Ameren plugs their plug-in car; what are the pros and cons of going electric?

If Ameren Illinois wasn't making such a fuss about it, its i MiEV (Mitsubushi innovative Electric Vehicle) might have caught observers by surprise when it rolled up Wednesday at the Ameren Illinois Operating Center in Belleville.

Except for a little tire noise, the vehicle is exceptionally quiet, said Eric Kozak, managing supervisor of the Ameren Illinois fleet.

The i MiEV is a battery-electric vehicle that can travel about 80 miles on a full charge. Ameren Illinois is taking the car around its service area for the next two weeks to show it off.

"We can show our employees and customers what an electric vehicle looks like and discuss the advantages and disadvantages, he said.

Its advantages are that it is quiet, cheap to operate and it can be plugged into an ordinary 110-volt electrical outlet to recharge, he said. Disadvantages include the need to charge it frequently, limited range and high initial price.

Kozak said to charge the car fully for its 80-mile range takes about $2 of electricity. To drive that 80 miles in a normal car at an average of 20 miles per gallon of gasoline at the current price of $3.69 per gallon would be $14.76.

It takes about eight hours to fully charge. For an additional cost, a 220-volt plug is available that will let the car charge a little faster.

"So it is economical," he said. "The initial upfront cost is what is holding it back."

Kozak said Mitsubishi is estimating a $30,000 base price for the car, but it would come with a $7,500 government tax credit. It will be available in 2012.

Kozak said the car has been tested in various outlets at the company and also at employees' homes, and not once has the car failed to charge.

He said that except for the lack of engine noise, the car drives like a normal small car. It has a regenerative braking system that puts a small amount of energy back into the battery when the car is slowing down.

However, alternators have not yet been developed that can recharge the large battery packs while an electric car is in motion.

"Running the heater or air conditioner will reduce the estimated mileage range," he said. "I could see that on the indicator this morning when I turned on the defroster. It dropped, but it came back up when I turned off the defroster."

Kozak said Ameren Illinois customers already are asking questions. Are there going to be charging stations? What do I need to have in my garage?

"We do ask them to contact us when they buy a plug-in car," he said. "If three or four neighbors have the cars, we may need to upgrade the transformers outside. There is no charge for any service up to the electric meter on the house."

He said most people won't need to modify their outlets or do any work inside their houses to accommodate the cars.

Ameren Illinois is in discussions with various groups about charging stations and other issues, such as alternative rates related to the electric cars.

To ask questions or make comments, e-mail the company at corpcomm@ameren.com.

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Austin Energy offers electric vehicle incentive

As Austin grows and gas prices soar you may be looking for a cheaper and cleaner method of getting around town. Austin energy in conjunction with Central Texas Clean Cities has put together an electric vehicle incentive program.

They’re offering incentives between $100-500 for Austin energy customers who purchase a qualifying electric motorcycle, bike, scooter or a low speed electric vehicle from an approved dealer.

Charging stations are now being installed around the city by Austin energy making this a more realistic option for you.

More than $60,000 in incentives have been given out since this program began back in 2006. You can find a list of approved vehicles and dealers on the City of Austin’s website, just click on the link below.

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Ford Unveils a Slick Electric Microcar … in 1967

 

Updated: 7 p.m. We found some video of the Comuta in action! Hat tip to David A.

Forget the Focus EV. It promises to be a fine vehicle, but it’s old hat. Ford’s first attempt at a modern electric vehicle made its debut more than 40 years ago at the 1967 Geneva Motor Show, and it foreshadowed the next four decades of EV development.

The Comuta was Ford’s first stab at battery-powered propulsion since Henry Ford and Thomas Edison worked on an EV in 1913. It could (reasonably) comfortably seat two adults and two children, and it had a top speed of 40 mph and a range of 40 miles if driven at 25 mph– not bad for 43 years ago, and in the ballpark of modern neighborhood electric vehicles.

When the folks at Gizmag dug up an archival photo of the Comuta, we were as amused as the lady in the picture and had to find out more about the tiny Ford EV that never was. Ford’s archivists were kind enough to provide photos and press releases about the vehicle’s original debut.

It turns out it was a concept developed by Ford of Britain. Heritage Fleet Director (we love that title) John Nevill tells us the concept’s rear wheels were driven by dual DC electric motors that put out 3.7 kilowatts (5 horsepower) and were originally designed as aircraft auxiliary units. Power came from four mid-mounted 12-volt lead-acid batteries.

