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German and US automakers partner on charging standard, Protean retrofitting hybrids

German and American automakers are working together to create a single international standard for an electric vehicle fast charging system to slash the time drivers need charge their electric cars.

Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche, and Volkswagen have made an agreement they hope will be accepted and adopted by other global automakers. The agreement covers the US and Europe, and may be extended to China.

Other automakers, especially Nissan, are hard at work on developing Level 3 fast charging systems to reduce charging time and reach a wider audience.



As for other battery-powered vehicle technology, an all-new hybrid retrofit market will emerge and grow to a half million vehicles total by 2020, according to Protean Electric.

Protean has developed an in-wheel motor electric drive system for light-duty vehicles. The vast majority of this new hybrid retrofit market will come from converting light duty government and commercial fleets.

The total addressable vehicle market procured in the United States alone is estimated to be over 1.5 million vehicles, according to the company.

Ken Stewart, Protean's vice president of sales and marketing, was scheduled to discuss the all-new hybrid market this week at CALSTART's Hybrid, Electric and High Efficiency Truck Users Forum (HTUF).



"Freedom" film takes on oil industry and promotes ethanol

Following the award winning film, "Fuel," Josh and Rebecca Tickell have made another movie in this theme, called "Freedom."

The movie begins by exploring the devastating BP oil spill in the Gulf last year.

It takes on the power of the oil industry and blames it on discrediting ethanol nearly a century ago when oil giant John Rockefeller of Standard Oil was able to have alcohol fuel - ethanol - included in the federal prohibition against alcohol, prompting Henry Ford to get out of the ethanol business and to choose oil as the power source for cars.



The movie updates the accusation against big oil for again sabotaging biofuels in 2008, when there was a global outcry against ethanol for driving up the cost of food and wreaking environmental havoc.GM's Shad Balch shows off the Chevy Volt and how it will soon be a flex fuel vehicle capable of running on 85% ethanol and battery power.

The benefits of powering a car on electricity and clean fuel are described, however plug-in electric vehicles and other green technologies are downplayed earlier in the movie.

"Freedom" states that corn ethanol, along with the advanced biofuel cellulosic ethanol, offer the only realistic, viable, and immediate solutions for gaining freedom from oil for US transportation fuel. Retrived from online on 10/25/2011. greenautomotivedigest@automotivedigest.com Return to Green Cars