Dr Automotive Design and Tools

Better Place Australia today announced it has secured an initial round of funding of $25 million for its planned charging and services network for electric vehicles (EVs). The funding round was led by Lend Lease Ventures, the venture capital arm of Lend Lease and included investments by ActewAGL and several private investors.

As the lead seed round investor in Better Place Australia, Lend Lease Ventures will also take a seat on Better Place Australia’s board.

Better Place Australia also today announced that global banking leader, Harrison Young will join its Board as independent Chairman. Mr. Young is currently a member of the Board of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the Court of Directors of the Bank of England, Chairman of the Howard Florey Institute Foundation and Deputy Chairman of the Asia Society AustralAsia Centre and Asialink. Mr Young was Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia from 1997-2003 and Chairman of Morgan Stanley Australia from 2003 until he joined the board of the Commonwealth Bank in 2007.

The $25 million in funding represents the first part of Better Place Australia’s five-year plan to raise $1 billion for the deployment of an EV network powered by renewable energy in Australia. Macquarie Capital Group acted as advisors on the fund raising. This initial round of seed funding will finance a range of planning, engineering, demonstration and trial activities in the lead up to the first stage of deployment, which will commence in Canberra in 2011.

“We’re delighted to welcome Lend Lease Ventures as an investor in our Australian business – working with us to help the country take a generational leap forward toward oil independence and sustainability,” said Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO, Better Place.

“The investment marks our second successful financing in 2009, and we believe it’s indicative of growing interest in Better Place from institutions and far-sighted corporations seeking thematic investment opportunities to fight climate change.”

Evan Thornley, CEO of Better Place Australia, said that Lend Lease Ventures’ investment is another in a growing list of endorsements of the Better Place model for an electric vehicle future.

“The backing of a strategic investor of the calibre of Lend Lease Ventures, our Canberra deployment partner, ActewAGL and some of Australia’s most successful business people is further validation that our plans are appealing to our industry partners and seasoned investors alike. The appointment of a respected business leader in Harrison Young as Chairman adds to the strong endorsement we have received from leaders in the energy, auto and oil industries who have also joined our senior management team in recent months.”

Chief Executive Officer of Lend Lease Ventures Anthony Pascoe said of the partnership, “Significant investment in new renewable energy generation combined with the commercialisation of new technologies and infrastructure solutions are critical to achieving Australia’s renewable energy targets.”

“Lend Lease Ventures’ mandate is to invest in emerging clean-tech companies that complement our global property capabilities and help keep the wider Lend Lease group at the leading edge of the curve in terms of sustainability. We believe that Better Place Australia is well positioned for success and are excited to be partnering with such an innovative and well credentialed organisation.”

Pensate ad altre alleanze dopo quella con Chrysler? A questa domanda l'ad del Lingotto ha risposto: "Fiat e Chrysler bastano. La presentazione fatta il 4 novembre scorso in America era assolutamente chiara: c'è stata una divisione di responsabilità: fino al segmento C si farà in Europa, oltre in America". In particolare a chi gli domandava della produzione di auto elettriche l'ad di Fiat ha risposto: "Gli americani hanno investito nell'auto elettrica da anni. C'è un gruppo di 125 ingegneri che abbiamo ereditato da Chrysler e che stanno lavorando sul piano prodotto da tempo. Sono molto più avanti di noi. Su questo tema l'accordo con Chrysler ci da la possibilità di sviluppare le capacità tecnologiche delle due aziende. Quello che si farà in Europa è un altro discorso - ha concluso - ma la tecnologia per il momento esiste in America".
(Fonte: www.agi.it - 20/11/2009)

Nissan Motor Co. is developing a lithium ion battery for electric vehicles that can store electricity at double the current capacity. Nissan aims to equip electric cars with the battery by 2015.

The new system is a lithium-ion battery using a lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide cathode. Capacity is raised by improving the positive electrode, specifically, using nickel and cobalt, not only manganese. The new battery can store about twice as much electricity as batteries with positive electrodes made only from manganese. It is robust enough for practical use, able to withstand 1,000 or so charge cycles.

Nissan estimates that the battery will cost about the same as conventional lithium ion ones to produce, as it contains only a small amount of cobalt, a relatively expensive metal.

The new battery will be able to power an electric vehicle for 300 kilometers (186 miles) on a single charge, about twice the distance currently possible.

Porsche will offer a lithium-ion starter battery option—the first automaker to do so—as of January 2010 for the 911 GT3, 911 GT 3 RS, and Boxster Spyder. Weighing less than 6 kg (13 lb), the new battery is more than 10 kg or 22 (lb) lighter than a conventional 60 Ah lead battery.

The 12.8V, 18 Ah lithium iron-phosphate pack from Gaia is delivered as a separate unit together with the car and may subsequently be fitted as an alternative to the regular, conventional starter battery. The cars are delivered with both batteries; while the lightweight battery offers a very high standard of everyday driving qualities, Porsche says, its starting capacity is limited at temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) due to its specific features.

Li-ion batteries, given their current pricing, are generally not expected to have much penetration in the SLI (starting, lighting, ignition) battery segment. (Dr. Menahem Anderman of Advanced Automotive Batteries calls the SLI business “a long shot” for advanced batteries such as Li-ion.) Porsche’s new lithium-ion battery will be available as an option delivered with the car, selling at a price in the German market of €1,904 (US$2,900) including 19% value-added tax.

Porsche’s primary reason for developing and introducing the new battery was its lower weight to enhance performance and dynamics.

In its length and width the lithium-ion battery comes in the same dimensions as the regular battery, but is approximately 70 millimeters or 2.8" lower. The fastening points, electrical connections and voltage range are fully compatible with the respective models, allowing simple and quick replacement of the standard lead battery by the lightweight unit, for example when racing on the track.

With its nominal capacity of 18 Ah, the lithium-ion battery, through its specific features, offers a level of practical output and performance not only comparable to that of a 60 Ah lead battery, but better in many cases, Porsche says.

On a conventional car battery only about 30% of the total capacity is actually available for practical use due to the configuration of the system, while this restriction does not apply to the lithium-ion battery. Delivery of power by the lithium-ion battery throughout its useful charge range is likewise significantly better, providing its full power, for example, when starting the engine almost independently of the current charge level.

After the engine has started, the new Porsche battery shows further benefits in the charge process, being able through its smaller internal resistance to take up more power than a conventional battery and thus re-charge more quickly.

Other benefits include a significantly greater number of charging and discharging cycles; a lower self-discharge; and longer service life.

The lightweight battery is made up of four cells and integrated control electronics. This battery management system protects the battery from major discharge and guarantees a consistent charge level within the individual cells. Once battery voltage drops below a certain threshold, a warning signal reminds the driver to re-charge the battery either simply by driving the car through the power of the engine running or by means of a conventional battery charger.

Now that Porsche has set the trend, how long before we see the aftermarket supply starter batteries based on A123 cells?

La prossima Viper? "Ci stiamo ragionando, pensiamo a come potrà nascere il modello futuro". Così, Ralph Gilles, amministratore delegato della Dodge, sulla supercar americana che andrà in pensione alla fine del 2010 e non sarà sostituita. Almeno per ora. "Quando hai un partner dall'altra parte dell'Oceano che è tra i migliori costruttori al mondo di auto sportive, le opportunità sono immense". Sono parole di speranza e di passione quelle del manager Chrysler: "Mi sento molto legato alla Viper e non solo dal punto di vista professionale. Ne ho avuta una e so di quali prestazioni è capace, sia dentro sia fuori dalla pista". Il 24 novembre, infatti, una Viper SRT 10 ACR ha stabilito il nuovo record sul circuito di Laguna Seca, girando 1' 33" 944, abbassando di 1,1 secondi il precedente primato. La vettura utilizzata è una versione speciale, omologata per l'impiego stradale, che sarà prodotta in 500 esemplari nel 2010. Grazie ad alcuni ritocchi alla meccanica e all'aerodinamica, la velocità massima ora è aumentata di 6,4 km/h, raggiungendo i 296 l'ora. La carta d'identità è quella di sempre: il V10 di 8.4 litri sprigiona 600 CV e una coppia massima di 560 Nm, permettendo alla Viper di scattare da 0 a 100 km/h in meno di 4 secondi.
(Fonte: www.quattroruote.it - 25/11/2009)

There’s one major drawback to most proposed renewable-energy sources: their variability. The sun doesn’t shine at night, the wind doesn’t always blow, and tides, waves and currents fluctuate. That’s why many researchers have been pursuing ways of storing the power generated by these sources so that it can be used when it’s needed.

