electric vehicles

Electric MINIs Headed for California

khallgeisler — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

BMW, which owns the Mini brand, is slated to bring 500 electric-powered Mini Coopers to California sometime in the near future. You will know them by their distinctive paint job, silver with a yellow roof. You'll also be able to recognize them by their quiet operation and smug, smiling drivers. Oh, how I wish I could be one of those.

The company is building 500 empty cars -- no engines, no fuel tanks, no gearboxes -- at the Mini factory in England. The shells will be shipped to Germany to be fitted with electric motors, batteries, and chargers, as well as presumably a new type of transmission. The completed Mini EVs will be brought to the States.

Well, one state, anyway. Like all these new-technology vehicles, BMW will lease the Minis to customers in California, not sell them outright. Of the 500 total, 490 will be available to the public, while 10 will be kept as show cars.

Folks outside California (and impatient Californians) can still get an electric Cooper, for a price. Hybrid Technologies converted a Mini to lithium-ion battery power and brought it to Popular Mechanics HQ last year. You can buy one from the company today that goes 75 mph and has a 100-mile range -- for about $50,000, or twice the price of a standard Mini.

Image courtesy of Mini.

Forget Gas Prices: Consider a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle

khallgeisler — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Many automakers are promising that electric, highway-speed, family sedans are on their way, maybe even as early as next year. If you'd like to lose the gasoline habit sooner rather than later, though, there are options available right now: NEVs, or neighborhood electric vehicles.

These are the zippy little cars made by the likes of Zap, Zenn, and Gem. Some have three wheels, some have four, and they generally carry one or two passengers. But would one of these cars work for you? Maybe, and maybe not.

Pluses

No gas, ever. All the power is supplied by batteries, usually of the common, less-expensive lead-acid variety. These can be fully charged overnight in a standard socket for a couple cents a mile.

Up the green ante with renewable power. If your utility company offers clean electricity from wind farms or the like, then your NEV's carbon footprint dwindles to almost nothing.

Price. NEVs can be cheaper than even gas-sippers like the Honda Fit or Nissan Versa. Bare-bones models start at about $7,000 and go up to about $16,000 for your fancier models.

Zero emissions. None.

Quiet. The only noise is the tires rolling on the road, so you'll no longer be contributing to noise pollution. But do the polite thing and make sure kids and the blind know you're around, since they can't hear you.

Minuses

Top speed of about 40 mph. For those who live in an urban area, though, this hardly matters. Speed limits in towns are rarely higher than a Zap can zip.

Maximum range of 25-50 miles, depending on batteries. Again, this isn't a major minus, as 78% of Americans have a round-trip commute of 40 miles or fewer. If you can top off the batteries at work, you can double your daily miles.

Number of passengers is limited. You can take your kid to Little Leage practice, but no one else can ride along. Unless they are very tiny, or an invisible friend.

Hills are the enemy. But the flip side is that flat streets are your friend. If you live in a hilly area, an NEV might not have the power to get you up and over. But again, flat, urban commutes are ideal for these cars.

Taryn Sokolow, of the EnVironmental Motors EV dealership in Glendale, Calif., said in an interview earlier this year, "Some people it really doesn't work for, and some people think they can't, but they can."

When Sokolow is working with a customer to find the right NEV, she finds herself asking them, "How far is it from your work to your home? I need to know miles." Know your commute and your needs, and you might find that two cents a mile works just great for you.

Photo courtesy of Zenn.

High gas prices + greenhouse gases = time for an electric mower

jplatt — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:00:00 -0400

With summer in full swing, your lawn growing longer by the minute, and gas prices going sky-high, it might be time to get finally rid of your old, gas-guzzling mowers.

Still not convinced? A recent EPA study might help make that transition even more palatable: gas-powered mowers emit as much pollution as 11 cars (for push mowers) and 34 cars (for riding mowers). Yikes!

Luckily, several new (and old) options exist which will save the average homeowner both money and the hassle of going to the gas station to fill up their lawnmower tank.

1. Go robotic! Two new electric-powered Automowers from Husqvarna offer automated mowing of yards up to half-an-acre in size. They charge in just 45 minutes, and can mow about 800-1300 square feet of lawn per hour. Meanwhile, you can sit back and drink some organic lemonade. (Price: Around $4,000)

2. Go electric! Black & Decker's 24V Cordless Mulching Mower is the first electric mower to gain the coveted ENERGY STAR rating. It charges in about 10 hours, and is intended for yards up to one-third of an acre. (Price: $400-$500)

3. Go old-school! Sometimes the best technology is old technology. The hardware stores in my area can't keep old-fashioned human-powered push mowers in stock. Sure, you have to do the work yourself, but think of it as exercise. (Price: Around $100)

4. Go really old school! Buy a goat and keep it in your yard. Now only will it trim your lawn, you can feed it your garbage! Talk about recycling!

5. Go greener by getting rid of the green! Who needs all of that lawn, anyway? Plant some trees and shrubs and flowers, for crying out loud! Your local birds and insects will love you for it.

Segway Sales Scooting Along

jplatt — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0400

Gas prices high enough for ya? You're not alone. But some people and businesses are taking action. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, high gas prices have pushed sales of electric-powered Segway PT vehicles up as much as 50% this quarter.

Segway, Inc. doesn't release exact sales figures (private companies don't have to), but according to CEO Jim Norrod, Segway sales rose 25% in the first quarter of this year; he expects another 50% jump for the second quarter.

The Segway PT comes in a variety of configurations for personal and business use, and plugs into a standard wall socket. One model, the i2 Commuter, has a range of about 24 miles, a maximum speed of 12.5 miles per hour, and costs "about what you spend for your daily newspaper" to charge.

On top of that energy savings, Segway is giving buyers an extra incentive to start scooting around on their two-wheeled vehicles: for every device sold, they will purchase Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) "equivalent to the amount of electricity frequent rider uses in one year to charge a Segway PT (about 200 kilowatt hours)."

Now, a Segway ins't the perfect choice for everyone. They still cost around $5k, they only go a few dozen miles, and they don't have roofs, so they aren't exactly all-weather vehicles. But if you're feeling pain at the gas pump and are still waiting for an electric car, the Segway could be your salvation.

You Have More Choices for Green Cars that Save Fuel and Money

khallgeisler — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

First came the clever little Smart ForTwo. Then came the outrageous gas prices. Now, drivers are looking for ways to get out of the SUV and into a car they can afford to drive. Below, the past, present, and future of affordable cars that go easy on the wallet and the environment.

First, the present. The Triac EV picks up where so many others have left off: it's an electric vehicle that can hit the highway and not break the bank. Green Vehicles, a company based in San Jose, Calif., builds the three-wheeled car, and claims the Triac can do 80 mph. A six-hour charge gets you 60-100 miles from the lithium-ion battery pack, depending on terrain and speed. Rumor has it that the Triac will run about $20,000, or one-fifth the price of a Tesla EV supercar.

Meanwhile, the futurisitc folks at Fiat worked with several design agencies to produce the Phylla, an asymmetrical solar-powerred car. The consortium that created this cutie was charged with designing a car that was recyclable, used alternative energy, worked with car-sharing programs, and was inexpensive to operate. A day's worth of sun should propel the Phylla 11 miles; not far, but completely free.

Lastly, it looks like people should have hung on to those underpowered, three-cylinder Geo Metros from the early 1990s. Turns out those little guys get great gas mileage, somewhere in the 30s around town and in the 40s on the freeway. Looks like my friend John shouldn't have gotten rid of his off-green Metro, "the General Bean," after college.