Aston Martin To Build Electric Rapide by 2018

Aston Martin Chief Executive Andy Palmer says the company may build an electric version of its Rapide sports car in two to three years as a part of its plan to overhaul its lineup and add several new models.

Mr. Palmer said the company has launched a research project for the electric car and is speaking with electric-vehicle technology companies to partner with, though he declined to say which companies.

“We are looking at technologies around the world, including some pretty cool technologies coming from Silicon Valley,” he said. Tesla Motors Inc., based in Palo Alto, Calif., isn’t one of them, he said.

Mr. Palmer, who came to Aston Martin from Nissan Motor Co., where he was an executive vice president, said the company would be producing ultraluxury special editions of its current models in the short-term to generate buzz and revenue, ahead of the new models. Aston is planning a crossover vehicle as well as an executive large sedan to compete with Rolls-Royce.

Aston Martin recently revealed an all electric DBX Concept at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

Source: WSJ

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Chris Harris - McLaren P1 Hybrid [VIDEO]

Chris Harris takes the McLaren P1 hybrid hypercar for a drive around the UK in typical wet British weather.

The car is obviously a gorgeous piece of automotive engineering but watching this video you could be forgiven for forgetting the P1 is a hybrid.

Despite the fact Harris talks about throttle response and low-end torque through-out the video, he makes no mention of the torque-fill provided by the 130 kw / 257 Nm electric motor (approx the same output as a BMW i3), right up until the the last minute of the film when Harris hits E-mode for a short demo just for novelty value.

By comparison, Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear review of the BMW i8 was much more detailed.

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LG Chem to supply batteries for Daimler's Smart EVs

Daimler has picked South Korea's LG Chem to be the sole battery supplier for the automaker's new range of Smart electric vehicles, which will be launched in 2016.

LG Chem did not disclose the value or volume of the deal, but said EVs account for a small portion of about 100,000 Smart mini cars sold a year currently.

LG Chem, which is also an EV battery supplier for General Motors and Renault, said it will provide Smart EV battery cells, which will be made into packs by Daimler's wholly owned subsidiary Deutsche ACCUmotive.

Daimler is LG Chem's 13th automaker client for EV battery packs.

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Electric vehicles account for over 20% of Norway's new-car sales

Plug-in electric car sales in Norway continue at just above 20% (21.03%) market share with 2,235 registrations in February 2015. Battery-only electric vehicles now account for 18% of all new-car sales.

The over-all #1 best selling car in Norway for the second month running is the VW e-Golf with 839 units. Sales of the Volkswagen e-Golf in Feb were almost double the top selling fossil fuelled car, the Toyota RAV4 with 450 sales.

The e-Golf accounts for almost 40% of all EV sales in Norway YTD (1,718) selling 3x more than second place Nissan Leaf (556) and 4x more than third placed Tesla Model S (392).

The ICE powered Volkswagen Golf has been one of the best selling cars in Norway for many years but the e-Golf and GTE Plug-in variants now account for 70% of all Volkswagen sales in Norway.

The Norwegian e-Golf sales success sends a clear signal to auto makers that non-quirky, conservative body styling can boost EV market share significantly.

Pl	Norway	Feb.	YTD '15	%	'14Pl
1	Volkswagen e-Golf	839	1.718	39	5
2	Nissan Leaf	247	556	12	1
3	Tesla Model S	321	392	9	2
4	Mitsu Outlander PHEV e)	150	384	9	6
5	Volkswagen e-Up! e)	160	331	7	3
6	BMW i3	126	227	5	4
7	Audi A3 e-Tron	134	188	4	21
8	Kia Soul EV	45	137	3	7
9	Renault Zoe	54	133	3	8
10 11	Mitsubishi I-Miev Peugeot iOn	32 54	130 114	3 3	9 11
12	Volvo V60 Plug-In	27	57	1	14
13 14 15 16 17	Nissan e-NV200 / Evalia e) Mercedes B-Class ED e) BMW i8 Toyota Prius Plug-In Opel Ampera	20 20 4 2	53 22 10 5 2	1 0 0 0 0	15 N/A 20 17 21
	TOTAL	2.235	4.459	100

Source: EV Sales, Bestsellingcarblog

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Automakers race to double the driving range of affordable electric cars

Global automakers are readying a new generation of mass-market electric cars with more than double the driving range of today’s Nissan Leaf, betting that technical breakthroughs by big battery suppliers such as LG Chem Ltd will jump-start demand and pull them abreast of Tesla Motors Inc.

At least four major automakers — General Motors, Ford, Nissan and Volkswagen — plan to race Tesla to be first to field affordable electric vehicles that will travel up to 320 km (200 miles) between charges.

That is more than twice as far as current lower-priced models such as the Nissan Leaf, which starts at $29,010. The new generation of electric cars is expected to be on the market within two to three years.