So far, those solutions have tended to be too expensive, limited to only certain areas, or difficult to scale up sufficiently to meet the demands. Many researchers are struggling to overcome these limitations, but MIT professor Donald Sadoway has come up with an innovative approach that has garnered significant interest — and some major funding.

The idea is to build an entirely new kind of battery, whose key components would be kept at high temperature so that they would stay entirely in liquid form. The experimental devices currently being tested in Sadoway’s lab work in a way that’s never been attempted in batteries before.

This month, the newly established federal agency ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency, Energy) announced its first 37 energy-research grants out of a pool of 3,600 applications, and Sadoway’s project to develop utility-scale batteries received one of the largest sums — almost $7 million over five years. And within a few days of the ARPA-E announcement, the French oil company Total — the world’s fifth-largest — announced a $4 million, five-year joint venture with MIT to develop a smaller-scale version of the same technology, suitable for use in individual homes or other buildings.

Because the technology is being patented and could lead to very large-scale commercialization, Sadoway will not discuss the details of the materials being used. But both Sadoway and ARPA-E say the battery is based on low-cost, domestically available liquid metals that have the potential to shatter the cost barrier to large-scale energy storage as part of the nation's energy grid. In announcing its funding of Sadoway’s work, ARPA-E said the battery technology “could revolutionize the way electricity is used and produced on the grid, enabling round-the-clock power from America's wind and solar power resources, increasing the stability of the grid, and making blackouts a thing of the past.”

Andrew Chung, a principal at Lightspeed Venture Partners in Menlo Park, Calif., which has no equity stake in Sadoway’s project at this point, says that “grid-scale storage is an area that’s set to explode in the next decade or so,” and is one that his company is following closely. The liquid battery concept Sadoway is developing “is an exciting approach to solving the problem,” he says.

Big is beautiful

Most battery research, Sadoway says, has been aimed at improving storage for portable or mobile systems such as cellphones, computers and cars. The requirements for such systems, including very low weight and high safety, are very different from the needs of a grid-scale, fixed-location battery system. “What I did was completely ignore the conventional technology used for portable power,” he says. The different set of requirements for stationary systems “opens up a whole new range of possibilities.”

A large, utility-owned system “doesn’t have to be crash-worthy; it doesn’t have to be ‘idiot-proof’ because it won’t be in the hands of the consumer.” And while consumers are willing to pay high prices, pound-for-pound, for the small batteries used in high-value portable devices, the biggest constraint on utility-sized systems is cost. In order to compete with present fossil-fuel power systems, he says, “it has got to be cheap to build, cheap to maintain, last a long time with minimal maintenance, and store enormous amounts of energy.”

And so the new liquid batteries that Sadoway and his team, including graduate student David Bradwell, are designing use low-cost, abundant materials. The basic principle is to place three layers of liquid inside a container: Two different metal alloys, and one layer of a salt. The three materials are chosen so that they have different densities that allow them to separate naturally into three distinct layers, with the salt in the middle separating the two metal layers —like novelty drinks with different layers.

The energy is stored in the liquid metals that want to react with one another but can do so only by transferring ions — electrically charged atoms of one of the metals — across the electrolyte, which results in the flow of electric current out of the battery. When the battery is being charged, some ions migrate through the insulating salt layer to collect at one of the terminals. Then, when the power is being drained from the battery, those ions migrate back through the salt and collect at the opposite terminal.

The whole device is kept at a high temperature, around 700 degrees Celsius, so that the layers remain molten. In the small devices being tested in the lab, maintaining this temperature requires an outside heater, but Sadoway says that in the full-scale version, the electrical current being pumped into, or out of, the battery will be sufficient to maintain that temperature without any outside heat source.

While some previous battery technologies have used one liquid-metal component, this is the first design for an all-liquid battery system, Sadoway says. “Solid components in batteries are speed bumps. When you want ultra-high current, you don’t want any solids.”

Inspiration from aluminum

The initial inspiration for the idea came from thinking about a very different technology, Sadoway says: one of the biggest users of electrical energy, aluminum smelting plants. Sadoway realized that this was one of the few existing examples of a system that could sustain extremely high levels of electrical current over a sustained period of years at a time. “It’s an electrochemical process that runs at high temperatures, and at a current of hundreds of thousands of amps,” he says. In a sense, the new concept is like an aluminum plant running in reverse, producing power instead of consuming it.

Chung says that from the point of view of a venture capitalist, the research is particularly intriguing for several reasons. Not only does it offer the potential to significantly lower the cost and increase cycle life [the number of times it can be charged and discharged] of large-scale electricity storage, but it also suggests that the risk typically associated with an early stage research project may be lower because the system draws on decades of experience in the design and operation of aluminum production facilities. “That gives us added confidence that some of the targets around cost, scalability and safety have merit,” he says.

The team is now testing a number of different variations of the exact composition of the materials in the three layers, and of the design of the overall device. Sadoway says that thanks to initial funding through the Deshpande Center and the Chesonis Family Foundation, he and his team were able to develop the concept to the point of demonstrating a proof-of-principle at the laboratory scale. That, in turn, made it possible to get the large grants to develop the technology further.

“It’s an example of work that sprang from basic science, was developed to a pilot scale, and now is being scaled up to have a real transformational impact in the world,” says Ernest Moniz, director of the MIT Energy Initiative.

The laboratory tests have provided “some measure of confidence,” Sadoway says. But many more tests will be needed to “demonstrate that the idea is scalable to industrial size, at competitive cost.” But while he is very confident that it will all work, there are a lot of unknowns, he says, including how to design and build the necessary containers, electrical control systems, and connections.

“We’re talking about batteries of a size never seen before,” he says. And the system they develop has to include everything, including control systems and charger electronics on an unprecedented scale.

For Sadoway, the project is worth pursuing despite its daunting challenges, because the potential impact is so great. “I’m not doing this because I want another journal publication,” Sadoway says. “It’s about making a difference … It’s an opportunity to invent our way out of the energy problem.”

Nubi fosche si addensano sul cielo di Trollhättan. Dopo la rottura delle trattative tra Koenigsegg e General Motors, il futuro di Saab è in bilico. Se non si troveranno nuovi acquirenti il marchio svedese rischia grosso, addirittura la chiusura alla fine dell'anno. La Casa americana, infatti, in questo momento è concentrata su un altro fronte caldo, quello della Opel, che richiede un piano di rilancio da 3,3 miliardi di euro. Secondo gli analisti appare improbabile che la GM si tenga la Saab, dalla quale ha ottenuto soltanto pesanti perdite in 19 anni di "matrimonio". I cinesi della Baic, che si erano inseriti nella trattativa a supporto di Koenigsegg, non dispongono di risorse economiche sufficienti per acquistarla da soli, ma soprattutto non potrebbero mai accollarsi le perdite di Saab, che lo scorso anno sono ammontate a 286 milioni di euro. L'appuntamento decisivo sarà il 1° dicembre, quando il consiglio di amministrazione di GM si riunirà per esaminare il delicato caso della consociata scandinava. I precedenti di Saturn e Pontiac non fanno ben sperare: entrambe le Case saranno chiuse e diventeranno, almeno per ora, materiale di archivio. In Svezia gli oltre 3.000 lavoratori della Saab e non solo sperano nel miracolo, ovvero in un intervento diretto del governo di Stoccolma. Ma non sarà facile lo stesso, perché il marchio scandinavo soffre moltissimo: fra gennaio e ottobre le vendite nell'Europa a 15 (22.858 vetture) sono calate del 59% rispetto allo stesso periodo del 2008. E a livello mondiale le consegne non superano le 100.000 unità l'anno. Inoltre, Saab è legata a doppio filo con GM e non solo per una questione finanziaria: i pianali sui quali sviluppare le vetture, i motori e tante altre componenti sono sempre arrivati in Svezia attraverso l'alleanza. Il management americano, però, ha commesso errori enormi. "La Saab non mai ricevuto da GM la considerazione che meritava né gli investimenti necessari per competere con altri costruttori europei di prestigio", spiega Paul Newton di Ihs Global Insight. Per non parlare delle strategie adottate sul mercato U.S.A.: qui si tentò la partnership con Subaru (anche lei, ai tempi, controllata da GM) con la 9-2X, un modello basato sulla Impreza, che si guadagnò il triste nomignolo di "Saabaru". Poi gli americani alzarono ancora il tiro con la 9-7X, una Suv sviluppata sulla Chevolet Trailblazer. "Questa gestione grossolana e dissennata ha consegnato la Saab ai libri di storia già tanto tempo fa", conclude Newton. Eppure, al Salone di Francoforte si è vista un po' di luce: la nuova 9-5 ha un design più moderno e attraente, vanta tecnologie di ultima generazione per i motori e offre interni raffinati ed eleganti. Dovrebbe raggiungere le concessionarie nella prossima primavera. Ma il condizionale, mai come questa volta, è d'obbligo.
(Fonte: www.quattroruote.it - 26/11/2009)

This blue-collar suburb on the edge of Los Angeles once helped send men to space. After the collapse of its aerospace industry, its ambitions are now more down-to-earth but still looking toward the future.

