Geneva 2015: the aftermath

I really liked the Lexus LF-SA city car concept, which has to give more than a few clues as to the next-gen Toyota/Scion iQ as well. Automotive News makes the valid point that as a Lexus, it’d be offered with hybrid powertrain only, and suggests that it’s a viable contender for production rather than just a think-piece. Further news from Geneva: some comment from Automotive News Europe on the prospect of an Opel/Vauxhall-badged Chevy Bolt: more commercially viable than a Karl/Viva EV, more likely than a direct replacement for the too-expensive Ampera. So Nissan launched – ahead of expectation – a seven-seat passenger-carrying version of its e-NV200 van, the Evalia (more here), and that Borgward brand-revival: plan is for mass-market production (800,000 cars a year by 2020) with an SUV to come first; it’ll be launched at Frankfurt show in the autumn, and there’ll be hybrid powertrains, reports Autocar.

Meanwhile, away from Switzerland Ford raised a few eyebrows at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, unveiling two folding e-bicycles and its Handle On Mobility trial programme. The Dahon-built MoDe:Me is a straightforward 200W-boosted commuter pedelec to be stowed in a car boot for short onward park-and-ride journeys; the MoDe: Pro is for commercial use (couriers, electricians, delivery services, suggests Ford) and can be stowed in vans or support vehicles. The trial will test an app called MoDe: Link (iPhone 6) which enables navigation (signalled to the rider via vibration on the handlebar grips); auto turn signals; communication with other vehicles, identification of bike-friendly routes, hazards and alerts; integrated multi-modal journey planning including weather, parking and charging point info; adjustment of pedal-assist according to the rider’s heart-rate (with ‘no sweat’ mode); and compatibility with Ford’s in-car SYNC. More details here. And also at the Mobile World Congress: BMW’s “Vehicular Small Cell” tech for better in-car wireless networking (more here).

• Nissan is partnering with Spanish energy firm Endesa to develop two-way vehicle-to-grid EV-charging for peak load-balancing, energy storage and back-up in emergency situations. The trials will also involve energy storage using second-life batteries from end-of-life EVs. More here.

• Putting a silica shell, with ‘mildly reduced’ graphene oxides’, onto cathode material in lithium-sulphur batteries reduces the likelihood of ‘polysulfide shuttle’ as lithium tends to dissolve in electrolyte: a team from the University of California have developed a process promising higher battery performance and longer battery life. More, incl. references, here. Yet BASF is developing a process to increase the energy density of good ol’ nickel-metal hydride tenfold, apparently – NiMH batteries being both cheap and stable; more here.

• And latest news on the ‘biobattery’ process – improving the efficiency of biogas plants in producing electricity, gas, biofuel and ‘biochars’ from green waste, sewage sludge, food industry by-products, straw or animal excrement. Trials in Germany are now seeing 75% efficiency.

Geneva round-up (3)

Have to say that I really liked the textile-skinned EDAG Light Cocoon (body construction 3D-printed): one of the more truly innovative concepts of the show, and it was a pretty little thing, too. A welcome distraction from all the super-coupes, massive crossovers/SUVs and suchlike. The Magna Mila Plus (yellow one, below) was less eye-catching and less obviously impressive at first glance, but is interesting in that it effectively offers OEMs a turnkey solution: its platform can accommodate several PHEV powertrain configurations of varying power/output/range (in combination with a three-cylinder engine) as well as bodystyles.

And Quant – last year, arousing a certain level of scepticism and accusations of vapourware, though I gave ’em the benefit of the doubt – have brought their nanoflowcell tech a stage closer to production-readiness. Quant F (the big red one, gullwing doors) promises a 30% increase in range (to 800km) over last year’s prototype, as well as an all-new two-speed auto transmission, a 1075hp peak output and 186mph top speed, and is close to final Euro-homologation; and the more affordable Quantino (compact, blue) has been developed with larger-volume sales in mind. Quant has been talking with a series of different infrastructure-providers, businesses and relevant bodies about setting up a supply-chain for the charged ionic fluid its batteries need (top-ups every 1000km); this is the difficult bit, but given that Tesla has managed to set up its Supercharger network, by no means impossible with the right partnerships in place.

