Hotel’s “Green Package” Includes Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) Usage

The Courtyard Charleston Historic District hotel in Charleston, SC includes use of an NEV as part of their “Be Keen and Go Green” package for guests. Guests have 24 hour access to the hotel’s NEV vehicle, to tour the city’s historic district and other locations. The package includes “…overnight accommodations, a tote bag with sun block, detailed map of Charleston outlining unique alleyways, attractions and city parking, breakfast for two in the Courtyard’s own Bistro and 24-hour access to the hotel’'s NEV vehicle. ”

Chrysler Selling Electric Vehicle Division

Chrysler announced the sale of its Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) subsidiary, makers of the all-electric neighborhood vehicles.

Chrysler reached a deal with Polaris Industries, Inc., makers of snowmobiles and ATV’s, to acquire the GEM division. Neither company has released details on how the sale will affect Fargo, North Dakota-based GEM or its network of more than 100 dealers worldwide.

GEM has been in operation in 1998 when they released its first 2-passenger vehicle. Two years later, Chrysler acquired GEM and looked to the small company to expand its Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) development.

Polaris Industries recently reported record earnings for the first quarter of 2011. Management reported sales of $537.2 million and net income of $47.3 million for the quarter compared to $361.7 million and $19.8 million in the first quarter of 2010. For the full year 2011 management expects sales to increase 17%-20% compared to 2010.

Greentech T3 urban electric vehicle - 2011 Geneva Motor Show

Greentech T3 urban electric vehicle - 2011 Geneva Motor Show

Eon Motors WEEZ urban electric vehicle - 2011 Geneva Motor Show

Eon Motors WEEZ urban electric vehicle - 2011 Geneva Motor Show

MICRON urban electric vehicle - 2011 Geneva Motor Show

MICRON urban electric vehicle - 2011 Geneva Motor Show

Tazzari ZERO Special Edition "ZERO SE" Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV)

From March 3rd to 13th, during the Geneva Motor Show, Switzerland will get a chance to see the new Tazzari ZERO Special Edition for the first time. The “ZERO SE” will be on show in Hall 7, at Booth 7143 hosted by KSU / A-TECHNIK AG, official partner of the Swiss sales network distributing Tazzari electric products.

The Special Edition overtakes the Standard version

Great news for the Special Edition (limited series of 999 vehicles) recently launched at the Bologna Motor Show in December 2010. Current orders represent 80%, in favour of the NEV with touch-screen control panel, brand new LED daytime running lights and a redesigned front end. At the start of March, the official European Tazzari Dealer network will receive the first ZERO Specials produced.

Wheego Sees March 2011 Launch

Wheego, the startup electric car brand that uses a Chinese body and U.S. components, is building its first 500 orders and expects to launch retail sales March 30, 2011.

The Atlanta venture received U.S. regulatory approval at the end of December to begin selling a highway-safe two-seat LiFe model through 35 U.S. dealers.

“We are ready to go,” said Jeff Boyd, president of Wheego Electric Cars Inc.

Boyd’s pitch is that the franchise has no upfront investment requirements. It has no rules on store design or signs and no requirements on service tooling or parts inventories.

Dealers must commit to ordering a specified number of vehicles, depending on their market potential, and must agree to provide mobile vehicle service, Boyd said.

“Ninety-five percent of what could go wrong with this Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) can be fixed in the customer’s driveway,” Boyd claimed.

Boyd said the company’s assembly center in Ontario, Calif., will produce 200 cars a month for about 90 days and then ramp up volume as retail orders build.

He said the operation has capacity to turn out 60,000 vehicles a year.

The model runs on a lithium-iron battery pack made by California-based Flux Power Inc. that claims a 100-mile range.

How Important is Range?

