation "production-intent" model will be used in this phase, with three of the 20-30 total units to be installed in Raleigh municipal parking lots. Evatran will retrofit two Nissan Leafs and one Chevrolet Volt in the city's fleet for use with the charging system. Five prototype wireless charging units were used in the first phase of the Apollo Program, which involved six partners (among them Google and Hertz, which are also participating in the second phase). In a separate matter, the company said it will begin distributing its Plugless Power units in the spring; they will be the first wireless charging units available to individual Leaf and Volt owners.
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Two prototype wireless charging stations are located at Evatran's technology center in Morrisville, NC.
BMW and Boeing to collaborate on carbon-fiber materials
Two heavyweights in the automotive and aerospace industries are joining minds on lighter materials. BMW and Boeing on Dec. 12 announced they would do joint research on carbon-fiber recycling and share knowledge about the material and its manufacture. As part of the collaboration agreement, the two companies will also share carbon-fiber manufacturing process simulations and ideas for manufacturing automation. BMW in 2013 plans to introduce two models from its new i brand (i3 battery-electric and i8 plug-in hybrid) featuring bodies made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner aircraft is made up of 50% carbon fiber. The collaboration is the first ever between the two companies.
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The bodies of BMW's i brand models will use carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. (Patrick Ponticel)
U.S. DOE reinforces its commitment to advanced batteries for EVs with new technology Hub
The U.S. Department of Energy on Nov. 30 announced it will establish a major advanced-battery research center on the campus of Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago. The Batteries and Energy Storage Hub, also called the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR). Establishment of the Hub is tied to the award of DOE funding of up to $120 million for a research team led by Argonne and consisting of additional national labs, universities, and private companies, the latter consisting of Dow Chemical Co., Applied Materials Inc., Johnson Controls Inc., and Clean Energy Trust. JCESR will integrate independent research being done by the participating entities into a coordinated effort. It is the fourth Hub established by the DOE since 2010 (the others address nuclear energy, building efficiency, and fuels derived from sunlight), and like the others it is modeled on the "strong scientific management characteristics of the Manhattan Project" and similarly renowned enterprises. Research will apply to multiple industries, not just automotive.
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Argonne scientist Ira Bloom examines a metallographic sample using an optical microscope to determine its microstructure in the laboratory's Battery Post-Test Facility. This information helps researchers learn what chemical and physical changes have occurred during the aging of battery materials.
Motiv ePCS to power heavy electric trucks in Chicago
San Francisco Bay Area-based startup Motiv Power Systems has been chosen to supply its scalable electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS) to the City of Chicago for 20 all-electric garbage trucks, under an exclusive five-year, $13.4 million contract. The City of Chicago operates 600 garbage trucks in total. The ePCS uses off-the-shelf batteries and motors that can be configured to power medium-duty to Class 8 heavy-duty EV trucks, weighing from 15,000 to 52,000 lb (6800 to 23,500 kg). This design approach can cut operating costs by 50% over an eight-year period, according to Motiv. The company, which was founded in 2009, has been validating its ePCS since March 2012 with an all-electric pilot bus. Funded by a grant from the California Energy Commission, the 20-passenger bus contains five battery packs (125 kW·h) providing a range of more than 120 mi (193 km) on a single charge. The Motiv EV refuse trucks planned for Chicago will use the same ePCS system as the pilot bus, but with a larger motor and 10 battery packs, and will also employ an electric motor to drive the hydraulics system. Motiv will work with partner Detroit Chassis to install the ePCS onto a standard refuse chassis; Loadmaster will provide the truck bodies. Weighing 52,000 lb (23,500 kg), the EV refuse trucks will reportedly have a range of more than 60 mi (97 km), with a total energy storage of 200 kW·h. (Go to www.sae.org/mags/sohe/11486 to read about another recent electrified refuse truck project.)
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Weighing 52,000 lb, the Motiv-powered electric refuse trucks in Chicago will have a range of more than 60 mi (97 km), with a total energy storage of 200 kW·h.
Renewable-fuel levels to remain in place, EPA rules
The U.S. EPA on Nov. 16 announced that it has denied a waiver of the regulation requiring the production of renewable fuels. The governors of several states, as well as other parties, had petitioned the EPA to waive renewable fuel volume requirements for 2012 and 2013 because of concerns about the effects of drought on corn production and prices. In researching the request, EPA found that the body of evidence suggests there would be no impact on corn prices if the waiver were granted. Even if there were an impact, it would be very small and fall short of the "severe harm" waiver threshold set out in the Renewable Fuels Standard. That standard calls for the production of increasingly greater amounts of renewable fuels annually over the years 2008 through 2022. The required amount of ethanol or ethanol-equivalent renewable fuel for 2012 is 15.2 billion gal (57.6 billion L) and for 2013 it is 16.55 billion gal (62.6 billion L). The target for 2022 is 36.0 billion gal (136.3 billion L).
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Iowa State University is heavily involved in renewable fuels research.
Volvo ramps up production of world's first diesel plug-in hybrid
Volvo Car Corp. says it has successfully integrated production of what it claims is the world's first diesel plug-in hybrid into the assembly line with conventional models at its Torsland Plant in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company claims it is the first to accomplish such an integration. "The integration in the standard production flow gives the plug-in hybrid buyer the possibility to choose, in principle, all options available for the standard V60," said Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research and Development at Volvo Car Corp. The assembly line was rebuilt to accommodate production of the plug-in, which features 300 more parts than the conventional car models. After the first batch of 1000 MY2013 V60 Plug-ins are built, the plant will ramp up to as many as 6000 MY2014 units, according to the company.
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Sofia Nordgren and Apichat Khongkamnoed install the high-voltage cables (orange) and the cooling system for the V60 Plug-in's battery pack at Volvo's Torsland Plant in Gothenburg, Sweden.
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