The City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved an agreement aimed at luring Tesla Motors' electric car manufacturing plant to the former site of a NASA plant that helped develop the Apollo program and the space shuttle fleet.

The city is pinning hopes that the car factory could bring $21 million in city revenues over 15 years, create about 1,200 jobs and help revitalize its reputation as Southern California's high-tech hub.

"Not only will it bring money to the city, it will establish us as a leader in electric car and green technology production," Mayor Mario Guerra said.

For nine months the city has aggressively courted Tesla, a Bay Area company known for its sporty all-electric Roadster and now moving toward more mainstream sedans.

In September, the council took out a half-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times featuring a photo of the members wearing "Downey (hearts) Tesla" T-shirts and holding a banner that read: "Downey Welcomes Tesla Motors. Apollo to Tesla ... the legacy continues."

The rotund mayor vowed to purchase a Tesla, even lose weight to fit into the sleek vehicle, if the carmaker comes to town.

Downey, a city of 115,000, was once a vibrant center of high tech manufacturing jobs where aerospace engineers designed and built parts for America's space program. At its height, there were some 30,000 employees at the complex, but when the plant closed in 1999, the complex fell into disrepair.

The city bought 160 acres of land from NASA and has been trying to redevelop it. A hospital, park, shopping center and memorial dedicated to the shuttle Columbia now occupy half of the complex. The other half became a film production facility used in the making of "Ironman," "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and at least one of the "Spiderman" films.

Industrial Realty Group owns nearly 60 acres of Downey Studios, and the city owns the remaining 20 acres.

Under a memorandum of understanding with IRG, the city agreed to waive $6.9 million in rent on those 20 acres and promised to expedite the permit process if IRG enters into a lease with Tesla.

Tom Messler, senior vice president of IRG, said his company is holding final discussions with the carmaker.

"We're continuing to make progress," he said.

San Carlos-based Tesla has been looking for a place to build its next-generation Model S sedan, its seven-seat, $57,400 alternative to the $109,000 Roadster.

The Roadster's chassis is assembled in England and its guts — the powertrain, battery and so on — are installed at Tesla's factory in Menlo Park.

Tesla Motors Inc. initially planned to build the Model S in New Mexico but was persuaded to stay in California when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger offered to exempt Tesla from state sales tax on equipment it buys to build the sedan. That will save the company 7 percent to 9 percent on each part purchased.

When the Model S was unveiled to reporters in the spring, Tesla said it would bring the plant to Southern California. The company has also flirted with Long Beach, and Tesla spokesman Ricardo Reyes would not confirm if it has chosen a site.

In June, the company was awarded $465 million in low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Energy to help build the Model S, which is designed to travel as far as 300 miles on a three- to five-hour charge.

The car is slated to go into production by late 2011, and with a federal tax credit for battery-powered cars, the cost to buyers could be less than $50,000.

If Tesla comes to Downey, it would mark the return of auto manufacturing to Southern California for the first time since General Motors Co. closed its Van Nuys Plant in 1992.

Si fa strada un Michigan un po’ più italiano grazie alla nuova Chrysler targata Fiat. Alle presenze radicate nell’area di Detroit di aziende del settore automotive, come Magneti Marelli, Comau, Teksid (tutte controllate dal Lingotto), Brembo e VM Motori, se ne potrebbero aggiungere altre nei prossimi anni. Ad attirarle, le opportunità create dalla rinascita della più piccola delle Big Three, proprio grazie all’impegno e al know how del gruppo di Torino. A favorire la progressiva apertura nei dintorni di Motor City di imprese in arrivo dall’altra parte dell’Atlantico è anche il clima positivo creato da Fiat e la riconosciuta «buona partnership - evidenziata nelle scorse settimane dal Detroit News - in quanto le differenze culturali tra italiani e americani non si rivelano come motivo di contesa». «Ci aspettiamo che molti fornitori decidano di investire qui - spiegano dal Consolato italiano della capitale del Michigan -; le ragioni sono molteplici: il cambio favorevole; la presenza di manodopera qualificata, tutte persone rimaste senza lavoro a causa della crisi; gli incentivi; per non parlare della possibilità di trovare casa a buon mercato». Un appartamento che in Italia costa un milione di euro, nel comprensorio di Detroit si può acquistare per mezzo milione di dollari. Al di là della convenienza, le caratteristiche sono ovviamente diverse, e differente è anche la tassazione sulla proprietà calcolata in funzione del luogo (sui 15-20mila dollari l’anno). Comunque a Detroit il fermento, in questo periodo, non manca. Da piccola Las Vegas del Michigan, come si è tentato di trasformarla negli ultimi anni allo scopo di ridarle un’immagine diversa da quella di città depressa e pericolosa, ora il territorio intorno a Detroit sta via via ritrovando le sue radici industriali legate all’automobile. La rinascita di General Motors e la tenuta di Ford, insieme alla ritrovata Chrysler, hanno riportato la voglia di fare in questa zona. Il «Made in Italy», in questo contesto, ha un ruolo non indifferente: sono una trentina le imprese presenti nell’area, tutte in un modo o nell’altro legate all’automotive. Il volume d’affari generato è intorno a 5 miliardi di dollari e i posti di lavoro creati sono tra 5 e 6mila. Si tratta soprattutto di operai, mentre gli italiani occupano la cabina di regia. Tra le aziende extra-auto che hanno deciso di puntare recentemente sul Michigan c’è, per esempio, Berloni Cucine, che ha scelto per la sua sede Troy, a poche miglia da Auburn Hills, dove si trova il quartier generale di Chrysler. Un’ubicazione non casuale, che tiene conto delle ricadute positive sull’offerta italiana che deriveranno dall’«effetto 500» o dall’«effetto MiTo», quando cioè sulle strade del Michigan si vedranno i primi modelli frutto dell’alleanza Fiat-Chrysler. Non è un caso che a Royal Oak, sobborgo che ospita lo zoo e l’acquario di Detroit, gli italiani residenti non hanno avuto problemi a convincere le autorità a battezzare una delle strade come Fiat Drive. L’auspicio è di calamitare l’attenzione dei pendolari con il Paese d’origine, creando così un po’ di indotto turistico ed enogastromonico «doc». Il Michigan, dunque, si presenta in questo momento con le carte in regola per diventare una sorta di Eldorado per il «made in Italy». Un modo per far tornare la città quella dei tempi migliori, con gli alberghi pieni e i taxi sempre in movimento. Gli italiani possono contribuire a riempire le strade di una metropoli svuotata dalle paure e dalla crisi. Ieri, intanto, il neo ambasciatore degli U.S.A. in Italia, David Thorne, ha incontrato a Torino i vertici di Fiat (presenti Luca di Montezemolo, John Elkann e Sergio Marchionne). L’occasione è stata fornita dalla riunione del consiglio per le relazioni Italia-U.S.A. di cui Marchionne è presidente dallo scorso giugno.
(Fonte: www.ilgiornale.it - 18/11/2009)

L'accordo di General Motors per la vendita della controllata svedese Saab Automobile alla Koenigsegg è saltato: quest'ultima ha deciso di abbandonare le trattative. Il direttore generale di GM, Fritz Henderson, ha detto di essere "molto deluso" da questo fallimento e che il gruppo americano annuncerà presto le prossime mosse. La vendita del marchio svedese era infatti molto importante per la Casa statunitense che, uscendo dalla bancarotta pilotata, sta cercando di "liberarsi" del "peso superfluo". Dopo la grande popolarità ottenuta negli anni '80 con il modello 900, infatti, la Saab ha incominciato un lento declino che l'anno scorso l'ha portata a coprire appena lo 0,4% delle vendite europee di auto con un buco di bilancio pari a 3 miliardi di corone. E le previsioni di vendita per l'anno 2009 non sono buone. Ciò nonostante però la connazionale Koenigsegg era interessata all'acquisto, ma "il fattore tempo è sempre stato critico nelle nostre strategie volte a dare nuova vita a una società", ha spiegato la produttrice di piccole auto di lusso nella nota che ne ha annunciato il ritiro. Sebbene infatti ad agosto GM e Koenigsegg avessero raggiunto un'intesa per la cessione entro la fine dell'anno del marchio Saab al produttore svedese, gli analisti erano rimasti scettici. Koenigsegg prevedeva per Saab il lancio di tre nuovi modelli, entro il 2012, compresa un'auto elettrica, ma le modeste dimensioni di Koenigsegg, che conta su una forza lavoro di 45 dipendenti e produce pochissime auto (l'anno scorso appena 18) a prezzi astronomici, sono sempre sembrate troppo in contrasto con quelle di Saab, che al momento conta oltre quattromila dipendenti.
(Fonte: www.omniauto.it - 24/11/2009)

