Archive for June, 2010

At a claimed 100 miles of driving range and a $25,280 price tag, the Nissan Leaf is one of the most attractive electric vehicle propositions out there.  It’s cheap to own and charge and is at the bleeding edge of zero emissions technology.

But would you still be interested in this electric wonder-car if the driving range were only 47 miles?

That’s exactly the problem Nissan faces as they try to manage expectations for the battery-powered future they so desperately want to lead.

Unlike gasoline-powered cars, the driving range of electric vehicles can vary dramatically with changes in the weather.  That’s mainly because the heating and air conditioning systems rapidly drain energy from the battery pack, trading miles of driving for a comfortable cabin.  Battery packs also have difficulty charging to a full 100% in cold weather when their chemical reactions are slowed by low temperatures.

The 100 miles of driving range that Nissan has quoted until now is based on the EPA’s “LA4″ testing cycle, which is designed to simulate urban traffic in Los Angeles.  Commute on any stretch of road other than the 405 freeway and your mileage will undoubtedly vary.

Forbes was at a press event in Japan last week when Nissan unveiled a detailed list of scenarios to help drivers outside the City of Angels know what to expect:

• Cruise around leisurely at 38 miles per hour on a comfortable, 68-degree day in San Francisco and the Leaf’s driving range jumps to an impressive 138 miles.
• Crawl along in dense traffic at 6 miles per hour on a hot, 86-degree day in San Diego with the air conditioner at full blast and the Leaf’s range wilts to a mere 47 miles.
• Jog among suburban traffic at an average speed of 24 miles per hour on a warm, 77-degree day in Orange County and you’ll make it for 105 miles, provided you don’t turn on the A/C.
• Suffer through a 95-degree heat wave in Nashville while traveling at 55 miles per hour with the A/C on and you can expect a range of about 70 miles.
• Skate around Manhattan on a 14-degree winter day at an average speed of 15 miles per hour and you’ll make it for about 62 miles.

Not all of these scenarios are flattering but Nissan is quick to remind that electric vehicles do have a few nifty tricks up their sleeves.  Leaf drivers, for example, can use Nissan’s iPhone app to pre-heat or pre-cool the car while it’s still plugged in to a charging station.  This makes the car more comfortable for the driver’s arrival and minimizes the need for air conditioning while on the road, preserving the battery’s charge for driving.

And don’t worry: Japan’s third-largest automaker assures that the radio and windshield wipers and other electronic features have a negligible impact to driving range.

New technologies often require new thinking and we think that Nissan was wise to be transparent and set expectations before the Leaf come to market this winter.  How has this new information affected your interest in the car?

Another runaway vehicle?

Local Louisville news station, WLKY reports that a Kentucky woman was driving on Interstate 64 with her twin daughters when she claims to have experienced sudden unintended acceleration in her 2008 Chevrolet Equinox.  Marlene Taylor says that she set the cruise control and then watched in horror as the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably to 90 miles per hour.

Taylor called 911 through her vehicle’s OnStar system and was instructed to put the vehicle in neutral.  She claims that she was unable to do so and the operator asked her to engage the parking brake and to try pulling up on the accelerator pedal with her foot.  Taylor again claims that neither maneuver worked.

The Kentucky Highway Patrol was dispatched to help and finally caught up to Taylor’s vehicle around mile marker 58.  After thirty miles and twenty minutes of intense driving, one officer positioned his cruiser in front of the Equinox and was able to bring the situation to a halt.  It is unclear if Taylor was able to stop the Equinox on her own or if the highway patrol officer had to use his cruiser to forcibly slow the vehicle.

Marlene Taylor has since hired attorney, William McMurry who announced, “We simply want the manufacturer to investigate thoroughly.”  No lawsuit has yet been filed, though McMurray says that he has already contacted General Motors to request a full investigation.

With so few details available at this point, it’s unclear if the incident was staged or real.  Why did Marlene Taylor’s car not accelerate past 90 miles per hour, for instance?  Why also did her attempt to place the transmission in neutral fail?

Toyota experienced a similarly sensational episode in March when Prius driver, Jim Sikes led police on a wild chase on the freeways outside San Diego.  Electronic and physical evidence from the Prius later suggested that there were significant holes in Sikes’ story, backed up by large debts and a former business associate who alleged that Sikes was an untrustworthy con man.

Time will tell if Marlene Taylor is the new Jim Sikes or if her harrowing experience means that automakers still must work to convince a nervous public that there are no ghosts in their machines.

UPDATE: General Motors refutes Taylor’s claims following an investigation of the vehicle.  Click here for the full story.

Were you one of the first in line for the iPhone? Are you drooling all over your glossy new iPad? Do you have to have the latest and greatest gadgets before anyone else?

If so, I have good news for you because automakers will soon be releasing next-gen technology that will transform the way we drive.

It’s part of a coming wave of new cars that will (finally!) offer options beyond the dinosaur internal combustion technology that’s been around for the past 100 years.

Like many new technologies, however, these future cars will only be available on a limited basis at first.  Field trials of the all-electric Mini E and hydrogen fuel cell Honda FCX Clarity, for example, were limited to Southern California and the New York metropolitan region last year.

These prototype test cars were leased to early adopters for a specified time and then returned to the manufacturers for continued analysis.  Ideally, these trials are intended to help Mini and Honda create even better production cars for the rest of us to enjoy.

