Affordable electric car to 'hit streets in 2012'

An electric car costing only $20,000 could be on sale in Australia within three years. Japanese car maker Toyota used the 2009 Detroit motor show to unveil the FT-EV, a concept car that previews a new battery-electric "urban commuter" vehicle set to go on sale globally in 2012.

The FT-EV will see Toyota join the growing number of manufacturers who in the early years of the next decade will offer vehicles that run on electricity. The FT-EV is based on Toyota's iQ micro-car that landed in European and Japanese showrooms in 2008, though swaps that car's 1.0-litre petrol engine for a 45kW electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.

Toyota says the three-metre-long, four-seater FT-EV has a cruising range of 80kmh and a targeted top speed of 112kmh. It takes between 2.5 and 7.5 hours to recharge the FT-EV, depending on the voltage of the power supply.

The company says the FT-EV will broaden its range of alternative-fuel vehicles as the world faces dwindling oil supplies.

It will be aimed at city residents who would use the battery-electric car to commute between home and work, or to drive to other forms of public transport such as railway stations.

"Last year's spike in the price of petrol was no anomaly," Toyota Motor Sales group vice president, environmental and public affairs, Irv Miller, said.

"It was a brief glimpse of our future. We must address the inevitability of peak oil by developing vehicles powered by alternatives to liquid-oil fuel, as well as new concepts, like the iQ, that are lighter in weight and smaller in size. This kind of vehicle, electrified or not, is where our industry must focus its creativity."

Toyota says its petrol-electric hybrid vehicles - such as the third-generation Prius also revealed at the 2009 Detroit motor show - will continue to be at the centre of the company's long-term sustainable motoring program.

The company will introduce 10 new petrol-electric hybrid models by the early 2010s in various markets as it targets one-million hybrid sales per year. Toyota also used the Detroit show to announce it was fast-forwarding its plug-in hybrid program from 2010 to 2009.

More: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/affordable-electric-car-to-hit-streets-in-2012-20090111-7e6v.html

but, I'm guessing the US will be well behind...

I'd much prefer a ford name tag on my first EV though

Magna, Ford partner on battery-powered car

Magna International Inc. is making a big leap into the electric vehicle age with a strategic alliance with Ford Motor Co. to supply key engine components for a new battery-powered vehicle.

The battery-powered compact car represents a key part of Ford's electric vehicle strategy during the next few years, which also includes more traditional gas-electric hybrids, new plug-in hybrids and a battery-powered commercial van.

Ford officials outlined the strategy Sunday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The Ford link-up with Magna comes after the Canadian auto parts giant took a Ford Focus and redeveloped it to run on battery power as way to showcase the breadth of its capabilities to auto makers. In addition to simple parts, Magna designs and assembles modules as well as complete vehicles under contract to car companies.

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Ford plans to have 10,000 such battery-powered compact cars on the road beginning in 2011 and it will be a global vehicle that will be sold in the three key markets of North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Ms. Samardzich said.

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At the moment, the Focus compact has a range of about 160 kilometres, which Ford believes is more than sufficient for the average daily commute. It takes about eight hours to recharge.

http://business.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090111.wmagna0111/BNStory/Business/home

Note: voltages are much higher in Australia, Europe and Asia- so it takes twice as long (or longer) to recharge an electric vehicle in North America.

Chrysler reveals 200C electric vehicle concept
By BOB GRITZINGER

Chrysler jolted automotive journalists ready to see the world premiere of four production-vehicle-based electric cars and trucks at North American International Auto Show, adding a surprise electric show car dubbed the 200C EV.

The stylish concept car features the same range-extending electric drive system deployed in several other production-intent Chrysler EVs revealed at the Detroit show, including the Town & Country EV minivan, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited EV, and the Jeep Patriot EV.

Chrysler also unveiled the all-electric plug-in Dodge Circuit EV, a Lotus Exige-based electric concept with an estimated range of 150-200 miles. The latest iteration now has its Dodge cross-hair grille and other Dodge styling elements fully in place. The Town & Country, Circuit and Wrangler Unlimited were shown publicly last summer, but the Patriot is an all-new entry to the portfolio of models developed by ENVI, Chrysler’s environmentally friendly car engineering arm that draws its name from the first four letters of “environment.”

Chrysler has said it plans to put at least one of the electric vehicles into production in 2010; the company now promises at least three more EV models will follow by 2013.

“Chrysler’s broad portfolio of electric vehicle prototypes clearly demonstrates that we are well on our way to bringing electric vehicles to our consumers’ garages,” said Frank Klegon, Chrysler executive vice president for product development.

Between its ENVI electric-drive vehicles and GEM neighborhood electric vehicles, Chrysler wants to put 500,000 of its electric vehicles on the road by 2013...

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090111/FREE/901109991

Just enough range and reasonably affordable.

I'd consider buying one.

January 11, 2009, 5:00 pm
By William Diem

DETROIT — The bags under Bill Ford’s eyes disappeared during the press scrum after he announced Ford’s plans to build electric and hybrid vehicles.

“It’s incredibly exciting,” said Mr. Ford, the company’s executive chairman, an avowed environmentalist.

When he took the top job a decade ago, Mr. Ford promised fuel economy improvements and other green efforts, but he later had to back away from them. He eventually decided to give up the chief executive job, hiring Alan Mulally to run the company.

But his vision is coming to the market. On Sunday, Mr. Ford announced an “expanded electric-vehicle strategy in line with the nation’s growing interest in them.”

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/fords-electric-future/?hp