Daily Archives: September 10, 2015

Oslo Street Scene: Nissan Leaf, VW e-Golf and Tesla Model S

All new cars in Norway emission-free by 2025

Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment

With yesterday’s release of final EPA rules for reducing carbon emissions from power plants, the stage is set for a major battle over how–and even whether–any carbon emissions in the U.S. may be limited.

Meanwhile, there’s Norway.

Oslo Street Scene: Nissan Leaf, VW e-Golf and Tesla Model S
Oslo Street Scene: Nissan Leaf, VW e-Golf and Tesla Model S

As Ola Elvestuen, a member of Parliament there as well as Chair of the Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment, told the EV Roadmap 8 conference in Portland last week, the country committed to reducing its carbon emissions and is carrying out a variety of policies to do just that.

Elvenstuen’s keynote address was quietly inspirational, methodically laying out the data and the steps required to cut carbon emissions that Norway has embarked on.

His presentation, “EV Policies in Norway: Market Transformation to Renewable Energy,” underscored the critical role of electric cars in cutting carbon emission from transportation.

Norway may be unique in its ability to take advantage of electric cars; the country generates 97 percent of its electricity from renewable sources already, largely hydroelectric. In other words, it already has a very, very low carbon footprint for electricity.

But, Elvestuen pointed out, that cuts both ways: There are no coal or natural-gas powerplants that can be converted to renewable sources.

So to cut carbon by 40 percent from 1990 levels in just 15 years, a very large portion of the reduction has to come from transport–which represents one-third of the country’s total carbon emissions.

Read more: Green Car Reports

Renault ZOE EV

How is an electric car to drive?

Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOE

Actually, says Renault Zoe owner Chris Alvey, it drives exactly the same – and you just plug it in each night like your mobile phone

Renault ZOE EV
Renault ZOE EV

In the spring of 2015 seven Telegraph readers were given GoPro cameras to record their lives with their ultra-low emission vehicles. Electric cars bring a host of benefits, from a £5,000 Government grant to congestion charge exemption and zero road tax. But for Chris Alvey, a university lecturer from Leicester, the best thing about his fully-electric Renault Zoe Dynamique Zen is how easily it fits into his life.

“You just need to treat it like your mobile phone,” Chris says. “You charge your phone every night. You charge your car every night.”

Chris’s Chargemaster 7kw home charge point, which came free with the car, allows a full charge in three to four hours and has drastically reduced the amount Chris spends on running a car.

“Before we bought it we were talking about £200 a month in fuel costs, plus road tax,” he says. “We don’t have any of that with this car. In terms of our electricity costs, it’s about £20 a month. It made sense from a financial point of view and from a safety point of view.”

The Zoe has all the modern safety features including airbags, parking sensors and a reversing camera. It also has a special ZE Voice system, which lets pedestrians know you’re coming when you drive at less than 18mph. Other hi-tech features include ZE Interactive, which lets you control the car’s charging from your computer and remotely operate the air-con, so that the car’s the right temperature before you get in it.

Read more: The Telegraph

NHS Electric Vehicle Schemes in Northants

Electric Cars, Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan

Northampton provides rubbish support for electric vehicles – maybe this is the start of a change

Six new electric vehicles are to be put in place at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust sites across the county.

They will be at three trust premises, Berrywood Hospital in Duston, Northampton, Campbell House in Northampton and St. Mary’s Hospital in Kettering.

Each of these locations will have two permanently-based EVs; one of which will be used exclusively by the trust during business hours (and made available to the public at evenings and weekends) and the other which will be available for private use at all times.

2134229022_Nissan_Leaf_eCar

Electrical hook-ups are also available at Isebrook Hospital in Wellingborough, Willowbrook Health Centre in Corby and Manfield Campus in Northampton.

By operating a fleet of vehicles which omit zero carbon, they are able to conduct business travel in a way which has no negative effects on local air quality, and by reducing the need for pool cars or staff use of their own vehicles, they’re also taking cars off the road which has a positive impact on congestion and parking pressure throughout the county.

Chairman of the trust Paul Bertin, said:

“I am absolutely delighted that we at Northamptonshire Healthcare have taken this significant step forward and are the first NHS trust in the county to provide such a service for our staff and the public.

“As a trust we have made a commitment to reduce our carbon footprint by 28% by 2020 and by encouraging our staff to park up their own vehicle and use an electric vehicle for business travel will help us move towards achieving this target. Looking after the environment is everyone’s responsibility. Providing such a countywide service for our staff and the Northamptonshire public will further raise the profile of sustainability and how we can all do more for our environment.”

