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Ford says Sync is now in 4 million vehicles, takes a moment to talk up Focus Electric
Since its debut in 2007, Ford and Microsoft's Sync infotainment system has made its way into several of the auto maker's models, including the 2012 Focus Electric. At this week's Future in Review tech conference, Ford announced that more than 4 million vehicles in the US have its entertainment platform on board. In addition to dropping that stat, the company talked up its new EV, which it says can charge in half the time it takes for the Nissan Leaf. Maybe Ford caught wind of Nissan's just-announced e-NV200 all-electric van and wanted to remind those in the market for an EV that a blue box isn't the only option.
Nissan announces e-NV200 all-electric van, production slated for 2013
So, Chrysler's electric postal van never really took off -- perhaps a few too many mailmen refused to give up those roomy Grumman LLVs -- but now Nissan is giving the electric van concept a go. Yesterday the company announced the e-NV200 compact van (previously teased as a concept), which will go into production in 2013. The van will be Nissan's second all-electric vehicle, following the 2010 Leaf. The e-NV200's design is quite similar to that of the NV200 van, but it swaps taxi-cab yellow for the Leaf's shade of robin's egg blue. Nissan says it's putting $126 million into producing the new model, but so far it's keeping mum on other details. Head past the break for the full press release
Nissan adopts 15 EV chargers, is first on nappy duty (video)
Nissan's concerned that Leaf owners aren't getting around enough. So, until IBM's super-batteries arrive or Exxon starts installing charging points in its gas stations, the car maker's got to do it itself. In partnership with charity Adopt-A-Charger, it's paying for 15 charging points in California, three at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and twelve at the Music Concourse in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Customers will have totally free access, with Nissan pledging to pay for the upkeep and electricity that the public uses. After the break we've got a video whose narrator probably makes Chris Hansen jealous of his voice.
Renault's Twizy EV for 16 year-olds comes too late for Justin to skip the DMV queue
Renault's planning to take advantage of a change in the law that'll enable 16-year-olds to drive vehicles on the roads without a license by releasing the Twizy EV. The futuristic golf-cart will have a top speed of 28mph and give budding Dominic Torettos the chance to drag-race each other in mall car parks every night. Unfortunately, environmentally-friendly road-raging will come at a price, with the Twizy expected to retail at £6,200 ($9,940) and teenage insurance premiums being a further £4,000 ($6,400). At the same event, the company's Andy Heiron mentioned that the high cost of (sister-company's) Nissan Leaf was responsible for the sluggish sales in Blighty, and that Nissan is considering letting buyers rent their EV batteries in order to lower the initial cost of their enviro-whip to more manageable levels. Otherwise, it won't just be the kids fighting over who gets to do that extra paper-route.
Nissan Leaf to get minor range boost, prove Moore's Law doesn't apply to EVs
Fifteen months and 10,000 American sales later, Nissan is preparing a 2013 overhaul of its Leaf EV. What green and fresh bounties can we expect? Leather seats, a "darker" interior and more efficient heater, which could let the EV go up to 20-25 miles further in cold-weather conditions. Sounds minor to our comfortably warm ears, and there's no specific mention of inductive charging (depicted above) either. On the other hand, the 2012 model already hiked up prices and Nissan probably has to stick closely to the current $35,000 bracket or risk being run down by another all-electric, all-emotional hatchback that's also due next year.
Ford Focus gets EPA rating: 105 MPGe, 76-mile range
The EPA has finished its usual gauntlet of tests and has found that this year's Ford Focus Electric is the most efficient five-seater in America. The agency certified that it gets 105 miles to the electric equivalent to the gallon (divided between 110MPGe in the city and 99MPGe on the highway), which is better than Ford's own claim of just 100MPGe. The company's found cause to celebrate the milestone and throw a few jabs at its closest rival, the Nissan Leaf. In fact, you could say that the House that Henry built has a bit of a complex about the leafy EV -- in the press release we've got for you after the break, it mentions the rival vehicle no less than nine times.
