Toyota EV iQ

So what is going on with the electric car world?  Plenty…

• Azure Dynamics Builds Ford Transit Connect After Smith Electric Vehicles Says No.  Interesting twist as Azure Dynamics agrees build Ford’s upcoming electric Transit Connect after Smith Electric Vehicles decided not to, according to Edmunds.
• BMW Mulls Over EV Production Market Segment.  If the Germans were slow to embrace electric vehicles, EV BMW is now seriously considering what market segment it will reach out for, according to AutoBlogGreen.
• SABA Motors Carbon Zero.  Welcome another electric vehicle, EV startup, SABA Motors, according to AutoBlogGreen.  This new Silicon Valley EV startup is putting the finishing touches on its prototypes with lofty plans to compete in the Progressive X-Prize and hopefully the TTXGP.  Worth watching for: aluminum chassis with carbon-fiber body, lithium batteries from ThunderSky, range around 120 ~ 140 miles, might have battery-swappable capable and 0 to 60 around 5 seconds.
• V2G, Good But Implementation Difficult.  Andy Buchman at SmartGridNews offers the pros and cons of V2G.  The gist?  We need V2G but more utilities and car makers need to gather around a coherent approach to it.
• Solar Energy Demands Water.  While we can turn solar energy into electron via photovoltaic panel, another system is to heat water into steam and activate a turbine to make electricity.  The latter is a great idea but in places where sun light is rich and water is at a premium, it could hinder its adoption, via EcoGeek.

That’s it for now, stay tuned for more.

• Investing In Alternative Energy.  As much as we all want electric vehicles, EV to become a reality for tomorrow, alternative energy will have to play a greater role.  Hence, James Rickman, at Seeking Alpha finds 25 alternative energy growth stocks.
• Azure Dynamics Grabs Metro Mobility in Minnesota.  Azure Dynamics has been in the EV field for some time now and has worked with fleets with success.  This time it secured a deal with Metro Mobility in Minnesota, according to AutomotiveBusinessReview.
• Honda And GM? It seems the automotive world is full of surprises and rumors of Honda and GM collaborating is but a new one, via EVWorld.  Honda’s executive vice president Koichi Kondo told AP that it could partner with rivals in order to cut cost cuts.
• Better Place Courts Fiat-Chrysler.  Better Place is out to win more friends with the newly emerging Fiat-Chrysler company, according to AutoBlogGreen.  Interestingly enough, the president of Chrysler’s ENVI group, Lou Rhodes does not see battery exchange as viable solution since battery technology is still developing.
• PHEV, Find Out What Is Happening.  Our friends over at Plug In America have put up a page that tracks what is going with car manufacturers as far as developments of plug-in hybrid, PHEV technology.

That’s it for now.  Stay tuned for more.

1. The World’s Fastest Electric PR Speech.  You probably remember the wild claim from SSC?  Does it remind you of anything similar last year from an unknown company with wild claims that turned out to be a political hoax?  Fastest EV, fastest recharging time, etc?  Well, it seems after much brouhaha, their PR machine has hit the breaks and after being called to explain such extravagant claims, is now saying on its press release that , according to Gas2Org.
2. Nissan Electric Car Mix-Signal.  If Nissan seems to be the most gun-ho car maker to embrace EV technology, it seems the financial crisis is throttling back it efforts to bring an EV to market, according to the GreenCarWebsite.  It seems Nissan will deliver some sort of EV.  What hasn’t been blamed yet on the financial crisis?
3. Chrysler GEM And PeaPod.  Chrysler is battling like the devil to get out of its situation.  Remember the PeaPod deal turning GEM into a new and revamped EV with its PeaPod?  It now looks as if Chrysler will hold on to its “GEM”, all puns intended and bring to the public, the PeaPod, according to AutoBlogGreen.  Good news and a smart move.
4. Bite The Bus Driver, It’s Not A Hybrid! This bit of news is so funky and deeply disturbing we have a hard time categorizing it.  People have had enough?  Society pushed to the brink of sanity?  Common sense flown out the door?  You name it but a woman bit as bus driver after waiting a hour for a hybrid, according to Gas2Org.  Very disturbing indeed.
5. Azure Dynamics Finishing Touches.  The other electric drive company that has found a fair success amongst converters is Azur Dynamics and the company is putting the final touches on the testing of its Altoona bus EV platform, according to AutoBlogGreen.

So much to cover… Stay tuned for more as we get back on our regular schedule.