Chrysler disbands ENVI electric car group

At last year’s LA and Detroit auto show, back when it was owned by Cerberus Capital Management, Chrysler’s concept cars were all electric, including a battery-powered Town & Country minivan, 200C sedan, Dodge sports car, and Jeep Patriot. The message was clear: electric cars would were to play a key role in the company’s future.
 
Now that the company has been bought by Fiat, it has announced new product plans that  focus on improving its conventional cars. (See "Chrysler’s business plan: The Fiat platforms.") Consumer Reports was not able to recommend a single Chrysler model from 2007 or 2008. For 2009, we were finally able to recommend the redesigned Dodge Ram pickup. (See “Detroit report cards.”)
 
Now Chrysler has emphasized its fresh product plans by disbanding its electric vehicle division, ENVI (short for environmental), announced last year. Chrysler says its electric car development will now be rolled into its standard product development, according to Reuters.

In Chrysler’s future product plan presentation earlier this month, company Chairman Sergio Marchionne said electric cars are expected to account for less than two percent of Chrysler’s sales by 2014, far less than the 300,000 envisioned under ENVI.
 
—Eric Evarts

Brammo reduces price of electric motorcycle

Electric motorcycle manufacturer Brammo has announced a $4,000 price reduction for its recently introduced Enertia. A company representative said the new price is $7,995, and that a ten percent federal tax credit brings the final cost to $7,200.

Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher said that the price reduction was possible due to increases in engineering and supply chain efficiencies as production has ramped up. He added that more than 100 Enertias have been shipped.

With a weight of 324 pounds and a top speed of 60 mph, the Brammo is fun to ride and feels much like a 250cc conventional motorcycle, with similar performance. But even with the reduced price, it still costs considerably more than a 250cc Honda Rebel, which starts at about $4,000. For the price of an Enertia, riders could opt for a larger cruising bike like the $7,000, 745cc Honda Shadow Aero and still have $200 in change for gas.

Still, the Enertia may appeal to some of the urban commuters the company is targeting, who may find its simplicity to ride and maintain appealing, and for whom the 42-mile range isn’t a problem.

The Enertia is sold through Best Buy stores in California and Oregon, and Oregon-based Brammo will sell directly to customers in other states.

Also read: Brammo Enertia electric motorcycles go to Washington, D.C. on road trip.

See our motorcycle and scooter buying advice and ratings.

—Jim Travers  

Cadillac Converj plug-in hybrid gets green light

When it comes to talk about GM’s future cars, the Chevrolet Volt gets all the attention. But the Volt isn’t the only extended-range electric vehicle General Motors has on its drawing boards, according to an article this week by the Detroit News.

According to the report, General Motors’s board decided to build the Cadillac Converj, a luxury coupe derived from the Volt. The company showed a concept of the Converj at last year’s Detroit Auto Show. Like the Volt, the Cadillac Converj will have batteries capable of driving 40 miles that will be charged from an electric socket. After that, small-displacement, four-cylinder gas engine will start to enable longer trips. It will undoubtedly offer luxury features unavailable in the Volt and sell at a higher price, allowing GM to accelerate the return on its investment in the Volt. The Volt is expected to sell for $40,000 and is eligible for a $7,500 federal tax rebate. The Converj could be expected to sell for significantly more. There was no target date announced.

A third version of the Volt, the Opel Ampera, is expected to be sold in Europe, starting in 2011.

—Eric Evarts 

Hybrid vehicles have higher pedestrian incidents

A recent report from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that hybrid electric vehicles have a higher incidence rate of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes than do conventional vehicles in certain situations.

NHTSA looked at state-level crash files to compare crash rates on these two types of vehicle engines. Out of 8,387 hybrids 77 (or .9 percent) were involved in crashes with pedestrains. Out of 559,703 conventional vehicles studied, 3,578 (or .6 percent) were involved in crashes with pedestrians. In crashes involving bicyclists, 48 (or almost .6 percent) were involved in crashes with a hybrid vehicle whereas conventional vehicles were implicated in 1,862 (or .3 percent) of crashes.

The study (pdf) found that these incidences were more likely to occur in areas with low speed limits. The hybrids had a higher incidence—two times more likely to have a pedestrian crash—when they were slowing or stopping, backing up, or going in or out of a parking space. Most hybrids employ their electrical motors only at these situations, making these cars eerily quiet. However, there was no difference in rate of pedestrian crashes between these two vehicles when they were going straight.