Green Charge: an app that helps your EV talk to you (video)
The maker of PlugShare is determined to satisfy your EV needs with a new app that'll feed the data from your Leaf or Volt straight to your iOS device. GreenCharge monitors your battery data, charging speed, efficiency of recent journeys and environmental impact and keeps it to hand in handy graphical form. You can chart your price-per-mile (compared to using petrol) and monitor your environmental impact -- sending all this data to your friends over Facebook or Twitter. If you're considering dropping some cash on an EV but don't trust the salesman, sync it up to a demonstration vehicle and it'll give you the deep dish without any fluff. You'll be able to pick it up from the App store today for $10 (equal to three days gas, but then you did just save $1,000 on your new Volt) and if you're not convinced, we've got a cornucopia of treats to whet your appetite after the break.
Chevy Volt sees best sales yet in December, Nissan Leaf still outpaces it for the year
It looks like GM had some good news and some bad news for the Chevy Volt to end 2011 with. As Autoblog Green reports, the plug-in vehicle saw its best ever month in December with 1,529 cars sold, bringing its total sales for the year to 7,671. That still wasn't enough to pull ahead of the Leaf electric vehicle in sales for the year, however, as Nissan managed to move a total of 9,674 units despite falling a bit short in December with just 954 cars sold. Both of those numbers are off the automakers' targets for their respective vehicles, though, with Nissan just a bit short of its 10,000-unit goal, and GM well off its original aim of 10,000-12,000 units sold. Unfortunately for GM, 2012 got off to a start with a few new headaches for the Volt.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: 5 megawatt solar roof, driverless electric cars and ten of the world's craziest Christmas trees
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Solar-powered buildings heated up this week as Inhabitat reported that Apple will crown its new Cupertino headquarters with a 5 megawatt solar roof, and we took a peek inside a sun-powered prefab pod home set in the Italian Alps. We also showcased several fresh examples of wintry architecture this week as we brought you six amazing buildings made from ice and snow and we learned that BIG's waste-to-energy ski slope incinerator was scrapped due to environmental concerns. We also showcased an innovative shelf for interiors made from movable pins, a set of awesome night lights made from retrofitted vintage cameras, and since the holidays are on the way we shared a kit that will help you make your own geodesic gingerbread house! Speaking of the holiday season, this week we rounded up the world's 10 craziest Christmas trees made from recycled objects, and we brought you photos of a massive luminous Xmas tree in Lithuania made from 40,000 plastic bottles. We also brought you a guide for making your own DIY terrarium Christmas ornaments, and if you're looking for cool techy gifts to stick beneath the tree you won't want to miss Theo Jansen's 3d-printed miniature Strandbeest wind walking robots and this fun wooden iPhone toy for tots. In other news, eco transportation blasted off to the future as Zapata Racing unveiled a set of insane water-propelled rocket boots that will send you soaring like a superhero and Audi and BIG unveiled plans for a network of driverless electric cars and luminous high-tech roadways. We were also excited to announce that the Nissan Leaf was named Japan's Car of the Year at the Tokyo Motor Show, we saw Daimler unveil plans for a new E-Cell hybrid with inductive charging, and Smart shared a sneak peek of their upcoming "For-US" compact electric pickup truck.
Nissan Leaf branches out to an additional six states, plus one Island
The Nissan Leaf is inching closer to national ubiquity, with the addition of seven new markets across the continental US. In a statement issued yesterday, the manufacturer announced that its EV will soon be available within Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, with the first deliveries scheduled to roll out in Spring 2012. This expansion, which comes nearly one year after the Leaf's grand debut, means that the plug-in is now available in a full 30 US states (including Washington, DC), though Nissan hopes to bring it to the full 50 by March of next year. Rustle past the break for the full PR.