To get a Tesla Model S that delivers 265 miles (427 km) on a charge requires buying a version that starts at $81,000 before tax incentives. Most electric cars offered at more affordable prices can travel only about 75 to 85 miles (121 to 137 km) on a charge – less in cold weather or when drivers have the air conditioning on.

Automakers need to pump up electric vehicle demand significantly by 2018. This is when California and eight other states will begin to require the companies to meet much higher sales targets for so-called zero emission vehicles — in other words, electric cars — and federal rules on reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gases become much stricter.

BATTERY BREAKTHROUGHS

Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said last week that “200 miles is the minimum threshold” to alleviate consumer concerns over EV range. There is “a sweet spot around 250-350 miles that’s really ideal,” he said.

Musk has promised a more affordable Tesla, the Model 3, which will sell for around $35,000 and provide a driving range of 200 miles or more. That car is slated to begin production in mid-to-late 2017.

However, GM says it plans to field a 200-mile electric car, the Chevrolet Bolt, by late 2016.

The Bolt will use an advanced lithium-ion battery pack developed by Korea’s LG Chem, which also supplies batteries for the Chevrolet Volt hybrid. The newer batteries are said to have much higher energy density and provide much longer range between charges, thanks to breakthroughs in battery materials, design and chemistry, according to a source familiar with LG Chem’s technology.

"Several factors are at play that are landing at this 200-mile range" for a vehicle priced between $30,000 and $35,000, LG Chem Chief Executive Prabhakar Patil said in an interview. "We’ve been talking to several OEMs (automakers) regarding where our battery technology is and where it’s going."

LG Chem also supplies standard lithium-ion batteries to the Ford Focus Electric and may supply the longer-range batteries to a new compact EV that Ford is tentatively planning to introduce in late 2018 or early 2019, according to three suppliers familiar with the program.

Compared with the 2015 Focus Electric, which has a range between charges of 76 miles, the new compact electric model would have a range of at least 200 miles, the suppliers said.

Nissan and VW both have battery supply deals with LG Chem, and both are working on longer-range EVs for 2018 and beyond.

Nissan is planning to introduce a successor to the Leaf in early 2018, according to a source familiar with the program, and that model is expected to offer significantly greater range than the current Leaf, the best-selling electric car in the United States, which can go 84 miles (135 km) between charges.

The 2015 Leaf uses batteries made by a joint venture between Nissan and supplier NEC. It is not clear if the future model will shift to LG Chem, although Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has identified LG Chem as a potential battery supplier.

VW plans to expand its current range of electrified vehicles, including a successor to the battery-powered e-Golf in 2018 with much longer range, according to two sources familiar with the program. The current e-Golf uses batteries made by Panasonic and has a range between charges of 83 miles.

Volkswagen plans to decide in the first half of this year whether new battery technology under development at U.S. startup QuantumScape Corp, which may expand an electric vehicle’s driving distance between recharges to as much as 700 kilometers (430 miles), is ready for use in its electric cars.

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Foxconn Partners with Tencent in Electric Car Business

Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, better known as Foxconn, on Monday said it has partnered Chinese social networker Tencent Holdings Ltd to develop opportunities related to electric vehicles, marking the latest tech foray into "smart" cars.

Foxconn, WeChat operator Tencent and luxury car dealer China Harmony Auto Holding Ltd signed an agreement to work together in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, Henan province, the contract manufacturer said without detailing specifics.

The partnership would put Tencent on a par with online peers Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Baidu Inc, which have already moved into the nascent market for Internet-connected cars vie tie-ups with major auto makers.

Foxconn said the coalition would form a working team drawing on its manufacturing capabilities, Tencent's Internet platform and China Harmony Auto's dealership network, to explore commercial possibilities in smart electric vehicles.

Foxconn announced an investment of over $800M to build electric cars in China in 2014.

Foxconn, known more for assembling the bulk of Apple Inc's iPhones, already has experience with electric vehicles having manufactured the touch screens in some cars made by U.S. automaker Tesla Motors Inc.

The absence of a carmaker from its new partnership appears to put the group on a different tack to that of Alibaba or Baidu in targeting electric vehicles.

The Chinese government has recently redoubled efforts to promote electric vehicles, renewing tax breaks and setting aggressive emission standards.

Foxconn has manufacturing operations across China and has been working to diversify from the competitive, low-margin contract business. As part of that drive, it bought around 10 percent of Zhengzhou-based China Harmony Auto last year.

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Nissan LEAF Battery Reliability Outperforms Cynics [VIDEO]

Five years and more than 35,000 European sales since the launch of its all-electric LEAF, proprietary data released by Nissan for the first time shows that 99.99 percent of its battery units remain entirely fit for purpose.

The failure rate of the battery power unit is less than 0.01 percent - or just three units in total - a fraction of the equivalent industry-widei figure for defects affecting traditional combustion engines.

