Les voitures électriques sont presque prêtes

[Malek]

ou sont les oiseaux de malheurs pour crier complot des compagnies pétrolières....

[pedepy]

Si les batteries ne semblent pas aussi performantes que les voitures traditionnelles à court terme, évidemment, ça veut dire qu'elles ne les remplaceront jamais.

 

Logique, quand tu nous tiens.

 

 

tu oublis le facteur $$$ ... tant que la plupart de l'electricite sera produite a partir de combustibles fossiles, ce ne sera suremement pas le cas; mais si un jour une technologie permet de fournir une quantite egale d'electricite a des couts competitifs, les choses pourraient changer, performance egale ou pas.

 

et ca, meme si "a la pompe" le consommateur fini par payer la meme chose: a quelque part entre les deux, qqun fera son possible pour s'en mettre plein les poches.

[acpnc]

Toutes les révolutions ont eu leurs détracteurs et leurs sceptiques. Ce qui n'a pas empêché les choses d'évoluer et ici ce n'est qu'une question de temps pour remplacer les énergies fossiles par l'électricité. Bien sûr il y aura toujours des profiteurs puisqu'on parle de profits, mais ce ne seront pas nécessairement les mêmes.

 

Nous avons toutes les bonnes raisons de nous défaire de l'emprise du pétrole qui nuit considérablement à l'écologie de la planète et continue de représenter en même temps une menace politique potentielle. Je fais donc confiance au génie humain pour relever ce défi important qui peu à peu laisse paraitre des indices de solutions réelles.

[LindbergMTL]

Mariage entre l'hydrogène et le lithium...

[LindbergMTL]

 

Relaxnews

 

Agence France-Presse

 

Le constructeur allemand Mercedes-Benz développe actuellement un prototype électrique dérivé de son nouveau supercar, la SLS AMG, selon le magazine allemand Auto Bild qui a pu tester le véhicule. Ce bolide écolo développerait pas moins de 533 chevaux sans rejeter de CO2.

 

Cette version de la SLS AMG baptisée «e-Cell» a troqué son V8 essence à 571 chevaux d'origine pour quatre moteurs électriques, un pour chaque roue. Ils développent au total une puissance de 392 kW, soit l'équivalent de 533 chevaux.

 

Selon les journalistes d'Auto Bild, la SLS AMG e-Cell serait capable d'accélérer de 0 à 100 km/h en seulement 4 secondes, contre 3,8 secondes pour la SLS AMG de série. Le tout, sans rejeter le moindre gramme de CO2.

Le réservoir de 85 litres est ici remplacé par une batterie de 324 cellules lithium-ion pour alimenter en énergie les quatre moteurs électriques.

 

Côté physique, cette SLS AMG e-Cell conserve le même châssis que la SLS AMG, ainsi que ses fameuses portes papillon s'ouvrant vers le haut.

Le modèle de production de ce prototype électrique devrait arriver sur le marché en 2013. La marque à l'étoile rejoindra ainsi le fabricant californien Tesla sur le créneau des voitures de luxe propres. Audi s'y intéresse également, et expérimente déjà son prototype, l'e-Tron.

 

article

[LindbergMTL]

By Matthew Knight, for CNN

June 29, 2010 -- Updated 1753 GMT (0153 HKT) | Filed under: Innovation

 

 

London, England (CNN) -- His most famous car has a top speed of 240 miles per hour.

 

Articles et Images Ici

 

 

With a top speed of 80 mph, Gordon Murray's latest design isn't likely to trouble too many speed cameras, but it shouldn't worry environmentalists either.

 

The former Formula One engineer who created the iconic McLaren F1 supercar has officially unveiled the T.25 -- his idea for a new class of city car.

 

Murray and his team based in Shalford, south east England, have been working on the design for the past three years and, until now, have kept the exact details of the car firmly under wraps.

 

The car made its first public appearance on Monday at the UK's Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment in Oxford.

 

At less than eight feet long and a little over four feet wide, the T.25 is smaller than Daimler AG's popular Smart car, and a petrol engine model will retail for around $9,000.

 

The price tag isn't exactly Formula One, but the technology and thinking employed to create the T.25 certainly is.

 

The centralized driving position -- also a feature of Murray's McLaren F1 -- and central instrumentation and controls are perhaps its most obvious traits borrowed from Formula One.

 

Others might not be so easy to spot, but they are no less important to the overall design.