 

 

 

 

 

And in other snippets (and in no particular order): Goodyear showed a piezo-electric tyre capable of collecting kinetic and heat energy, which can then be diverted to a hybrid powertrain.

Hyundai showed a version of its new Tucson SUV with PHEV powertrain: 50km all-electric range, 114bhp 1.7 diesel engine plus 68bhp e-motor driving the rear axle. And the Mitsubishi XR-PHEV II (red, bottom) looked good, too…

Non-pictorially, Koenigsegg’s Regera‘megacar’ is a PHEV, albeit one with electric motive force to add even more power rather than for any great environmental impact, I suspect; twin-turbo 5.0 V8 plus three motors (2x rear wheels, third on the crankshaft) to give a frankly ridiculous 1782bhp/1549lb ft and the title of most powerful car in production, which is probably the entire point of the thing. Similarly baffling (to me, anyway) was the high-riding Aston Martin DBX Concept (in-wheel electric motors, lithium-sulphur battery cells). However, on a far more practical everyday note – and therefore of far more use to the world – Mercedes-Benz showed a PHEV concept version of its latest V-Class MPV/executive taxi-shuttle; petrol-electric powertrain from the C350e, delivering 210hp plus 90kW from the motor (total 333hp output), 94.2mpg and an all-electric range of 50km (more details here). Oh, and the Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV (a total 400hp; 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds; 59g/m and an all-electric range of 25 miles; described more in this earlier post) looked impressive, too (below).

 

Geneva round-up (2): Things autonomous

I’ve already written about the Rinspeed Budii (modified BMW i3; electric powertrain itself unchanged) but it was good to get a sit inside and see the robot arm – enabling driving from either side when in DIY mode – in action. All made possible, and the room to accommodate this is created, by stripping out the mechanical steering for steer-by-wire. Along with airbags, much of the dashboard and other front-bulkhead safety-related structure, too, as one can do for a show concept, but we won’t quibble as it looked good and made its point about what may be possible.

On another tip, the ItalDesign-Giugiaro Gea was a considerably larger self-chauffeuring, app-controlled limousine: with four electric motors (one driving each wheel) giving a total 764bhp, reports Autocar. And on a different note altogether, the Italian-American ED Design TorQ: an autonomous – and windowless – high-torque e-racer. Which begs the question of who, in a race of driverless cars, wins? The one with the most intuitive human-machine interaction, apparently; it’s all to showcase V2X/V2V products and AI systems on offer from a technology provider anyway, but a fully-working prototype is under development to demonstrate ‘swarm intelligence’ and other advanced safety-related wares.

Geneva round-up (1): Volkswagen Group

Motor shows: more fun via Twitter these days, but for a bit more detail… Further to things I’ve already outlined in previous pre-show posts, some more plug-in vehicles of various provenance and philosophy, with pictures (my own). First up, the Volkswagen Group contenders, and the Volkswagen Coupe Concept GTE (replacement for Passat-based CC, larger and intended to go further upmarket, so sort of a sporty mid-point between Passat and Phaeton, I suppose). Gets the Group’s PHEV powertrain with V6 TSI petrol engine and a pair of electric motors, delivering an overall 380hp and 141-odd mpg averaged-out. And the Volkswagen Group’s not confirmed any details, but the Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 two-seat coupe concept (notable for its very verdant paintwork) is fitted with a hybrid powertrain too, reports Autocar.

Similarly, Audi e-trons galore: from the diesel-electric Q7 e-tron quattro (373hp, a 35-mile all-electric range, 166mpg, 0-62 in six seconds) and Prologue Avant fastback estate (next A6; near-identical powertrain to the above) to latest R8 e-tron (all-electric – more power, increased range of 280 miles, new spaceframe construction; available to special order) – and the series-production A3 Sportback e-tron PHEV (pictured). And on the Spanish side of the family, the Seat #20V20 concept (an SUV) is said to have – theoretically, at least, at this stage – a plug-in hybrid powertrain too.

