Renault-Nissan News

[TEG]

How about this for wild speculation: What if Renault buys the Saturn brand and makes the Saturn EV2? (Recall that the EV1 was sold through Saturn dealers).

Renault Wants to Acquire Saturn Brand from GM

Renault Ev — Autoblog
Renault Works on New EV Battery Technology LiFePO4 - AllCarsElectric.com

"Renault-Nissan Alliance Adds Phoenix Region To Growing EV Charger Program " Green Car Advisor

 

[domenick]

How about this for wild speculation: What if Renault buys the Saturn brand and makes the Saturn EV2? (Recall that the EV1 was sold through Saturn dealers).

Perhaps the "Saturn EV2" might look like this.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Greentech Media

Some very excellent info here on Nissan's EV.

It mentions the Altra EV from 2008 which had 900 lbs of li-ion batteries.

From another article I found it had 800 lbs. The energy density was 90Wh/kg.

The pack in the EV-02 is supposedly around 450lbs and has an energy density of 130Wh/kg, power density of 2.5kW/kg.

Price range is $20-33k.

Range is 100 miles.

 

[TEG]

Nissan's New EV: Almost Ready for Prime Time | BNET Auto Blog | BNET

...a Nissan spokesman, said that EVs will be 10 percent of the company’s volume by 2015. “This is a full-on rollout,” he said, “not a test program.”...

 

[SByer]

Yeah, but NIssan has the regen thing wrong. The Roadster has it right. Not the amount, of course, but the answer to the basic question: accelerator only or blended on the brake pedal.

Why? The latter throws away a piece of critical information: how long does it take to stop at max regen with no brakes. After a week with the Roadster, I can get very close almost every time. Good luck with that in the Nissan.

Other than that, more EVs == better.

 

[dpeilow]

Autocar - Renault shows electric Kangoo

Renault is also working with German energy firm RWE, along with 20 other car makers, on standardising a charging plug for use across Europe. Using this plug, the Kangoo could be fully charged in 20 minutes.

The motor is a 59bhp/140lb ft unit with a 12,000rpm limiter hooked up to a single-speed reducer. Renault says the Kangoo Be Bop ZE has a top speed of 80mph, and a range of 62 miles, but the first production electric Renaults will increase that figure to 100 miles.

Those cars will be a Kangoo van for Europe and an all-electric Megane saloon for the Israeli market. Renault will then launch an all-new standalone electric car based on the Clio platform in 2012.

 

[TEG]

PHOTOS: Renault Unveils Revised Electric “Kangoo Z.E.” Prototype

 

[dpeilow]

Electric Twingo exposed | Auto Express News | News | Auto Express

The estimated range is an ambitious 100 miles on each charge. However, what’s most interesting is that the design is so focused on making the most of the electric powerplant, no conventionally fuelled variant will be offered.

The drivetrain offers 59bhp, which should mean a 0-60mph time of around 10 seconds and a top speed of 80mph. Taking cues from
the Be Bop show model, the Twingo ZE will have smooth bodywork surfaces to improve aerodynamics.

...

Most radical of all, however, is the way the company plans to keep drivers on the road for longer runs. It’s setting up an innovative ‘Quick Drop’ scheme. Dedicated sites – most likely to be Renault’s network of dealers – will allow owners to exchange flat batteries for
a fresh, fully charged set.

At the heart of this is the concept that drivers will merely lease the batteries for the car, rather than own them outright. This will help keep the costs of the Twingo as low as possible – matching Renault’s stated aim that all of its electric cars will cost the same as, or less than, the equivalent petrol models.

 

[vfx]

Nissan

Officially, official: Nissan gets $1.6B DOE loan to build EVs, batteries in Tennsessee

I think this is pretty incredible considering they have not even show a car.

 

[TEG]

Better Place vehicles?

 

[vfx]

The Nissan EV announcements all show this one.

But they always say "this is not the vehicle".

As for the whole PBP - Renault connetion, does that count for the Nissan 1.6B for making cars and batteries here?