At 6 feet, 8 inches long, the Comuta was less than half the length of a contemporary Cortina or Mustang. It was so small you could fit three of them in a single parking space. It had a “sophisticated” heating and cooling system, and a battery-charge meter was optional.?Ford advertised the vehicle as a city car with a turning radius of 18 feet and “automatic driving” without a transmission.

At the vehicle’s unveiling, Ford of Britain’s assistant managing director Leonard Crossland — later Ford chairman?Sir Leonard Crossland — said similar cars would hit the road by the mid-1970s, and he said it before any hint of the oil crisis we experienced during that era. “We expect electric cars to be commercially feasible within the next 10 years, although we believe their uses will be primarily as city-center delivery vans and suburban shopping cars.”

“The internal combustion engine will continue to be the most practical form of power for long-distance and motorway driving, but we are sure that electric cars will have a part to play in meeting some future transportation needs,” Crossland continued. The “practical, little experimental car” needed better batteries, he said. “And, as you know, a great deal of effort is being put into more-advanced battery technology.”

The more things change …

According to Nevill, Ford built two Comutas. One still exists at the Science Museum in London, alongside other feats of British engineering including Sinclair computers, Avro aircraft and early steam engines.

Even though the styling screams, “Honey, I shrunk the Econoline!” down to the 10-inch “dog dish” wheels, we imagine its retro lines might make a cute Cube competitor on the Fiesta platform.

Photos: Ford. Video: Odziz / YouTube.

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Car Tech Live 207: Earthquake/tsunami cripples Japanese automotive industry (podcast)

Car Tech Live 207: Earthquake/tsunami cripples Japanese automotive industry (podcast) | Car Tech Live Podcast - CNET Blogs #overviewHead h1, #overviewHead a.blogName{ background: url(http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/ne/p/2009/cartechlive_banner_hed.jpg) no-repeat; } CNET Home log in join CNET welcome, my profile log out Home Reviews News Downloads Video Home Reviews News Downloads Video Join the conversation. close Like CNET on Facebook for the latest in tech news and reviews. Don't show this again Home CNET Car Tech Live Podcast Car Tech Live Podcast March 17, 2011 3:22 PM PDT Car Tech Live 207: Earthquake/tsunami cripples Japanese automotive industry (podcast) by Brian Cooley Font size Print E-mail Share Post a comment Tweet

The devastating earthquake and tsunami shuts down Japanese automotive plants, newcar hacks, and which car is the last to come with a cassette player.

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EPISODE 207SHOW NOTES

‧ Quake hobbles Japan's auto output

‧ Japan quake will disrupt car audio this year

‧ Toyota sees cost of fuel cells dropping dramatically in just a few years - will hydrogen have the last laugh?

‧ New report on ease of compromising cars without physical access

‧ Glenlivet 70 Year Old 1940

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Car critic quits over changed Chrysler 200 review

DETROIT – The Detroit News' auto critic said Thursday that he resigned because editors demanded that he delete sections of a scathing review of the Chrysler 200, a car promoted in a popular Super Bowl television ad starring rapper Eminem.

Scott Burgess' original review made it into the newspaper's March 10 print edition. But some of the most critical passages, including Burgess' calling the sedan a "dog," were removed from the paper's online version.

Burgess, 43, said he resigned Wednesday after meeting with the paper's news editor and publisher, Jon Wolman.

"It's just a matter of principle," Burgess told The Associated Press.

He said he was told March 11 what to take out of the online version.

"I regret not standing up and saying, 'no, we can't change this.' I felt I'm just as guilty letting it happen," he said. "I kind of felt like a deer in the headlights. I didn't know what to do."

Wolman acknowledged that the newspaper changed the online version after a car dealer complained about it. But he told the AP on Thursday that the paper's editors did not try to change the negative tone of the review.

"Our intent was to make an editing improvement, and we obviously handled it poorly," Wolman said. "We should have let the online version of the review stand as written, as we did in the print version."

Indeed, the changed version did not heap praise on the Chrysler 200, which competes with the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, among others. Detroit still is buzzing about the Super Bowl ad that showed Eminem driving a 200 through the city's downtown. The catchy slogan: "Imported from Detroit."

Burgess' online review did not include this passage, which was in the print version: "If this car came in tortoise shell, the EPA would have to put it on the endangered sedan list to prevent trappers and automotive enthusiasts from rightfully shooting it into extinction."