 

Concept of the Day: Magna MILA Plus

Magna Steyr’s MILA Plus concept’s a two-seater PHEV showing off the company’s lightweight construction tech and vehicle-building capabilities alongside its plug-in hybrid powertrain (two motors, one driving each axle; all-electric range 75km; overall CO2 emissions of 32g/km; 272hp, 580Nm and 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds). It weighs 1520kg, and its modular aluminum spaceframe construction could accommodate different driveline configurations, components and systems; the aluminium body-in-white is fully-recyclable and the interior features bioplastics and natural fibres. Its battery is incorporated into the spaceframe; its body panels are plastic; and its components are joined in a bonding process rather than by welding, as with the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Aston Martin Rapide (also built by Magna). Typical concept-car touches include rear-view cameras in place of exterior mirrors, projecting images onto display screens. Will see more of this one at the Geneva Auto Salon next week…

• Yamaha is planning to launch the two-seat Motiv city car in Europe in 2019, according to reports. The Motiv (and Motiv.e in electric form) were developed in partnership with Gordon Murray Design from GMD’s T25 and T27 prototypes.

• MINI is presenting an installation at the Salone del Mobile in Milan next month in partnership with Spanish artist Jaime Hayon. The theme is ‘tomorrow’s urban mobility’, and it centres on the MINI Citysurfer concept e-scooter. Hayon has designed two Citysurfer variants to be taken on virtual graphic routes and paths in a “surreal space”, apparently; more here.

• That £32million of EV infrastructure support announced yesterday: for chargepoints on A-roads, at train stations and even homes and hospitals, ringfenced to 2020, with an additional £11million across 50 organisations, companies, universities and other businesses working on 15 R&D projects. These include creating recycled carbonfibre material for massmarket vehicle structures (led by Gordon Murray Design); zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell range-extender bus powertrains (Magtec) and liquid nitrogen-fuelled power/cooling for refrigerated trucks and air-conditioning buses (Dearman Engine Company).  The government has also confirmed £15million for grants towards the installation of home EV-charging kit; £8million for public charging infrastructure on major roads and across towns and cities; and £9million for other infrastructure priorities, details tbc.

Concept of the Day: Mitsubishi XR-PHEV II

Mitsubishi has released more details of its small SUV concept, a plug-in hybrid, prior to next week’s Geneva Auto Salon. The XR-PHEV II has a new powertrain promising a motor output of 163hp (no details yet on the engine) and overall emissions below 40gkm, and is front-wheel-drive despite its mini-Shogun styling; think next-generation ASX urban crossover.  It has all-electric, series hybrid and parallel hybrid modes – designed for prioritising all-electric operation, with the engine acting as a generator, but the engine can also kick in to supplement the motor power.

• Toyota is putting its i-Road into action in an EV-share in central Tokyo next month, in partnership with Park24’s Times Car Plus service. A trial – supplementing Toyota’s programme in Grenoble, France – will run till the end of September to gauge user feedback, activity patterns and ease of usage.Toyota expects the cars, to be located at the Times Station, Yurakucho ITOCiA shopping centre, to be used one-way to businesses, shops and sight-seeing locations; they can be returned to any of five central bases. Times Car Plus members opting into the service will pay 412 yen (about £2.25) per 15 minutes with max hire time two and a half hours. There are around 430,000 members of this mobility service (operated by car park network Park24) across Japan.

• Springer has published a book on Electric Vehicle Business Models, including case studies and research on car-sharing, wireless charging, grid-balancing, marketing (‘technology push vs market pull’), and cost of ownership; more details and samples here.

