Singapore to have driverless pods by end-2016

Back in April, Mashable carried an article about driverless vehicles that is expected to ply Singapore's roads as early as year-end. Chances are if you spend your Christmas holiday in Singapore later, you could be hopping on these battery powered pods.


This cool driverless pod will run on Singapore's roads by end of the year. Image by SMRT Corporation


In 2010, Dutch company, 2getthere, specialising in developing sustainable Automated Transit Networks for personal and group transportation, together with SMRT produced 10 similar vehicles for Abu Dhabi's cleantech business park, Masdar City.

It is understood that 2getthere also built similar system for Rotterdam's Rivium Business Park, supplying 6 electric vehicles for the park with the capacity of 20 passengers per car.

For the Singapore case, these pods - 24 of them that can handle up to 8,000 passengers per hour - are said to be suitable for gated communities, schools, universities and other smaller roads.



The concept vehicle for Singapore will run on batteries.



The car that's currently running on Masdar City's roads - built by 2getthere. Image: 2getthere. You have got to like this cool, quiet pod for your community! 


TheGreenMechanics: This may be suitable for UMS. The campus occupies large area of gated community with increasing number of students. In fact, this is one of the biggest campus in Malaysia in terms of land area.


Source: Mashable

Electric Scooter soon in Sabah

Quite recently I posted an article about Toyota's effort to encourage the use of clean vehicles in Japan, in particular electric vehicles.

The electric vehicle is called i-Road and rent starts at 200 Yen (about RM6.60) for the first 10 minutes then 20 Yen for every minute after that. Renting the car for an hour would cost 1,200 Yen (US$12) or about RM40.

With a similar idea, a local electric vehicle company has introduced its environmentally friendly Electric Scooter or e-Scooter to the public.


Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Datuk Ewon Ebin (right) taking a test ride on the e-Scooter.


Coming soon to Sabah

EcLiMO Sdn Bhd, a peninsula-based company will be expanding its business to Sabah in the near future and introducing the electric vehicle to consumers here.

The company invested RM27 million in the EV project and currently, it has leased 600 units of its e-Scooter to several fast food chain outlets such  as KFC, McDonald's and Pizza Hut among others for them to use in their daily dealings.

Electric vehicle   : ECLIMO ES11
Motor power       : 5 kW max
Transmission      : 100% direct drive (zero loss)

Energy  storage  : Lithium battery

Charging time     : 3 hours to fully charge
Max. Speed        : 80 km/h

Distance range   : up to 100 km per full charge

TheGreenMechanics: The idea is not new. During our trip to Shanghai last year a lot of the city dwellers use electric bikes and bicycles to commute and one can see thousands of them parked by the roadside.

Maybe it is not our idea of commuting here in Malaysia.

Commercial electric vehicles pioneer, GreenWay hit new landmark

One of the reasons people are slow in adopting or using electric vehicles (EV) is that the charging infrastructure does not come with the vehicle. Typical EV can travel only around 300 km before needing a recharge.

Also, the time needed to fully recharge can be as long as 3 hours. Add these things together and you get a hassleful experience of owning a vehicle.

What if you don't need to recharge but just swap the drained battery at any of the recharging points? And, on top of that you are given the option to lease rather than purchasing the vehicle.

This is exactly what Slovakia's EV pioneer GreenWay is offering to consumers particularly commercial entities.  And GreenWay said it has achieved another milestone in terms of number of miles travelled for the past 6 months which is the world's furthest.


Electric vehicle leasing company GreenWay operates a string of charging stations in Slovakia and neighbouring countries. Photo credit: GreenWay


Leased electric vehicle travelled over 38,000 km a month, more than any other EVs in the world

Slovakian commercial electric vehicle pioneer GreenWay claims the two vans it leased to its first customer in May have since travelled further in a six-month period than any other electric vehicles.

GreenWay, which supplies fully electric vans for business-to-business (B2B) customers in return for a monthly fee, says the vans it leased to pharmaceuticals and medical supplies company Med-art travelled an average of 38,502 km – the equivalent of a round-the-world trip – in six months.

The EV company operates a string of battery replacement stations ensuring drained batteries can be replaced instantly rather than having to be recharged to keep vehicles on the move.