 

The T.25 is light, weighing in at just 550 kilograms, helping it achieve a fuel efficiency of around 74 miles per gallon.

 

A chassis design based on "Formula One derived materials, philosophy and technology" provides an "immensely strong structure," says Murray and body panels are also easier to replace in the event of damage.

 

A flat under-floor design also improves overall aerodynamics.

 

One thing the car most definitely does not share with an F1 car is its turning circle, which at six-meters -- a Smart car's is nearly nine meters, a BMW Mini's over ten -- makes it highly maneuverable in an urban setting.

 

Inside, the modular interior allowing for six different configurations, which can be easily adjusted to accommodate passengers or used as storage space.

 

You'll find it hard to lose a wing mirror as they both sit within the overall width of the car and fuel caps are situated on either side of the car.

 

The T.25's also has an electric cousin, the T.27, which Murray says will have a range of 80-100 miles and cost around $18,000.

 

Gordon Murray Design has also developed a new manufacturing concept especially for the T.25.

 

"iStream" is "a complete rethink and redesign of the traditional manufacturing process," he says, which simplifies the auto assembly line by allowing all major components to be fitted directly on to the chassis prior to the body panels, which are also pre-painted.

 

The streamlining of the process could mean smaller, more efficient auto plants which reduce the overall carbon footprint of the car.

 

Holger Erker, managing director of the German engineering consultancy, IPE Engineering, was asked to provide independent analysis and verify the principles set out by Murray's "iStream" concept.

 

He's convinced of its benefits.

 

"It is the most radical change in, let's say, the last 100 years of car body making. With "iStream" one of the most cost intensive production steps -- body panel press shop -- is completely eliminated," Erker told CNN.

 

Erker, who has worked as an auto industry consultant for two decades, believes Murray's manufacturing concept provides more flexibility than any other current car manufacturing process.

 

"Flexibility is what all of the OEM's (original equipment manufacturers) are trying to bring to their current car plants. "iStream" is already there," Erker said.

[LindbergMTL]

By Robert Gibbens, The Gazette July 12, 2010

 

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Candiac+energy+plant/3267380/story.html#ixzz0tX3SIOOU

 

MONTREAL-The South Shore's Candiac will host a $78 million plant to make lithium iron phosphate, a high-tech energy storage material used in batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles and other applications.

 

The investor is Phostech Lithium Inc., a Canadian unit of Germany's Sud-Chemie AG,, an international group best known in the minerals industry as a producer of specialty chemicals and bentonite, a clay used in papermaking. The new plant will use a new patented production process.

 

Lithium phosphate is used in the new-generation lightweight lithium ion batteries that will give electric and hybrid vehicles greater range. The material is already produced in Germany by Sud-Chemie in a smaller plant for use in batteries for power tools, vehicle starters and electric scooters sold in Europe, Asia and North America.

 

"The Candiac project will significantly expand our production capacity in this market of the future," said Sud-Chemie. "We expect rising demand from our strategic customers in the auto and battery industries."

© Copyright © The Montreal Gazette

 

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Candiac+energy+plant/3267380/story.html#ixzz0tX2tVz1x

[LindbergMTL]

Plus de détails ici...

 

 

 

Philippe Mercure

 

La Presse

 

(Montréal) Le «phosphate de fer lithié» ne vous dit rien? Il faudra vous mettre à la page. Parce que la plus grosse usine du monde capable d'en fabriquer débarquera bientôt à Candiac, sur la Rive-Sud.

 

L'entreprise allemande Süd-Chemie investira en effet 60 millions d'euros (environ 78 millions CAN) dans une nouvelle usine capable de produire 2500 tonnes de phosphate de fer lithié par année dès 2012. Selon la direction, le projet créera plus de 50 emplois.

 

Süd-Chemie exploite déjà une usine similaire mais beaucoup plus petite à Saint-Bruno par l'entremise de sa filière québécoise, Phostech Lithium.

 

«Cet investissement est d'une importance stratégique centrale pour Süd-Chemie», a expliqué hier Günter von Au, président du conseil de l'entreprise.

 

Le phosphate de fer lithié est l'un des principaux ingrédients actifs des batteries au lithium des voitures électriques, un marché que Süd-Chemie juge en pleine expansion.

 

À elle seule, la production annuelle de la future usine de Candiac permettra de fabriquer 50 000 batteries de voitures électriques ou 50 0000 batteries de voitures hybrides.

