Frost & Sullivan, a global market research firm, believes the pace of growth for China’s hybrid and electric car market has been exaggerated. “While we believe hybrids have a good future, the sales in China's future market have been overhyped,” wrote Tristin Lin, senior consultant of automation & transportation, Frost & Sullivan China. The firm estimates 95,000 hybrid units, or 0.9% of the total market for passenger cars, in 2015. And the forecast for electric cars is more conservative.
In a dramatic sign of the profound transformation under way in the auto industry, Ford said today it will invest $550 million to retool its Wayne, Mich. assembly plant to produce fuel-efficient compact cars and electric-drive vehicles. The plant formerly made Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigators SUVs.
The goal of the Progressive Automotive X Prize is to foster the next generation of 100-mpg+ vehicles. Ten million dollars goes to the team that achieves 100 mpg in a race simulating real-world driving conditions. In yet another sign that the mainstream auto industry is unwilling to think outside the box, not a single major car company is entering the competition. So where are the next creative ideas for tomorrow’s fuel-efficient cars going to come from?
Honda has been banking on a transition to fuel cell cars as the long-term strategy for sustainable mobility. Nissan has been primarily moving toward pure battery-electric vehicles. Executives from both companies are now suggesting that hybrids and plug-in hybrids could be around for a very long time.
The theme of this year’s annual meeting of automotive engineers was “Racing to Green Mobility.” The unlikely symbol of the event—the 2009 World Congress of the Society of Automotive Engineers held from April 20 to 23—was California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Hummer. The Governor kicked off the conference by pointing at shortcomings in federal energy policy, while overlooking his role as the most famous promoter of the ultimate gas-guzzler. The message was that government-supported advanced auto technology will allow US drivers to continue driving fast large vehicles without any compromise.
What goes for political corruption is also great advice for understanding the future of gas-electric and plug-in cars: Follow the money. Consider the new round of $69 million that A123Systems, one of the leading US manufacturers of advanced auto batteries, has raised to expand its facilities in Massachusetts and Michigan.
The New York Times last week reported that China plans to boost its annual production of electric and hybrid cars to 500,000 in the next two years from just 2,100 last year. Should the US auto industry really be worrying about Chinese electric cars? Or do other competitors pose a more serious threat?
President Barack Obama announced the next steps to help General Motors and Chrysler Monday—after about six weeks of deliberations by the president’s auto task force. One of the advisors to the task force, the Boston Consulting Group, recently issued a report, “The Comeback of the Electric Car?” HybridCars.com Editor Bradley Berman spoke with Xavier Mosquet, the lead author of the report. His views might reveal how fuel efficiency, hybrids and electric cars could play a role in the car manufacturers' recovery efforts.
When President Barack Obama walked into Southern California Edison’s electric-vehicle test facility today, he visited what may be the highest concentration of electric vehicles in North America. The president’s goal, said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, was to highlight the role of plug-in cars in creating “clean energy jobs” that will spur economic growth.
Piaggio Group, the maker of Vespa scooters, said that it will sell a plug-in hybrid scooter in the United States by early 2010. If the company delivers on its plans, it will be the first plug-in hybrid vehicle on American roads—beating the Chevrolet Volt by six months or more. The combined fuel economy will be approximately 140 miles per gallon. The acceleration will be rip-roaring fast: 0 – 60 in about 5 seconds.
