Japanese car makers out to electrify Tokyo show

October 19, 2009 by Daniel Rook Photographers take pictures of the new Japanese Nissan Motor's electric vehicle called "Leaf"

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Photographers take pictures of the new Japanese Nissan Motor's electric vehicle called "Leaf" during the opening ceremony for the new company headquarters in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture, on August 2009.

Move over hybrids -- the biggest buzz at this year's Tokyo Motor Show looks set to come from electric cars as the dream of affordable zero-emission vehicles moves closer to reality.

Japanese automakers, pioneers in powered by a mixture of petrol and electricity, are now looking to take fuel-efficient motoring to the next level with vehicles that run on rechargeable batteries.

Nissan will put its electric car, the Leaf, on display to the public for the first time at the , which kicks off on Wednesday with press previews and opens to general visitors on Saturday.

The mid-sized hatchback, which will go on sale in late 2010 in Japan, is billed by Nissan as "the world's first affordable, zero-emission car."

It can travel more than 160 kilometres (100 miles) on a single charge, at a top speed of 140 kilometres per hour.

The world's largest automaker Toyota, which has said it aims to launch an electric vehicle by 2012, will display a new version of its electric concept car -- the FT-EV II -- at the show.

"We think the time is almost ripe for cost levels, batteries and performance to evolve one step further," said Toyota's Akihiro Yanaka, who oversees the project.

Nissan will also show off a futuristic electric concept car that leans to the side when going around bends.

The "Land Glider," just 1.1 metres (3 feet 7 inches) wide, seats two people -- one in the front and one in the back. Inspired by motorbikes and glider aircraft, it has tilting wheels that enable it to lean by up to 17 degrees.

From Honda comes the EV-N, a cute new electric that can store a one-wheel personal mobility device inside its door.

The dream of an electric car, which has been around since the time of Thomas Edison, has so far failed to break into the mainstream because of the high cost and limited life.

But after technological advances in the development of long-lasting lithium-ion batteries, the dawn of affordable zero-emission automobiles may be approaching.

Nissan says it plans to sell the Leaf at a similar price to a comparable model with a petrol-powered engine.

The battery will be leased separately for a monthly charge that, together with the electricity cost, will be cheaper than gasoline, it says.

The Leaf will not be the first electric car on the market. Mitsubishi Motors recently started selling its "i MiEV" minicar. But at 4.6 million yen (50,600 dollars), for now it is aimed at corporate and government clients.

Subaru meanwhile launched the Plug-in STELLA for about 4.73 million yen but plans to deliver just 170 of the vehicles between late July and next March.

Some experts are sceptical about whether can enter the mainstream within the next decade given the lack of recharging stations and the high production costs, particularly in the current economic climate.

Mass recalls of lithium-ion batteries for laptop computers by some makers due to fears of overheating have also stirred safety concerns.

"If you look at the next four or five years, especially for electric cars, the business case is pretty challenging," said Ashvin Chotai, the London-based managing director of Intelligence Automotive Asia, a consultancy firm.

Even by 2020, "it's hard to see how penetration levels of electric cars will increase significantly. There's still a lot of challenges in terms of concerns about the safety of the lithium-ion batteries and reducing costs."

But others see a brighter future for electric cars given growing concerns about global warming, the prospect of a decline in production costs and the fact that many governments are offering subsidies for zero-emission vehicles.

If the price for consumers of an electric car declines below two million yen (22,000 dollars), "then demand will grow dramatically," said Tatsuya Mizuno, director of Mizuno Credit Advisory.

"The biggest cost comes from the rechargeable batteries. I expect the price will decline at a relatively high speed," said Mizuno, who also thinks that safety issues surrounding lithium-ion batteries have now been resolved.

(c) 2009 AFP


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  • poi - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 5 / 5 (3)
    but we already know that this is not really a change in the power source. just a diversion from the real power source. but it will make an impact nonetheless and a prerequisite to ultimately relieve reliance from fossil fuels.
  • Bob_Kob - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 5 / 5 (6)
    Yes, while it isn't truly zero emission, it is more practical to deal with the emissions at one big power plant than millions of individual cars. Also smog and pollution impacting major cities would disappear.

    I just wish they wouldn't make electric cars look so goofly looking. Why can't they just make them look normal?
  • CreepyD - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 3.5 / 5 (2)
    As usual, they need more range! 100 miles isn't enough for even a small trip anywhere.
  • david_42 - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 4.7 / 5 (3)
    Beg to differ, CD. 160 km is enough to go to Portland and back, which is the longest trip I make in the average month (and often in a year). Granted, I'm used to fueling my van once a month, but plugging a car in at night wouldn't be any more of a problem than plugging in a cellphone.