When thinking about buying a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV), the first question many people ask is “How far can I drive on one charge?” This is an important point, because the inquirer wants to know if such vehicle will allow the driver to get to work and back and take him/her to other destinations. But many people think they need far more range than they really do. Some drivers bought a NEV thinking they would use it as their second car, for trips that didn’t require much range. They subsequently found that the NEV became the primary car. The majority of their trips were of very short distances, for which the NEV was than adequate. The gasoline-burning car was used for occasional out-of-town trips.

Transportation as if people mattered

The world’s car population is booming. Cars are polluting the world cities, dumping increasing amounts of carbon dioxide and other climate-altering greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and consuming vast quantities of petroleum. “The North American dream of a car – or two or three of them – in every garage is beginning to look like a nightmare for our planet,” warns the former president of the World Resources Institute. Is this true? Will our thirst for automobile mobility inevitably lead to environmental and economic cataclysm? Many believe so, and with some justification.

The alarming reality is that the automobile population is growing at a much faster rate than the human population, with saturation nowhere in sight. In 1950, there were approximately 50 million vehicles on earth, roughly 2 for every 100 persons. By 1994 the vehicle population had soared to almost 600 million, roughly 10 per 100 people. If present trends continue, over 3 billion vehicles could be in operation by the year 2050 exceeding 20 per 100. Even then, world car ownership rates would fall far short of current (2009) U.S. rates of 70 per 100 people.

A sobering assessment of the future? Yes. Is disaster inevitable? Not necessarily. The future needs not to be a simple extrapolation of the past; public policy can be changed and private investment altered. We can shift to a more environmentally friendly transportation system without unduly restricting freedom of movement. I envision a future only a few decades distant in which petroleum consumption, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions by new motor vehicles are reduced to near zero – at little or no additional cost.

Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) are good for running errands or commuting to work. For short city/urban travel, NEVs make perfect sense. Replacing the 2nd or 3rd vehicle in household with a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) is an appealing option.

The Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) will not only change the way that you drive, but the way you live. It’s not a car, it’s a cause.

The Cost of Petroleum & Population

If Hong Kong was to take action on climate change, what responsibilities should each of the following have?

Mankind face a great challenge in reducing the terrible air pollution problems that exist in most cities. This pollution damages buildings, crops, and forests. This pollution is responsible for increased health cost ie: respiratory ailments, carbon monoxide causes heart trouble, and nervous system difficulties.

One difficulty to overcome in breaking down the prejudice against Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) is ignorance of the inefficiencies and ecological costs, as well as economic costs, caused with a petroleum-based economy. Not all of the opposition is a deliberate attack on NEVs. Many people are simply afraid of change. They don’t stop thinking about the inefficiencies, inconveniences, and other drawbacks of the lifestyles that they have become accustomed to.

NEVs are also good for the economy. Increasing the average fuel efficiency of gasoline cars to 50 miles per gallon is bad for the economy. It’s better to have extra dollars in your pocket and then have to pay a thousand dollars in health care costs because of air pollution. Putting short-term economic gains above long-term gains creates a lot of problems.

Of course most of us know by now that NEVs offer the best hope of a solution to many, though certainly not all, problems caused by gasoline cars and trucks. An increase in the use of solar, wind, and other renewable and non-polluting forms of electric-power generation would continue to improve the outlook. There is definitely reason for optimism here. But we must also be realistic. NEVs and the production of the power to run them do cause some environmental problems, too:

Global Primary Energy Consumption by Source in 2009:

35% Oil
29% Coal
24% Gas
7% Hydro
5% Nuclear
0.42% Renewables

Population

Some time in the year 2011, the Earth’s human population is expected to reach seven billion. By 2045, global population is projected to reach nine billion. Almost half the World – over 3 billion people – lives on less than $2.50 a day. At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.

Unless population growth can soon be brought under control, however, the possibility that we can maintain breathable air is nil. There is a vicious cycle that starts with more people, who demand more goods, which requires the conversion of more natural resources into more products, which unavoidably creates more pollution of our environment.

