WeCar car-sharing technology — complemented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s extensive local car rental network — provides an environmentally friendly transportation solution, whether it is for an hour, a day, a weekend or longer. Totally automated and membership-based, WeCar serves local businesses, universities and government offices looking to enhance their fleet management operations and sustainability initiatives.

Bugatti, the automaker that gave us the Veyron–the world’s fastest and most expensive series production car–may be set to revolutionize the car industry once again. Bugatti’s engineers are now experimenting with an electric powertrain that can deliver 800 HP.Benefiting from the experience of engineers within Volkswagen Group’s Audi unit, who also created the Audi R8 E-Tron concept with 313 horsepower and 3.320 lb-ft of torque, Bugatti is now testing a similar concept aimed at powering one of its future models.

The powertrain would comprise two electric motors (one for each rear wheel?), each putting out over 400 HP and 1620 ft-lb of torque.  Since these are electric motors all of that torque is available at 0 RPMs.  This would probably result in the worlds fastest accelerating car, ever.  Either way, it would be a fun drive.

The main issue engineers are running into are the batteries.  Apparently when the car is at peak performance it’ll only last for a few minutes.  So it’s unlikely that we’ll see this version out anytime soon.  Perhaps a model based more closely on the Volt powertrain, where a gas engine can power the electric motors would be a better option until we can get batteries that last longer.

General Wesley Clark recently gave a speech where he stated that our dependence on foreign oil is a huge threat to our national security.

During the speech, which was given in Detroit, Clark said that the current status of the EV industry is similar to the early stages of the personal computer or cell phone industry.  He feels that we are closing in on an apex of similar techonological revolution for our autos and that the new industry will be a boon to the economy and create new jobs.

“We spawned a whole new industry off of personal computing,” Clark said. “We need that next big thing for America, and it could be right here at this conference. It could be in electric vehicle technologies.”

The company is one of four battery makers approved for generous state tax incentives this summer  as Michigan bids to become the nation’s battery-making center.

At least three other battery groups, from Germany, South Korea and the U.S., also have expressed interest n locating plants in Michigan, state officials say.

LG plans to make batteries for a variety of applications and customers, but is linked closely with General Motors because a subsidiary, Compact Power, earlier this year won separate contracts from GM to build the lithium ion battery packs for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in hybrid and an as-yet-unnamed 2011 Buick plug-in hybrid.

The LG plant is to be located in Holland, Mich., about 180 miles due west of Detroit. More

The OnStar EV Lab, housed in GM’s downtown Detroit corporate headquarters, is now using the OnStar communications system to gather data on 19 Chevy Volt vehicles for engineering purposes. The same technology will give consumers the ability to tap online services and perform tasks specific to a plug-in electric vehicle, company executives said.

When GM releases the Volt at the end of next year, consumers will be able to program when to charge the vehicle much like they operate home heating and cooling system, said Tony Posawatz, the vehicle line director for the Chevy Volt. GM is considering more advanced features as well, such as demand response where car charging slows down during peak times in exchange for lower rates from the utility.

“The car will have to talk to the grid and be able to pull very sensitive (utility) data,” Posawatz said. “Electric vehicle customers want to manage their energy–they’re very into data. OnStar is an enabling tool for us.”

The OnStar system could broker communications with the utility so that consumers can charge at off-peak times, such as the middle of the night, and potentially take advantage of lower rates. “Smart charging,” or charging at off-peak times, is important to manage so that plug-in electric vehicles don’t add to peak-time electricity demand. In the near term, utility executives say the biggest concern is that many cars in one local area will tax one particular electricity distribution point. More

Autoblog adds, “three-wheeled vehicle platforms sometimes have the potential to use less energy to operate than their four-wheeled siblings, though some still question the inherent safety of such designs. Assuming the bill passes the President’s desk, any manufacturer of enclosed three-wheeled vehicles that can carry at least two adults while returning at least 75 miles per gallon will be eligible for funding, though the DOE will still approve applications on a case-by-case basis.”

Well, the lower price hasn’t happened yet, but researchers have created a new generation battery by combining Nickel and Lithium to produce a battery that can store more than 3.5 times the energy of lithium-ion batteries..

This is a prime example of the payoff from the money and effort going into the development of smaller, cheaper, safer (the Nickel-Lithium batteries are less prone to burst into flames as some lithium-ion batteries in laptops have), and more powerful batteries that will deliver more miles between charges as the era of the Electrical Vehicle (EV) is knocking at the door.

Other companies are developing the components that will complete the EV. One such company (Proterra) claims to deliver a full charge to lithium batteries in ten minutes, and has produced an all electric bus that also includes a regenerative braking system that they claim will capture 90% of a vehicle’s kinetic energy during braking to put back in the battery. More

Conceptually, roads would be fitted with electrical conductors that create magnetic fields, which charge your battery powered vehicle as you drive. Radio chips would identify your vehicle and bill you appropriately. The conductors are resistant to both weather and mechanical wear.

This system eliminates many of the common difficulties and headaches associated with EVs. It extends the range of an EV to virtually limitless, and there is no need for long charging times or battery exchanges. The IAV system is completely cordless and can even charge an EV while it’s parked. More

Here’s an excerpt:

I recently had the chance to ask him about the cost of lithium-ion batteries.  As some sources suggest cost could be as high as $1000 kwh, I asked him what the actual cost is in today’s market.  My question with his explanation follows:

What is the cost of lithium ion automotive batteries?
Is its risky or dangerous to quote direct numbers.

At the cell level, in consumer applications, 100% of the nominal capacity at the beginning of life is somewhere on the order of $350 per kwh.

Read the rest here