Electric cars coming soon to a road near you
Dec 26 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Matt Nauman San Jose Mercury
News, Calif.
Tom Gage is a patient man. As chief executive of AC Propulsion, he's watched
the ebb and flow of electric-car momentum for more than a decade.
There was the California Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, and Chris
Paine's documentary, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" There were electrics
from General Motors, Honda, Toyota and others, and then they mostly
disappeared.
Now, with fresh concerns about global warming and everyone from Silicon
Valley's Tesla Motors to big automakers like GM and Toyota talking about the
electrification of automobiles, Gage, who lives in Sunnyvale, is optimistic.
AC Propulsion, which is based in San Dimas, in Southern California, inked a
huge deal with BMW this year to produce lithium-ion battery packs and
powertrains for 450 Mini Coopers, BMW's small-car brand. Those vehicles, to
be called the Mini E, will be leased for 12 months to people who live in or
near New York City and Los Angeles in early 2009.
"This is a big step for electric vehicles," Gage said.
The cars will rent for $850 a month.
For BMW, the Mini E represents a chance to get real-world experience with
electric vehicles, said spokeswoman Nathalie Bauters of Mini USA. The German
automaker figured its Mini, which gets 37 miles per gallon from its gasoline
engine, would be a perfect platform for the experiment, she said.
More than 10,000 "hand-raisers" have expressed interest in the vehicle, she
said, and since BMW began taking online applications in November, more than
1,800 have applied to lease it. The deadline was Dec. 24, and the automaker
will make decisions early in 2009.
Most Mini E drivers will be able to travel 110 to 120 miles on a single
charge, the company says. Due to the large battery pack consuming back-seat
room, the Mini E became a two-seater.
After a year of feedback, BMW will take back the Mini Es and decide whether
to move to mass production of electric Minis or BMWs.
Whatever BMW decides, AC Propulsion will continue with another project,
making its eBox. That car is a converted Scion xB with the engine and gas
tank removed and batteries and electric motors installed.
The conversion costs $55,000, which might explain why only 12 have been made
so far. (Buyers also have to buy a gasoline Scion xB, which costs $14,000 to
$15,000.)
Still, owners have been very happy, Gage said. Academy Award-winning actor
Tom Hanks owns one, and drives it frequently, getting more than 100 miles
per charge, according to an interview on Current TV. Other eBoxes are
operating in France, Florida and British Columbia, and are being used and
tested by the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto and the
University of Delaware.
VantagePoint Venture Partners in San Bruno has funded both Tesla and Better
Place, a Palo Alto company with plans to build electric-vehicle charging
ports around the world. Alan Salzman, the firm's managing director, predicts
2009 will be a big year for electric cars.
"The ball that got seriously bouncing courtesy of Tesla is going to bounce
higher in 2009," Salzman said, forecasting that several major car companies
would announce "real, near-term plans to produce pure electric cars in
volume."
Gage believes that every auto company will produce an electric car by the
middle of next decade. "Electricity gives you transportation without
petroleum," he said. "In my view, it's going to happen. It has to happen."
AT A GLANCE:
--What: Electric cars use battery packs, electric motors and sophisticated
software to travel while emitting no pollution.
--Why now: The electrification of vehicles, whether pure electrics or
plug-in hybrids, has gained traction as the world tries to move away from
gasoline cars.
--Major players: Tesla, Fisker, AC Propulsion, General Motors, Toyota,
Renault-Nissan, Chrysler, BMW/Mini. Plus battery suppliers, and Palo Alto's
Better Place, which is building an electric-car infrastructure in Israel,
Hawaii, the Bay Area and elsewhere.
--Challenges: Batteries still need improved performance, increased supply
and lower prices. Infrastructure largely nonexistent.
ABOUT AC PROPULSION'S EBOX:
--What: 5-seat electric vehicle based on the Scion xB
--How much: About $15,000 for the car, and $55,000 for the conversion.
--0-60 mph: 7.0 seconds
--Top speed: 102 mph
--Range: 120 to 150 miles
--More information: www.acpropulsion.com
Source: AC Propulsion
ABOUT THE MINI E:
--What: Electric version of the Mini Cooper
--How much: $850-a-month lease includes installation of home-charging unit
--When: Early 2009
--Where: Available only in Southern California and New York/New Jersey
--Specs: 0-62 mph in 8.5 seconds, top speed of 95 mph
--Charging time: From three hours with a 240-volt, 48-amp outlet to 26.5
hours on a 110-volt, 12-amp outlet
Source: Mini USA
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