In order to break this vicious cycle we must develop a new philosophy of life. As individuals we must now begin to consider the ecological consequences of ALL of our actions. As a society of careless individuals we have recklessly degraded the quality of our air. As a society of environmentally aware individuals we are now faced with the consequences of our carelessness, and it remains to be seen whether we shall be equal to the monumental task of preserving our air.

1987 Suntera Sunray Solar Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (sNEV)

The pictured Suntera Sunray Prototype Solar Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (sNEV) was built in Hawaii by noted engineer Jonathan Tennyson. The Sunray was regarded as one of the more inventive solar electric cars produced after the 1973 fuel crisis. Its fiberglass body was lightweight and strong and its generously rounded profile was designed to be as advanced visually as it power system was technologically.

Suntera Solar Electric Chariot Co was a company located in Honoka'a, Hawai`i.

The founder Jonathan Tennyson died of cancer in 1997, he was 52. When he developed cancer he said nothing and sought no treatment: “He was very quiet about his cancer but also very hardheaded. He had an agenda. He had a program. He knew that he had little time to get what he had in his head out.” - Tennyson had worn a full beard for at least a decade, but in his last years he had allowed it to get longer and bushier, emphasizing his hippie image. It wasn’t until his death that friends discovered that he’d been using the beard to hide the cancerous tumor growing on his neck

Only four (4) Solar Sunrays were ever built.

Tennyson began his career studying business at Duquesne University in Indiana on a golf scholarship. A career in marketing followed in Florida, where he also experimented with everything from propane to steam to run cars.

“I saw him as an incredible visionary as well as an entrepreneur,” said Konawaena teacher Bill Woerner.

Woerner said he took dozens of students to Tennyson’s farm to look at alternate energy projects.

“He influenced and changed the life of a lot of students on the island,” Woerner said.

Higway-Speed Electric Cars Will Struggle After Normal Buyers Replace Early Adopters

Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) are good for running errands or commuting to work. For short city/urban travel, NEVs make perfect sense. Replacing the 2nd or 3rd vehicle in household with a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) is an appealing option. (picture of a GEM NEV e2 model)



Since 2006 Lang Motors the electric car company is on the right track with its continued focus with Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) , and city/urban transportation.

A new report from Trend Tracker, an automotive research company, indicates that higway-speed electric cars are unlikely to be able to raise their game to bail out the world's need for mobility as world oil supplies continue to decrease. The Detroit News reports that the planned production of highway-speed electric cars indicates they will still be a peripheral choice by 2050, with the global market rising to about two billion, with only about 30 million highway-speed electric vehicles. "Highway-speed EV (HSEV) production would need to increase by an average two million units a year over 23 years to effectively electrify the global car market by 2050 when the 'peak oil' scenario may have played out. In the medium term, HSEVs will continue to suffer adverse comparison in terms of price and utility with conventional cars and plug-in hybrids. Suppliers will need to develop more enticing value propositions," the Trend Tracker report said. The highway-speed electric car falls short of being ready for prime time on many fronts. Range needs to be improved by at least 100 percent. Battery prices need to be shaved at least in half. The problem of depreciation will undermine the value of the first electric vehicles. For more on the challenges facing electric vehicles in the coming years: http://www.detnews.com/article/20110223/OPINION03/102230301/1148/auto01/Battery-electric-cars-will-struggle-after-normal-buyers-replace-early-adopters

From the article: It is not too late for car manufacturers to change course and go for a much simpler, cheaper and less ambitious solution. Why not produce a little vehicle that doesn't attempt to emulate the car with its speed, range and comfort? Why not make something utilitarian which would go about 50 km/h down to the shops or around campus, where limited range would make no difference, and which many families could afford. Why not apply the new electric technology to the golf cart? This would be an affordable, unpretentious little utilitarian second car which didn't attempt to reinvent the wheel. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen any time soon. "The technology would be very suited for a golf cart," said Roland Berger's Blanchet, "but the car manufacturers are not in that market today. They are selling volume and they will hope that short range mobility will be more than a niche market. They aren't going to make a car that isn't a car."