Il Gruppo Fiat è stato insignito dell'onorificenza di "Green Champion". L'importante riconoscimento internazionale è stato attribuito alla casa del Lingotto nel corso di una cerimonia che si è svolta alla Camera dei Comuni di Londra e che premia il percorso intrapreso dal marchio italiano nell'attenzione profusa al rispetto dell'ambiente. Ecco quindi che in occasione dell'International Green Apple Awards 2009, alla presenza di Michael Cooke, direttore generale del Chartered Institute of Environmental Health alla Fiat è stato riconosciuto ufficialmente il suo impegno con uno speciale riconoscimento che la Green Organisation riserva esclusivamente ai "migliori risultati conseguiti". Il merito del riconoscimento è da attribuire all'"eco:Drive", innovativo sistema, disponibile gratuitamente, che consente ai guidatori di capire meglio come lo stile di guida che essi adottano influenzi i consumi e l'emissione di sostanze inquinanti. Il dispositivo è stato presentato in occasione del Salone di Parigi dello scorso anno e raccoglie tutte le informazioni relative all'efficienza del veicolo e alle varie caratteristiche di guida del conducente. La presa USB del sistema Blue&Me permette di inserire una normale chiavetta USB in cui vengono salvati i dati registrati nelle varie sessioni di guida per essere poi trasferiti su un computer e successivamente analizzati con il programma in dotazione. Sono così evidenti i dati relativi a consumi ed emissioni di ogni viaggio (ecoIndex) ed è possibile ricevere consigli su come migliorare il proprio stile di guida riducendo l'impatto ambientale mentre si è al voltante della propria vettura. Infine, adottando una condotta di guida maggiormente "eco-responsabile" i vantaggi non sono solo per l'ambiente ma anche il portafogli può beneficiarne dal momento che oltre a ridurre le emissioni di CO2 del 15 per cento, è possibile ottenere un risparmio annuo di carburante compreso tra 120 e 200 euro.
(Fonte: www.repubblica.it - 23/11/2009)

The typical new car buyer has a myriad array of options to chose from, covering everything from paint color to the quality of the sound system, but one of the most substantial choices usually concerns engine size. Do you want that fuel-efficient inline-four or a high-performance V-8?

But what happens when the industry begins the conversion to electric power?

When Nissan begins rolling out its new Leaf battery-electric vehicle, or BEV, next year, there’ll be just one powertrain package: using lithium-ion batteries, it will deliver 100 miles of range, 0 to 60 times of less than 10 seconds and a top speed of 90 mpg.

But a senior Nissan planner says that the company will eventually give BEV buyers the electric vehicle’s equivalent of choosing engines, offering an array of different battery packs. That would allow a motorist to choose between a lower-range, lower-cost pack, or batteries delivering perhaps twice the mileage, at a higher price. And, as battery technology improves, motorists might also be offered batteries that would add a bit more muscle to their green machines.

While today’s hybrid-electric vehicles, like the Toyota Prius, rely on time-tested nickel-metal hybrid batteries, manufacturers will be switching to more powerful lithium-ion, technology for the plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles that begin rolling out in surprisingly large number over the next several years.

There are plenty of uncertainties about Li-ion chemistry, despite it being near-ubiquitous in today’s laptop computers and cellphones. So, initially, makers are playing it safe. With the Chevrolet Volt, for example, General Motors will only use about half the total energy its T-shaped Li-ion pack could hold. Nissan will use a bit more, somewhere around two-thirds, hints Mark Perry, product planning chief for Nissan’s advanced technology programs – though he declines to provide hard numbers.

Nonetheless, Perry says, “We expect to see the technology improve” as Li-ion batteries go into higher-volume production. That should not only drive down the cost of lithium batteries, but drive up so-called “energy density.” In lay terms, that means more electrons into a given battery mass, which translates into longer range between recharging.

Nissan battery researchers have suggested that within a few years it will be possible to nudge Leaf’s range up to 150, perhaps even 200 miles. Other automakers have confirmed similar targets. Tesla founder Elon Musk says his company’s roadster might eventually get 400 miles on a charge, nearly double today’s range.

Since batteries are the single most expensive part of a BEV, makers like Nissan could simply downsize the battery pack to maintain the same range at a much lower cost. But there’s another option Perry says Nissan is “looking at.”

Greater range would be a big advantage in the marketplace, Perry acknowledges. While studies show 100 miles range would be enough for more than 90% of Americans on a typical day, that doesn’t eliminate so-called “range anxiety,” the fear that you may not have enough power in the pack to race to school to pick up a sick child and then rush to the doctor.

So, Perry says, Nissan might offer customers a variety of different battery packs with, say, 100, 150 or 200 miles range, much as they can choose V-6 or V-8 upgrades today. And

And the choice might not be limited to range, said another well-placed source. A manufacturer like Nissan could alternatively offer batteries with significantly higher “power density.” This is a measure of how quickly energy can be piped into or out of a battery pack. Higher power density batteries can recharge faster – and deliver more power to a vehicle’s electric motors.

That’s good news for muscle car fans, because unlike an internal combustion engine, which builds torque as it revs up, an electric motor develops maximum tire-spinning torque the moment it starts to turn.

“This is obvious,” says Stephanie Brinley, auto analyst with AutoPacific, Inc. “Ultimately, people will want varied levels of performance. So, with an electric vehicle, instead of upgrading from a V-6 to a V-8, you’ll get a different battery.”

Nissan, as part of its aggressive move into “electrification,” has formed several dozen ventures with energy suppliers, governments and other partners, including Better Place, a company that will provide a network of recharging stations in Israel. Nissan customers in the tiny country will be able to either recharge their batteries or quickly swap them out for fresh ones.

What’s to prevent an outside manufacturer from coming along and eventually offering its own batteries to a Nissan BEV customer? CEO Ghosn sidestepped that question during the kick-off of a 22-city Leaf launch tour, but he said that “without a doubt,” Nissan would be open to working with such a vendor “if (one) comes along with batteries better than ours.”

The battery cars coming out in the next couple years will deliver relatively limited range and modest performance. Initially, makers hope that between eco-guilt and government incentives — such as a $7,500 tax credit — there’ll be reasonable demand for the vehicles. But Nissan’s Ghosn believes that BEVs could make up as much as 10% of the market by the end of the next decade, and the automaker is backing that up with plans to launch not only Leaf but three other BEVs — while its French affiliate, Renault, will introduce four battery cars of its own.

To make the equation work, analysts like Brinley believe, makers like Nissan will have to appeal to a broader array of consumers with better range and improved performance.

As combustion engined cars have been refined over the decades, the ultimate goal seems to have always been make them perform more like electric vehicles.

From computer controlled semi automatic and constantly variable gearboxes that produce seamless gear changes to variable valve timing and fly by wire throttle controls to flatten torque curves.

Electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf start life with all those refinements built in as Dan Neil at the LA Times describes very well.

