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Frustration over high fuel costs reached new heights in Europe on June 9 as truckers in a handful of countries slowed their rigs in protest over the price at the pumps. Drivers blocked transportation routes between Spain and France, while others slowed traffic around Bordeux, causing a jam 30 kilometres long. With some analysts predicting oil will hit US$150 a barrel this summer, relief could be a long way off.
In an environment like this, electric vehicles look more appealing every day. Automakers are working on alternatives to the internal combustion engine, and aim to release a new breed of highway-capable electric vehicles for consumers in the coming years.
Nissan will launch an electric car in the U.S. in 2010, as will Mitsubishi. General Motors is plugging away at the Volt for a 2010 release, and Renault, in partnership with Nissan, plans to offer a whole range of electric vehicles by 2012. There is a host of smaller carmakers bolstering their efforts, such as Think, a Norwegian company with plans to start selling in North America soon.
At first glance, the list of upcoming launches is certainly cause for optimism, but the challenge every electric vehicle manufacturer faces is how to develop a cost-effective energy storage system. Current technology is inadequate. Batteries need to be re-charged frequently, and eventually have to be replaced entirely. Few electric vehicles are capable of reaching highway speeds, and most also have difficulty operating in very hot and very cold climates. All of this limits the appeal of electric cars to consumers.
A Canadian electric vehicle manufacturer hopes to change that when it releases the cityZENN next year. Toronto-based ZENN Motor Co., which stands for "zero emissions, no noise," already produces a low-speed electric vehicle for use in cities in the United States (it is not yet approved for road use in Canada), but the new car will be different, says CEO Ian Clifford.
For one, the cityZENN will be able to travel on highways at speeds of 125 km/h, as opposed to the measly 40 km/h attained by the company’s other vehicle. The car can travel 400 kilometres without recharging (the range for Think’s new concept car is 250 kilometres), and the battery can withstand around one million charges before having to be replaced. What’s more impressive (or outlandish, depending on your level of skepticism) is the cost: Clifford says the car will sell for less than $30,000. For comparison, the electric 2009 Tesla Roadster is in the six-figure range. “We’ve got the holy grail,” Clifford says, referring to the vehicle’s battery system.
Well, maybe. The technology ZENN is using comes from a Texas-based company called EEStor. Because of its bold claims and secretive nature, EEStor has generated much skepticism and speculation among the clean tech crowd, but the company has also earned the backing of venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
EEStor first contacted Clifford back in 2002 about using its technology, which is still in development. The two companies have an agreement whereby EEStor will provide ZENN with the exclusive right to use its energy storage technology in vehicles weighing up to 1,400 kilograms, which is about the weight of a Honda Accord.
That all depends on whether EEStor can deliver, of course. “That’s the gazillion dollar question,” Clifford says. EEStor has told ZENN its technology will be ready by the end of this year, which will allow ZENN to release its new vehicle in 2009, likely in Europe or Asia before North America. “So far there’s nothing indicating that will not happen,” he says.
ZENN has a lot riding on EEStor. The company wants to use EEStor technology to convert internal combustion vehicles to electric, and that will be a large part of ZENN’s business going forward. Clifford recognizes that just about every automaker has an electric vehicle program these days, and as a result, the market could soon become crowded. He hopes to avoid the competition, however, by partnering with other manufacturers to provide the drivetrain (powered again by EEStor) for their electric vehicles. “The ‘Intel Inside’ model is very much where we see or play,” he says.
But first he’ll have to deliver the cityZENN, and prove that highway-capable electric vehicles can indeed be affordable.
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