Frankfurt Motor Show, 2009; Electric!
Car Magazine, 10-10-2009. by Phil McNamara and Ben Pulman at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Tuesday Sept. 15th 2009;
The world switches on to electric cars
THE ELECTRIC CAR'S time has come. Zero-emission supercars, battery-powered city cars, plug-in hybrids and diesel hybrids: cars with electric drive dominated this month's Frankfurt motor show like never before. This time, they were production-ready cars with on-sale dates in 2010 and 2011, not far-flung concepts. Plenty of those too, mind.
By 2015, Renault predicts EVs will account for 30% of its sales; by 2020, Ghosn estimates 10% of all car sales could be purely electric. The buzz isn't just surrounding utility vans and family cars: Mercedes-Benz's Frankfurt centrepiece was a four-wheel drive electric version of its SLS AMG. With its gullwing doors and 4sec 0-62mph sprint, it was every inch a supercar - except it traded profligate mpg and C02 for zero emissions, and a V8's glorious bellow for hollow silence.
Other countries are further ahead. The entrepreneurial Better Place will provide 500,000 charging points in Israel by 2011, while EDF Energy will develop France's network. Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland, Ireland, Monaco, China and some key US states have forged EV partnerships with Renault-Nissan.
We've waited decades for alternatives to the internal combustion engine to reach critical mass. Finally, the chicken and egg stand-off between car makers and governments has abated. Manufacturers are readying the hardware to trigger customer demand, politicians are promising financial incentives to blunt the high cost of new technology for early adopters, and local authorities and energy companies are collaborating on the vital refuelling infrastructure.
Why now? A consensus has formed around averting global warming, with developed countries seeking a reduction of up to 85% in C02 emissions by 2050, compared with the 2001 level. US President Obama is seeking to steer a climate change bill through the Senate, and has linked Treasury aid for bankrupt car companies to improvements in their fleets' fuel efficiency. While conservatives may scoff at Obama's acceptance of global warming, they pragmatically accept that Western nations must wean themselves off expensive, foreign-controlled oil emanating from unstable regions.
Similarly, the car industry's change of heart is epitomised by Renault-Nissan's philosophy. 'We are preparing cars that will be neutral to the environment - transportation without guilt: says company president Carlos Ghosn.
'Electric cars can transform our industry. We are taking a position, we are investing, we are developing technology, and we are securing the patent and intellectual property around the battery. We want to make sure that Nissan and Renault will come first and be leaders in a very promising technology.'
On August 2, Nissan unveiled the Leaf, a battery electric hatchback that goes on sale in the US and Japan next year. At Frankfurt, Renault showcased four purely electric vehicles (EVs): the Fluence saloon and Kangoo vannon sale in 2011- plus a radical tandem-seat city car and a supermini to follow in 2012.
Though ideal for city commuting, pure electric cars are not the only game in town. Toyota showed its plug-in hybrid Prius with an extended electric range, and two 2010 models: an Auris hatch with the Prius's drivetrain (to be UK-built) and Lexus's hybrid hatch to rival BMW's 1-series. With their internal combustion engine back-up, hybrids will remain the choice for inter-city travel, along with increasingly frugal petrol and diesel cars.
The EV must overcome consumers' fear of being stranded - or 'range anxiety'. Renault claims a 100-mile range from its battery pack, supposedly enough for 80% of European daily car use. Nevertheless it has designed a mechanism for switching battery packs in fuel stations, in addition to the charging points that will become increasingly commonplace on city streets and in office car parks.
London mayor Boris Johnson has pledged 25,000 sockets in the city, while the Government has earmarked £20m for recharging infrastructure. It has also set aside £250m to subsidise EVs and plug-in hybrids from 2011, amounting to £2000-£5000 per car.
Don't doubt the continuing march of hybrids Into the mainstream. Lexus, pioneer of hybrid exec cars, quietly dropped petrol-only versions of the GS, LS and RX from Its regular price list. Now you have to ask for a below-the-counter special order If you want a petrol hit, otherwise you'll get the regular hybrid. It's a topsy-turvy world.
The same applies to the new Lexus LF-Ch, hot from its Frankfurt show debut. It's the company's first take on a compact premium hatch, pitched squarely against the BMW 1-series and Audi A3. And - yes - it'll be available with hybrid power alone from next summer.
Providing the electric shuffle is a powertraln closely related to that of the bigger Toyota Prius. So you'll have a zero-emissions battery mode for tootling around town with no noise or NOx, and the electro brains will seamlessly swap between lithium and unleaded power.
And just look at the latest iteration of Lexus's L-Finesse design language. Slammed on plump 20 inch wheels, the concept has shades of Scion, a hint of Scirocco and some devilishly cool door handles built into the C-pillar. We like [it].
It's not just family Cars that are catching the electric bug. Mercedes unveiled this battery-powered SLS Gullwing at Frankfurt - and it's as fast as the rabid 'regular' model that runs the gas-gobbling 6.2-Litre V8. Call up light speed from the lithium ion battery and you'll scuttle silently to 62mph In just 4.0sec. Thank four electric motors delivering a combined total of 6491b ft - yep, this SLS is four-wheel drive. It's still a few years off, but an electric SLS has been in the plan since its inception, say AMG types. There's life in the old supercar yet.
contact Obama! 