Los Angeles Times

"Adesso è diverso, tutti parlano apertamente dei problemi di qualità e di come risolverli". Doug Betts, vice presidente di Chrysler e responsabile della qualità, confessa al "Detroit News" le sfide enormi che lo attenderanno nei prossimi anni. Il suo compito è di quelli da non dormirci la notte: le vetture della Casa americana, infatti, da tempo sono affette da problemi di affidabilità con il risultato che Chrysler si colloca ai piani bassi della classifica di J.D. Power, dominata dai costruttori giapponesi. Betts, che viene da precedenti esperienze in Toyota e Nissan, sa bene di che portata è la partita e spiega in che modo la Fiat sarà fondamentale per elevare gli standard delle vetture Chrysler. Il team ai suoi ordini, infatti, sta reclutando 200 ingegneri in più e presto sarà composto da 1.700 addetti, contro gli appena 200 di qualche anno fa, quando Betts approdò ad Auburn Hills. L'obiettivo principale sarà limitare i difetti in fase di sviluppo prodotto, soprattutto quelli legati al design, che secondo Betts hanno rappresentato circa il 75% del totale lo scorso anno. Il manager di Detroit, poi, si sofferma sugli standard di produzione industriale "World class manufacturing" di Fiat che sono stati introdotti anche in Chrysler dal 1° novembre. Dall'altra parte si pensa, invece, di esportare a Torino parte dei metodi di controllo della qualità elaborati dallo stesso Betts e alcuni software di rilevazione dei difetti sviluppati dalla Casa americana. "Credo che possiamo arrivare a costruire vetture che non necessitino d'interventi di garanzia nei primi tre mesi di vita", ha concluso Betts con il pensiero sicuramente rivolto ai 21 nuovi modelli da lanciare sul mercato entro il 2014.
(Fonte: www.quattroruote.it - 20/11/2009)

Piace pensare che i programmi del Gruppo Fiat a seguito dell’accordo con Chrysler saranno forieri di molte interessanti novità per tutti i marchi del Gruppo automobilistico italiano. Ad esempio Lancia è il marchio che prima di altri potrebbe beneficiare di questa joint venture, si veda la nuova berlina che verrà realizzata sulla piattaforma comune con Chrysler dalla quale dovrebbe derivare una nuova ammiraglia ed una monovolume. Il risultato sarà quello di poter assistere ad una sostituta della Lancia Thesis, verrebbe da dire, finalmente, stante il fatto che l’auto di punta della Lancia non è mai riuscita ad imprimere il segno del proprio passaggio, col risultato che la nuova berlinona dovrebbe sfruttare lo stesso pianale della Chrysler 300 C. Mentre sembrerebbe sempre più probabile il fatto che il marchio Dodge e Chrysler non verranno più commercializzati in Europa da qui a due anni, parrebbe al contempo cosa certa immaginare che un’altra vettura col marchio Lancia potrebbe imporsi sul mercato occidentale, pensiamo ad una vettura derivata dalla Chrysler Sebring. L’ammiraglia Lancia dovrebbe detenere elementi tipici del marchio italiano, come si evince da questo render che tuttavia tale è e tale dovrà essere immaginato per quello che è, ovvero con tutti i suoi limiti, visto che non esiste nessuna ipotesi certa a proposito delle linee che la nuova ammiraglia della Lancia potrà detenere al momento del debutto. Tuttavia anche adocchiando questa ricostruzione grafica della vettura ci si accorge che non siamo del tutto avulsi dalle linee attuali della Thesis, fatto che potrebbe contribuire in una qualche misura a non ritenere del tutto estranea per i nostri gusti la futura ammiraglia italo-americana che si presenta abbastanza persuasiva in fatto di dimensioni e linee generali che denunciano una forte immagine di auto muscolosa ma dai tratti in una qualche misura anche sportivi. Per il resto che dire, visto che bisognerà pur sempre aspettare il prossimo anno per conoscere nel dettaglio tutte le nuove vetture appartenenti ai marchio Fiat, Lancia e Alfa Romeo.
(Fonte: www.allaguida.it - 14/11/2009)

Auto supplier NTN Corp. knew its gasoline engine parts wouldn’t be needed in Nissan Motor Co.’s Leaf electric car. So the component maker’s engineers built a mock model to test a motor-and-brake system it developed for electric vehicles.

“If old-guard companies like us just continue along the same beaten path, things will become difficult,” Chairman Yasunobu Suzuki said. “I told our engineers to try everything.”

As Nissan and General Motors Co. prepare to introduce battery-powered cars next year, traditional auto suppliers like Osaka-based NTN are trying to adapt by creating new lines of business. Engine components account for as much as 40 percent of a typical car’s total parts, so some suppliers are scrambling to come up with new products, said Takeshi Miyao, a Tokyo-based analyst for car consultant Carnorama.

While internal-combustion engines currently power more than 99 percent of cars built globally, their share can only fall as electric cars enter the market, Miyao said. That will intensify price competition and lower profits for manufacturers.

“If you’re a parts maker that can’t expand market share, then you can’t grow without entering new businesses,” he said.

‘Crisis-Like Situation’

Tsubakimoto Chain Co., an Osaka-based maker of chains that link engine components, also is shut out of the market for electric cars, which are powered by a lithium-ion battery and electric motor. About 30 percent of Tsubakimoto’s $1.6 billion in sales last fiscal year were in auto parts, all of them for gasoline engines.

“It’s a crisis-like situation,” said Toru Fujiwara, head of Tsubakimoto’s auto-parts division. “With electric cars, there’s no way we can apply our current technology.”

Tsubakimoto is exploring making parts for battery-powered vehicles and talking with its customers, which include Nissan, Fujiwara said. The company plans to spend $40 Million on research in the fiscal year ending in March.

“We have to come up with completely new technology,” he said, declining to name possible products.

NTN, which makes bearings for gasoline engines, said in September it will raise as much as $267 million from selling new shares and invest the proceeds in research and development, and in affiliates. About 60 percent of its sales are in car components, the company said.

Better Batteries

NTN spends about 3 percent of sales, expected to be $5.3 billion this fiscal year, on research, it said. The company is seeking patents on electric-car related products.

The new market is luring companies to the auto business for the first time.

Daikin Industries Ltd., the world’s second-biggest air conditioner maker, is applying its expertise in fluorine, now used to power cells for personal computers and mobile phones, to make electric car batteries safer and longer-lasting.

Daikin, based in Osaka, expects battery-related sales of fluorine to increase more than 10 times by 2017 to $112 million, said Guntaro Kawamura, executive vice president.

Motor makers such as Nidec Corp. of Kyoto may be the biggest winners, Miyao said. Cars typically have about 100 motors powering wipers, air conditioners and door mirrors, among other features.

Motor Makers

Overflow energy from a gasoline-powered engine helps power heaters and fans, so there’s a need for double the number of motors in engineless electric vehicles, he said.

“We are definitely developing motors for electric cars,” said Norio Tamura, a spokesman for Nidec, the world’s biggest maker of motors for hard-disk drives.

President Shigenobu Nagamori is aiming for total revenue to rise from $6.4 billion this fiscal year to $11 billion by fiscal year 2012, with $4 billion coming from car-related motor sales.

The company is opening its biggest research-and-development facility in Shiga prefecture, in western Japan, on Nov. 24, Tamura said.

He declined to say whether the company already makes parts for Nissan’s Leaf. Nissan doesn’t disclose most suppliers for the car. Its lithium-ion battery is made by AESC, a venture between Nissan and NEC Corp.

GM, Toyota

Nissan Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn said electric cars will comprise at least 10 percent of global demand by 2020, assuming oil costs more than $70 a barrel. It traded at $79.84 on Nov. 18.

General Motors Co. plans to build as many as 60,000 Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric cars annually starting in November 2010. Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s biggest carmaker, plans to build a plug-in model for retail buyers in 2012.

Obama Goal

U.S. President Barack Obama is aiming for 1 million plug-in cars on roads by 2015 to curb emissions and dependence on foreign oil. Japan Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama pledged to cut emissions 25 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels.

“The shift to electric cars may be more dramatic than people think,” Kawamura said. “The auto industry will need to shoulder much of that cut.”

Traditional suppliers must balance innovations with meeting their customers’ immediate demands as improving fuel efficiency is a top industry priority, according to Tsubakimoto’s Fujiwara.

Still, suppliers should not delay expanding to meet the potential surge in electric-car demand, said Hisataka Nobumoto, chairman of the Japan Auto Parts Industries Association that includes NTN.

“As current technologies and businesses are reassessed, decisions on where and how to pursue new areas must be made as early as possible,” he said. “By doing so, survival may be possible.”