• Volkswagen’s Geneva concept previewing the next CC is to have a (petrol) plug-in hybrid powertrain, reports Autocar, but the Audi Prologue Avant (next-gen A6 Avant estate) is diesel-electric – 3.0 TDI engine, 353hp, plus 100kW motor and eight-speed tiptronic transmission, delivering 0-62 in 5.1 seconds, 155mph, 176mpg overall, 43g/km and a 54km range in all-electric mode. Wireless induction charging capability, too.

• Zap-Map.com has launched a mobile app (£4.99, iOS, Android to follow) enabling UK EV drivers to search for public charging points (by rated power, connector type or compatibility with their vehicle as well as by postcode or location), and to provide feedback and ratings , i.e. on correct functioning. It’s the first of a series of apps the Zap-Map/Next Green Car team (managers of the government-funded National Chargepoint Registry) are developing to support electric car drivers. More here. This follows debate on EV user forums about the ins and outs of repurposing and selling data from OpenChargeMap and other OS databases…

• Some notes from a DEMAND Centre workshop on energy demand in relation to time use and social practices, including with relation to mobility and car-dependency; research presentations looked at factors including sequence patterns of activities and energy/mobility-intensive activities and practices.

• Proterra has upgraded its e-bus battery packs to deliver a range of 180 miles; more at Green Car Congress.

• Not all biofuel bad: the Greater London Authority is planning to get vehicles used on council fleets running on a blend with used cooking oils, fats and greases, and Hackney is to trial blends of B20 and B30 in its LCVs by the end of the year, reports Fleet News. This could also help tackle the problem of ‘fatbergs’ clogging the capital’s sewers.

Concept of the Day: QUANTiNO

Not content with launching the Quant F super-coupe (see earlier post), nanoFlowcell AG is also to show a smaller, more affordable EV in Geneva, showcasing its flow-cell battery tech. The QUANTiNo 2+2 has a lower-voltage 48V system – enabled by the efficiency of the flow-cell battery – delivering around 136hp via four 25kW motors; it promises a top speed of over 200kph plus a range of over 1000km (between top-ups of charged battery fluid into two 175-litre tanks, one positive and the other negatively-charged). It’s intended to be accessible to a mainstream audience – and the company is seeking to put it through the Euro-homologation Type Approval tests “very shortly”. More details here.

• And Magna Steyr is to show the eighth model in its series of MILA concepts: MILA Plus is a plug-in hybrid sports car, with lightweight construction (1520kg),  a range of over 70km in all-electric mode and overall CO2 output of 32g/km. No more details than that – or pictures – at the moment. It follows the CNG-fuelled MILA Blue (2014).

• Cenex is co-ordinating an EU-funded project to tackle ‘transport poverty’ in outer urban areas – with shared EVs. The project will involve trials in the West Midlands and Scotland, as well as in areas of Poland, Spain and Italy, and partners include housing associations. More here.

 

Design Concept of the Day: Rinspeed Budii

More pictures of the Rinspeed Budii prior to the Geneva Auto Salon: on the surface, it’s a fun and eye-catching tricked-out BMW i3 (with a shower, an auto-winding – Swiss – watch, a very fancy Harmon Kardon audio system, touchscreen HMI and fibreoptic ambient lighting), but there’s also some clever thinking on autonomous driving and its implications. Drive-by-wire steering allows for either front-seat occupant to take the wheel; 3D laser-scanning enables autonomy but also terrain mapping and auto-adjustment of ride height; radar and V2X tech enables connectivity including the payment for services (parking, recharging); and two stowaway mini-two-wheelers (electric) take care of last-mile onward travel. Rinspeed – a Swiss consultancy/creative thinktank – has identified the need to make EVs “sexy and emotionally charged” (pun intended? Either way, sad but true) and as such, it’s a no-expenses-spared job on the interior finish and creature comforts (including smartphone- and watch-controlled auxilliary heating). More details here, full gallery of images here.

