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" 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 hybrid cars 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 Tokyo Motor Show, 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 concept car 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 battery 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 electric cars 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
Oct 06, 2009 |
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I just wish they wouldn't make electric cars look so goofly looking. Why can't they just make them look normal?
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.
Would you like to live in it?
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.
Getting too long winded and a bit off on a tangent for this forum so I'll stop here. :)
What's the price for electricity in that city?
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.
Is it a coincidence that electric cars are becoming a reality as GM go bankrupt or is it poetic justice?