Passi avanti per la Fiat negli U.S.A.: il gruppo Chrysler investirà 179 milioni di dollari in un impianto nel Michigan per produrre motori Fiat, una mossa intesa ad aiutare il produttore italiano ad aumentare la propria quota nell'azienda americana. Ne dà notizia il sito del Wall Street Journal. Chrysler spenderà il denaro nei prossimi cinque anni per costruire i motori Fiat a quattro cilindri, da un litro, nel proprio stabilimento di Dundee, secondo la Michigan Economic Development Corporation, un organismo pubblico per la promozione delle imprese. Per il progetto, lo stato ha concesso a Chrysler un credito fiscale pari a 4,6 milioni di dollari. Il programma, una collaborazione tra Chrysler e Fiat, prevede una produzione di 250mila motori all'anno. L'investimento fa parte dell'accordo raggiunto tra Chrysler e Fiat dopo che la casa statunitense aveva chiesto la bancarotta. La Fiat ha ottenuto una quota del 20% di Chrysler e ha un'opzione per continuare a rafforzare la propria quota dopo il raggiungimento di una serie di obiettivi legati al trasferimento di tecnologie alla casa americana e alla commercializzazione dei prodotti Chrysler fuori dal Nord America. Grazie all'investimento nell'impianto di Dundee, che occupa attualmente 207 persone, saranno creati 155 nuovi posti di lavoro.
(Fonte: http://europe.wsj.com - 17/11/2009)

Mercedes-Benz is going to launch its ML450 Hybrid, the first European full hybrid vehicle to be offered in the US, on November 16.

Featuring V8-like power with four-cylinder fuel economy, the ML450 Hybrid features two electric motors and a 275-hp V6 gasoline engine. Both work together to provide hybrid power with fuel economy of 21 miles per gallon (mpg) around town and 24mpg on the highway.

The company said that ML450 Hybrid joins the S400 Hybrid and BlueTEC diesel models in its portfolio of fuel-efficient and environmentally compatible vehicles. It would be offered as part of a special lease only option (no purchase) for a monthly lease price of $659 per month for 36 months and $549 per month for 60 months.

The company claims that the new Hybrid fulfills the same crash test requirements and offers active safety with stability control systems such as ESP, ABS and BAS, as well as 4MATIC all-wheel drive. The integration of the hybrid technology has been engineered to require no additional packaging space that would compromise comfort or functionality.

Gli mancava un marchio importante e adesso sta per prendersi anche quello: se le banche creditrici daranno l'ok, la Innovation Auto Industry (IAI) di Gian Mario Rossignolo (nella foto) rileverà il brand De Tomaso, rilanciandolo con una nuova gamma di vetture formata da una crossover, una limousine e una coupé. Il tutto secondo uno schema che poggia su una collaborazione con Pininfarina per quel che riguarda il design e su un nuovo approccio produttivo legato a una rivoluzionaria tecnica di lavorazione dell'alluminio, che dovrebbe abbattere i costi di produzione in maniera drastica. Produzione che dovrebbe avvenire nello stabilimento ex Pininfarina di Grugliasco, che la IAI sta per prendere in affitto dalla società pubblica Finpiemonte, che a sua volta sta per definirne l'acquisto. Un progetto ambizioso, che ricorda proprio il modo d'agire di Alejandro De Tomaso: anche il costruttore italo argentino nel tentativo di rilanciare la Maserati lavorò con l'aiuto di fondi pubblici per fabbriche in crisi, all'epoca era la finanziaria Gepi, e anche De Tomaso guardava soprattutto al mercato americano, dove Rossignolo conta di piazzare buona parte delle ottomila vetture all'anno che verranno costruite a regime. Ovviamente, tra gli addetti ai lavori c'è parecchia curiosità (e non poco scetticismo) attorno al progetto, che potrà contare anche su un secondo polo produttivo identificato in un'altra area di crisi, l'ex Delphi di Livorno. Finora Rossignolo, che è affiancato dai figli Edoardo e Gianluca, ha marciato spedito nell'esecuzione dei piani che aveva annunciato, ma è ovvio che il bello arriva adesso: la sua è una sfida industriale a tutto il mondo dell'auto premium, ritenuto troppo obsoleto, e in questa avventura l'ex capo di Lancia, Zanussi e Telecom si gioca tutta la sua credibilità, oltre a un bell'investimento personale.
(Fonte: www.quattroruote.it - 16/11/2009)

Electric vehicles should provide three-fourths of U.S. driving needs by 2040, with oil imports effectively “reduced to zero,” executives from companies including Nissan Motor Co., PG&E Corp. and FedEx Corp. said.

Meeting the goal for more than 200 million electric vehicles would require $130 billion in spending on efforts such as building battery-charging stations, according to a report today by the Electrification Coalition, a Washington-based group led by transportation and energy industry executives.

“Heavy reliance on petroleum has created unsustainable risks to American economic and national security,” the group said. “Electrified transportation has clear advantages.”

Federal aid to spur demand for more fuel-efficient autos has been luring companies including Nissan and General Motors Co. to push for all-electric vehicles. President Barack Obama seeks to have 1 million electric vehicles on U.S. roads within six years, compared with a few thousand being produced globally this year.

To reach the goal of 200 million vehicles, the government should concentrate consumer incentives and infrastructure subsidies on as many as 33 cities by 2018, the group said in its report. Targets leading up to the 2040 goal include 700,000 vehicles by 2013, 14 million by 2020 and 123 million by 2030, according to the report.

Among coalition members are executives from NRG Energy Inc. and AeroVironment, a maker of car-battery chargers.

http://www.electrificationcoalition.org/

Più automobili prodotte in Italia. Questa sarà l'offerta contenuta nel piano che tra un paio di settimane Sergio Marchionne presenterà ai sindacati. In cambio di che cosa? L'obiettivo dell'ad del Lingotto è quello di riequilibrare una realtà da lui definita "non più accettabile" e sintetizzata in queste cifre: nei cinque stabilimenti italiani dell'auto (Mirafiori, Cassino, Pomigliano, Melfi, Termini Imerese) con 21 mila 900 addetti quest'anno si produrranno 645 mila vetture (15-20 mila in più del 2008); nello stesso periodo, in Polonia, 5 mila 800 addetti produrranno 600 mila vetture e in Brasile 8 mila 700 addetti ne produrranno 700 mila. Avviato il piano di rilancio della Chrysler, Marchionne affronta dunque il "caso Italia", tentando di ridimensionare questo evidente squilibrio. Le indiscrezioni che circolano a Torino ipotizzano una rivoluzione che allarma i sindacati. Ecco perché.
Termini Imerese - E', al momento, l'unica certezza. Il piano infatti prevede la fine della produzione automobilistica nel 2011 già annunciata da Marchionne. Da quel momento la nuova Y verrà trasferita in Polonia. Non c'è invece alcuna certezza sul futuro dei 1500 dipendenti della fabbrica siciliana. Il Lingotto ha sempre detto di essere in attesa di proposte da parte delle istituzioni.
Pomigliano - Dagli stabilimenti polacchi verrebbe trasferita la produzione della nuova Panda che vale 270 mila vetture all'anno. Lo stabilimento campano perderebbe progressivamente le ben più pregiate produzioni dei modelli Alfa Romeo. E' certo infatti che l'erede della 159, la futura Alfa Milano dell'accordo Chrysler, verrà dirottata su Cassino.
Cassino - Lo stabilimento laziale continuerà a produrre Croma, Bravo e Delta, alle quali si aggiungerà appunto il nuovo modello Alfa, forse apripista di altre vetture dello stesso marchio.
Melfi - Non si prevedono cambiamenti: resta confermata infatti la vocazione di principale stabilimento italiano per le utilitarie come la Punto e le sue eredi.
Torino - A Mirafiori l'unica certezza è la conferma dell'Alfa MiTo. Si avviano infatti ad esaurimento la Multipla e i due monovolumi di segmento B, Idea e Musa. Decisamente a fine corsa la Thesis. Multipla, Idea e Musa dovrebbero essere sostituite dal futuro monovolume oggi sotto la sigla di L1, un progetto di qualche anno fa che oggi potrebbe essere realizzato, insieme alla MiTo, su un'unica linea. L'erede della Thesis dovrebbe essere prodotta invece a Grugliasco, nello stabilimento Bertone acquisito da Fiat, dove arriverebbero anche le produzioni della Chrysler. La partnership potrebbe anche portare a una modifica dell'accordo con Psa per i monovolumi di segmento D, Ulisse e Phedra, che potrebbero essere sostituiti dalla nuova versione di Chrysler Voyager.
Con questo piano la produzione italiana di Fiat passerebbe dagli attuali 600-650 mila a 850-900 mila pezzi all'anno con un incremento del 40 per cento, naturalmente "se il mercato ci assiste", come è sempre stato detto a Torino. Al tavolo con le parti sociali l'aumento della produzione italiana sarà certamente il punto di forza di Marchionne. Ma i sindacati temono che l'aumento quantitativo coincida con la marginalizzazione degli stabilimenti italiani nella geografia del gruppo. Cioè che indebolisca le prospettive di Pomigliano, non ne offra alcuna a Termini Imerese e modifichi il ruolo centrale di Mirafiori. "La scelta dell'America per l'auto elettrica" si chiede Giorgio Airaudo (Fiom) "si deve leggere come primo passo verso il trasferimento oltre oceano del baricentro del gruppo?". Si paventa una riduzione di peso di Pomigliano perché un conto è produrre un'Alfa, un altro la Panda: "Sul futuro dello stabilimento si respira un clima pesante", diceva nei giorni scorsi Giuseppe Terracciano (Fim). E il governo? Ancora giovedì Scajola rassicurava: "La Fiat non chiuderà stabilimenti in Italia".
(Fonte: www.repubblica.it - 14/11/2009)

Nissan Motor Co Ltd will keep the price of its upcoming battery-powered Leaf competitive with similar-sized cars and expects to make money on the vehicle despite the cost of its launch, Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn on Friday.

