The effect of millions of electric vehicles connecting to the grid during peak hours has been feared and discussed since long. While charging vehicles during off-peak hours may be good for utilities, in an interesting turn it may even earn some money for the owners. More specifically, EV/PHEV owners in West Texas and Illinois are being paid to charge their vehicles during off-peak hours, and that’s clean wind energy we’re speaking of.
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Electric cars have been hailed as the modern, non-polluting vehicles, but it’s too early to shower them with all the praise, say scientists. In fact, if things don’t change dramatically, electric vehicles may not be very green even in 2030. The problem of course doesn’t lie entirely in the zero-emission electric cars, it has more to do with the generation of electricity for the vehicles.
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Many people are looking these days for eco-friendly alternative for their daily commuting. With that in mind the good folks from Blue Sky Designs, came out with a DIY electric vehicle that you can afford. Dubbed BugEV, the kit for the three wheeled single-seater car/bike is made out of 72 pieces and reaches about 50mph with a maximum range of 30 miles at 30mph average speeds.

The basic kit for that little bugger starts at $3,500 (shipping not included) and gets up to $5,300 for the full version with all the extras. Looking at it again and it does make a good first impressions even though it only covers the front and the top, and forgets about the back.

Definitely not for winter commuting, but a step forward in experimenting with an electric ride. We’d definitely try it out at least once. How about you guys? [BugEV via Zoomilife]

Mitsui & Co. of Japan has a service called Car Sharing Japan Co. From this spring the service will introduce electric vehicles. What an idea! What better than sharing a car? How about sharing an electric car?

Members share the use of vehicles.

The service is called careco and will be launched this Thursday. There will be nine bases in and around Tokyo’s Shibuya. (Why anybody would want to drive a car in Tokyo is beyond me, considering the availability of the public transportation.) Anyway, the fleet will be made up of the Prius hybrid, the iQ ultracompact, and the Vitz subcompact, all of which are made by Toyota Motor Corp. Also in the fleet will be Honda Motor Co.’s Fit subcompact. The lineup will gradually grow, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.’s wants its Plug-In Stella vehicle included by spring.

There are four levels of fees that are managed by a broker. Members will be able to reserve cars and unlock vehicles.

In age of the media and the internet, it would be real hard to keep a product under the wrap for a longtime and to unveil it on a grand stage in order to create a huge surprise. Leaks, spy shots and media intrusion have put an end to most surprises, but Chrysler has managed to pull off a complete surprise with its new c Electric Vehicle.

It was not until their presentation of upcoming electric vehicles at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, that the world had an idea about the 200C and for a company as big as Chrysler that is some surprise.

The fascinating thing is that the new electric vehicle will be in direct competition with the Chevy Volt and that really is an unexpected jolt. The 200C EV is an extended-range electric vehicle that has a mileage of around 40 miles on its electric motor and a good 400 miles when you use the assistance of the gas motor. With sleek curves from and better aerodynamics taken from the 300C, it reduces drag and further improves efficiency.

On the inside the 200C sports cool multimedia systems, touchscreen displays and even a tablet PC for the passengers (your kids should love it).

With the current state of the auto industry being real bad, it is all the more surprising and pleasantly refreshing to see Chrysler go green with another of their vehicles. This surely sets the tone for the future as every automaker has realized now that ‘green’ is the path towards future. [via New York Times]

The 2009 Detroit Auto Show just opened gates to press and there’s good stuff for eco-minded people. GM just officially unveiled their beautifully styled, sleek, and clearly aerodynamic Cadillac Converj.

It’s a two-door front-wheel-drive coupe extended range electric concept that uses E-Flex technology – now known as Voltec, that is expected to deliver a 40-mile range from a set of lithium ion batteries (16-kWh T-shaped battery that takes less than 3 hours at 240V/8 hours at 120V to charge) and a four-cylinder gasoline engine-generator.