To prove the long-term reliability of the battery technology, Nissan tracked down a rather infamous early model, whose owner is still enjoying fault-free motoring in her LEAF three years on.

Electric vehicle advocate and presenter of online TV channel Fully Charged, Robert Llewellyn commented: “This comes as no surprise. There was a lot of apprehension about electric technology in the beginning, but with sales climbing month-on-month I struggle to see how these myths continue to be regurgitated today.”

The Nissan LEAF has smashed its own sales record with a 33 percent increase in sales in 2014 over the previous year, taking more than a quarter of the burgeoning electric car market with 15,098 sales.

Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Director of Electric Vehicles for Nissan in Europe, comments: "The facts speak for themselves. The rate of battery faults in our vehicles is negligible, even the most ardent critic cannot argue with that.

“The battery technology is just part of our success story. With over 165,000 customers globally, it’s clear that we’re not the only people who are thrilled by the success of this state-of-the-art technology.”

With just three main components – the on-board charger, inverter and motor – the Nissan LEAF is also 40 percent cheaper to maintain compared to petrol or diesel-powered alternatives.

The Nissan LEAF launched over four years ago in 2010, as one of the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicles. It is now the best-selling electric vehicle in history, with over 165,000 LEAF vehicles sold globally, more than 35,000 of which have been sold in Europe; clocking up an impressive one billion kilometres worldwide.

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UK Highways Agency commissions study into wireless power on roads

The Highways Agency has commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to undertake a feasibility study into the use of dynamic wireless power transfer (WPT) on Britain’s roads.

The Highways Angency wants to understand whether WPT can be used on motorways and major A roads, so it can prepare for and “potentially encourage” greater uptake of electric vehicles (EV).

Scheduled to report in spring this year, TRL will identify two near-market dynamic WPT technologies that could be suitable in future research and trials of the technology in the UK. The feasibility study will also consider “the requirements for integration with road infrastructure and maintenance, connection to the grid and requirements for provision of power and energy”.

In addition, TRL will look into approaches by vehicle manufacturers of integration into different classes of vehicle from cars to HGVs and busses, and investigate the viability of introducing the technology.

TRL said in a statement: “The purpose of the project is not to find an alternative to current plug-in charging infrastructure but rather to develop a comprehensive charging eco-system capable of delivering power to EVs via different methods. This is to facilitate greater and more flexible use of EVs in the UK, overcome range anxiety and allow switching to zero emission for vehicle types that have traditionally been accepted as not suitable for electrification, such as HGVs and coaches.”

Once the study is completed, TRL said it could be followed by a series of off-road “test track trials and accelerated pavement facility testing”.

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Audi Launch 2015 R18 E-Tron Quattro WEC

Audi Motorsport has taken the wraps off the 2015 R18 e-tron quattro scheduled to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

The new version has some big shoes to fill taking into account last year's model triumphed at Le Mans, but Audi is confident they can repeat the 2014 success thanks to a more aerodynamic body. It features larger air inlets in the redesigned front wheel arches along with reshaped headlights benefiting from matrix LED and Audi Laserlight technologies. Also new are the front wing, hood and engine cover while the monocoque has been carried over.

Audi has prepared two body configurations suitable for various tracks of the 2015 WEC calendar and they have also optimized the chassis in collaboration with Michelin. The engineers were responsible for doubling the amount of energy from 2 to 4 megajoules per race lap at Le Mans and during braking the energy recovered is then sent back to the front axle during acceleration.

The electric motor has been upgraded to 272 HP (200 kW), representing a "significant increase" compared to last year's variant while the encapsulated flywheel energy storage system can now store 700 kilojoules which is 17% more than before.

The LMP1 prototype tips the scales at just 870 kg (1,918 lbs) and now consumes 2.5% percent less diesel per lap than last year in order to meet the more stringent regulations implemented by FIA. Output of the TDI 4.0-liter V6 engine stands at 558 HP (410 kW) and only five engines will be available during the 2015 WEC season.

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Axial Flux Induction Motor for Hybrid and Electric Cars [VIDEO]

EV Powertrain start-up Evans Electric is rumoured to be working on some interesting electric vehicle projects.

The Sydney based team have developed a world-first copper rotor axial flux induction motor for automotive applications. The patent pending design has torque density on par with comparable axial air gap synchronous motors but without the expense of rare-earth permanent magnets.

Disc-shaped Axial flux motors are steadily making inroads into electric vehicle powertrains with Renault, Koenigsegg and Bugatti all looking to incorporate them into future models.

Evans Electric were also rumoured to have been hired by an OEM to help develop the architecture of a series hybrid powertrain based on in-board AFIMs with all-wheel-drive torque vectoring powered by a supercapacitor / li-ion battery energy storage system. Cutting edge stuff!

