Pre-Owned Electric Car Batteries
Pre-Owned Electric Car Batteries
Nissan and Sumitomo established a joint venture to recycle lithium-ion electric car batteries, which could give Nissan an early lead in the fledgling electric car market by making its vehicles more affordable. The venture is based on a '4R' business model - Reuse, Resell, Refabricate and Recycle. Nissan aims to launch mass market electric vehicles by 2012. It already operates a joint venture with NEC - Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) - that makes high-performance lithium-ion batteries.
Reselling the batteries solves one of electric car manufacturers' biggest problems, which is affordability. Demand is expected to be particularly high for back-up power supplies, uninterruptable power supplies, load levelling for the electricity grid, and levelling of energy from both photovoltaic solar and wind power. In Japan, demand for such recycled batteries is expected to reach the equivalent of at least 50,000 electric cars a year by 2020.
Renault Launches EVs Site
Renault Zero Emission Range
Renault made quite an impact at the Frankfurt Motor Show with an extensive electric vehicle range. Following on the success of the show Renault has just launched a new site dedicated to promoting its upcoming range of Zero Emission vehicles; the Fluence, Kangoo, Zoe and Twizy. But the site is not only about the vehicles. The new site also provides information about Renault's process of making EVs affordable to everyone.
The site offers explanations of how Renault hopes to make these cars mainstream and affordable. Renault plans to offer all of its EVs with a Better Place strategy. Renault will lease the batteries of all upcoming EVs rather than outright selling the battery to the buyer. The energy storage system will all be leased separately with payments going to a chosen energy supplier. Additional information on the site suggests that Renault will offer three charging options for all of its EVs.
Rare Metals
Rare Metals
Rehabilitate vehicles off one addiction - petroleum - and get them hooked on another: rare earth elements. That is the issue the industry is facing by switching over to electricity as the energy of choice. The world is facing hi-tech crunch as China eyes ban on rare metal exports. Beijing is drawing up plans to prohibit or restrict exports of rare earth metals that are produced only in China and play a vital role in cutting edge technology; from hybrid cars to catalytic converters.
Every large car manufacturer either has hybrids on the market, or is planning to introduce them, but key components of the electric motors and batteries in hybrids are almost completely controlled by China. It is a little known, but increasingly important fact, that China produces more than 93 percent of so-called rare earth elements (REEs), and specifically more than 99 percent of two particular elements, dysprosium and terbium, which are key components in hybrid cars.
Tokyo Taxis Test Electric Batteries
Tokyo Taxis Test Electric Batteries
Tokyo taxis will be the first in the world to test the new electric-car batteries that can be replaced in less time than it takes to fill up the petrol tank. Better Place will have the opportunity to test its battery-swapping service concept. The pilot program is starting small, as only four electric taxis will take part in the trial of the new technology, which enables a depleted battery to be replaced with a fully charged one in about a minute.
The vehicles, operated by Tokyo's largest taxi operator Nihon Kotsu, will run from the Roppongi Hills shopping and office complex in the Japanese capital from January next year, under a trial commissioned by the government. The system, which removes the depleted battery from the underside of the vehicle and replaces it with another one, was designed to spare electric car users the hassle of waiting around while a battery is recharged.
