Green Fleet Briefing: Chevy Spark EV, GM Solar Canopy, Nissan’s 10-Min Charge

by | Oct 14, 2011

This article is included in these additional categories:

Chevrolet has announced the Spark EV, an all-electric version of its Spark mini-car. It will be sold in limited quantities in select U.S. and global markets starting in 2013, including California.

It is designed for users in urban areas who have predictable driving patterns or short commutes. A123 Systems will supply the car’s nanophosphate lithium-ion battery packs.

GM says that details on specific markets, range, quantities and pricing will be announced later.

In related news, GM contracted with TimberRock Energy Solutions, Inc. to install a solar EV charging station at the car-maker’s Allison Transmission plant in White Marsh, Md., Industry Week reports.

The two companies worked with Standard Solar to design a 10kW system that includes four level 1 (120V) and four level 2 (240V) fast charge stations beneath a solar canopy. The system is expected to generate enough energy to fully power a fleet of six Chevy Volts, and the plant can draw on the solar power when the charging stations are not in use.

Nissan and Japan’s Kansai University are developing an EV station that can recharge a car in ten minutes, the New York Daily News reports.

The partners achieved the breakthrough by changing material used for the electrode inside the capacitor, from carbon to a combination of tungsten oxide and vanadium oxide, according to Asean Automotive News.

But it could take a decade to commercialize the improvement.

London-based Chargemaster has launched an EV charging network expected to install 4,000 EV charging stations in 100 U.K. towns and cities by the end of 2012, Autocar reports. The Polar network will charge a monthly subscription starting at £24.50, plus a payment of £0.90 per charge.

Protean Electric, the developer of an in-wheel motor electric drive system for light-duty vehicles, says the vast majority of the hybrid retrofit market will come from converting light duty government and commercial fleets. It expects the total market for hybrid retrofits to grow to half a million vehicles by 2020.

Finally, Eaton Corporation announced that customers of its hybrid systems have collectively accumulated more than 200 million miles of service, reducing diesel fuel consumption by 8 million gallons and emissions by 80,000 metric tons.

More than 5,500 of Eaton’s hybrid systems are in use today on city buses, school buses, delivery trucks, refuse and recycling trucks and in other commercial applications.

Additional articles you will be interested in.

Stay Informed

Get E+E Leader Articles delivered via Newsletter right to your inbox!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Share This