No news on which OEMs head these projects but they are believed to be EU headquartered.

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BMW Developing Future Batteries with Samsung SDI

BMW announced that it is developing future batteries with Samsung SDI. Also, it will use a Samsung SDI battery in its PHEV model of the BMW 3 series.

During its annual press conference in Munich, Germany, on March 18, BMW Automotive Group's purchasing division head Klous Draeger said, “We are in a very good relationship with Samsung. Last year, we signed an MOU for long-term cooperation with Samsung. Currently, we are developing future batteries together.”

He continued, “We are not sure if we would cooperate with other companies in the future. The only thing we are certain of is that we are in good cooperating relationship now. In five or 10 years, if we produce too many electric cars and demand exceeds supply, only then might we consider getting batteries from other companies. At the moment, we have no plan to get batteries from other firms.”

This is a very rare case that a high-ranking executive in the BMW Group mentioned particular batteries in an annual press conference. The industry believes that the BMW Group is working hard for cooperation with Samsung SDI.

Draeger said, “We will use Samsung SDI’s batteries in our plug-in hybrid electric vehicles based on its compact sedan 3 series next year.”

In July last year, Samsung SDI signed an MOU with BMW Group at BMW Driving Center on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, to supply electric car batteries worth trillions of won in the medium and long term. At that time, the two companies mentioned only the supply deal of Samsung SDI batteries for BMW's i3 and i8 models.

Samsung Group’s venture capital arm recently led a $17 million round of financing for Solid State Lithium Ion battery maker Seeo Inc. California-based Seeo currently has cells (though not in use commercially) capable of operating with an energy density of 350 Wh/Kg (watt-hour per kilogram), but it’s now targeting 400 Wh/Kg — around double that used in most electric vehicles today.

Samsung SDI is also currently supplying electric vehicle batteries to Chrysler and Mahindra of India.

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VW to Decide on New 700 km Range Battery Technology by July

Volkswagen plans to decide in the first half of this year whether new battery technology under development at U.S. startup QuantumScape Corp. is ready for use in its electric cars.

The technology’s potential to boost the range of battery-powered vehicles is compelling and tests are progressing, VW Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn said outside a press conference in Stuttgart, Germany, on Tuesday.

“I was there last year,” Winterkorn said. “Progress has been made,” and the company will be able to determine how to proceed by July.

VW acquired a 5 percent holding in QuantumScape and has options to raise the stake, people familiar with the matter said in December. The German carmaker is considering using the energy-storage technology, which is fireproof, for vehicles from the namesake brand as well as at the luxury Porsche and Audi divisions.

700 km range

Winterkorn said in November that he sees “great potential” in the new power-storage technology, which may expand an electric vehicle’s driving distance between recharges to as much as 700 kilometers (430 miles). That’s more than three times the range of the battery-powered version of the VW Golf. Tesla’s Model S has a range of 270 miles, according to its website.

Closely held QuantumScape, founded in 2010 by former Stanford University researchers, is working on solid-state batteries as an alternative to liquid electrolytes such as the lithium-ion technology used in many electric cars today. Solid electrolytes are burn resistant and could potentially store more energy and provide more power to extend the range of electric vehicles.

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Developing the next generation of nuclear batteries

Atomic batteries that don't require recharging and last between 12 and 30 years are being developed for small scale applications that could potentially be scaled up for electric vehicles. There are quite a few variations on Nuclear batteries and just as many university labs working on them.

Researchers in the US are using pioneering technology to create long-lasting, more efficient nuclear batteries. Several teams at the University of Missouri are pursuing nuclear battery research . Much of this work is focused on pushing the frontiers of nuclear battery technology by employing power sources using alpha or beta-particle decay based on a radioactive isotope that can be produced, separated and refined at the University of Missouri Research Reactor.

Power-technology.com recently talked to Patrick J Pinhero, Alan K Wertsching and Jae Wan Kwon of the University of Missouri about pushing the boundaries of betavoltaic electricity generation.

The first betavoltaic batteries were developed during the 1950s and the basic design - an electron emitter coupled to a collector - remains the same to this day. Commercially available betavoltaic chipsets are low voltage and amp products for niche markets, such as the military, and in order to produce greater performance from betavoltaics, we looked at producing layered stacked arrays as a means of building to the needs of potential customers.

The notion of an electric car that recharges itself is appealing but initially the most likely customers are oil and gas and aerospace industries, and space flight companies, which need reliable power sources in inaccessible locations and physical extremes such as high or low temperature and pressure. For example, a betavoltaic incorporated into a flight data locator could signal to search teams for years instead of months.

"With enough financial support to fund both our irradiation and packaging, we could have a commercial-ready device in three years." says Alan K Wertsching

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BMW’s new head of R&D says next i model not due until 2020

Klaus Frohlich, BMW’s new head of R&D, says the company will launch a third BMW i car but it won’t arrive until at least 2020.