 

Pourquoi Candiac? Selon la direction de Süd-Chemie, cela n'a rien à voir avec les futures mines de lithium qui pourraient voir le jour au Québec d'ici quelques années, ni avec la proximité du marché américain.

 

«Nous avons déjà une usine de production et une expertise au Québec. Pour nous, la façon la plus logique et la plus rapide d'entrer en exploitation était donc de miser sur cet emplacement», a expliqué à La Presse Affaires le porte-parole de Süd-Chemie en Allemagne, Jochen Orlowski.

 

La présence de Süd-Chemie au Québec est l'aboutissement d'une longue histoire qui a commencé dans un labo universitaire du Texas, où a été découvert le principe de la cathode à base de phosphate de métal lithié.

 

Le brevet a ensuite été acquis par Hydro-Québec, puis les travaux se sont poursuivis à l'Université de Montréal. C'est de là qu'est née Phostech Lithium en 2001. L'allemande Süd-Chemie a collaboré avec Phostech Lithium dès 2003, avant d'y investir directement en 2005 et d'acquérir l'entreprise en 2008.

 

La nouvelle usine pourrait représenter un débouché pour les quelques minières québécoises qui travaillent à chercher du lithium dans le sous-sol québécois. Le projet le plus avancé, celui de Québec Lithium de l'entreprise Canada Lithium, devrait entrer en production en 2012, donc au même moment que l'ouverture de l'usine de Candiac.

 

Süd-Chemie refuse de dévoiler où elle s'approvisionne en lithium pour des raisons concurrentielles, mais il est probable qu'une bonne partie de sa matière première provienne de l'Amérique du Sud.

 

«C'est certain qu'on va travailler le plus possible avec de potentiels fournisseurs locaux. On a des objectifs de qualité à respecter. Après, c'est le prix. C'est certain que si on achète des matières premières localement, on va économiser sur le transport, mais il est trop tôt pour commenter davantage à ce point-ci», dit Denis Geoffroy, directeur technique et chef de la direction par intérim de Phostech Lithium.

 

Selon des observateurs, plusieurs défis attendent toutefois les éventuels producteurs de lithium québécois. Le lithium sud-américain provient de saumures et se récolte à faible prix. Les minières québécoises devraient aussi se doter d'une usine capable de transformer leur minerai en carbonate de lithium, qui serait ensuite revendu à Phostech Lithium.

 

Phostech Lithium emploie actuellement une quarantaine personnes dans son centre de recherche et développement (R&D et son usine, qui a une capacité de 400 tonnes par année. Süd-Chemie, quant à elle, est une multinationale établie à Munich qui emploie 6500 personnes dans le domaine des produits chimiques spécialisés et qui a généré des ventes de 1,1 milliard d'euros l'an dernier (environ 1,43 milliard CAN).

 

 

http://lapresseaffaires.cyberpresse.ca/economie/energie-et-ressources/201007/12/01-4297476-fer-lithie-candiac-aura-la-plus-grosse-usine-au-monde.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=lapresseaffaires_LA5_nouvelles_98718_accueil_POS18

[LindbergMTL]

July 13, 2010, 10:56 am

 

By JIM MOTAVALLI

 

Just a few months after Toyota and Tesla Motors announced a collaboration on an electric car, a Tesla spokeswoman says a prototype has already been built and is undergoing testing.

 

Toyota and Tesla made a big splash in May, announcing Toyota’s planned $50 million investment in the electric car maker and a Tesla takeover of the Nummi plant in Fremont, Calif. On Monday, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that the next steps — to build Toyota electric vehicle prototypes with Tesla powertrains — are being undertaken very quickly and quietly.

 

When reached for details on the Bloomberg report, Khobi Brooklyn, a Tesla spokeswoman, said in an e-mail message that the prototype “is undergoing testing. It will be unveiled to the public later this year.” She declined to comment on specifics, but wrote that the companies had signed a development agreement to put together “a high-volume Toyota vehicle with a Tesla electric powertrain.”

 

Ms. Brooklyn also passed along a comment from JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technology officer. “Since our announcement in May, Toyota and Tesla engineering teams have made a lot of progress in a short amount of time and it is exciting to start seeing some initial results,” he said.