    BK - unfortunately, normal looking hybrids don't sell. Honda has learned that the hard way. You can't be smug unless it's obvious you're driving a hybrid.
  • Buyck - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
    The future is for electric cars nothing else. And all the energy must come from green energy wind,solar, bio-mass and so on. The climate change is a direct threat for sustainable life. If we not act millions of people will die in the coming decades.
  • droid001 - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
    Imagine a city without a gasoline-powered vehicles.
    Would you like to live in it?
  • Arkaleus - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 1 / 5 (3)
    Yes Buyck, let's hyperventilate together about carbon dioxide and the coming holocaust.

    Because, like, if, we don't totally start paying lots more for stuff, and like, stop using cars, the world is totally going to burn up and all the polar bears and dolphins will die.

    I wonder how we're going to get the CO2 permits for enough wood to boil our rat dinners when we finally get the post-1984 lifestyles the greens are howling for, because the solar panels don't work when it's raining.
  • ricarguy - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
    100 years after Edison, storing electrical energy is still the problem. The safest, reasonably practical chemistries are still Pb-acid or NiMH. But energy density is about a quarter or half that of Li and that is a fraction of the energy stored in a comparable liter of gasoline or diesel. Safer Li recipes have been developed. But don't get any one of them into a bad crash, because the Li in the electrolyte will spontaneously burst into flame on contact with air. Operating life is one issue that has not been solved. It is not just a matter of how you operate the battery. There is a calendar life issue which is significant under the most ideal of conditions. A separate lease for the battery pack says that they are attempting a marketing solution instead of a technical one. This is to cover the most expensive and energy intensive part of the car to make that will have to be replaced every few years. Looks like a bad deal financially and there is still work to do.
  • ricarguy - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
    So I'll bet you lunch that the cost to operate that tiny electric car is much higher than a comparable conventional car around today without any gov't price manipulation. So let's have the godfather add a bit more non-productive overhead so they can tax petroleum and subsidize electric, Then the electric grid needs to be upgraded to handle the additional loads as well. It's do-able, but more expense. The cost to society is higher and we all suffer some. But it's worth it because we are saving the planet. No cause can be more noble than that, so there can be no dissenting opinion much less a debate.
  • ricarguy - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
    Did someone above mention smog? That problem in passenger cars in industrialized countries was solved years ago. Unfortunately other than a military war, in no gov't program (or environmental cause) can they ever say, "We're done guys. Good job, let's all go home." If a past goal is met, it is rarely admitted in public. Instead the problem has to be redefined so we're never done and the bureaucracy or special interest group can live on. You can feel in your heart that will ALWAYS be the case with CO2 and global warming. Dire "threats to sustainable life" are at best exaggerations, and at worst irresponsible scare tactics. Nothing grabs one's attention like a good crisis. A crisis invoking fear and worry can make one do what he would never consider normally. That is what makes it such a powerful tool.

    Getting too long winded and a bit off on a tangent for this forum so I'll stop here. :)

  • Velanarris - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
    Imagine a city without a gasoline-powered vehicles.
    Would you like to live in it?

    What's the price for electricity in that city?
  • droid001 - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 2 / 5 (1)
    What is the price you could pay, Velanarris?
  • Velanarris - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
    What is the price you could pay, Velanarris?

    I could pay nothing or I could pay hundreds of dollar per kWH. That's not my question. My question is, how much is electricity in that city. Then how much does it cost me to "fuel" the car?

    Half the reason why I'm against PHEV is due to how the generation companies seem to "magically" adjust price without any sort of control. I don't want to see commerce and transportation held hostage by people like T. Boone Pickens, and 100mpc is pretty horrible. Some people have to travel 40 miles to work and 40 miles home, myself being one of them. Most likely you're not going to get the full 100 miles out of every charge.
  • Lord_jag - Oct 19, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    So make your own electricity. It's profitable right now to make your own, it just has a 10 year break-even on the solar panels. After that it's making you money. If power cost jump 10x, solar pays for itself in a year... Power only makes money if it has someone to sell to, no matter what price they charge. You can make your net energy = 0 overnight and reduce the load on the grid.
  • Velanarris - Oct 20, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    Unfortunately alternative energy isn't a great reality in my area. Wind is ineffective due to the regional landscape and solar isn't viable as New England has some of the least abvailable sunlight for capture outside of the peak of summer.
  • fixer - Oct 21, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    Love that movie "who killed the electric car", I wonder if Honda named the EV2 after GM's EV1?
    Is it a coincidence that electric cars are becoming a reality as GM go bankrupt or is it poetic justice?
  • Newbeak - Oct 24, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    I like the Chevy Volt concept best of all.You get the advantage of pure electric operation for day to day commuting,and with the on board recharging engine,you can make the occasional long distance trip free of "range anxiety". It would help GM if they were to lease their battery packs,thus lowering the sticker price on the car.

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