“We are still in the strategic research phase where we brainstorm,” BMW Group R&D chief Klaus Froehlich told Automotive News Europe. “Teams that start with a white sheet of paper. They talk with customers, hold workshops, then present their ideas and we decide.”

Froehlich disputed media reports that claimed the third model after the i3 and i8 would be a variant of the X5 premium large SUV. He said the mission of the i subbrand is to change the perception of how a low-emissions car should look and perform, therefore there are no plans to re-package an existing BMW Group model and call it an i model.

Also, he said the i subbrand is supposed to be a starting point for cutting-edge innovation that progressively moves down into the rest of the automaker’s lineup. Current examples include carbon fiber, which is a key part of the i3 and i8 and is moving into other BMWs, and the i8’s plug-in hybrid powertrain, which is being added to high-volume models such as X5, 3 series and 4 series.

BMW will focus on steadily improving the i3 and i8 during the six-plus years until the subbrand’s portfolio grows again.

“We have a minimum 20 percent battery density improvement every three years, thus over the i3 and i8’s life cycle, we will offer more performance, more range or a combination of the two,” Frohlich said.

When asked whether current i3 and i8 owners would be able to switch to the more powerful electrical powertrains Froehlich said: “I don’t think a retrofit makes sense. When better batteries are available, we could then offer models with a longer range or with the same range but at a lower price.”

BMW Ceo Norbert Reithofer, who approved the i project skunkworks that developed the lightweight, low-cost carbon-fiber composites and electric drivetrains for the i3 and i8, will step down in May to be be replaced by Harald Krüger, current head of production. Krüger is known to have a more pragmatic view of electric vehicles than Reithofer.

BMW's previous R&D Chief, Herbert Diess, who oversaw the launch of the i3 and i8, and was thought to be a potential successor for BMW's CEO role was recently poached by Volkswagen to become chairman of VW's passenger car brand.

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Dyson invests in Solid-State battery firm Sakti3

Vacuum cleaner inventor Sir James Dyson invests $15m into company that could revolutionise battery technology.

Inventor and entrepreneur Sir James Dyson is making his first investment outside the business he founded and which made him a billionaire, giving his financial backing to a company that hopes to revolutionise battery technology.

Sir James who made his fortune inventing and developing the bagless vacuum cleaner is investing $15m into US company Sakti3 which is developing “solid-state” batteries.

The money is part of a larger $20m investment round in Sakti3 that includes a deal to commercialise the company’s research and incorporate it into Dyson products.

Sir James said: “Sakti3 has achieved leaps in performance which current battery technology simply can’t. It’s these fundamental technologies batteries, motors that allow machines to work properly.

“The Sakti3 team has amazing ambitions, and their platform offers the potential for exponential performance gains that will supercharge the Dyson machines we know today.”

Most batteries in commercial use today rely on lithium-ion technology which contains a pressurised flammable electrolyte, which is vulnerable to damage, and also means they are heavy and limits their ability to store power.

Solid-state batteries do away with the liquid electrolyte, and instead replace it with a metal one which coats the battery’s electrodes. As well as being safer and able to withstand higher temperatures, using a metal electrolyte means more exotic materials can be used which store more energy, making the solid-state batteries more powerful, smaller and lighter.

Sakti3 has produced a battery with an energy density rating of 1100 watt hours per litre using the technology, 50pc better than current lithium-ion batteries.

Sakti3 has been investigating how to improve batteries for almost a decade, since the company was spun out of the University of Michigan. Along the way it attracted $50m in equity investments, including from Khosla Ventures, Beringea, Itochu and auto giant General Motors.

Sakti3 named as one of MIT’s most innovative companies began by computer modelling the technology and is now scaling up prototype batteries into production.

Ann Marie Sastry, founder and chief executive, said: “It was an honour to be approached by Dyson because it wanted what we did much, much better batteries.

“There is a great deal of knowledge and passion on both sides, and Dyson’s engineering team has the capability and the track record to scale up new ideas and make them a commercial reality.”

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BYD to build battery Gigafactory to rival Tesla

Chinese automaker BYD Co Ltd, backed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc, aims to triple its production of batteries as it takes on Tesla Motors in the race to supply electric vehicles and boost energy storage.

Shenzhen-based BYD plans to add 6 gigawatt hours of global production for batteries in each of the next three years, and hopes to keep adding at that pace afterwards if demand is solid, Matthew Jurjevich, a spokesman for the company, said on Friday.

That means BYD could ramp up from 10 GWh capacity at the end of this year to about 34 GWh of batteries by the beginning of 2020. This would put it about even with Tesla's planned $5 billion Nevada gigafactory.