Three new cars, the Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Volt, and the Ford Focus Electric, are slated for production in the next year. In addition to cutting-edge technology under the hood, these cars will feature advanced dashboard, navigation, and wireless communication technology that you will not find in standard gas-guzzling machines. They will also come with their own SmartPhone applications for maximizing energy use and minimizing charge costs. For example, this video gives you a taste of the Chevy Volt Wireless App.

How do you get a “car of the future”? This time it won’t be just Californians and New Yorkers who get to show off their new toys: early adopters in several other regions across the country can look forward to getting in on the electric drive action.

Those regions include:

- Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, TN (for the Nissan Leaf)

- Los Angeles, CA (for the Chevy Volt and Ford Focus Electric)

- San Jose and San Francisco, CA (for the Chevy Volt and Ford Focus Electric)

- San Diego, CA (for the Nissan Leaf)

- New York, NY (for the Ford Focus Electric)

- Austin, TX (for the Ford Focus Electric)

- Phoenix and Tucson, AZ (for the Nissan Leaf)

- Portland, Eugene, and Corvallis, OR (for the Nissan Leaf)

- Seattle, WA (for the Nissan Leaf)

- Detroit, MI (for the Ford Focus Electric)

Early adopters in these regions can expect significant city and state purchase incentives (in addition to the well-publicized $7,500 federal tax credit). In many regions, these folks can also qualify to get a free charger installed in their home for juicing their new electrically-driven wheels. Officials in these cities are working with manufacturers to establish a new public charging infrastructure, as well.

But what is it like to be an early adopter for these future cars? How does one join this energy evolution? In the next few weeks, I hope to interview some first-movers in the electric car field for our Honk readers. Stay tuned for an inside perspective from those who are on the front line of next-gen mobility…

Dr. Shannon Arvizu is a clean-tech strategist and educator. You can read more at MissElectric.com

Game 2 of the NBA Finals was a disappointment for fans of the LA Lakers.  Fortunately for Kobe Bryant, his drive home should have been anything but.

While the 103-94 loss on the home court was less welcome than a flat tire, Kobe nonetheless got to drive home in his Ferrari F430, a $300,000 sports car that can jet from 0-60 in less than four seconds and put a smile on your face in half that time.  Yowzahs.

For a guy who can afford to drive any car on the planet, the F430 makes for an interesting choice.  It’s not the most expensive Ferrari out there – but it is more focused and visceral than its exotic siblings.

We think that the choice says a lot about Kobe… as do his other rides from Land Rover, Bentley, and Cadillac.

After all, what kind of celebrity would leave a bright pink baby seat buckled into his Range Rover in full view of the paparazzi when he goes out for a date with his wife?

We sneaked a peek into the Black Mamba’s garage as part of a fun story for Fox Sports, analyzing the basketball great’s personality through the lens of his cars.  Have a look at our full report on Kobe and let us know your thoughts on the man and his cars.

The Gulf oil spill is the largest in United States history and it’s far from over. 12,000 to 19,000 barrels of crude are still gushing from the ruptured Macondo wellhead each day, threatening marine life, coastal habitats, and fishing and tourism jobs from Texas to Florida.

Oil pools in a marsh along the Mississippi River (Photo: NY Times)

By the numbers, this is a catastrophe of the highest order.

Number of lives claimed in the initial explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig?  Eleven.  Number of gallons that have already leaked into the Gulf?  18.6 million to 29.5 millon.  Total estimated cost to plug the leak and repair all the damage? $30 billion and counting.

Here’s another number that may upset you: two.

Two is the number of options you have if you want to buy a new car that is not powered by oil.  Not ten or twenty or thirty.  Just two.

Of the 300-plus highway-capable vehicles on sale today, only the Tesla Roadster and Honda Civic GX can be purchased by a regular consumer from a regular dealership and then driven around without burning any gasoline or diesel.  And sadly, both of those models come with strings attached.

The Tesla Roadster is an all-electric sports car and the poster child for a growing zero emissions movement.  Avoiding oil-slicked marshes doesn’t come cheap or easy, though.  The Roadster costs over $100,000 and can only be found in a handful of cities around the world.  If you really want an electric vehicle but don’t have a mortgage-sized budget, you’re going to have to wait a few more months until the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt start production.

Your other option for sticking it to Big Oil is the Civic GX, a version of Honda’s ever-popular compact car that runs on compressed natural gas.  In addition to being oil-free, natural gas burns much cleaner than gasoline, allowing Honda to boast that the Civic GX is the cleanest internal combustion vehicle ever tested by the US Environmental Protection Agency.  Like the Tesla Roadster, however, the Civic GX is only available in select markets.  You’ll need to be in California, New York, Utah, or Oklahoma to pick one up.

If you want to get more extreme, you could convert your old car to run on fry oil from McDonald’s.  You could also become a commercial fleet operator and drive a CNG-powered taxi or truck.  Or you could take acting lessons, become a Hollywood celebrity, and then pull some strings to get a high-profile ride in an experimental test car, like the Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that Jamie Lee Curtis is cruising around in these days.

Point is, there are precious few options available if you want to shake your own personal oil addiction.  And even if you do manage to stop burning gasoline or diesel in your automobile, it’s still hard to escape Big Oil and the fossil fuel paradigm.  The natural gas that powers your Civic GX comes from an energy company, like BP.  And unless you’ve hooked up your California-bound Tesla to a windmill or solar array, you’re still loosely connected via the power grid.

Like BP’s ongoing oil spill, the lack of options here is frustrating.