According to a recently-released Department of Energy report, several clean energy technologies—including electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid vehicles—are at risk due to the “critical risk” posed by short-term supply disruptions in the rare earth elements market.
Last week, the University of Colorado announced one of the first programs to offer EV-specific master's certification, under its College of Engineering and Applied Science.
Audi’s 2014 model year A4 under development is reportedly getting a few environmentally agreeable options, including a plug-in hybrid version.
The rumor is that a fuel-burning engine will drive the hybrid’s front wheels, while a battery-powered electric motor turns the rear. All-electric range could be up to 37 miles, about the same as offered by a Chevrolet Volt.
The Volt is designed to hit speeds up to 100 mph, but the speeds for the A4 running on battery power only are as of yet unknown.
One of the siren songs for environmentalists is reducing the need for oil so governments don’t feel it necessary to fight wars for it – but ironically, one of the largest drivers in the global push for renewable energy development could well become the military. According to a study this week by Pike Research, the U.S. Department of Defense as well as combined military agencies in all developed and developing countries are projected to increase annual spending of today’s $1.8 billion to $26.8 billion by 2030. U.S. DOD renewable energy spending for land, air, and sea mobility alone is estimated to jump 5.6 times in the next four years from $400 million annually to $2.25 billion in 2015. By 2030, it is projected to be spending $7.5 billion annually just on renewable energy for mobility needs.
According to a study issued this week by Pike Research, the U.S. Department of Defense as well as combined military agencies in all developed and developing countries are projected to increase annual spending of today’s $1.8 billion to $26.8 billion by 2030.
U.S. DOD renewable energy spending for land, air, and sea mobility alone is estimated to jump 5.6 times in the next four years from $400 million annually to $2.25 billion in 2015. By 2030, it is projected to be spending $7.5 billion annually just on renewable energy for mobility needs.
Ford announced yesterday it would raise its annual U.S. production capacity for “electrified” vehicles – hybrids and plug-in hybrids – from 35,000 to over 100,000 by 2013. While the Focus EV is due later this year, the spotlight was also on four other hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Central among these will be Ford’s five-passenger C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid which for the first time were announced that they would be offered in North America. A seven-passenger ICE version slated for the U.S. however will not be offered.
When Honda recently unveiled its 2012 Civic design, and announced that the new Civic Hybrid would use lithium ion batteries for the first time, we weren’t surprised. Last March, we reported that the Civic and other Honda hybrids were already in the process of migrating from nickel to lithium. What does it mean for consumers? In theory, more MPG at a lower cost—and hopefully putting some of the Civic Hybrid's battery problems in the past.
While lithium may attract more attention, a recent report from the Department of Energy suggests that rare earth metals are a bigger supply concern. In the short term, the report does not find that lithium supply is likely to be an issue. After 2015, depending on the market penetration scenario for PHEVs and BEVs, demand does begin to outstrip potential supply.
Over the past decade, consumers have mostly overcome unfounded fears about the safety and longevity of batteries in hybrid cars. But now the trusted battery technology, nickel metal hydride, is slowly being replaced by lithium ion—raising questions about which automaker will make the switch to lithium and when.
Last week, we reported that Honda finally acknowledged a problem with the batteries of the Honda Civic Hybrid by issuing a “technical service bulletin.” This comes after one year of complaints—more than 100 on the HybridCars.com forum alone—about diminished fuel economy and power after a year or two driving, especially in hot weather conditions. As the first set of Honda Civic Hybrids receive the software update, the results reported in our forums are mixed.
Bloomberg reported today that Honda will fix a software flaw in about 90,000 Civic Hybrids sold in the U.S. that can cause their batteries to wear out sooner than expected. For the past year, issues related to the Civic Hybrid battery have been discussed by numerous owners in the HybridCars.com Civic Hybrid forum.