Each of the planned Gigafactory is said to output more lithium-ion batteries than the entire world’s capacity today. When fully operational in 2020, these two plants alone will triple global li-ion battery production capacity, and that's not accounting for the largest electric vehicle battery supplier today, LG Chem, who broke ground on their own Chinese gigafactory in late 2014.

The companies are fast emerging as two of the key players in the nascent electricity storage sector. Storage technology is considered critical to integrating large amounts of renewable energy because it can absorb excess power from wind farms or solar panels and keep that for use when conditions don't allow for power generation.

"We have demonstrated that BYD is capable of adding 6 GWh every year with strong market demand," Jurjevich, who works for BYD's U.S. unit, said in an interview.

The sector has attracted Tesla, BYD and a range of startups as well as stalwart battery manufacturers and is expected to grow to $1.5 billion by 2019 from $128 million in 2014 in the United States alone, according to GTM Research.

BYD, which declined to provide investment budgets, ended last year with 4 GWh of capacity and will be at 10 GWh later this year. The U.S. energy storage market is expected to triple this year to 220 MW, according to GTM.

Most of BYD's production is in China, but the company is opening a major new factory in Brazil this year that will contribute meaningfully to output next year, Jurjevich said.

BYD, which started out making mobile phone batteries, will also scale up manufacturing in the United States as demand for its batteries increases, he added.

According to data published last year by Lux Research, BYD is the sixth-biggest manufacturer of batteries for hybrid and plug-in vehicles. Panasonic Corporation, which makes cells and batteries for Tesla, is the biggest.

Tesla, founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk, has said it will launch its own production of battery cells in Nevada in 2016 and reach 35 GWh of capacity by 2020. Tesla does not currently produce battery cells, according to a company spokeswoman.

BYD opened two manufacturing plants in Southern California in 2013 to produce both electric buses for public transportation and batteries.

The company shocked many in 2003 when it launched its automotive business and has since become one of China's most successful automakers. Outside of China, however, it has focused on selling buses rather than cars.

BYD plans to deploy 70 megawatt hours of projects in that market in the United States this year, and has another 130 MWh of projects in its U.S. pipeline.

It has already deployed 40 MWh of projects in North America with customers including Chevron Corp and Duke Energy Corp.

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Porsche To Expand With New Electric Car to Challenge Tesla

Porsche AG may expand its growing lineup with a battery-powered vehicle to cater to demand for cleaner luxury vehicles and counter the rise of Tesla Motors Inc.

“Tesla has built an exceptional car,” Porsche chief Matthias Mueller said Friday at the brand’s annual press conference in Stuttgart, Germany. “They have a very pragmatic approach and set the standard, where we have to follow up now.”

The Volkswagen AG unit plans to roll out its seventh model line by 2020, but has yet to make a final decision on the car’s form. Porsche previously said it might expand the Panamera coupe line with a smaller version or a more spacious shooting brake variant. Porsche has also been considering a sports car between the 911, which costs $151,100 for the Turbo version, and the $845,000 918 Spyder hybrid supercar. The new sports car model would be designed to challenge autos made by Ferrari SpA.

Porsche plans to sell more than 200,000 vehicles for the first time this year, driven by demand for the $49,900 Macan compact sport-utility vehicle it introduced in April 2014. The increase comes amid a rising tide for most luxury-car makers, with Porsche, its sister brands Audi and Bentley, Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and BMW AG all reporting fresh sales records last year.

Porsche’s deliveries rose 17 percent to 189,849 cars in 2014 and surged 34 percent in February to 14,836 cars. Demand for luxury autos is forecast to rise further this year thanks to growth in China and the U.S.

Smartphone on Wheels

The profit margin for the sports-car brand narrowed to 15.8 percent from 18 percent last year due to costs for adding the Macan to its lineup and revamping the best-selling Cayenne SUV. Even so, Porsche’s return on sales remained one of the highest among global automakers. Porsche also sells the Boxster roadster and the hard-top Cayman variant.

Porsche will focus its development efforts on engines and handling rather than push for the latest advances in in-car Internet and automated driving.

The brand’s customers “don’t want a smartphone on four wheels or the biggest touchscreen in the center console,” said Mueller. “At Porsche there’s no room for window dressing.”

For an electric car, which would help the brand comply with tightening environmental regulations, Porsche is targeting a range of more 500 kilometres (310 miles) before needing to recharge, which shouldn’t take longer than a normal stop on a motorway, he said.

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Uber in deal with China's BYD to test electric cars

Uber Inc said on Friday it struck a deal with Chinese automaker BYD Co Ltd to test a fleet of electric cars for its drivers.

The test program, which kicked off a few weeks ago in Chicago and could eventually expand to other cities, is the Silicon Valley startup's first attempt to focus on an electric vehicle, said Uber spokeswoman Lauren Altmin."We've seen interest in the program already from current and potential Chicago partners (drivers)," Altmin said.