Nissan Leaf to get inductive charging, lose its stem in 2013 (video)
Nissan has big plans for the still-budding Leaf. The Japanese automaker lit up its impressive Leaf-powered Smart House at the Tokyo Motor Show last week, but also demoed its wireless charging solution for a much smaller crowd at the company's Oppama factory. The device uses electromagnetic induction to transfer power between a charging pad and a receiver on the bottom of the car, with an efficiency level between 80 and 90 percent -- simply park your EV directly above the system to begin charging, and monitor progress on the ground transmission unit's control panel. The pad is expected to become available as soon as 2013, but will only be compatible with new vehicles, so you won't be able to use it with an older Leaf, unfortunately. There's a silent demo video waiting for you just past the break.
Nissan demonstrates Leaf-powered Smart House, we go hands-on
Back in August, Nissan shared its vision of making its Leaf EV a secondary power source for houses, be it for emergency power outage or for powering lodges in the countryside. Here at the Tokyo Motor Show, we got to see a Smart House that demonstrates just that. To supply the electricity from the Leaf, Nissan uses a power control system box that can supply up to 6kW of power -- plenty of juice for this structure, which consumes about 1 to 2kW for its lights, fan, TV, clock, mini fridge and air conditioner. As for battery life, a Leaf can keep a typical Japanese household powered for about two days, and customers can pick up this power control system in around end of March next year (the retail version will be about half the size of the one pictured). Nissan also said potentially the Smart House can supply excess electricity back to the grid, though this isn't yet possible in Japan due to the lack of such service, which is understandable given the natural disasters earlier this year. Additionally, it turns out that the Smart House can also power itself during sunny days using its solar panels on the top, and any remaining electricity is used to charge up the Leaf; so effectively the car is acting as a mobile battery for the house. But what if it's cloudy and the Leaf is out and about? Well, the fuel cells inside the Smart House's belly will keep your party going, so there's really nothing to worry about as long as you keep an eye on your propane level. Head past the break to watch Nissan's Shinsuke Suzuki switch the house off and on for us. %Gallery-140613%
Ford begins taking reservations for the Focus Electric, pricing starts at $39,200
We caught our first glimpse of the Ford Focus Electric way back at CES and now, about 11 months later, it's finally hit the market. The manufacturer's long-awaited EV popped up for pre-order on its website yesterday, bearing a base price tag of $39,200. Add in an extra $795 in destination charges and subtract a hefty federal tax credit, and you're looking at a final sticker of about $32,495. As our friends over at Autoblog Green point out, that's about $3,945 higher than what the Nissan Leaf will cost you (pre-incentives), though your final bill could also hinge upon whether you opt for the Blue Candy or White Platinum paint jobs ($395 and $495, respectively), or those leather-trimmed seats, which would set you back an extra $995. According to Ford, a "limited number" of Focus Electrics will be made available in select California and New York markets, though the car should make its way to an extra 15 markets by next year, once production gets ramped up. You can reserve one for yourself at the source link below, or just purr past the break for the full PR treatment.
Nissan Leaf EVs to join NYC taxis, won't make hailing a cab in Manhattan any easier
We've come a long way since Crown Vics crowded the streets of the Big Apple, opting instead for a fleet of hybrid taxis -- but today the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission is taking its green approach one step further with the introduction of six electric Nissan Leaf cabs. Starting next spring, the electric cars will join the procession of mustard-colored whips as part of the Electric Taxi Pilot Program. The new additions are part of Bloomberg's plans for an all electric cab system by 2012. It's unsure yet whether the five-door electrics will have a distance or duty limitation and exactly what type of charging stations will be used. Curious cabbies can check out the source to find out how to sign up. Now, if we could only flag one down...
Nissan's new charging technology will juice your EV in ten minutes, ten years from now
Nearly a month after unveiling its revamped quick charger, Nissan has now announced that it's working on new technology that would make EV charging... well, quicker. A lot quicker. Developed alongside researchers from Japan's Kansai University, the manufacturer's approach would allow drivers to fully charge their plug-ins in just ten minutes, without taking any toll on a lithium-ion battery's storage or voltage. Nissan says it could achieve this by tinkering with a charger's capacitor -- more specifically, by replacing its carbon electrode with one based on a composite of tungsten oxide and vanadium oxide. Industry insiders, however, say this technology may not reach the commercial level for another ten years -- substantially longer than ten minutes.