Tour De Sol Results

Tour De Sol, America’s #1 Green Car Show and Competition, Demonstrates How to Reduce Oil Use and Climate Change Emissions By Over 100%.

The results are in – and over 50 light duty vehicles competing in the Tour de Sol, America’s #1 green car show and competition “driving toward zero carbon emissions” demonstrated their ability of reducing oil use and climate change emissions by over 100%, compared to conventional vehicles that achieve the 27 mpg CAFÉ standard for light duty vehicles.

Held at the Saratoga Spa State Park and Saratoga Automobile Musuem in Saratoga Springs, NY, the Tour de Sol featured entrants in three separate competitions who turned in spectacular results and took home trophies and $10,000 in cash prizes. Using many energy efficiency techniques, and in some cases switching to less carbon intensive fuels such as compressed natural gas, biodiesel, vegetable oil, or electricity and hydrogen from clean renewable sources, the entrants demonstrated an average of 66 mpg, 140% above the current CAFÉ standard, and reductions in climate change emissions of 130%.

In the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) division, competition was fierce with three GEMs entered – one from the Southern Berkshire Regional School, Sheffield, MA and two from the Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs, NY. All of the vehicles drove over 30 kilometers with conventional lead acid batteries and received a cash prize from the Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium for their achievements. The Berkshire school also brought an amazing educational trailer with wind and solar demonstrations.

The "Made in Italy" Tazzari ZERO Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV)

Does The Automobile Have A Future?

Of course it does. So does the snowmobile. So does the dune buggy. The point is that the automobile's future cannot be allowed to be the same as its past. We are all familiar with the elements of that past which can roughly be divided into two classical periods: (1) the first years started in the age of Fordism and the assemblyline concept of manufacture, and (2) the age of Sloanism, when only 4 manufacturers remained in an industry dominated by GM's concept of large cars in which there was a model change every year. The latter point is especially critical, since it meant in effect that depreciation of the purchased product became by far the highest expense item, in later years followed by insurance.

One result of going from a Model-T or Model-A system, in which the product scacely changed internally or visibly over a decade or so, to a system in which economically if not technically the product every year became a new butterfly making last year's model obsolete, was that depreciation became very high. The standard North American cars have been such notorious gasoline hogs because the owner who could afford the monstrous rate of depreciation could also afford to drive fuel-wasting cars.

The Volkswagen Beetle (which was, in effect, a return to the Model-T concept) owed its popularity, especially among the young, precisely to the fact that it did not follow the dictation of Sloanism; it did not come out with a new model every year, and its depreciation was therefore minimal. North American compacts and subcompacts that sought desperately to take Volkswagen's business away were for the most part failures, not because of inadequate design, but because they could not remove themselves from the absurd Sloanistic annual model-change doctrine.

In order to break this vicious cycle we must develop a new philosophy of life

London Congestion Charge - Vancouver And Canadian Cities Next?

Citizens in London are paying four pounds ($6.00 Canadian Dollars) a day to have the privilege of driving in downtown London and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is considering a similar charge for drivers to motor about Manhattan.

The London congestion charge is a fee for motorists traveling within the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ), a traffic area in London. The charge aims to reduce congestion, and raise investment funds for London's transport system. The zone was introduced in Central London on 17 February 2003, and extended into parts of West London on 19 February 2007. Though not the first scheme of its kind in the United Kingdom, it was the largest when introduced, and it remains one of the largest in the world. Several cities around the world have referenced London's congestion charge when considering their own schemes.

A payment is required each day for each vehicle which travels within the zone between 7am and 6pm (Monday-Friday only); a fine of between £60 and £180 is levied for non-payment. Transport for London (TfL) administers the charge; Capita Group operated it under contract until 31 October 2009, IBM took over on 1 November 2009. The system is mostly run on an automatic basis using Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

100% Solar Powered ZENN Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV)

The University of Central Florida doesn't just go electric when it upgrades its vehicles, it goes solar. The ZENN Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV), was purchased by the Department of Sustainability and Energy Management as a plug-in electric vehicle. After a little customization, to the tune of 3 solar panels attached to the roof, the car now runs on 100% solar power.

