A study from IDC Energy Insights predicts that plug-in electric vehicles will be hitting the market within the year, and 540,000 will be sold globally by 2012. There will be more than 2.7 million of the vehicles on roads across the globe within five years. IDC predicts there will be 885,000 electric cars in North America and more than 780,000 in Europe by the year 2015. The report’s authors warn, however, that the electric grid won’t be ready for this surge. “Unfortunately, these vehicles will cause havoc on the distribution grid if they start appearing without any preparation by grid managers. The utilities that prepare today for this new reality will be the ones that will win in the long term.” Challenges utilities will face include “significant upgrades in distribution equipment, from the addition of separate metering apparatus to the installation of advanced transformers that can handle the increased load on a particular line. Utilities will also need to address the creation of novel rate structures that allow the utility to control how and when the vehicles are charged.”

"Japanese based JFE Engineering has released its ultra-fast charge station. Designed to comply with the CHAdeMo standard developed by Tokyo Electric Power Company, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Toyota, the system is capable of charging a 2011 Mitsubishi i-Miev from empty to 50% full in just three minutes. Even just three minutes plugged into the fast-charge station was enough to enable a standard 2011 Mitsubishi i-Miev to travel a further 50 miles before further charging was required." / Consideration will have to be given to the massive high-voltage power lines needed to power a charger capable of recharging an EV so quickly. But for retail locations and gas stations, the 62.5 kW power requirements of each charger should not be impossible to accommodate in all but the remotest of locations.

Mahindra and Reva have announced a collaboration to form a new company called Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicle Company that will see Reva's electric powertrain technology put into Mahindra & Mahindra vehicles. Mahindra will also take a 55.2-percent equity stake in Reva Electric Car Company and has so far invested about $10 million in the new company.

Everyone pretty much knows what to look for when buying a gasoline vehicle. But what about an all-electric vehicle, of the sort that will go on sale at the end of the year? Read More...

Mr. Santhosh from India has built the world’s smallest e-bike measuring 12 inches in height and 18 inches in length. "Moosshiqk" (the Sanskrit word for mouse) – is a 12 inch height, 18 inch length battery driven bike. Only one of its kind in the world which can be ride backwards (reverse). It can be disassembled in less than 1 minute and can be assembled in the same time. Dry weight : 4 kg, Speed : 12 to 15 kmph Read more

Chrysler, all but left for dead by most industry watchers, surprised just about everyone in Detroit this morning by announcing it has not one but three electric vehicles in the pipeline and we’ll see the first of them in showrooms by 2010.  Read more...

Planar Energy’s Solid-state Battery Potential for Triple Lithium Ion Energy Density at Half the Cost - University of Central Florida Confirms Researchers at the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC)) have verified findings by Planar Energy that could lead to dramatic cost and performance improvements in large format batteries required for practical electric vehicles. AMPAC scientists independently confirmed that Planar Energy’s new generation of solid state electrolytes have ionic conductivity metrics comparable to liquid electrolytes used in traditional chemical batteries. It will allow solid state battery fabrication that will enable manufacturers to increase their capacity by 200-to-300 percent, while reducing costs more than 50 percent,‖ he continued. ―This is what the automotive industry needs to make electric vehicles practical and affordable.

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Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius and a number of other green-themed vehicles got their India debut at this week's New Delhi Auto Expo, but auto executives and experts agree it will be years before many people buy them. The auto show features several different electric cars from various manufacturers.

Everything you thought you knew about plug-in hybrids and battery cars is probably wrong.
A list of 12 different things that many people say about EVs and counter arguments promoting EVs.

Smart, responsive and elegant, the Copenhagen Wheel is a new emblem
for urban mobility. It transforms ordinary bicycles quickly into hybrid e-bikes that also
function as mobile sensing units. The Copenhagen Wheel allows you to capture
the energy dissipated while cycling and braking and save it for when you need
a bit of a boost. It also maps pollution levels, traffic congestion,
and road conditions in real-time.