Read more: Northants Telegraph

Mildred Lake Extension: Forest-clearing, as part of a process known as overburden removal, in preparation for the expansion of the North Mine (Image: L. Helbig)

Canada’s tar sands landscape from the air

Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Oil

A new book of aerial photographs, Beautiful Destruction, captures the awesome scale and devastating impact of Alberta’s oil sands with stunning colours, contrasts and patterns. The book also includes 15 essays by prominent individuals from environment and industry, sharing their insights, ideas and opinions. Photographs by Louis Helbig

Mildred Lake Extension: Forest-clearing, as part of a process known as overburden removal, in preparation for the expansion of the North Mine (Image: L. Helbig)
Mildred Lake Extension: Forest-clearing, as part of a process known as overburden removal, in preparation for the expansion of the North Mine (Image: L. Helbig)

Read more: The Guardian

It’s not climate change, it’s everything change

Energy and Climate Change, Opinion, Peak Oil

Oil! Our secret god, our secret sharer, our magic wand, fulfiller of our every desire, our co-conspirator, the sine qua non in all we do! Can’t live with it, can’t — right at this moment — live without it. But it’s on everyone’s mind.

Back in 2009, as fracking and the mining of the oil/tar sands in Alberta ramped up — when people were talking about Peak Oil and the dangers of the supply giving out — I wrote a piece for the German newspaper Die Zeit. In English it was called “The Future Without Oil.” It went like this:

The future without oil! For optimists, a pleasant picture: let’s call it Picture One. Shall we imagine it?

There we are, driving around in our cars fueled by hydrogen, or methane, or solar, or something else we have yet to dream up. Goods from afar come to us by solar-and-sail-driven ship — the sails computerized to catch every whiff of air — or else by new versions of the airship, which can lift and carry a huge amount of freight with minimal pollution and no ear-slitting noise. Trains have made a comeback. So have bicycles, when it isn’t snowing; but maybe there won’t be any more winter.

…

Then there’s Picture Two. Suppose the future without oil arrives very quickly. Suppose a bad fairy waves his wand, and poof! Suddenly there’s no oil, anywhere, at all.

Everything would immediately come to a halt. No cars, no planes; a few trains still running on hydroelectric, and some bicycles, but that wouldn’t take very many people very far. Food would cease to flow into the cities, water would cease to flow out of the taps. Within hours, panic would set in.

Read more: Medium

Chargemaster provide home charging for Renault ZOE

Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault, ZOE
  • Chargemaster appointed to install home chargers for ZOE owners
  • Free home charging wall-box offer remains unique in EV market
  • ZOE can charge at home from 0 to 100% in three to four hours
  • ZOE able to rapid charge in public from 0 to 80% in 30 minutes
  • ZOE now available with a range of up to 149 miles (NEDC)
  • Award-winning ZOE priced from £13,445 (inc PiCG)

Renault ZOE owners can now charge their all-electric superminis at home with a free domestic wall-box from electric infrastructure market leaders Chargemaster.  Renault is unique in the electric vehicle market by offering a completely free home charging solution.

Customers buying a new Renault ZOE will receive a 7kW (30A) wall-box charger fully installed at their home for free by Chargemaster which allows a full charge, from zero to 100 per cent full, in three to four hours.  This provides sufficient range for a ZOE to travel up to 149 miles on the official NEDC cycle – comfortably more than most electric vehicle owners’ daily mileage.

be1393e978dcb6da_Renault_Zoe_AutoBild

The wall-box is built in Britain by Chargemaster and is weatherproof so can be installed indoors or outside, with a choice of tethered or socketed cables that can be neatly coiled when not in use.  The charger is protected by key controlled access and is covered by a four-year warranty – matching the vehicle manufacturer cover.

Once installed, owners are eligible to apply for a POLAR Network Card which grants access to UK’s largest public charging infrastructure with over 3,000 charging points.   The wall-box offer is available to retail customers who have access to off-street parking and an electricity supply.

Ben Fletcher, Electric Vehicle Product Manager, Renault UK commented:

“We’re delighted to be continuing our unique wall-box included offer, which allows us to ensure ZOE customers have the simplest and most convenient electric vehicle ownership experience.  Chargemaster offer market leading technology and is dedicated to delivering great customer service so they’re the perfect partner to help us deliver the offer.”

Chargemaster is the UK’s leading provider of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, benefitting from over 25 years of experience working within the telematics and automotive industry.  Commenting on the partnership, David Martell, Chargemaster CEO, said:

“We are delighted to be Renault’s official charging partner in the UK.  As government figures show, plug-in car sales are increasing as more and more motorists choose to reduce their emissions and their running costs.”

The ZOE is an all-electric, five-door family hatchback available in three trim levels that comes with a very high level of standard specification, despite its competitive price-tag.  Standard specification includes items such as climate control and sat-nav.

ZOE is available with a number of features that make for seamless electric vehicle ownership including remote monitoring of the battery and pre-heating the cabin via your smartphone.  ZOE’s patented Chameleon charger is able to always make the best use of any charging source ensuring that, unlike some competitors, charging times are always kept to a minimum.

Depending on version, ZOE is able to charge from empty to 80 per cent full in just 30 minutes using a rapid charger and has a range of up to 149 miles (New EDC).  Renault’s research shows that this equates to a real-world range of between 71 and 106 miles depending on driving style, the use of electrical features like air conditioning, the season and where the car is being driven.