GreenWay says Med-art reported the running costs of its EVs were 'significantly lower' than those of its conventional vehicles because of the long distances travelled – one of the reasons GreenWay targets B2B clients with its 40,000 km and 70,000 km packages.

Med-art also reported no interruption to vehicle availability during the six-month period, proving the vans' reliability, according to GreenWay.

According to GreenWay's website, there are 10 battery changing stations across Slovakia as well as in Budapest, Hungary; Brno, in the Czech Republic; and Vleden, Austria, with a further six Slovakian locations in the pipeline.


TheGreenMechanics: If you think that using electric vehicle is not viable yet, leasing maybe a good start. Leasing will hedge you against the risk of inability to make full use of the vehicle due to slow adaptation and lack of infrastructure. Good for commercial use.

Question is, who will want to start that venture in Malaysia.


Source: pv-magazine

Melaka launched first Electric bus, travel 300 km

Thumbs up to Melaka.

The historic state has came up with a common but fine idea on sustainability - zero emission public transport. With 300km of traveling distance, the bus will travel from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan before needing a recharge. (That is, if it was made available in Sabah).

 
Thumb up! Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron at the launch of the state's first electric bus.
ABN-news pic.


First electric bus to hit the roads on 7 January 2013

Melaka's first electric bus will hit the streets on Wednesday in Bandar Hilir area as part of a trial service for three months, said Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron.

The service was free for users during the duration of the trial as a promotion exercise, and also to study the most suitable routes and reasonable fare rates for the journey.

The electric bus that operates under the state government subsidiary, Panorama Melaka Sdn Bhd, will take the route through historical areas and tourist attractions in Bandar Hilir such as the Stadhuys Building, Heroes Square, Bukit Senjuang, Mahkota Parade and Kota Laksamana.

"Once we are able to access suitable routes we will determine how many buses we will use in the future, for the time being we will start with one," he told reporters after test driving the bus in Seri Negeri.

The bus which costs RM1.35 million, adopts green technology from China and can travel as far as 300 km before needing a recharge and can accommodate a maximum of 60 passengers at a time.

"The state government will also create a 'soft policy' where, any vehicle using green technology will be allowed to pass through the heritage areas especially in front of the Porta de Santiago (A-Famosa) and the Declaration of Independence Memorial building," said Idris.

Source: BERNAMA, Photo:ABN News

TheGreenMechanics:

Sure, the initial investment is high. But that  is a bold move to towards independence from the finite fossil fuel.

Less noise, no fume and no toxic smelly exhaust, and potentially provide spin up businesses. I'd say great initiative Melaka.

Next, they could put up solar PV panels on the bus roof and that would help recharge the battery while the bus is on the move or while parked waiting for passengers.

Ford uses solar panels for its Electric Concept Car

With solar panels made available in various shapes and constructions, I've always thought that they may one day make their way into the auto industry.

We've heard of golf buggies being powered by solar PV panels but not a working, commercial size passenger car.

The wait should now be over. Ford Motor Co., the second largest U.S. automaker, has come up with a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that uses solar panels in the roof to recharge itself.


300W to 350W solar panel fitted on its roof



Photo credit: Ford

Ford Concept Car fitted with solar panels

The C-Max Solar Energi will be on display at the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that begins Jan. 7, Ford said in a statement.

The vehicle can travel about 21 miles (34 kilometers) using only electric power and has a total range of about 620 miles. It has 300 watts to 350 watts of SunPower Corp. solar cells in the roof and may portend a future of mass-produced rechargeable cars that don’t need to be plugged in.

The concept includes a canopy-like parking structure that uses Fresnel lenses to focus sunlight on the car and boost efficiency of the solar cells. It was developed with the Georgia Institute of Technology and shifts the car’s position throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky.

The car also has a standard port to connect to a charging station. Ford estimates it sold more than 85,000 hybrids and electric vehicles in 2013.

Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius hybrid electric car has an optional solar panel that powers a fan to circulate air within the vehicle when it’s parked in direct sunlight. Nissan Motor Co. offers a Leaf electric vehicle that uses a solar panel that helps keep the car’s battery charged.

Source: Renewable Energy World


TheGreenMechanics: Kudos to Ford!