Per day, the car can go about 30 kilometers, which doesn't seem like much, but for just traveling around campus, its perfect. Two of the panels power a 48V charge controller, and the panel powers a 24V charge controller, which is enough to get the car going. Essentially operation of the car is carbon neutral - no fuel, no plugging into a station and no emissions.

Lang Motors 'the electric car company' To Audition @ CBC Dragon's Den

For a fourth year in a row Lang Motors will audition to CBC Dragon's Den television show. The audition will take place in Vancouver on February 19, 2011.

"Dragons' Den Application; Thank you! - Your application has been received successfully. Good luck!"

About the CBC Dragon's Den television show: Launching a business is no small task. No matter how big an idea you think you have, it still takes a lot of work and a ton of cash. Enter the Dragons' Den, where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts and products to a panel of Canadian business moguls who have the cash and the know-how make it happen. They've all been there themselves, so you better not walk into the Den unprepared. It takes more than passion to convince these boardroom giants that your idea is worth their attention. The Dragons are ruthless and rightly so - it's their own personal money on the line.

http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/

Solar Battery Charging Stations for Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV)

Solar Energy is by far the most attractive alternative energy source for the future.

One of Lang Motors long-term proposals are for the establishment of Solar Battery Charging Stations, where a discharged battery could ‘fill-up’, providing an energy-free and non-polluting transportation system.

You are not wrong to think that a tool like this already exist but this tool uses 12 solar panels that can be sufficient to recharge an electric car and also have batteries to store excess electricity generated.

The future is not going to exempt us from more petrol and diesel hikes from the looks of it. Peak oil is dropping precariously and continuing political instability in various parts of the world is likely to ensure that this trend prevails. It's a good time to go electric!

China's Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) Development Plan

Wheego is a startup electric-car company, selling an electric conversion of a Chinese-made minicar. Wheego has already delivered about 300 of the Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) so far. The NEVs are being assembled in its plant in Ontario, California.


The delay in the release of China’s Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2011-2020) (the Plan) reflects some disputes over the draft copy, which was circulated last July among selected government agencies and leading automobile manufacturers. In addition to issues such as the feasibility of targeted goals of fuel efficiency, CO2 reduction and definition of new energy vehicles, the treatment of grassroots Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) may have been a focal point for further discussion.

Although Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) enjoy a huge market potential, it remains to be seen if the central government in China will legalize them through a different set of regulations and standards. China’s leading OEMs, which participated in drafting the Plan, may have strongly opposed to the promotion of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV).

For one thing they have invested heavily on highway-ready plug-in and electric vehicles. For another, they argue, Neighborhood Electric vehicles (NEV) would present a poor image for modern cities, they say.

The commercialization of highway-ready EVs has not been satisfactory due to high prices and lack of infrastructure support. In sharp contrast, Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) have mushroomed over the past few years due to their ultra-low price, convenience of home charging, low electricity cost in rural/urban areas and the absence of license and other fees.

Statistics show that the current annual demand for Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) in China has exceeded 100,000 units. There are more than 100 Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) producers with a capacity of over 300,000 units.

The commercialization of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) in China is the result of grassroots efforts and market demand.

Many industry analysts, including Chen Qingtai, former director of the State Council’s Development and Research Center, and Wang Binggang, former director of China Automotive Technology and Research Center, are active supporters of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV). At the EVS25 last year, government officials and EV experts agreed that China should prioritize the commercialization of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV) at the current stage before moving into the popularization of highway-ready EVs, which will depend on technology breakthroughs and availability of charging infrastructures.

It remains to be seen how China can leverage grassroots demand for Neighborhood Electric vehicles (NEV) in its long-term development plan for new energy vehicles in the next 10 years.

Source: China Automotive Review (February 11, 2011)