Uber, which allows users to summon rides on their smartphones, originally started with a luxury town-car service but in many cities has added UberX, a low frills service with nonprofessional drivers using personal cars. The BYD offering is aimed at those drivers.

The electric car is part of Uber's program to help drivers buy or lease new or used cars. The BYD e6 vehicles are available through Green Wheels USA, a Chicago car dealership that focuses on electric and hybrid cars and also builds EV charging stations.

About 25 BYD vehicles are currently being used by Uber drivers in Chicago, and the hope is to bring that number to a couple of hundred by the end of the year, according to Doug Snower, Green Wheels' president.

Uber began talking to BYD and Green Wheels late last year, Altmin said.

For BYD the deal with Uber could be a step toward the long-held goal of selling its cars to U.S. consumers. The company, whose name stands for "build your dream", is a major automaker in China, but its e6 vehicle has thus far only been used in pilot programs in the United States.

Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Tesla Motors Inc are better known in the United States for their electric cars, the Leaf and the Model S. Uber would not comment on why it had picked a company with a relatively unknown brand.

The e6 is larger than many other electric cars, however, and is being used in London by chauffer service Thriev.

BYD gained Warren Buffett's backing in 2009 and announced plans to sell its e6 electric car in the United States the following year. Since then, BYD's U.S. business has focused mainly on electric buses for public transportation.

BYD publicized the program on its Facebook page but declined to comment on the deal with Uber.

The Facebook post, which has a picture of the vehicle, says the e6 has a 186 mile range on a single charge. It also says financing is available from BYD-approved lenders.

Green Wheels is offering several options to drivers interested in the e6. The most popular program, Snower said, allows an Uber driver to pay $200 a week to use an e6 for his or her driving shift. The vehicle is then returned to a Green Wheels lot, where it is charged until it is used again.

Drivers can also enter into a more traditional lease or a lease-to-own program, Snower said.

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Plug-in Electric Car Sales Surge in Europe

Plug-in electric car sales have undergone a huge rise in many key European markets according to figures released by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

The biggest gains came in the UK, where a 300 per cent rise in electric cars has taken place compared to this time last year.

In total 75,331 new electric cars have been registered according to the ACEA, with Norway leading the way with just under 20,000 new registrations.

In Germany electric car registrations are up by 70 percent, while in France they had climbed by almost 30 per cent compared to the 2013 figures.

Total Electrically Charged Vehicles = Pure Electric Vehicles + Extended-Range Electric Vehicles + Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles
	Q4	Q4	% Chg	Q1-Q4	Q1-Q4	% Chg
	’14	’13	14/13	’14	’13	14/13
AUSTRIA	939	831	13.0%	3,641	3,227	12.8%
BELGIUM	595	311	91.3%	2,032	819	148.1%
BULGARIA	2	0	n.a.	2	1	100.0%
CZECH REPUBLIC	241	109	121.1%	583	475	22.7%
DENMARK	676	225	200.4%	1,612	650	148.0%
ESTONIA	100	46	117.4%	402	150	168.0%
FINLAND	130	92	41.3%	440	218	101.8%
FRANCE	4,248	2,773	53.2%	12,488	9,622	29.8%
GERMANY	3,969	2,715	46.2%	13,118	7,706	70.2%
GREECE	22	3	633.3%	64	4	1500.0%
HUNGARY	14	6	133.3%	43	16	168.8%
IRELAND	19	7	171.4%	256	50	412.0%
ITALY	492	497	-1.0%	1,473	1,174	25.5%
LATVIA	220	4	5400.0%	391	13	2907.7%
NETHERLANDS	3,241	16,926	-80.9%	12,920	22,495	-42.6%
POLAND	1,578	571	176.4%	3,968	1,900	108.8%
PORTUGAL	84	60	40.0%	289	221	30.8%
ROMANIA	4	2	100.0%	7	4	75.0%
SLOVAKIA	45	38	18.4%	169	136	24.3%
SPAIN	644	261	146.7%	1,405	883	59.1%
SWEDEN	1,203	457	163.2%	4,667	1,547	201.7%
UNITED KINGDOM	6,086	676	800.3%	15,361	3,833	300.8%
EUROPEAN UNION	24,552	26,610	-7.7%	75,331	55,144	36.6%
EU15	22,348	25,834	-13.5%	69,766	52,449	33.0%
EU (New Members)	2,204	776	184.0%	5,565	2,695	106.5%
NORWAY	4,695	3,709	26.6%	19,767	8,210	140.8%
SWITZERLAND	818	749	9.2%	2,693	1,717	56.8%
EFTA	5,513	4,458	23.7%	22,460	9,927	126.3%
TOTAL EUROPE (EU+EFTA)	30,065	31,068	-3.2%	97,791	65,071	50.3%
WEST. EUROPE (EU15+EFTA)	27,861	30,292	-8.0%	92,226	62,376	47.9%