Mitsubishi Motors cuts Japan electric car price by up to US$9,100(RM29,200)

This is something for Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia and the policy makers to think about.

In Japan, the electric car, i-MiEV is now selling at (after price cut and government subsidy):

• Top range   - ¥2.0 million (about RM63,400)
• Entry level  - ¥1.7 million (about RM53,900)

Mitsubishi's all-electric car, the i-MiEV is selling at RM139,888 (on the road) in Malaysia.


Acceptance is slower than expected

Mitsubishi Motors Corp has slashed the price of its i-MiEV electric minicar in Japan by up to US$9,100 aiming to boost sluggish sales as makers of electric vehicles face slower-than-expected acceptance of the technology.

Japan's sixth-biggest carmaker, which started selling the i-MiEV in 2009, said it was dropping the price of its top of the range i-MiEV by around 25%, or 900,000 yen (RM29,200 at current exchange rate), to ¥2.9 million.

With government subsidies, the model can be bought in Japan for around ¥2 million.

Mitsubishi Motors also cut the price of the entry level i-MiEV by 190,000 yen to ¥2.5 million, which with subsidies can be bought for about ¥1.7 million.


TheGreenMechanics: If we want to encourage the adoption of energy efficient and electric vehicles in this country, we really need to relook at the relevant policies and make such vehicles affordable to many.


Full article at The Malay Mail

Honda introduces the MC-beta, a two-seater tiny electric car

Jumping on the bandwagon of tiny electric vehicles, Honda has unveiled its very own miniature car called the MC-β, pronounced MC-beta. Other recent small EVs were the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the SmartCar ForTwo.


This certainly is meant for eco-friendly short trips around the city.


It looks to be a refinement of the company's line of micro commuters and is designed to comply with the "micro-sized mobility products" category that's currently the trend in Japan and Europe.

The MC-beta is built on top of a lightweight yet rigid frame and only measures 2,495mm x 1,280mm x 1,545mm, which is about 90cm shorter than the typical mini car.

To compare, the locally produced mini car, the Perodua Kancil measures 3,395mm in overall length, 900 mm longer than the MC-beta.

The release states it has a 3.3 meter minimum turning radius, a maximum range of 80km or so when fully charged, and speeds of more than 70 km/h. As for charging time, the teensy quadricycle takes less than 7 hours to get fully juiced with a 100V outlet and less than 3 hours when plugged to a 200V socket.

Field tests will begin in Japan this month, so we wouldn't expect this in showrooms any time soon. Sure, you won't have room for too much luggage, but at least the MC-beta won't have to resort to funky folding techniques to park in a tight spot.


How much?

No indication yet but netizens are already debating and arguing that, anything more than $20,000 (RM63,600) is prohibitively expensive. The Mitsubishi i-MiEV starts at $21,625 in the US, but it sells for RM136,000 (approx. $42,760) in Malaysia.

For now, let's treat this news piece as "FYI only".

Source: Engadget

3.3 million zero-emission vehicles by 2025

Great initiative by eight US states!


Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, walks between a pair of zero emission vehicles displayed in Sacramento, Calif., following a news conference to announce the signing of an agreement on zero emissions cars. Photo: AP


By 2025, they are expecting to have 3.3 million zero-emission cars on the roads. Governors of the following states have pledged to work together to build charging stations and other fueling infrastructure:

• New York
• California
• Massachusetts
• Connecticut
• Maryland
• Oregon
• Rhode Island, and
• Vermont

In total, they make up about 23% of the US auto market according to the Associated Press. The pledge represents another step forward as officials try to cut down on harmful greenhouse gasses that are regularly emitted from most vehicles on the highway.

"This agreement is a major step forward to reducing the emissions that are causing our climate to change and unleashing the extreme weather that we are experiencing with increased frequency," said Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, in a statement.

Among their duties, participating states will assemble a task force that to develop strategies on widening the presence of charging stations, seen as perhaps the biggest obstacle in making zero-emission cars and EVs a mainstream success.

In terms of legislation, the states have already adopted stringent guidelines that call for a certain percentage of new vehicles sold to be zero emission by 2025. California is the most ambitious of the bunch, requiring 15.4% of new cars (around 1.5 million vehicles in all) to be free of harmful gas emissions by the target year.