As for how powerful it is, consider 120 kW and a 273 lb-ft torque. There’s no word on production yet, but our guess is it won’t hit the streets before 2012.

Hit the jump for a big gallery with the new Cadillac Converj, and the press release.

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I was doing some research on Tata Motors and learned some 20 things that I listed up.

One of the things I learned was Tata Motors has a 50.3% holding in electric vehicle technology firm Miljø Grenland^/Innovasjon of Norway. So, off to Norway I went to learn something about this technology.

The company bills itself as a “Driving for a Cleaner Environment.” A bit of an oxymoron, but nonetheless, everyone needs a slogan, right?

Miljøbil Grenland imagines a car made for driving in town, that is environmentally friendly, that is reliable and enjoys all the bells and whistles.

Miljøbil Grenland imagines a car which is economical, which needs little service, which needs little maintenance and be charged by plugging into an average outlet.

Miljøbil Grenland imagines a car which doesn’t make a lot of noise, and which doesn’t release poisonous emissions into the atmosphere.

Miljøbil Grenland imagines it a reality with the backing of Tata Motors. That was a half dozen years ago. What are they doing now, we wonder?

Tata Motors has electric versions of its passenger car Tata Indica and its commercial vehicle Tata Ace.

It is amazing how many of the futuristic concepts design are either just a revamped version of the retro period or a space-age design that will take another century to materialize. This is all the more true in case of futuristic concept green vehicles that are often designed based on technologies that have not even been invented till date.

Scarab though, is a concept green bike that is both real in its manifestation and amazing in its design.

Designed by David Miguel Gonçalves, it’s all about today’s green energy meeting tomorrow’s design and ergonomics. With an engine that is powered by a permanent battery plus three options for the main energy pack – battery, fuel cell or biofuel, Scarab looks like a stunning vehicle that could be part of another Transformers flick.

Despite its eco-friendly nature, it is as good as any modern set of wheels in terms of the gadgetry on the inside embedded sensors, Lidar, radar, transponders, GPS, Drive by Wire and tactile HUD embedded in the Lexan canopy. Also, the regenerative breaking system allows you to add more energy to the wheels, while the various modes of parking and transportation make it great for the road as well.

A complete green vehicle that is both cool to travel and cool for the planet as well. Something is right about that thing! YankoDesign via EcoFriend

As car manufacturers are venturing into making electric cars to beat the high costs of fuel, a 17 year old, Lucas Laborde, has already built an electric car with a difference.

It took him 150 hours to convert a normal gas powered car into one that runs on electricity. Luke, as he is known to his friends and relatives, hopes to drive to the high school, in his new creation, soon. The gas powered car, was bought for him by his father, who owns a hydraulics maintenance and repair company in down town San Antonio.

Bradley GT II - owned by Steve Striharsky at bradleygt2.com

It was a Bradley GT II kit car and was bought from eBay for $5,000. But Luke also had to spend another $4,700 for the electric power conversion parts and $1,000 for the batteries so that he can modify the car according to the design he had in mind.

Laborde, an active member of the golf team at ISA, is planning a career in sports business but if his dream car makes it big, he would be a happier person. – via Manufacturing

Image Credit – Steve Striharsky at bradleygt2.com

India and China are showing the rest of the world how to do things with electric bikes.

On the heels of success in those to developing countries Ultra Motor’s Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) is coming to the U. S. and Europe this summer. The eco-friendly and economical urban transporter, the A2B Bicycle, goes for $2,200 and can reach a top speed of 20mph (32kph).

For what is worth, I can do that on a regular bicycle, but the question is for how long?

The bike comes with a tissue-box sized lithium battery that can be charged in a normal electric outlet just like you do with your laptop or mobile phone. Right now they’re working on rolling out a LEV Cities concept that includes the charging stations. Dock your bike, log in, pay for the electricity (with your card they say) and ride to work.

Still, it seems better to me to have a bunch of electric bikes running around than the many other alternatives that aren’t working. And, if all these bikes had naked riders on them? That would be fun!