Tesla Motors Secures $465 Million to Develop New Sedan

by Chris Taylor 23. January 2010 15:51

(Story from here.)

The Detroit News is reporting that Tesla has closed on a $465 million low-cost loans from the Energy Department to work on its next electric vehicle, the Model S sedan.The funds will apparently be used by the company to build manufacturing plants in California. The loan, which closed on Monday and was approved back in June, will come from the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program, which has about $25 billion to dole out to automakers manufacturing energy efficient vehicles. The Model S will, when complete, boast an up to 300-mile driving range, and will hit up to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. It's supposed to hit production in 2012 with an output of 20,000 units (that means cars) per year.

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Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas

by Chris Taylor 26. December 2009 16:36

Merry Christmas to everyone, and to those who don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you had some time to spend near loved ones during this holiday season.

I wish you all the best and I'll see you at the start of the new year!

Love,

Chris

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Tags: holidays, miscellaneous, miscellaneous, holidays, miscellaneous

Ease the Grid Estimates for 2010 Published!

by Chris Taylor 2. December 2009 11:38

Ease the Grid's estimates for energy and carbon emissions saved for 2010 has been published on the main website here.

Love,

Chris

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Tags: ease the grid, carbon, energy, saved

2011 Nissan Leaf - New Zero Emission Car

by Chris Taylor 2. December 2009 10:05

http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/#/car/index

http://www.carguideweb.com/articles/6271/

It’s a sign of the times. Automobile manufacturers are leaving the racetrack and heading full speed into the race for environmentally friendly technologies. They know all too well that the first to sell zero-emission vehicles will be graciously rewarded by the public, which now seems ready to tackle global warming and get behind the wheel of more technologically advanced transportation. Ten years ago, General Motors launched the EV-1, an electric vehicle designed for everyday driving, but it failed to meet sales objectives and was subsequently pulled off the market. With that false start behind us, Nissan is now betting that drivers are ready for the Leaf, which will be launched in the U.S., Europe and Asia in 2010.

At the kick-off of the Leaf’s promotional in Los Angeles, a long-wheelbase Nissan Versa outfitted with the Leaf’s electric engine was available for testing on a short circuit set up in the Dodgers Stadium parking area. My first impression of this car was that it was anything but amateur. On the contrary, it was very well accomplished and capable of some honest starting accelerations thanks to its 206 lbs-ft of torque, which is significantly more than a Versa with a conventional engine. Like the Leaf, this prototype was equipped with an energy-regenerating brake system that recharges the battery every time you accelerate – the same kind of technology used for hybrid engines. This system works so subtly you could almost call it imperceptible, which is certainly not the case in hybrids. In terms of handling, this prototype was very comparable to a Versa with a conventional motor. At least, that’s what it was like on the short circuit; its handling in normal conditions remains to be seen.

Nissan is proving to be both ambitious and visionary with this project, as it consists not only in building an electric vehicle, but also in creating the batteries it will run on. The Oppama factory in Japan was chosen to produce the Leaf, a five-seat sedan built on an all-new platform that was presented at the most recent Tokyo Motor Show. Meanwhile, the lithium-ion batteries for its 80-kilowatt engine (about 107 hp) will be produced at Nissan’s Zama plant, also in Japan. Nissan’s American factory in Smyrna, Tennesse will eventually join in, producing both the vehicle and batteries and thus increasing the total production capacity. According to Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO at Nissan and Renault, the Leaf can go for 100 miles (160 km) and do 0-100 km/hr in 10 seconds. It can be recharged to 80% in just 30 minutes using a fast charger, or it can be completely recharged in less than eight hours when plugged into a conventional 220-volt outlet.

While they haven’t announced the Leaf’s price yet, Nissan is aiming to offer it at a price that falls within 1-2% of similar-sized vehicles with conventional engines. However, it’s important to note that the marketing strategy for the U.S. involves renting buyers the battery for the Leaf. The rental cost plus the cost of electricity should be comparable to the cost of gas for conventional vehicles. Nissan is also counting on getting support from governments around the world to push the transition to zero-emission vehicles. Some countries already have incentive programs in place for their purchase. Europeans are looking at incentives of €5,000, while Americans can expect about $7,500. At home, the Ontario government is planning a program that would offer buyers of zero-emission vehicles somewhere between $4,000 and $10,000, depending on the how large the battery is. The Leaf is not expected in Canada until fall of 2011, when it is scheduled to roll into Vancouver, where a partnership program with Nissan has already been established. The rest of Canada can expect to see the Leaf in 2012. Nissan Canada is as of yet undecided whether or not the battery-rental marketing strategy will apply here, but they say this is one of the options they are currently considering.