Awarded the titles of What Car? 2015 ‘Best Electric Car for less than £20,000’ and ‘Best Electric Vehicle’ in the Auto Express Driver Power 2015 survey, the Renault ZOE is an affordable route to zero emissions (in use) motoring.  ZOE can be purchased in two ways – from £13,445 with a battery lease from £45 per month (including the Government Plug-in Car Grant) or outright as a ZOE i version, from £18,445, with no monthly leasing charge.

In addition to the ZOE supermini, the Renault Z.E. range includes the Twizy urban runaround, an innovative open-sided two-seater vehicle, and the Kangoo Van Z.E. which is perfectly suited to many commercial applications with its choice of four bodystyles, 106 mile range (NEDC) and, like all EVs, its zero emissions and silent operation in use mean that it is perfect for environmentally-friendly and serene motoring.

Sales of Renault electric vehicles in the UK were up by 145.9 per cent, to 949 vehicles, in the first six months of 2015 compared to the same period last year.  Renault car sales were up 14.9 per cent on the first half of 2014 to 36,840 vehicles – significantly outpacing the UK car market growth of seven per cent.

Source: Renault Press

Metrocab Plug-in Taxi

More cities to get plug-in taxis

Electric Cars, Electric Taxis

This is encouraging news, though it should be rolled out to all cities

Eight cities have received a huge boost in their bid to win part of a £20 million fund to increase the number of plug-in taxis.

The shortlist of 8 potential winning schemes will each receive a government-backed study into providing more environmentally-friendly travel opportunities in their area.

The studies will gather vital information into how local authorities could use the money to reduce the upfront cost of purpose-built taxis and install charging infrastructure for taxi and private hire use.

The government will announce the winning schemes in April next year.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said:

Plug-in taxis are cheaper to run, better for the environment and an example of Britain leading the way in an innovative industry. That is why government is investing £500 million in low emission vehicles over the next 5 years to make them an accessible and affordable choice for all.

These cities have shown they are commitment to adopting greener technology and the government is backing their ambition by showing the benefits a share of £20 million of funding could deliver.

Today’s announcement is the latest example of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) helping support the government’s aim for every car and van to be zero emissions by 2050.

Metrocab Plug-in Taxi
Metrocab Plug-in Taxi

The 8 feasibility studies, each backed by £30,000 of government funding, will be independently carried out by the Energy Saving Trust (EST).

Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive, Energy Saving Trust, said:

“We’re really looking forward to working alongside government in taking this pioneering scheme forward and witnessing the huge benef its it will bring to businesses.”

“Our experience in this area gives us every confidence that organisations as diverse as licensing authorities, car manufacturers, district network operators and charge-point installers can become leading players in rolling out ultra-low emission taxis and private hire vehicles right across the country.”

Local authorities who are not shortlisted are still able to submit bids for a share of the £20 million fund, but will have to cover the cost of their own feasibility study.

View the interactive map of the areas involved in the bidding

The 8 shortlisted bids who will each receive a feasibility study are:

  1. Birmingham City Council
  2. Cambridge City Council
  3. Coventry City Council
  4. Dundee City Council
  5. Nottingham City Council
  6. Oxford City Council
  7. Sheffield City Council
  8. West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Source: DfT

Electric Car Tipping Point Within 10 Years

It’s encouraging to hear this kind of optimisim made public!

Tesla Motors CTO JB Straubel was the headliner at Intersolar North America last week. He talked about the transition to lithium-ion batteries and how that opened the floodgates for electric cars and stationary storage (eventually); the synergy between EVs, solar, and grid storage; the growth of solar power and grid storage; blah blah blah.

I know, I actually love all that stuff as much as the rest of you — it’s what I read, edit, & write about every day(!) — but it’s basically all general history and trends we know all about. But then JB dropped the awesome-bomb:

“I think we’re at the beginning of a new cost-decline curve, and, you know, this is something where there’s a lot of similarities to what happened with photovoltaics. Almost no one [would have predicted] that photovoltaic prices would have dropped as fast as they have, and storage is right at the cliff, heading down that price curve. It’s soon going to be cheaper to drive a car on electricity — a pure EV on electricity — than it is to drive a gasoline car. And as soon as we see that kind of shift in the actual cost of operation in a car that you can actually use for your daily driver, you know, from all manufacturers I believe we’re going to see electric vehicles come to dominate the whole transportation fleet.

“Also, that same battery cost decrease is going to drive batteries in the grid. There’s going to be much faster growth of grid energy storage than I think most people expected. You suddenly get to have energy that’s 100% firm and buffered from photovoltaics that’s cheaper than fossil energy. And we’re within sort of grasping distance of that goal, which is very, very exciting.

“Because once we get to that, and there really is no going back, it will make sense to do this economically without any environmental consideration whatsoever. So that’s the amazing tipping point that’s going to happen within I’m quite certain the next 10 years.”

Read more: EV Obsession