 

[TEG]

“Bold New Lines” For Nissan EV: In Australia 2012 | The Motor Report: Auto News And Reviews

Not this car and not this style: Nissan’s EV will be all-new. NEWS FROM NISSAN Motor Co in Japan is that Nissan will be heading into new territory with the design of its upcoming electric vehicle. Instead of a slab-sided hybrid look, Nissan’s all-electric warrior will instead feature bold new “flowing” lines.
...It will be available next year in the US...
...The first car will be a five-seater family hatch, with small crossovers and commercials to follow. A concept version will be unveiled in the US in August this year...
...According to Automotive News, the new car’s styling will have a low bonnet with no grille - none is needed with an all-electric drive-train - and a “profile that is flowing, instead of triangular”. (We’ve been scouring news sources in Japan and the US for images, but Nissan appears to be running a tight ship – nothing has escaped, yet.)...

 

[vfx]

Nissan to unveil new electric car in Japan August 2

AutoCar is reporting that Nissan will publicly unveil its new electric car on August 2 in Japan.

 

[TEG]

With DOE Funds in Hand, Nissan Releases Their Plans To Spend It All - AllCarsElectric.com

 

[dpeilow]

Renault to offer test drives in Be Bop Z.E. electric vehicle

Renault is planning to release its first production electric vehicles in early 2011, but drivers around Europe will soon get a chance to try out electric "motoring" with the be bop Z.E. Renault showed off a concept electric version of the Kangoo be bop last fall at the Paris Motor Show. The green glass and some of the other concept-only bits have now been discarded for a more conventional running prototype. Come 2011, production electric versions of the Kangoo and the Megane will go on sale in Europe and Israel (as part of the Better Place program). Renault is also planning an electric city car and a variant of Nissan's dedicated EV for 2012.

The link contains a huge and very interesting press release from Renault on the details of this vehicle, charging, their EV plans, well-to-wheel efficiency counter arguments and the strategic agreements that Renault-Nissan have been making with authorities.

 

[dpeilow]

BBC NEWS | Business | Nissan to create hundreds of jobs

Nissan has announced that its Wearside factory will start producing batteries for electric cars, which is expected to create 350 new jobs.

...

Nissan's £200m investment will be spread over five years and the new plant, which will make lithium-ion batteries, will also create and secure additional jobs in the related supply chain.

...

"It does mean that Nissan is more likely to manufacture electric vehicles in the UK than elsewhere in Europe," he added.

 

[grandepj]

Nissan Developing EV That Charges Like an Electric Toothbrush | Sustainability | Fast Company

By using the same magnetic induction technology used in electric toothbrushes and transformers, Nissan has developed a system that could charge EVs without the need for wires or plugs.

Inductive charging technology works with conductive coils that transmit power over short distances. If used on a large scale, EVs outfitted with inductive charging systems could be charged in EZ Pass-like highway lanes, effectively eliminating the need for a plug-in charging station highway infrastructure.

Nissan has a long drive before inductively charged EVs become a reality. Nissan doesn't know how much wireless highway charging would cost, how fast a battery could be recharged, or even how long a lane would have to be

 

[malcolm]

The nice thing about plugs and sockets is that they are lo-tech and can be retrofitted to any parking lot / home / office without digging up concrete floors / highway lanes.

A number of companies have tried inductive paddles:-

Efficiencies with this sort of charging method are not going to increase if the gap between the two halves of the induction loop have to be increased.

 

[vfx]

Countdown Website
Renault ZE – Zero emission electric car

 

[Serge]

eVersa?

Nissan shows off new Versa-based electric vehicle prototype — Autoblog Green
That generic shape shown in June reminded me of Versa, which I guess was no coincidence.

A week before it shows the world what its new dedicated electric vehicle will look like, Nissan is showing off its latest-generation prototype. The company's previous iteration was based on the original Cube, but the new test units are based on the Versa/Tiida. A 108 horsepower / 206 pound-feet electric motor designed in-house at Nissan drives the front wheels, while a lithium ion battery pack created by Automotive Energy Supply Corp. stores electricity. The 24 kWh pack is fitted under the floor and is expected to yield a 100-mile range.