According to Carlos Ghosn, electric vehicles should represent 10% of the market by 2020. However, this will only be possible if governments get moving on incentive programs to boost the sale of these vehicles. Governments will also have to ensure that renewable electric energy production networks are developed, as well as an improved power grid to meet the growing demand for electricity that will come with the arrival of electric vehicles like the Leaf.

Love,

Chris

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What Makes A Green Car A Green Car?

by Chris Taylor 20. November 2009 19:34

(Story from here.)

Does it matter whether a car has two, three or four wheels? A car is an enclosed vehicle designed to carry a few people, but not many. Does it matter how many wheels and tires it rolls on?

Aptera Motors submission to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program (ATVMIP) was rejected on December 31, 2008 because the program was initially drafted to only include passenger vehicles, which, by federal definition then, have four wheels.

Aptera’s all-electric 2e has no need for the redundant fourth wheel: It gets in the way, adds weight and aerodynamic drag. Three wheels help the 2e deliver the equivalent of up to 250 miles per gallon.

Aptera could accelerate national introduction of its 2e with federal loans.

With a signature by President Obama, Aptera will reapply for a federal loan under the ATVMIP. And it should get it. Possibly millions. The law, approved as a part of an energy and water appropriations bill, was originally sponsored by Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and received overwhelming bipartisan approval in the House and Senate. It stipulates that any manufacturer of enclosed two- or three-wheeled vehicles that carry at least two people and get 75 miles per gallon are now eligible for DOE funding. The 2e meets those requirements.

Other manufacturers already have loan approval from DOE.

Tesla has $465 million to accelerate the production of affordable, fuel-efficient electric vehicles. Of that $365 million is for production engineering and assembly of the Model S.

Fisker Automotive was recently approved for a conditional loan of $528 million by DOE in the ATVMIP program. The company must meet certain very specific milestones before DOE gives the go ahead for Treasury to write checks to the company. Fisker has announced it will buy an idle GM Saturn plant near Newport, Delaware to build an as yet undeveloped car dubbed NINA. It will use $18 million of the conditional loan to buy the facility and another $175 million to refurbish the plant to build that car by 2012. Fisker expects 75,000 to 100,000 NINAs per year to come off the Delaware assembly line by 2014, with half of those put on boats for overseas delivery.

Ford has a whopping $5.6 billion in the same program to be used for a variety of greener cars and Nissan has been approved for $1.6 billion for the production of the all-electric Leaf and its battery packs.

Aptera plans to enter full production in 2010 of the two-passenger Aptera 2e. The company expects to directly employ 3000 people and create thousands of support roles for American workers from auto parts and components companies.

The 2e, with a planned price range of $25,000 - $40,000 (the lower price for the all-electric version) will require no unique charging infrastructure, traveling 100 miles on batteries charged through a conventional 110 volt or 220 volt household outlet.

Of all the hyper energy efficient offerings by many manufacturers Aptera stands out for good reason. One, with a shape akin to an airplane it looks like a car of the future. (The others look dated beside it.) And, if Aptera can come through on its promised pricing it should be affordable to many. (Maybe me.) While at this time Aptera hasn’t said whether the 2e will be eligible for the $7500 federal tax credit that electric vehicles from other manufacturers will be getting, but the new ruling should allow buyers of the 2e to get the credit. We’ll see. If the credit is possible the effective price for the 2e will be $17,500. That’s a price that should attract many.

The new ruling may begin to open doors for the introduction of many varieties of futuristic,energy efficient automotive designs. Aptera isn’t the only company that thinks that four wheels are too many.

Love,

Chris

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Tags: green energy, green energy, car, car, fuel, fuel

CB Richard Ellis Joins The Movement

by Chris Taylor 15. November 2009 00:53

In 2007, CB Richard Ellis, the world's largest corporate real estate firm, announced their plans to be carbon neutral by 2010. Recently, CBRE required all of its 25,000 employees to shut down their computers at night and on weekends, following Ease The Grid's plan. Based on the extra 15 hours of time that the company's computers would normally be on each day, and another 48 hours they would be on each weekend, CBRE will save between $11 and $25 dollars per computer per year. As you can see, that will add up to quite a bit of savings, and it will definitely Ease The Grid.

I'm glad CB Richard Ellis has joined the evolution!

Love,

Chris

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New Energy and Carbon Calculators Are Up!

by Chris Taylor 14. November 2009 10:55

Ease The Grid has new energy and carbon calculators up. Go check them out here, and here, respectively.

Love,

Chris

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Tags: calculator, ease the grid, energy

Welcome to the Ease The Grid Blog

by Chris Taylor 14. November 2009 09:17

Hey everyone, this is Chris, Creator and Owner of EaseTheGrid.com, here to welcome you to the new Blog section of the website. This blog will serve as the primary information and news source for the website from now on. You can come back to the blog to find new energy information, new ways to save money on your energy bill, and so much more.

For now, please enjoy the new look, and I look forward to updating again soon.

Love,

Chris

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