When Nissan launched the 2013 all-electric LEAF, the company boasted the new car’s improvements over the previous model year—faster charging, a larger cargo space, and increased range. But while Nissan executives were keen to talk about how much better the home-grown U.S. LEAF was compared with its predecessor, one little fact went unnoticed: the 2013 LEAF has less torque than Japanese-built 2011 and 2012 models.
On paper, the difference isn’t huge: the 187 pound-foot units of torque in the 2013 LEAF compared to the previous model’s 207 lbs-ft. Those who have driven the two models however, say that the difference is noticeable. The 2013 feels less punchy on initial acceleration, despite reaching 60 miles per hour faster than the previous model.
Nissan says the 2013’s reduced torque stems from a redesigned motor and the desire to improve range and driver experience.
Drivability in the Name of Range
Nissan justifies reducing the torque in its 2013 LEAF by stating that too much torque affects handling as well as range.
“The natural response of an electric motor is to give its maximum torque from standstill, making it an excellent choice as a vehicle power unit, due to its rapid response to driver input,” Nissan said. “In an automotive application, it is desirable, particularly from standstill, to limit the torque from the motor to reduce the tendency to wheel-spin. Without this, customers would experience not only wheel-spin, but more front tire wear and unnecessary energy consumption.”
Essentially, Nissan is sacrificing initial torque in order to improve energy consumption and reduce tire wear during the frequent stopping and starting of city traffic. Although we’ve heard from several drivers that this makes the 0-30 time feel slower in the 2013 LEAF. (Nissan said it does not provide 0-30 second times for its cars.)
The same justifications are used to limit acceleration on many electric motorcycles, including models designed for first-time riders. Believing riders may not be capable—or sensible enough—to understand the implications of a high-torque electric motor, output is electronically limited to prevent unexpected wheelies and to improve range.
Unfair Disadvantage
While limiting the torque output of an electric vehicle and restricting its initial acceleration may improve its range, the resulting drive characteristics could perpetuate the myth that electric cars are slow and boring.
Many gasoline cars and motorcycles on sale today can easily spin wheels, pull wheelies, and generally loose traction due to too much torque. Yet they are sold with this capability marketing as a welcome bonus. Do automakers, including Nissan, see EVs as cars not intended to be fun and fast?
Let the Driver Decide
Keep this in mind: not all EVs and electric motorcycles on the market today have intentionally limited, factory-set torque. Some, like the 2013 Zero range of electric motorcycles and the 2013 Tesla Model S, feature user-configurable torque, regenerative braking and speed limiters. Others simply have a sport mode, or a way to turn of computerized traction control.
In some ways, it makes sense to limit torque for first-time EV drivers, but like performance sports cars—which invariably can be customized either at the shop or within the car—automakers need to let drivers choose between performance and efficiency when they sit behind the wheel.
Telling drivers what they want, or assuming they prefer efficiency over performance, is a mistake.
Check out the clever automated rooftop charging system in action.
Two all-electric buses began trolling the streets in Stockton, in central California’s San Joaquin Valley, on March 20.
The electric buses in Stockton recharge in 10 minutes using an automated rooftop recharger. The bus pulls under the charging unit. After it’s lowered on to the bus, the conductive charge is added at 500 kilowatts, and the bus rolls away with an additional 20 or so miles of range in its 72 kilowatt-hour battery pack—well beyond the range of a typical bus route.
Passengers can load and unload, and he driver can stay in the bus, during the recharging event. And the electric refueling is essentially an “opportunity charge” because the buses return to the same place on the route, and usually are idle for about 20 minutes—before the bus begins a new route. (There must be similar scenarios for certain types of electric cars that have common routes.)
The connection and controls of were developed by Proterra. Aerovironment built the chargers used in Stockton, but Proterra has worked with other companies as well, said Matt Gottschalk, Proterra’s chief business development officer.