• Changes to the Plug-in Car Grant scheme: to be increased from the current 25% of purchase price to 35%, as of April 1st – but capped at £5000, so it’s only going to benefit buyers of EVs under the £20,000 mark. Plug-in cars are also going to be divided into three eligible categories: 1, with CO2 under 50g/km and an all-electric range of at least 70 miles; 2, under 50g/km, and with a range of 10-69 miles; and 3, 50-75g/km and an all-EV range of at least 20 miles. The grants will run up until 50,000 have been awarded (it’s at about 25,000 right now). Though the grant allowance remains the same across the categories at the moment, it’s likely that a sliding scale will follow – perhaps in relation to the upcoming changes to BIK company car tax bandings, to be announced in the Budget.

• BMW is working with Spanish utility firm Iberdrola to provide a 350-car shared fleet of i3 EVs. Iberdrola will deploy these in Madrid, Bilbao, Barcelona and Valencia. More here.

• I rarely agree with this particular (highly EV-sceptical) Detroit News columnist, but in this case, I’m with NW in that structural changes to mobility/car ownership/driving are going to be incremental rather than revolutionary overnight, and that some phenomena, such as peer-to-peer sharing, will probably remain marginal. Comment from several other industry-watchers on a similar note.

• Apple is gearing up to challenge Google with its ‘Project Titan’, reports the  WSJ, with minivan-based electrically-driven prototypes spotted out and about to trial autonomous-driving tech. More here.

• Volvo is expanding its V2X cloud-comms ice-warning project to a 1000-car fleet operating in Gothenburg and Oslo. More here.

• Stopping at traffic lights is bad for you: on a journey where 2% of the time is spent stationary at red lights, 25% of exposure to particulates is experienced while waiting for green, according to research at the University of Surrey. And that’s just for the drivers… Deceleration, idling then revving up to go again ups PM emissions by 29% over those from free-flowing traffic. More, incl. references, here.

 

Autonomous vehicles, and other EV-related news

Some more pictures from Greenwich yesterday (further to those posted on Twitter), and the launch of the GATEway project (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment). The eight sensor- and radar-guided Meridian electric vehicles (developed by a firm called Phoenix Wings) are going to shuttle all around the Greenwich Peninsula for two years, picking people up and dropping ’em off between the O2 arena, North Greenwich tube station and soforth. The research, including collecting feedback from the general public, will be led by TRL.

• And further to this… Autonomous vehicles could cut car ownership rates by 43%, according to researchers (Schoettle & Sivak) at UMTRI (University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute). Identifying a lack of ‘trip overlap’ in multi-car US households, autonomous cars able to ‘go home’ to be used by someone else could bring car ownership down to an average 1.2 vehicles per household. However, each car’s mileage could increase by 75%, not including the extra passenger-less mileage it might do on its way back to base. Interesting stuff…

• Kia’s Trail’ster concept car – revealed at the Chicago Auto Show this week – is a sported-up SUV-alike Soul with added hybrid power: an electric motor driving the rear axle to give AWD. The motor (35hp, 100lb ft) allows for 25-30% increase in fuel economy in city driving and 5-10% on the highway, apparently, supplementing the front-driving 1.6 turbo petrol engine to give a total 220hp/285lb ft).

• The Frazer-Nash/Ecotive Metrocab RE-EV taxi has been licensed by Transport for London and the first examples are going on trial. This delivers an overall 98mpg/less than 50g/km, has a range of 560km, and is said to save a cabbie £20-£40 a day; its powertrain combines a 1-litre petrol engine with two electric motors and a generator, and it is also externally-chargeable with a zero-emissions mode.

• And illustrating exactly why electrification is important… children (carrying certain genes) exposed to urban air pollution are at increased risk of ‘brain inflammation’, cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative changes, including lower IQ and short-term memory loss, akin to early symptoms of Alzheimer’s and even Parkinson’s diseases, according to a study from (very polluted) Mexico City. Summary plus links/references here.

• The Volkswagen Group has bought an entire portfolio of fuel cell patents from Ballard, reports Green Car Congress. Yet Volkswagen of America has also announced a $10million investment in EV-charging infrastructure, in partnership with BMW USA and ChargePoint.