Nissan downsizes EV quick charger, slashes price while eying US, EU and Japanese markets
Like a hamburger Happy Meal, Nissan's brand new quick-charge station is fast, cheap and easy, thanks to its tasty new electric circuit technology. Nissan claims the 49kW charger takes up less space, is easier to install and a heckuva lot cheaper than former models, leaving only a ¥1 million yen (or around $10,000) dent in your pocket compared to the former ¥1.47 million (or $19,088) crater. Hoping to sell around 5,000 units and set up charging stations throughout the Land of the Rising Sun by March 2016, Nissan sees the technology rolling out in the US and Europe sometime in the near future -- no toy included. Pull over for the full PR after the break.
Daimler Smart Forvision: a solar-powered roof with plastic wheels never looked so good
No, it's not a Micro Machine -- it's the Daimler Smart Forvision. Daimler paired up with chemicals giant BASF to improve Smart's flagship EV after being soundly trounced by the Nissan Leaf's longer range. With an emphasis on efficiency, the Forvision goes up to 20 percent further than the standard Fortwo. It has a transparent solar-panel roof which generates power to keep the cooling fans running even when stationary, see-through dashboard and clear OLEDs for internal lighting at night. BASF's wizardry helped in the development of all-plastic wheels, a super-thin heat shield and aluminum fiber paints that insulate the car but allow for GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth signals to pass through unimpeded. The concept will be unveiled properly at the Frankfurt Motor Show but check out the preview gallery and press release to learn more. %Gallery-132455%
Nissan Leaf mod offers more accurate battery status, less streamlined interior
Car mods come in many forms -- including, even, a piece of cardboard with some switches and an LED display. The car being modded in this case is the Nissan Leaf, and the mod in question (still in its temporary form here, thankfully) is a simple but important one. It's a homebrew device that plugs into the Leaf's OBD-II diagnostics port and displays the battery's exact state of charge, as opposed to the somewhat less specific bars that are displayed on the main dashboard display. Absolutely necessary? Not exactly, but the mod seems to be catching on with a growing contingent of DIY-minded Leaf forum members. Hit the source link below for a few more examples and some additional details for building your own. [Image credit: mwalsh / My Nissan Leaf Forum]
Nichicon lays claim to the world's smallest EV chargers with NGQ-202, NGQ-203 models
Although it'll still be hard to misplace in your pile of electronics, a company called Nichicon has launched what it says is the world's smallest chargers for electric vehicles, the NGQ-A202 and the NGQ-A302. By using what the company calls advanced module technology, it was able to shrink its EV charger down by 50 percent to around 59 x 13.8 x 23.6 inches, also reducing the weight by up to 66 percent. Compatible with the ChAdeMO standard, these 20-30kW chargers will work with electric vehicles like Mitsubishi's i-MiEV and the Nissan Leaf, taking between 35 and 60 minutes to fully power your whip. Charging doesn't come cheap, however, as the batteries are said to retail between $24,600 and $27,000 when they launch sometime in October. Next step -- cutting the cord and going wireless, perhaps? Check out the full PR after the break.
Nissan's Leaf rollout speeds up in Chicago this fall
Oprah may have left town and packed up her "You get a car!" philanthropic ways, but that's not stopping Nissan from injecting the windy city with a little auto excitement. Responding to an overwhelming customer demand for its all-electric Leaf vehicles, the Japanese car maker is accelerating the line's rollout to Chicago residents, with the first models to be available this fall. The launch will be bolstered by a planned 280 EV charging stations, funded in part by a pledged $1 million from the state and an additional $1 million grant. If you're living in the second city to our north and haven't yet hitched your ride to the electric hatchback caravan, now might be the time.