The 35-foot buses, manufactured by Proterra, are the first pure electric transit buses in Northern California. But Proterra, based in Greenville, South Carolina, also has electric buses running in Pomona, Calif. and San Antonio, Tex. It has orders for between four and six buses from Worcester, Mass., Seneca, S. Car., and Reno, Nev., said Gottschalk, in an interview with PluginCars.com.
Right-Sizing the Battery
“We fit the battery to the application,” Gottschalk said. A transit bus route is typically between 11 and 15 miles, Gottschalk explained. So a charge range would likely be around 20 miles to leave a margin of safety. Sizing the battery to fit the route saves customers money, he said. “Batteries don’t last forever,” said Gottschalk. So building to fit the need also keeps replacement costs at a minimum.
Proterra’s buses run on a powertrain developed by the company itself, said Gottschalk. They use a lithium-titanate, or L.T.O., battery produced by Altairnano of Reno, Nev. L.T.O. batteries are less energy-dense and heavier than some other batteries, he said. “The L.T.O. advantage is you can fast charge and they don’t heat up and they don’t degrade as quickly” as other battery chemistries, he said. “They are great for fast charging.”
“We have been pushing the envelope here at the Regional Transit District in adoption of new technology for the last nine years or so,” Paul Rapp, marketing and communications manager for the San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) said.
The RTD’s 73-bus fleet will become 100 percent diesel-electric hybrid next month, he said. But the Proterra buses are the first all-electric the RTD has tested, said Rapp. The vehicles’ zero emission feature is especially attractive because the San Joaquin Valley does not meet the federal or state government standards for the level of ozone and particulate matter, according to Rapp.
Stockton, located in the San Joaquin Valley, used a $2.56 million grant from the California Energy Commission to pay for part of the $4 million electric bus demo project. After two years, Stockton will keep the buses.
Buquebus and CTS Auto S.A., in partnership with Chinese automaker BYD Ltd, introduced the first battery-electric 12-meter rapid transit bus in Uruguay and the region.
The BYD electric bus, powered by two in-wheel electric motors capable of a cruising speed of more than 88 km/h (55 mph) and a Li-ion battery pack has a range of more than 250 km (155 miles)—nearly 24 hours of service daily for most transit applications. The BYD battery technology also allows for a full charge in less than 5 hours. The bus can be charged overnight, while the electricity pricing is lower.
By 2015 it is expected that more than 500 BYD electric buses will be running on the streets and roads of Uruguay.
Buquebus is the largest tourism transportation company in Uruguay, connecting more than 2 million passengers in Argentina and Uruguay per year by boat and by bus. Buquebus is also the largest Tourist Agent in South America, selling more than 300,000 hotel beds and 400,000 city tours per year.
Fiat 500e is Priced at $22,500 After Incentives in California.
The praise for the electric Fiat 500e keeps pouring in. It’s still fresh in our minds that Consumer Reports called it a hoot to drive. That, perhaps, was a bit unexpected, but this here news is even more so: Top Gear fell head-over-heels in love with the spunky 500e.
Yes, that’s right, Top Gear slings out words of praise for an electric vehicle.
Here are a few choice selections from Top Gear’s glowing review of the 500e:
How far can it go on a charge – and I mean really go, not what the brochure says?
“Good question. Fiat reckons it’ll do 87 miles on a single charge, but that doesn’t factor in the amount of energy the car can recover while braking. On the test route we drove the range went up and down depending on the road speed and geography – the car calculates range based on current and recent past driving patterns. But by the time we had finished the hilly 50-mile there was still around half of the charge left. So say nearer 100.” [a figure Consumer Reports agrees with]
That’s enough of the technical stuff, what’s it like to drive?