Concept of the Day: Lutz Pathfinder

Driverless cars (well, electric golf cart-type vehicles) have hit the streets of Greenwich this week in the UK Autodrive trial, which will see investigation of public attitudes, legislative changes and protocols as well as technology tests. The Transport Systems Catapult also unveiled these Lutz Pathfinder ‘pods’, which will go into action in Milton Keynes and Coventry later this year, as well as the BAE Wildcat jeeps in Bristol. More detail here. (and here). The Lutz two-seaters are built by the RDM Group, with sensors and navigation tech from the Oxford University Mobile Navigation Group, and are designed with pedestrianised areas in mind, whereas the Greenwich golf carts are larger shuttles.

• Lichtenstein-based nanoFlowCell is to show an update on last year’s Quant E-Sportlimousine concept at the Geneva Motor Show next month: the Quant F promises a 30% increase in range (to 800km) over last year’s prototype, as well as an all-new two-speed auto transmission, a 1075hp peak output and 186mph top speed, plus some small design tweaks. More details here.  Its flow cell batteries – using charged electrolytes – need a fluid-swap rather than conventional charging.

•  Electric supercar story #2: a Finnish start-up is to unveil a 1 mega-watt monster called the Toroidion 1MW (of course) at the Top Marques show in Monaco in April, reports AutoblogGreen.

• Pacific Gas & Electric is planning to build and provide 25,000 new EV-chargers in northern and central California, to be located in places including apartment buildings, retail centres and offices; it’s looking for third-party hosts. Release posted here.

• Paper (Melanie Swan, Kingston University) on the application of so-called ‘quantified self’ technology – biometric measurements – in the automotive world, i.e. implications for fatigue detection, stress management, personal identification for security, and vehicle interventions, here. Conclusion is that this could be a factor – alongside other innovations such as 3D printing, other models of transport service delivery, energy sector reforms, autonomous driving – in a large-scale reconfiguration of cars, driving and personal transportation.

• “Electric cars are good but connected electric cars are better”, said Bosch CEO Dr Volkmar Denner, speaking this week at the Car Symposium in Bochum. Bosch is aiming to offer integrated mobility solutions – combining automation, electrification and connectivity; other comments and predictions from this Tier One supplier include the idea that 15% of new cars will have some form of electrified powertrain (from hybrid onwards) by 2025; electrification is picking up pace unhindered by low oil prices; EV batteries will offer twice the energy density at half the price by 2020; hybrid powertrain will become standard-issue in the SUV sector; apps for battery-charging and payment for EV-charging will better-enable electromobility; and the success of e-bikes points to the fun factor of e-mobility.

• France is to introduce a diesel scrappage scheme offering grants of up to 10,000 euros for people trading in diesels over 13 years old (in selected areas of  poor air quality) for plug-in hybrids or EVs,. Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy Segolene Royal told Le Parisien this week that the measures will be introduced in April. This encompasses existing incentives and discounts. Meanwhile, the Bollore Group has just confirmed 150million euros-worth government funding for it to build a 16,000-strong network of fast-chargers across France; more here.

• A not-yet-famous Belgian: designer Xavier van der Stappen is looking for funding to put his E-Car 333 into production, reports Sustainable Mobility. As its name hints, the E-Car (unveiled at the Brussels Auto Show this week) has three wheels, carries three people – and has a claimed range of 300km. It’s a kind of scooter/microcar hybrid with a chassis (recycled steel) that could accommodate different bodystyles; and interestingly, its panels are made from a flax-fibre laminated material (see previous post).

• Registration figures from ACEA for last year: 75,331 plug-in vehicles registered in the EU, up 37% on 2013’s figures but still representing just 0.6% of the total market (12.6million cars of all types last year, up 5.7% on 2013).

• Car-dependency in Washington DC vs similarly-populated Stuttgart: some nice number-crunching reported here. Similar trends in their suburbs, surprisingly.