Both versions carried these lines: "The Chrysler 200 makes me angry. No one is prouder of the Motor City, and I want every carmaker, foreign and domestic, to produce world-class cars and trucks. When that happens, consumers win."

Rich Harshbarger, a spokesman for Detroit Media Partnership, which runs the newspaper's business operations, said it's unfortunate that Burgess resigned.

"This organization still stands for the truth and telling the truth," Harshbarger said.

___

Online:

The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com

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Researchers prove car electronics can be hacked

Last Updated: March 17. 2011 1:00AM

With a modest amount of expertise, computer hackers could gain remote access to someone's car — just as they do to people's personal computers — and take over the vehicle's basic functions, including control of its engine, according to a report by computer scientists from the University of California-San Diego and the University of Washington.

Although no such takeovers have been reported in the real world, the scientists were able to do exactly this in an experiment conducted on a car they bought for the purpose of trying to hack it. Their report, delivered recently to the National Academy of Sciences' Transportation Research Board, described how such unauthorized intrusions could theoretically take place.

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Because many of today's cars contain cellular connections and Bluetooth wireless technology, it is possible for a hacker, working from a remote location, to take control of various features — like the car locks and brakes — as well as to track the vehicle's location, eavesdrop on its cabin and steal vehicle data, the researchers said. They described potential compromises of car security and safety.

"This report explores how hard it is to compromise a car's computers without having any direct physical access to the car," said Stefan Savage of the University of California-San Diego, who is one of the leaders of the research effort.

Given that the researchers were able to do it, they are now trying to pinpoint just how hard it might be for others, he said.

In the experiment, the research teams bought a car they described as a representative example of a moderately priced sedan. They declined to identify the brand.

"In the case of every major manufacturer, if they do not have this capacity in their mainstream products, they're about to," said Tadayoshi Kohno, an assistant professor in the department of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington.

For example, services like General Motors Co.'s OnStar system, Toyota Motor Corp.'s Safety Connect, Lexus' Enform, Ford Motor Co.'s Sync, BMW's Assist and Mercedes-Benz's Mbrace all use a cellular connection embedded in the vehicle to provide a variety of automated and call center support services to a driver.

These subscription services make it possible to track a car's location, unlock doors remotely and control other functions.

In their remote experiment, the researchers were able to undermine the security protecting the cellular phone in the vehicle they bought and then insert malicious software. This allowed them to send commands to the car's electronic control unit — the nerve center of a vehicle's electronics system — which in turn made it possible to override various vehicle controls.

"These cellular channels offer many advantages for attackers," the report said. "They can be accessed over arbitrary distance (due to the wide coverage of cellular data infrastructure) in a largely anonymous fashion, typically have relatively high bandwidth, are two-way channels (supporting interactive control and data exfiltration), and are individually addressable."

The researchers declined to speculate about the worst situations, such as interfering with a vehicle's control system to make it crash.

However, they noted that their research showed how a next-generation car thief might operate. Instead of using today's "smash and grab" tactics, the thief might be able to simply dial up a parked car, unlock its doors and turn on the engine, then arrive on the scene and drive off.

In addition to the cellular telephone vulnerability, the report details similar weaknesses in other systems that allow remote access, including short range wireless networks like Bluetooth, network ports used for car maintenance and even internal CD players.

The researchers noted that their report was about potential vulnerabilities and said there was no evidence that the safety loopholes they discovered had been used by criminals.

They also said they believed that the automotive industry was treating the threats responsibly and working to improve the security of modern automobiles.

"Everyone has taken this extremely seriously," Savage said.

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UK car production up in February

17 March 2011 Last updated at 10:00 GMT The SMMT said 111,983 cars were produced in the UK in February UK car production rose 15.1% in February from a year ago, as export-led growth continued.

There was also a 10.2% rise in engine output, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said there had been a 27% increase in exports, which "highlights the strength and competitiveness of UK products".

He warned that next week's Budget must support the industry, not damage it.

The Budget "will be crucial in creating the conditions for further investment in skills, R&D and capital equipment, all essential for growth and maintaining global competitiveness," he said.

February's rise in car output means production over the first two months of the year is now up 12% on 2010.

The SMMT said commercial vehicle production was down 3% in February, but for the first two months of 2011 was up 2.6%.

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