2014 Fiat 500e Not So Cute Dressed in Black
“Excellent. Other than the Abarth models, this has to be the pick of the 500 pack. It might weigh 600lb more than a standard petrol 500, but Fiat has distributed the weight so well, you don’t notice it much. The 500e is now 57:43 front/rear instead of the petrol cars’ 64:36, and it feels like it. Combined with the 200Nm available from 0 (zero) revs and no gears to bother with, this is one of the all-time best city cars ever made.”
Really? It’s that good?
“Yep. There’s just nothing to worry about other than having fun. And maybe where the next charge is coming from. Even the brakes feel like regular brakes, even though, above 8mph, it’s all done by regeneration, not using the discs.”
Unfortunately, as Top Gear points out and most of us already know, the Fiat 500e is a California-only offering at this point in time. But with all the glowing reviews out there and a lease price of only $199 per month, we sure do think this “one of the all-time best city cars ever made” should, well, be made for all to enjoy.
Ford is seeing a strong demand for many of its products, including its hybrids, and will increase production accordingly.
Ford said it will add an additional 200,000 units of annual straight-time capacity this year.
In addition, Ford said it will produce an extra 40,000 units by idling select plants for only one week during what has been the traditional two-week summer shutdown.
“To meet surging customer demand for our top-selling cars, utilities and trucks, we are continuing to run our North American facilities at full manned capacity, and we will add 200,000 units of annual straight-time capacity this year,” said Jim Tetreault, vice president of North America Manufacturing. “Approximately 75 percent of our plants are running at a three-crew, three-shift or four-crew pattern in order to ensure we’re getting more of our products into dealerships.”
The 200,000 annual straight-time capacity additions this year will come from Chicago Assembly Plant, Flat Rock Assembly Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant, including increased production of some of Ford’s best-selling vehicles like the Ford Explorer, Ford Fusion (hybrid and non-hybrid) and Ford F-Series.
The increased production at Kansas City Assembly Plant with the addition of a third crew, which Ford announced in early May, is included in the 200,000 increase.
Additionally, 20 plants, including six assembly plants, will take a reduced summer shutdown this year.
The assembly plants taking one week of shutdown are Chicago Assembly, Cuautitlán Assembly, Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly, Kentucky Truck, Michigan Assembly and Oakville Assembly.
The Michigan Assembly Plant is the plant where the Focus, Focus electric as well as the hybrid and non-hybrid versions of the C-Max are assembled.
BYD e6 electric taxi in service in Shenzhen, China
It might not be going on sale to U.S. consumers, but the BYD e6 will eventually appear in the U.S. in commercial fleets–perhaps to a taxi stand near you.
Taxi duties seem to be the e6′s true calling, and it’s already operating in China in just such a role.
Now it’s going on duty in Hong Kong too, where pollution dogs the city’s streets and the government is placing increased emphasis on cleaner, greener vehicles.
The city announced plans late last year to curb pollution, with commercial vehicles in particular–unhindered by modern pollution standards–to blame for the city’s choking smog. Pollution is deemed to be the cause of more than 3,000 extra deaths each year in the city.
Just a month later Hong Kong announced that a fleet of electric taxis would be deployed, with the eventual aim of electrifying the entire 18,000-strong fleet.
Among the companies intending to supply taxi fleets in Hong Kong are Nissan, with 50 Leafs due this year, Toyota with a fleet of hybrids, and Fiat, which says it will introduce an electric version of its Doblo passenger van.
The first BYD e6 taxis went on duty at the weekend, with 45 cars in a bright red paint scheme hitting the city’s streets. The five-door crossovers take two hours to charge, and can cover 180 miles from full.
Speaking to Phys.org, president and chairman of the Hong Kong Taxi and Public Light Bus Association Wong Chung Keung, said, “
“The idea of being environmentally friendly is a global trend and the electric car is one good example. An electric car saves the cost of fuel and will allow our taxi drivers to earn more,” adding that the electric vehicles cost as little as a fifth per mile to run.
He now calls for more charging stations to be installed around the city, something BYD itself is contributing to, with 47 chargers in nine locations near car parks.