Read More

The technology being developed by Ceramatec is a new variation on sodium sulfur batteries, an existing technology with very high energy density, but best suited for very large scale, industrial style installations such as grid storage. However, these batteries have the potential to bring the advantages of sodium sulfur batteries to a much wider range of uses.

(PhysOrg.com) -- Toyota is developing a solar charging station for electric cars and plug-in hybrids, making a green technology even greener. It has also designed a battery charger for mounting inside an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid to recharge the storage batteries.

The next generation of electric cars are being developed by Reva.  Three different models, the NXR, NXR Inter-City and NXG lines will give the consumer a good variety of options to choose from. The NXG model will offer ranges of 200 kms per charge and a top speed of over 130 km/h. For more details, check out the Reva site here.

FRANKFURT — The electric car is at the starting line, and the gun is about to sound. Now automakers must prove that the technology, and the market, are ready. After years of talk and prototypes, some automobile makers believe the electric vehicle is about to become more than just a science experiment.

Read More on NYTimes

Excerpts from an interview with the head of the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles on the Down To Earth magazine. Topics cover: The use of lead acid batteries, market potential of e-bikes, the lack of regulations and the government's role.

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The idea of an electric-assist bicycle has been around for some time, with Aprilia’s Enjoy the first really convincing argument that the genre had a future – now there’s another variation on the electric pedal-assist theme, but it’s much more a motorcycle than a bike, and indeed, it might be one of the quickest forms of inner city transport on the planet. The whole thing weighs just 110 kilograms and with over 45lb/ft of torque and 13bhp, it can top 50mph. Pedaling is required to get those figures, but they’re pretty awesome figures giving it 250cc motorcycle performance. This very exciting development in the inevitable move to electric two-wheelers will cost around EUR 25,000 (US$39,000) and will be available in limited quantities in 2009.

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We are in the process of removing many of the old listing for the site.  We are now charging per listing since we feel that apart from the fact that this brings us some revenue to run the site, it also encourages authentic products that have a real dealer base in India.  Over the coming weeks you will see less products with more valid data such as accurate dealer locations, etc.  If you are a manufacturer, contact us  for more information.

Even though Europe is in the middle of the economic crisis, sales of electric vehicles does not seem to be affected. In Holland alone over 140,000 vehicles were sold in 2008.  Germany totaled 100,000 units.  The prediction is that in 2009 Europe will sell over 400,000 electric vehicles.  India seems to be pretty far behind in it's sales compared to these figures.

We have created a dreamer's corner where you can all think up the wackiest, most unconventional or just plain useful features that could go onto an electric vehicle.  This section will become useful for manufacturers trying to figure out what kind of products to bring onto the market in future so please give us your thoughts!

On February 28th, EVFuture took part in an eco rally in Auroville, India.  We showcased our prototypes together with Reva and BSA.  EVFuture has developed an electric rikshaw which runs off an 850W motor and can easily carry 3-4 passengers.  For more pictures of the even, click here.

Scientists at the MIT (USA) have developed the Green Wheel, a system that can power a bike with electricity and can be installed on any bike frame or wheel size.  The Green Wheel can provide enough power to travel approximately 35 km without pedaling and if pedaling, the range of miles can double if the traveler's speed is below 30 km per hour, the developers said. The Green Wheel can generate, store and propel power and can be charged by pedaling or by plugging it into the electric grid. It is composed of three main elements, an electric generator, batteries and an electric motor. It has the radius of a "small dinner plate" and 2 inches thick.

The automotive ecosystem is in the midst of significant change, with increasing challenges in consumer demands, technology development, globalization, integration and collaboration. A new era is rapidly approaching in which the very definition of personal mobility will change. Automotive companies are racing to develop new business models to help them maintain responsible growth. In this dynamic new age, we believe a focus on the development of compelling personal mobility solutions, retail transformation, global execution and extensive partnering will be the keys to success in 2020.