In 2007, there were 70,000 pedestrians injured and 4,654 deaths due to crashes. A number of organizations, including the National Federation for the Blind, are pushing for legislation that would require all hybrid and electric vehicles to emit a sound. A number of car makers are looking into warning systems, as well.

In the meantime, hybrid drivers need to be aware of their stealthy approach and use extra vigilance and possibly look into installing a backup alert warning device or even a backup camera to be able to see pedestrians and bicyclists around their vehicle. Likewise, pedestrians need to be vigilant as electrified automobiles will become increasingly common.

For more on vehicle safety, see our safety guide and read "Quiet-running hybrids and electrics need audible backup alerts"

—Liza Barth 

How electric cars will become affordable

The challenge for electric vehicles is how to make them affordable. Industry leaders at the Business of Plugging In conference in Detroit this week conveyed some ideas about how to put electric vehicles’ cost on par with conventional cars.

Why are they so expensive today? There are three main reasons:

• Car batteries are an emerging technology
• Automotive-grade electronic components need to be much more robust than those currently built for cell phones and other devices, therefore driving cost.
• No such parts are mass produced today, preventing economies of scale.

Many electric-car components today have to be custom made. One example cited by Tony Posawatz, the director of the Chevrolet Volt program, is the on-board charger. Posawatz says the charger cost GM two or three times what it could have, because no company mass-produces a large enough charger for the Volt’s 16-kwh battery pack--one capable of charging from both 110- and 220- volt outlets, lasting for 10 to 15 years in harsh environment including extreme hot and cold temperatures, and enduring constant vibration. Once production of the Volt and other electric cars ramps up, such chargers will become commodities (like cell-phone chargers today) and will therefore become less expensive.

But the charger is only one example. Procuring a steady supply of batteries is even more challenging. Currently, no company builds lithium batteries large enough to power a car in North America. So batteries, known as the heaviest part of an electric car, have to be transported from Korea. They have to come by ship, because they tend to get damaged by the high altitude and cold temperatures in cargo planes, which would have added even more cost anyway. Today, as automakers ramp up production, there is a lot of competition for the relatively few batteries large enough for electric cars. The Volt’s battery is said to make up about $16,000 of its estimated $40,000 price tag. That’s $1,000 per kilowatt hour. So reducing the price of the battery will be key to bringing down the price of the car. GM says its target is $250 per kwh, which would make the next generation Volt competitive with gas-powered cars.

Meanwhile, some electric-car experts at the Business of Plugging in conference observed that the Volt’s high $40,000 price may help it succeed at first. Only committed electric-car fans will buy them, and they may be more willing to endure some inconvenience as early adopters. Other business models that are being talked about are leasing programs for the batteries and a swapping program, much like turning your empty gas grill’s propane tank for a full one. Not worrying about the battery as an integral part of the car might make the transition to electric cars more palatable. Government subsidies, meant to encourage EV use are already in plan in Israel and Denmark.

—Eric Evarts

Edited 11/2/09

Auto X Prize Finalist: West Philadelphia Hybrid X team

It doesn’t take a major automaker, or even an established company to build a credible competitor for the Automotive X Prize. It turns out, it doesn’t even need a team run by grownups.

The West Philly Hybrid X team consists of a group of inner-city high school kids who do their work as an after-hours club. This volunteer effort has many benefits to the participants, including teaching teamwork and engineering essentials. Life skills and inspiration alone would make being involved in the program worthwhile, but the high schoolers and mentors can take pride in having both entries accepted as finalists in the competition. One is an Alternative Class car that uses a diesel hybrid drivetrain installed in a widely available sports-car kit. Their Mainstream Class entry (which requires four seats, four wheels, and a 200 mile range), made a visit to New York City as part of an event to announce the 43 finalists. (Read “Automotive X Prize finalists announced.”)

Called the West Philly Hybrid X EVX Focus, the Mainstream entry is a Ford Focus converted to hybrid-electric power, using a 60-horsepower electric motor coupled to a 1,300 cc, 80-hp Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine. The electric motor is powered by a 10.2 kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery pack. The team says the Focus will maintain all its five-passenger cargo capacity and have a 13.8 cubic-foot trunk. Mileage is estimated to be 110 to 120 mpg equivalent, using gasoline and electricity. 