The five-passenger hatchback, which is being designed to have an all-electric range of 100 miles, would cost only 1 to 2 percent more than traditional combustion engine vehicles in its class, he said.

"On the pricing of the vehicle it is too early to say, but there will be no surprise," Ghosn said. "We know it will be the key to the mass market."

Nissan has not disclosed pricing on the Leaf, but has said it expects the car to be the first affordable, mass-market electric car when it goes on sale in the United States, Japan and Europe by the end of 2010.

Nissan has bet heavily on electric cars and expects that by 2020, 10 percent of the world car market will be for electric vehicles. It has announced a series of partnerships with utilities and government agencies to advance technology where it believes it has a chance of seizing market leadership.

The automaker said on Friday that it would cooperate with Houston-based Reliant Energy, a subsidiary of NRG Energy Inc in developing a charging infrastructure for electric cars at homes and near office buildings.

Ghosn, who was speaking to reporters at an event outside Dodger Stadium to kick off a U.S. marketing tour for the Leaf, said Nissan would roll out the car slowly in the U.S. market to get more feedback from consumers.

The Leaf is designed to draw power from a battery-pack developed with Japan's NEC Corp that Nissan has said can be recharged overnight on a 220-volt connection.

Nissan has taken $1.6 billion in low-cost loans from the U.S. Department of Energy to revamp a plant in Smyrna, Tennessee to make the Leaf. The first models in the U.S. market will be imported from Japan.

Nissan's rivals have pushed competing battery-powered technologies. Toyota Motor Corp dominates the market for traditional hybrids and has floated plans for a broader range of vehicles under the Prius name.

Others, such as General Motors Co and Fisker Automotive, are banking on plug-in designs that rely on batteries for short drives but also include a gasoline-powered generator to recharge the battery on longer trips.

'WE WILL MAKE MONEY'

Ghosn, who also leads Nissan's controlling partner Renault SA, said the key to bringing down the cost of producing electric cars would be to spread development costs across up to eight vehicles for the two companies.

"We think this technology is a technology we control, but we need scale. And that is why today we are building an overall capacity between Renault and Nissan of 500,000 cars and batteries a year that we are installing between the United States, Europe and Japan," Ghosn told reporters.

"Hopefully, we are going to move upward. Because it is not about one car, it is about four cars for Nissan and four cars for Renault."

Leasing the car's batteries is a way to bring down the upfront cost, analysts say, and Ghosn said he preferred to lease batteries because Nissan can have control over replacement as technology improves.

But while Nissan plans to lease batteries on a global scale, executives said that they are still studying whether to do so in the U.S. market.

Ghosn said the Leaf would be profitable for Nissan. By contrast, GM has said it does not expect to make money on the first sales of its plug-in Volt, expected to be priced near $40,00O when it launches in late 2010.

"We will make money out of the Leaf," Ghosn said. "We have to make money, because if we don't make money the technology is condemned."

He added: "Everything we are doing today -- and that is one of the reasons we are negotiating with the government -- is to make sure this technology can continue to develop. We have a reasonable return on our investments and continue to develop the technology. And the consumer has to pay a reasonable price."

Lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems is increasing its focus on the automotive market, creating a new business unit led by a former auto parts executive.

A123 said on Friday it has created two business units, one called the automotive solutions group which will focus on the transportation market, and another that will work on cell design and development.

The auto group will work with automakers and major suppliers to provide battery systems for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle technology, the company said.

The two new units will operate alongside A123's Energy Solutions Group, which develops battery systems for the electric grid and consumer product markets.

A123, founded by scientists linked to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is working with German luxury carmaker BMW and France-based Renault. It also has relationships with suppliers like Delphi and Magna Steyr.

Renault confirmed it will use U.S. partner Better Place to run its future electric-car charging network in its home market of France, Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata said.

Besides recharging stations planned by Electricite de France SA, the country needs the California startup’s battery- swapping service to maximize demand for electric vehicles, Pelata said in an interview yesterday at Renault’s headquarters in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt.

“We’re working on having it in France,” Pelata said. “Nobody else is working with this business model, so it’s probably going to be with Better Place.”

Starting in 2012, drivers of electric Renault cars in Israel and Denmark will use Better Place’s roadside stations to switch depleted batteries for recharged units in three minutes, extending their effective range beyond a single charge. In France, the government has appointed state-owned EDF to roll out a recharging network that may be open to rival power suppliers and operators.

Renault, France’s second-biggest carmaker, rose as much as 53 cents, or 1.7 percent, to 32 euros and was up 0.4 percent as of 2:12 p.m. in Paris trading. The stock has gained 70 percent this year.

The company and Japanese affiliate Nissan Motor Co. are committed to investing 4 billion euros ($6 billion) in the electric vehicles and batteries that they plan to begin introducing in 2012. Another 1 billion euros has been pledged by the French government to stimulate demand for the models.

Without swapping stations, “anybody who drives more than 120 or 130 kilometers from time to time will be uncomfortable with the 160-kilometer (100-mile) range” offered by the Renault models, Pelata said. “We’re expanding the volume potential for the car.”

The Israeli and Danish plans require power utilities to support Palo Alto-based Better Place as a front-line operator that supplies the batteries, runs charging and swapping facilities and bills customers for usage and power.

Shai Agassi, the U.S. company’s founding president, acknowledged resistance from EDF in a Sept. 15 interview and said the utility shouldn’t regard him as a competitor.

Both sides need to “leave egos behind” in talks on their roles in the French rollout, Agassi said at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Choosing a single incumbent operator “would extend EDF’s monopoly from kilowatt-hours to kilometers.”

A spokeswoman at Paris-based EDF said the company had no comment. Better Place “would be happy to work with Renault to develop the French market,” Agassi said in an e-mailed response to Pelata’s comments.

UBS rilancia la partnership Fiat-PSA (Peugeot-Citroen). Mentre l'alleanza con Chrysler è positiva, gli analisti della banca svizzera continuano a credere che il Lingotto avrà bisogno di un deal in Europa per ottenere lo spin-off dell'auto. E gli esperti vedono PSA come il partner ideale grazie a una forte logica industriale e dell'azionariato. A non pensarla così è il Financial Times. Il quotidiano britannico scrive che, nel caso in cui PSA volesse rinunciare a "una vita da scapolo, che potrebbe rivelarsi costosa nel lungo termine, una combinazione con BMW avrebbe più senso di una possibile integrazione con Fiat, con cui le sovrapposizioni sarebbero di gran lunga maggiori". Gli esperti analizzano anche la situazione di Chrysler. Senza sottostimare l'importanza del lavoro svolto dal management, il cauto ottimismo di UBS sulla casa di Detroit deriva soprattutto "dal notare come le ipotesi di mercato per il 2010-2011 siano eccessivamente prudenti". Chrysler infatti potrebbe sorprendere nei primi anni del piano quinquennale. Sui target a lungo periodo, gli esperti dubitano del margine di Ebit del 7-8%, considerato "fuori dalla norma" fino a quando i costi base non inizieranno a normalizzarsi. Tenendo in considerazione la guidance della casa di Detroit e le stime di UBS sul cash flow del gruppo, il capitale di Chrysler potrebbe avere un valore di 8 miliardi di dollari e 1,2 euro per azione.
(Fonte: www.milanofinanza.it - 13/11/2009)

In the Toyota Prius versus Honda Insight hybrid sales showdown in Japan, it is the Prius which continues to dominate.

In October, the Prius was Japan's number one best-seller for the sixth consecutive month. Toyota's third-generation model put 26,918 units on the board, while the Insight was down in ninth place with 7074 units.

The Insight, the first hybrid to top Japan's sales charts this April, is also now regularly being outsold by the Fit (Jazz) in the country too.