 

Mira Sleilati, a spokeswoman for Toyota Motor North America, also said the company couldn’t confirm the details of the Bloomberg report. “The two companies have teams studying where we might be working together,” she said. “We have not confirmed any particular model. But as we said at the announcement, we have a wide-open view of our possible collaboration in E.V. development and production engineering. ”

 

According to Bloomberg, Tesla is building electric test versions of the RAV4 and Lexus RX S.U.V.’s, and that Toyota will receive them this month. It also said that the goal of the joint development project was an E.V. with a 150-mile range that could be sold for $40,000.

 

Toyota and Tesla said last spring that they would cooperate on E.V.’s, parts, production systems and engineering support. Tesla will produce its Model S sedan at Nummi, but the large plant could also accommodate a jointly developed Toyota-Tesla vehicle.

 

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http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/tesla-says-it-is-testing-an-electric-car-prototype-for-toyota/?nl=automobiles&emc=wheelsema2

[LindbergMTL]

August 19, 2010

L'article

 

 

By DAVID BARBOZA

 

SHANGHAI — The Chinese government, determined to become a world leader in green technology, says it plans to invest billions of dollars over the next few years to develop electric and hybrid vehicles.

 

The government said a group of 16 big state-owned companies had already agreed to form an alliance to do research and development, and create standards for electric and hybrid vehicles.

 

The plan aims to put more than a million electric and hybrid vehicles on the road over the next few years in what is already the world’s biggest and fastest growing auto market.

 

The announcement, analysts say, is another example of how China seeks to marshal resources and tackle industries and new markets. The plan also underlines what China describes as its growing commitment to combating pollution and reducing carbon emissions.

 

According to some reports by state-run media, Beijing intends to invest nearly $15 billion in the venture, which if true would make it one of the world’s most ambitious attempts to develop more energy-efficient vehicles.

 

The bold plan was announced late Wednesday by one of China’s most powerful bodies: the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. Sasac, as it is known, operates under China’s cabinet, or State Council. From Beijing, it oversees about 125 of China’s biggest state-owned companies.

 

State-owned companies “have an overall advantage in developing the electric vehicle industry,” Li Rongrong, Sasac’s chairman, said in a statement.

 

Analysts say the government plan bears watching.

 

“This is the kind of plan the government would like to happen, and they certainly have the resources to put behind it,” said Oded Shenkar, a professor of management at Ohio State University and the author of “The Chinese Century.”

 

“The government could easily underwrite or subsidize the development costs,” Professor Shenkar said, “and do it at a time when the global car industry is still reeling.”

 

Few details of the plan were released. But Beijing said that over the next three years, 500,000 energy-efficient vehicles would reach the market each year and that more-efficient vehicles would soon account for 5 percent of passenger car sales in China. This year, analysts expect vehicle sales in China to reach about 17 million.

 

Sasac’s announcement said the alliance had been formed with about $200 million. But other reports said the investment was tied to the government’s plan to revamp the auto industry and promote energy-efficient vehicles with an investment of nearly $15 billion.

 

There is some opposition to the plan. The English edition of The Global Times, another state newspaper, said on Thursday that some groups had criticized the alliance, saying it favored big state-owned companies and had not made clear who would own the intellectual property.

 

“Such an association should include all firms strong in the area, rather than only S.O.E.’s,” Zhong Shi, editor in chief of China Automotive Review, told The Global Times, referring to state-owned enterprises. “Though lots of foreign firms launched technology agreements, there is no precedent of successful technology exchange in China’s auto industry.”

 

The government said the country’s top state-owned oil producers, power companies, several military and aviation companies, and two of the nation’s biggest car companies, the China FAW Group and Dongfeng Auto, would be involved in the effort.

 

The announcement came shortly after General Motors and S.A.I.C., which is based in Shanghai and is one of China’s other big state-controlled automakers, said they planned to form an alliance to develop more fuel-efficient engines and transmissions for global markets.

 

Another Chinese company, BYD, which has an investment from Warren E. Buffett, is developing battery-powered vehicles.

 

Whether China can successfully develop electric and hybrid vehicles at world-class standards is still unclear. China has lots of automakers. But the country’s engine and car technology lag far behind that in Japan and the West, and many Chinese carmakers have for years been accused of stealing designs and technology.

 

But big companies like G.M. and Volkswagen have been in long-term joint ventures with Chinese automakers. And experts say that some of the technology being developed here by Chinese engineers has advanced.

 

“What you have here is the confluence of two important things,” Professor Shenkar said. “The car industry was long ago designated as a pillar industry for China. And the second thing is green technology or high tech; this is where the action is going to be, and China wants to be there.”