The team focused on using all-American technology, well, make that North American: The Focus is made in Mexico, and the Harley-Davidson engine in Wisconsin. The team has also explored having the car built locally in Philadelphia.

X Prize teams have to have a viable business plan to produce and sell 10,000 of each of their cars. The West Philly Hybrid X team plan factors buying Focus chassis as “gliders”--sans engine and transmission-- from Ford, to keep the total price under $20,000.

Regardless of the final results from the Auto X Prize to be determined next year, clearly the West Philly team is made up of winners.

Learn more about the Automotive X Prize competition. And find out more about driving green in the Consumer Reports special fuel economy section.

—Eric Evarts with Jeff Bartlett 

Auto X Prize Finalist: OptaMotive E-Rex

The OptaMotive E-Rex electric vehicle has advanced in the Progressive Auto X Prize contest, passing the latest expert review and moving forward to the spring 2010 technical qualifiers. The E-Rex is an electrified version of the Campagna T-Rex, an open-air vehicle derived from a Yamaha motorcycle chassis and powered by a 1,400 cc bike engine. The prototype model on display at the Classic Car Club in Manhattan this week revealed a work in progress that promises to deliver both fun and efficiency in equal measures.
 
For this application, the big bike engine is replaced by an all-electric drivetrain energized by Thunder Sky lithium-ferrous batteries, selected in part for packaging reasons. The three-wheeler uses 96 batteries, each providing 40 amp/hrs. The company estimates a 100-mile range, with a mile per gallon equivalent (MPGe) rating of about 150.
 
Clearly, there isn’t much car to the E-Rex. It is essentially a dressed-up roll cage. The cockpit was more Spartan than other competitors’ vehicles on hand at the recent event. Like all entries, it is a work in progress, and a company representative said the instrument panel is still under development.
 
Ultimately, the open-air design helps keep weight under 2,000 pounds. The upside is that with more than 100 horsepower on direct tap, achieving acceleration of 0-60 mph under 10 seconds may prove to be an easy goal. The configuration also means that it is classified as a motorcycle, thereby sidestepping some federal regulations that can prove costly to meet and verify, as with the Zap Alias.
 
The T-Rex with its dino-juice-drinking internal combustion engine retails for about $50,000. Right now, OptaMotive estimates the pricing for an E-Rex could carry just a slight price premium above the T-Rex.

 —Jeff Bartlett

Learn more about the Automotive X Prize competition. And find out more about driving green in the Consumer Reports special fuel economy section.

Auto X Prize Finalist: Amp Sky

In meeting several Progressive Auto X Prize finalists this week, it was clear that there are many ways to approach the $10 million challenge to develop a marketable car that can achieve a 100 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe). On hand at the New York City event, Advanced Mechanical Products (AMP) shared their smart strategy for producing electrified cars: convert existing production models.
 
The general concept behind the Amp Sky, and eventually an undisclosed Chevrolet model, is to replace the internal-combustion powertrain with a battery-electric system. And the key here is that Amp is matching the original configuration pound for pound, therefore retaining the weight and weight distribution of the original donor car. The benefit is that General Motors has spent hundreds of millions developing the car, including brakes, suspension, and steering systems. By sticking within basic factory specs, the “Amplified” vehicles should perform in a similar manner and ease future servicing.
 
With the Saturn Sky, Amp removes the engine, transmission, and differential, replacing those components with about 900 lbs. of Valence lithium-ion batteries and motors. The result is a weight balance within one percent of the original car. Amp claims their changes retain similar crash performance as the original car. To keep the transformation discreet, Amp routes the electric powertrain information to the existing instrument panel. Aside from badging and lack of exhaust pipes, one would be hard pressed to identify a parked Amp Sky from a gasoline-fueled model.
 
The two rear-mounted motors can accelerate the car “quicker than the original.” Published company estimates for 0-60 mph times range from six to eight seconds. Top speed is 90 mph. Based on usage, Amp figures 150-mile range per charge – much farther than the average commuter drives daily. Recharging fully drained batteries would take 3.5 hours, though a typical day may require just 1.5 hours from a 220-volt outlet. The company estimates its MPGe rating to be 125.
 