But as the AP reports, that's a very tall order, considering hybrids and EVs currently account for less than 2% of California's auto market.


TheGreenMechanics:  It seems like a very tall order to me, but if they can offer tax breaks to dealers who can meet the percentage, and to the consumers who support this initiative, then that would be incetivising sales which makes sense. Where there's a will there's a way.


Full article by Associated Press here.

First electric vehicle in Malaysia - Mitsubishi i-MiEV on sale for RM136,118

Eagerly waiting for electric vehicles to be available in Malaysia?

Your wait is over. Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia has officially launched the Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle or simply called I-MiEV in the local market on March 21, 2013:

Name                 : Mitsubishi i-MiEV
Price                  : RM136,118 (without insurance), RM139,888 on the road
Weight              : 1,100kg
Battery              : Lithium-ion with 88cells
Charging time  : 8 hours via normal 240V household outlet
Cost to charge  : RM3.50 of electricity to charge 100%
Driving range   : 150km when fully charge
Top speed         : 130 km/h
Dimension        : 475 mm long and 1,475 mm wide
Features: 2-DIN touchscreen multimedia system with GPS, automatic climate control, auto headlights, electric power steering, leather steering wheel

(L-R) Yatabe, Ali, Oda and Larrieu, with two demonstration units of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV last year in Langkawi. The electric car is now available for booking. Photo: The Borneo Post

Mitsubishi i-MiEV can be charged from zero capacity to 100% in 8 hours via a normal 240-volt household outlet.

Although small, the interior actually looks neat and luxurious


Mitsubishi Motors aims to sell over 50 units of new electric vehicle by March 2014
NST, Mar 21,2013

KUALA LUMPUR: Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) aims to sell more than 50 units of its newly-launched electric vehicle, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle)by March 2014.

The i-MiEV is the first commercialised electric vehicle in Malaysia. Previously, national automaker Proton Holdings Bhd and local Nissan distributor, Edaran Tan Chong Motor, had introduced electric cars for the purpose of pilot testing. MMM Chief Executive Officer Tetsuya Oda said the i-MiEV has been in the global market for over four years, since its launch in Japan in 2009.

He was speaking to reporters after launching the electric car, which comes with a price tag of RM136,118 (without insurance), here today. Oda said to assist potential i-MiEV buyers, MMM is planning to invest more than RM1 million to open four more EV centers nationwide by the end of April next year.

He said the centers would be equipped with a free charging facility for the electric vehicle users.

"We expect to have 60 showrooms in another year, from the current 54, with 31 being 3S Centres and 42 service outlets," he added.

Oda said MMM is currently talking to the principal in Japan to manufacture the lithium-ion battery pack, used by the electric car, here. He said the decision is up to the principal, and it depends more on the sales volume.

"The lithium-ion battery takes up a significant portion of the cost of production of the electric car. If we can manufacture it locally, the price of the car can be brought down significantly," added Oda.

The i-MiEV comes with a free five-year maintenance and five-year warranty (for 100,000 kilometre) packages. With a top speed of 130 kilometre/hour, the four-seater vehicle can run up to 150 kilometres, after charging for eight hours.


TheGreenMechanics' Two cents:

I think the pricing is ridiculous. At about RM140,000 (on the road), not many people can actually afford the i-MiEV, and this is bad news for Electric Vehicles in general. If you're concerned about CO2 emission, you can start with hybrid cars which give you more range.

If you must hug the tree, you may want to hold your horses for a while bit and wait for the next generation Nissan Leaf (all-electric vehicle), due to be launched soon. The Leaf costs £28k in the UK (and who knows how much would that translate in Malaysian market) but it is a much better looking car than the i-MiEV.

Do you notice that the i-MiEV has some resemblance with the world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano?

No cash rebate as incentive to buy electric and hybrid cars

No. Not our way.

Because such incentive to attract buyers to purchase electric cars would cost a lot of funds - that's according to International Trade Minister, Mustapa Mohamed. Apart from the US and some European nations, handing out cash rebates has been done in Japan, too.

If such exercise costs too much, why not do it the other way - review the tax and duties for such vehicles. Price range of RM97,000 to RM100,000 for hybrid cars such as Honda Insight and Toyota Prius C is still way too much. If such review looks drastic that it affects the current value of existing models, formulate mechanism such that it happen gradually. Policymakers just need to think harder and dig deeper.