The Fit was Japan's second biggest seller in October with 15,444 units. Nonetheless, Honda isn't concerned about the Insight's flagging sales.

First, the sales target for the Insight is set at 5000 units per month, so Honda's hybrid is still actually well ahead of schedule.

Second, the Fit is still a very competitive all-rounder, especially in terms of mpg, utility and pricing, and is on the market for much less than an Insight. Therefore Honda is happy the Fit is where it is and the Insight is more than living up to expectations.

"Continuiamo a lavorare con impegno allo sviluppo del progetto di Fiat in Serbia". Così l'amministratore delegato del Lingotto, Sergio Marchionne, in merito ai piani di Fiat in Serbia. "Abbiamo terminato la definizione del business plan di Chrysler - ha continuato Marchionne - e stiamo ora finalizzando la parte relativa all'Europa". Il numero uno della casa automobilistica torinese nel confermare le mire strategiche in Serbia ha sottolineato che "si sta procedendo rapidamente per stabilire quali piattaforme saranno assegnate allo stabilimento di Kragujevac". Sulla base delle analisi ad oggi effettuate, i veicoli prodotti in Serbia potrebbero essere destinati a numerosi mercati, tra cui Europa Occidentale e Orientale, Russia e Nord America. "Desideriamo ringraziare il Presidente Tadic e il suo Governo per la disponibilità dimostrata nel consentire a Fiat di definire i propri piani, che intendiamo annunciare entro la fine del mese prossimo", ha concluso poi Marchionne.
(Fonte: www.finanzaonline.com - 12/11/2009)

According to a report in The Guardian, a whistle-blower at the International Energy Agency (IEA) claims that it is purposefully publishing misleading figures about the world's remaining oil reserves. A senior official, who asked not to be named, says the IEA is inflating its projections for fear of triggering panic buying and a worldwide financial meltdown. The source says the United States has encouraged the IEA to exaggerate the possibilities of finding new oil sources, while downplaying the diminishing returns from existing oil fields.

While the IEA's World Energy Outlook reports that production can increase from the current level of 83 million barrels per day to 105 million barrels per day, many analysts disagree. Some believe that we've already seen the world's peak oil production and that even an 8% increase from today's production levels would be unsustainable. This isn't the first time the IEA's assertions have been questioned, but sources say that the IEA's chief economist, Fatih Birol, is facing increased pressure from within his own organization to defend his numbers.

"The IEA in 2005 was predicting oil supplies could rise as high as 120m barrels a day by 2030 although it was forced to reduce this gradually to 116m and then 105m last year. The 120m figure always was nonsense but even today's number is much higher than can be justified and the IEA knows this, " says the insider.

The IEA was formed after the oil crisis in 1974 to help protect western nations from another energy emergency. It's a fairly well known fact that most OPEC nations have been lying about their oil reserves for decades. Now one wonders if the agency is blinding the countries it's supposed to be helping to the reality of a world with dwindling oil reserves.

Source: The Guardian

Coulomb Technologies announced today that it has signed an agreement with a Sydney-based company to distribute Coulomb's charging stations throughout Australia.

The agreement is exclusive to ChargePoint Pty Ltd, which Coulomb says is in "advanced discussions with a number of government and private sector partners for pilot projects in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, which are all due to commence in the first half of 2010."

The pilot projects will be used to evaluate charging behavior, energy grid load analysis, and environmental and societal impacts.

The first mass produced electric vehicles will arrive in Australia in 2010, with most manufacturers expected to release models down under in 2012. Coulomb is clearly hoping to have its charging stations in place in time to meet demand.

Meanwhile, Coulomb announced today that the Elk Horn, Iowa, will be getting four of its charging stations this week. That's significant because at present there are no EV charging stations between Denver and Chicago.

Coulomb says the stations will be the first of many along the I-80 corridor through Nebraska and Iowa.

And in California, Sequoia Solar, a San Diego company that designs and installs grid-connected solar systems, has announced plans that it will unveil the first of many networked solar-powered EV charging station this week.

Powered by a combination of the sun and Coulomb's charging stations, Sequoia said it plans to extend Coulomb's network and their own solar technologies throughout San Diego County.

In little over a year, Coulomb Technologies of Campbell, California, has gone from zero installed charging stations to chargers installed in many cities and on several continents. Our hats are off to CEO Richard Lowenthal, the driving force behind the spread of the stations.

Electric drive systems developer and supplier UQM Technologies says it has received a U.S. patent on a new operating geometry for electric motors that require fewer of the expensive permanent magnets that transfer the motor's power into wheel-turning torque.

The system developed by the Colorado company can help reduce the cost of EV and hybrid vehicles' electric motors and the demand for the rare-earth metals used in their permanent magnets.

UQM's engineers developed a component layout that allows a motor to produce the same level of power using 20 to 25 per cent fewer or smaller permanent magnets, said Jon Lutz, the company's vice president for technology.

An electric motor has two basic pieces, a fixed-position stator, or outer assembly which holds the cols of copper wire coils that produce an electro-magnetic field. and the rotor, that contains the permanent magnets.


By reducing the number of magnets needed in an automotive drive motor by 25 percent, Lutz said, UQM can lower the cost of the entire motor by about 5 percent - a savings that can help trim the cost of electric vehicles.

Of course they could use tried and tested AC induction motor technology and reduce their permanent magnet count to zero!

Il neonato gruppo Fiat-Chrysler ha annunciato in pompa magna, la settimana scorsa, una futura proficua e stretta collaborazione fra i nuovi luxury brand del gruppo: Chrysler per l’America, Lancia per l’Europa. E già insistenti indiscrezioni danno per certa la condivisione della nuova piattaforma LY a trazione posteriore della ventura 300C con una grande berlina Lancia probabilmente declinata anche in versione familiare. La nuova 300C arriverà a fine 2010-inizio 2011 e queste sono le prime foto semi-ufficiali, provenienti dalle slide di una presentazione. La carrozzeria riprende le linee squadrate e imponenti dell’attuale generazione, mentre a cambiare nella sostanza sono gli interni e la meccanica. Il progetto era ormai quasi ultimato nel momento dell’acquisizione da parte del gruppo italiano e pertanto le modifiche apportate non saranno sostanziali, ma si concentreranno sul comparto motoristico e in particolare riguarderanno l’adozione del Multiair sul V6 Pentastar (qualche mese dopo il lancio della vettura) e i propulsori turbodiesel 4 cilindri common-rail. Secondo Marchionne, AD del Gruppo Fiat, lo sviluppo di questo nuovo pianale, a partire dall’LX dell’attuale 300C (stretto parente di quello della vecchia Mercedes Classe E), è costato uno sproposito, forse più del necessario. Ciononostante porta in dotazione un nuovo gruppo sospensione posteriore, una maggiore rigidezza strutturale e resistenza agli urti, una revisione della qualità dei componenti e un alleggerimento totale di 40-50 Kg. Questa nuova piattaforma è già stata rinominata “E-Evo” all’interno di FIAT e verrà senza dubbio riutilizzata in più modelli del gruppo al fine di ammortizzarne gli elevati costi di progettazione e produzione. Proprio per questo agli 80 mila esemplari annui previsti per Chrysler, Lancia potrebbe affiancarne 15 mila in Europa, in modo da sfiorare i 100 mila annui. La nuova ammiraglia Lancia prenderebbe la pesante eredità lasciatale dalla sfortunata Thesis ma potrebbe venir destinata ad un pubblico più ampio, per esempio con una versione wagon, peraltro già prevista per la sorella americana. Le modifiche potrebbero rivelarsi più lievi del previsto, quel tanto da sagomarne l’aspetto ai canoni dell’eleganza europea, e alla classe degli interni Lancia; mentre la meccanica, forte dei nuovi V6 Pentastar benzina e dei 4 cilindri diesel italiani (per la 300C ci sarà anche un V8 Hemi a cilindri disinseribili), non necessiterebbe di sconvolgimenti. Dove invece il Gruppo Fiat spera di intervenire in modo importante è l’abitacolo, da rifinire con materiali e ricercatezza stilistica all’altezza degli standard dei clienti europei, ben più esigenti degli americani. Anche gli interni della 300C subiranno delle modifiche prima dell’entrata in produzione: se è troppo tardi per grandi interventi, maggiore attenzione sarà dedicata ai materiali e alle rifinitura, con l’ambizione di proporre sul mercato nordamericano una temibile avversaria per le lussuose Cadillac.
(Fonte: www.oneauto.it - 10/11/2009)