Amp is accepting preorders on the Sky, and the conversion cost is $25,000 plus a donor car. The batteries and motors are warranted for three years, 36,000 miles, and the company predicts the batteries will retain 80 percent of capacity at 100,000 miles.
 
 —Jeff Bartlett

Learn more about the Automotive X Prize competition. And find out more about driving green in the Consumer Reports special fuel economy section.

Auto X Prize Finalist: Zap Alias electric car

Arguably the most striking model on display when the Progressive Automotive X Prize announced its 53 finalists this week, the ZAP Alias is racing toward production in mid 2010.
 
By designing the Alias as a three-wheeler, the company is able to cost effectively develop the vehicle without going through the expensive certification process required for four-wheeled cars, thereby saving millions of dollars. That said, safety has remained an engineering focus, as evidenced by the roll cage within the composite body. Zap claims the car will exceed federal automotive safety standards, and the cost savings will be passed on to customers, with an expected $35,000 price. (Reservations are being accepted now.)
 
As he gave us a tour of the three-seat vehicle, Zap CEO Steve Schneider explained that the auto industry meltdown has opened up new partnership and supplier opportunities that are aiding his company, and likely others. He shared a quote, we suspect often used, that the three-wheeled, three-passenger Alias reflects a 25-percent cutback back over four-wheeled vehicles that is well timed in this economy. Clearly, there are practical benefits to design, though he claims the Alias is every bit as stable as a traditional car. 
 
The front wheels are driven by a 216-volt electric motor and energized by a lithium-ion battery pack with a claimed 100-mile range. Zap estimates the miles per gallon equivalent rating will be 150-165 MPGe. Top speed is 75 mph.
 
The design means it would be registered as a motorcycle, and in some states a motorcycle license would be required to drive it.
 
Zap has been developing the Alias for the past four years. (The company itself has been in the electric-car market since 1994.) When production begins next year, they will produce an estimated 10-15 units per month, with larger-scale production planned with a cooperative venture now being developed.

 —Jeff Bartlett

Learn more about the Automotive X Prize competition. And find out more about driving green in the Consumer Reports special fuel economy section.

OnStar will aid electric-car rollout, GM says

Telematics systems can give unique benefits and insights to plug-in cars. In building a fleet of prototype Chevrolet Volts, General Motors has tapped into its OnStar system to monitor batteries, driving data, and charge cycles, as well as update software on the fly. The company has also been studying how drivers use their conventional cars equipped with OnStar in the hopes of gaining insights into their driving and refueling habits.
 
So far, they have made some interesting findings: Looking at ordinary cars in the markets where GM plans to sell the car, OnStar determined that if Chevrolet Volts were used in those same driving cycles, 35 percent of them could run all day in electric mode. Others would have to use gasoline some of the time. (The Volt is advertised to have batteries big enough to drive the car 40 miles without the engine starting.) This differs from Census Bureau numbers that show 78 percent of Americans drive 40 miles a day or less. The government numbers, however, come from a 2002 survey of household travel, and it wasn’t focused on GM drivers.
 
A key lesson here is the importance of adding so-called opportunity charging stations at workers’ office buildings to raise the number of Volts able to drive all day on electric power.
 
Once plug-in vehicles roll out to consumers, OnStar could help for example by providing a remote communication link to the car to tell it when to recharge or avoid recharging at peak energy loads, for example, or remotely turn on the heat or air conditioning to make the interior comfortable using grid power, rather than the on-board battery or engine.
 
This week at The Business of Plugging In conference in Detroit, we had a chance to tour GM’s OnStar Command Center, a high-tech space with monitors along one wall showing nationwide reports of car lockout reports, people asking for directions, and cars in accidents.
 
In another OnStar development last week, for the first time, police disabled a vehicle that had been carjacked in California. The service has been available for about a year in certain 2009 GM vehicles equipped with OnStar. In this case, the driver called OnStar, in addition to the police, after his car was stolen by a man with a shotgun. After verifying the situation and coordinating with police, who were following the car and verified the situation was safe, OnStar disabled the throttle so the engine returned to idle. The car was recovered 16 minutes after it was stolen.
 
Getting the most from electrified powertrains requires smart electronics management, and telematics may play a key role in helping drivers and even communities manage their power.

—Eric Evarts

Learn about driving green in the Consumer Reports special fuel economy section.