Above all, make owning-a-car a painless experience by lowering the car prices across the board. Price of hybrid and electric cars is about RM100,000 currently and is beyond reach of many low to medium income Malaysians. Possible subsidies and cash incentive will unlikely be enjoyed by low income earners!

Face-lifted Honda Insight 1.3 litre IMA starting at RM99,800 OTR

Mustapa: No plans for cash rebate as incentive to buy electric and hybrid cars
The Star, October 24, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government does not plan on cash rebates as an incentive to buy energy-efficient vehicles (EEV) similar to that implemented in the United States or other European countries, Parliament heard Wednesday.

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said such a subsidy to attract buyers to purchase electric cars would cost a lot of funds, which will be taken from other ministries.

"Currently, to attract consumers, the Government has lifted the import duties for EEV while major car companies were given incentives to draw them to set up their manufacturing operations locally," he told Datuk Ismail Kassim (BN-Arau) during Question Time.

Ismail had asked whether the Government would consider handing out cash rebates like in the US or European countries to attract more people to buy EEV or hybrid vehicles.

Mustapa said the incentives given by the Government to major companies had attracted companies such as Honda, which recently set up an EEV factory in Malacca, attracting some RM1bil worth of investments.

"The new factory enabled 1,000 new job opportunities for the locals as well as the production of some 50,000 EEV assembled locally to be sold locally and to other Asean countries," he said.

He also noted that the reduction of import car excise duty needed to be studied carefully to avoid any negative implications to the economy.

"We believe that the vehicle ownership cost is still considered cheap compared with other Asean countries if we take consideration of other factors such as oil and gas subsidies, maintenance costs, insurance and others.

"We must also look into the impact on used car dealers, public transportation as well as congestion problems before we consider reducing the import duty," he told Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (PKR-Machang), who asked whether the Government intended to reduce the excise duty for cars.

I like to have one but I don't like the price tag. Or, should I say tax !?

Electric car, i-MiEV from Mitsubishi on display in Langkawi Island. Mitsubishi plans to start selling them in Malaysia within this financial year. Photo: CBT

Green car: Mitsubishi to launch i-MiEV in Malaysia this year

Aimed at environmentally-aware people and companies, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) plans to launch its first fully electric car in Malaysia, the i-Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle (i-MiEV), by the end of this year. The company is now in the final stages of market research to determine the vehicle pricing for Malaysia.


i-MiEV used in a pilot trial in Langkawi earlier this year. Image: cbt.com.my


Unlike hybrid vehicle such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, the i-MiEV is a fully electric car. Mitsubishi Motor Malaysia is targeting sales of 50 units in the early stages.

Since its debut in Japan, the i-MiEV has attracted a lot of attention worldwide, following its introduction in European markets at the end of 2010 and launch in North America at the end of last year.


Brief specifications of the i-MiEV

Model: Mitsubishi i-MiEV
Power: 49 kW (66 BHP)
Torque: 180 Nm, instant.
Top speed: 130 km/h
Travelled distance: 160 km per full charge
Charging time: 8 hours to fully charge
Charger: 230V, regular home socket

Guide price:
Japan pricing for the G and M model - 2.84mil yen and 1.88mil yen (RM108,381 and RM71,745) respectively. Prices after the government subsidy. So, we have some idea of what kind of price range we are expecting for the Malaysia market.


Subsidy for electric vehicles in Japan

In Japan, the government subsidises 50% (and up to 1 million yen) of the price difference between the electric vehicle and a similar class petrol model.

Example:
Petrol car price: RM80,000
i-MiEV price: RM92,000
Price difference = RM12,000 and 50% subsidy is RM6,000
Thus, subsidised price = RM92,000 - RM6,000
= RM86,000

Of course, this scenario is only in Japan. Similar or better subsidy plan in Malaysia is welcomed!


TheGreenMechanics:
Malaysians should be given the opportunity to purchase their own electric vehicle and make the choice for a greener future. Special tax incentive that is more favorable to the general masses should be formulated to encourage the use of such vehicles. As far as we know, presently tax incentives are available only for hybrid vehicles.

Go green!

Data in this article were sourced from Bernama.