Pure Electric Vehicle
	Q4	Q4	% Chg	Q1-Q4	Q1-Q4	% Chg
	’14	’13	14/13	’14	’13	14/13
AUSTRIA	345	240	43.8%	1,281	654	95.9%
BELGIUM	327	209	56.5%	1,164	500	132.8%
BULGARIA	2	0	n.a.	2	1	100.0%
CZECH REPUBLIC	102	17	500.0%	197	37	432.4%
DENMARK	676	225	200.4%	1,612	650	148.0%
ESTONIA	100	46	117.4%	398	149	167.1%
FINLAND	61	14	335.7%	183	50	266.0%
FRANCE	3,632	2,461	47.6%	10,561	8,779	20.3%
GERMANY	2,475	2,180	13.5%	8,522	6,051	40.8%
GREECE	0	0	n.a.	0	0	n.a.
HUNGARY	8	5	60.0%	32	10	220.0%
IRELAND2	15	6	150.0%	221	49	351.0%
ITALY	327	275	18.9%	1,098	864	27.1%
LATVIA	137	1	13600.0%	176	4	4300.0%
NETHERLANDS	1,246	1,863	-33.1%	2,982	2,619	13.9%
POLAND	23	19	21.1%	81	31	161.3%
PORTUGAL	54	40	35.0%	189	166	13.9%
ROMANIA	4	2	100.0%	7	4	75.0%
SLOVAKIA	19	5	280.0%	58	6	866.7%
SPAIN	473	234	102.1%	1,076	811	32.7%
SWEDEN	281	188	49.5%	1,239	432	186.8%
UNITED KINGDOM	2,448	388	530.9%	7,416	2,719	172.7%
EUROPEAN UNION	12,755	8,418	51.5%	38,495	24,586	56.6%
EU15	12,360	8,323	48.5%	37,544	24,344	54.2%
EU (New Members)	395	95	315.8%	951	242	293.0%
NORWAY	4,343	3,632	19.6%	18,090	7,882	129.5%
SWITZERLAND	501	505	-0.8%	1,659	1,156	43.5%
EFTA	4,844	4,137	17.1%	19,749	9,038	118.5%
TOTAL EUROPE (EU+EFTA)	17,599	12,555	40.2%	58,244	33,624	73.2%
WEST. EUROPE (EU15+EFTA)	17,204	12,460	38.1%	57,293	33,382	71.6%

Electrically Charged Vehicles other than Pure Electric Vehicles = Extended-Range Electric Vehicles + Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles
	Q4	Q4	% Chg	Q1-Q4	Q1-Q4	% Chg
	’14	’13	14/13	’14	’13	14/13
AUSTRIA	594	591	0.5%	2,360	2,573	-8.3%
BELGIUM	268	102	162.7%	868	319	172.1%
BULGARIA	0	0	n.a.	0	0	n.a.
CZECH REPUBLIC	139	92	51.1%	386	438	-11.9%
DENMARK	0	0	n.a.	0	0	n.a.
ESTONIA	0	0	n.a.	4	1	300.0%
FINLAND	69	78	-11.5%	257	168	53.0%
FRANCE	616	312	97.4%	1,927	843	128.6%
GERMANY	1,494	535	179.3%	4,596	1,655	177.7%
GREECE	22	3	633.3%	64	4	1500.0%
HUNGARY	6	1	500.0%	11	6	83.3%
IRELAND	4	1	300.0%	35	1	3400.0%
ITALY	165	222	-25.7%	375	310	21.0%
LATVIA	83	3	2666.7%	215	9	2288.9%
NETHERLANDS	1,995	15,063	-86.8%	9,938	19,876	-50.0%
POLAND	1,555	552	181.7%	3,887	1,869	108.0%
PORTUGAL	30	20	50.0%	100	55	81.8%
ROMANIA	0	0	n.a.	0	0	n.a.
SLOVAKIA	26	33	-21.2%	111	130	-14.6%
SPAIN	171	27	533.3%	329	72	356.9%
SWEDEN	922	269	242.8%	3,428	1,115	207.4%
UNITED KINGDOM	3,638	288	1163.2%	7,945	1,114	613.2%
EUROPEAN UNION	11,797	18,192	-35.2%	36,836	30,558	20.5%
EU15	9,988	17,511	-43.0%	32,222	28,105	14.6%
EU (New Members)	1,809	681	165.6%	4,614	2,453	88.1%
NORWAY	352	77	357.1%	1,677	328	411.3%
SWITZERLAND	317	244	29.9%	1,034	561	84.3%
EFTA	669	321	108.4%	2,711	889	204.9%
TOTAL EUROPE (EU+EFTA)	12,466	18,513	-32.7%	39,547	31,447	25.8%
WEST. EUROPE (EU15+EFTA)	10,657	17,832	-40.2%	34,933	28,994	20.5%

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