Tesla says new electric powertrain deal with Daimler will exceed in value sum of all its prior powertrain agreements

In its letter to shareholders reporting Q1 2012 results, Tesla Motors Chairman, Product Architect and CEO Elon Musk and Deepak Ahuja, Chief Financial Officer, said that the company had recently signed an agreement with Daimler to create an entire electric powertrain for a new Mercedes-Benz EV, formalizing a joint effort kicked off in Q4 last year. (Earlier post.)

This program is expected to exceed in value the sum of all powertrain agreements signed in Tesla history. [Approximately $280 million, according to Tesla.] Producing at this expected volume will allow for economies of scale that give the resulting vehicle a cost of ownership that is on par with its gasoline equivalent.

—Letter to Shareholders

This will be Tesla’s third deal with Daimler, following component supplies for smart cars and A-Class hatches.
Other highlights of the quarterly report included:

• Losses widened to $89.9 million as sales of the Roadster wind down and prior to the release of the Model S.
• The first Model S customer cars will be available in June, ahead of the announced July target; Tesla is maintaining its target of 5,000 vehicle deliveries by year end.
• Tesla raised the bottom-end of its prior 2012 revenue guidance by $10 million, to $560-600 million, up from $550-600 million.

Daimler and BYD introduce Denza brand for battery-electric vehicles

Denza logo. Click to enlarge.

BYD Daimler New Technology Co. Ltd. (BDNT), the 50:50 joint venture between Daimler and BYD (earlier post) formally revealed in Shenzhen at the “EV – The Future” event its new Denza brand of electric vehicles developed in China, for the Chinese market.

The Denza brand launch event is the latest milestone in the cooperation between Daimler and BYD. Following the BDNT joint venture contract signing in May 2010 and granting of the China business license in March 2011, development has been progressing on schedule, according to the partners.

BYD and Daimler have been visionaries in the development of sustainable mobility and new technologies. We are at the forefront in China as the first company to form a joint venture for the development of a pure electric vehicle, and we’re continuing our pace forward with this landmark event today.

—Ulrich Walker, Chairman & CEO of Daimler Northeast Asia and Chairman of the Board of Directors of BDNT

We have the ideal partner in Daimler. BYD provides experience in battery technology and e-drive systems, as well as bringing EVs into operation on the streets of China. In connection with Daimler’s design of premium autos, know-how in electric vehicle architecture and safety, and more than 125 years of experience in automotive excellence, DENZA is on the right track to become the leader in the New Energy Vehicle market in China.

—Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD and Member of the Board of Directors of BDNT

Primarily created with a focus on Chinese consumers, the name Denza is derived from the Chinese characters 腾势 (téng shì), which together mean “rising power and momentum”—referring both to the attributes of the car as well as the pace of development Denza aims to be ahead in the New Energy Vehicle industry. Denza is also a distinctive name in the English language with no prior associations.

The logo is designed around the flowing form of a central water-drop, supported by two hands. The blue water-drop represents the environmental friendliness of the all-electric vehicle, with blue also signifying advanced technology and a bright future. The curves on either side of the water-drop represent the hands of the two partners providing mutual support for the joint venture, as well as for the environment.

The first public appearance of the Denza concept car will be at Auto China in Beijing in April, with first production planned in 2013.

Source: Green Car Congress

Entering the UK: car2go Selected as Birmingham Urban Mobility Provider

PRESS RELEASE

car2go today announced it won a tender offer from Birmingham City Council to set up an urban mobility scheme. car2go is the world's first mobility program with maximum flexibility and without fixed rental locations. More than 70,000 people are already using the service in Continental Europe, USA and Canada. Birmingham is going to become the first home of car2go in the United Kingdom.

"We are proud to be chosen to build up Birmingham's first fully-flexible carsharing service," said Robert Henrich, CEO of car2go. "Winning this important bid shows, that car2go is ready to quickly expand its service in forward-thinking cities which require an innovative mobility solution complementing their existing transportation infrastructure."

In February 2012, car2go accepted an invitation to bid for the provision of an urban mobility scheme in Birmingham. Thanks to its unique features and many years of global experience in the sector of urban mobility, car2go succeeded in convincing the City of Birmingham to be the right partner for this pilot project.

Starting in autumn 2012, car2go is going to provide its members access to a fleet of up to 250 two-seater smart fortwo "car2go edition" vehicles fitted with an economical petrol engine with start/stop system. The cars are specially developed for carsharing and can be rented spontaneously inside an operating area of around 30 square miles which covers the city centre and several densely populated suburbs.

Customers have complete freedom with regard to when they start their journey and how long they keep the vehicles without a mandatory return location. Unlike traditional carsharing programs or car rental companies, the car2go vehicles will not be parked at fixed stations but can be located at any legal public parking space. car2go is paying a monthly fee to the city which covers on-street parking and selected off-street spots operated by the city.

Experience in other cities has shown that car2go is complementing the already existing means of transportation in a city. It gives Birmingham a further option for city-dwellers, making the overall system of public transport, biking and the car clubs even more attractive.

"Birmingham is committed to developing a wide range of green and public transport initiatives to reduce both traffic congestion and carbon emissions within the city, and then country at large," said Councillor Timothy Huxtable, Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment and Regeneration. "Through these projects we are keen to explore the potential that short term car share schemes may have, alongside improvements to public transport and walking/cycling links, in removing the traditional reliance on bringing cars into the city centre everyday."

car2go is specially made for short trips in urban areas. Customers will only be charged for the actual use of the vehicle, with rental periods as short as a per-minute basis. The rental prices and further details regarding the Birmingham launch will be announced in the near future.

Switzerland-based Catecar extended-range vehicle is tested in Geneva

A Switzerland-based company is testing an extended-range plug-in mini-vehicle that it says gets more than 200 miles per gallon and has a single-tank range of more than 300 miles, according to website TechnologicVehicles.com.

The company, Catecar, tested a prototype of the vehicle at the Geneva Airport this week. The car weighs less than 800 pounds, while its batteries account for about 10 percent of the vehicle's weight, according to the website. Making the car even more energy efficient are the solar panels on the vehicle's roof.

At just under 10 feet long, Catecar is about a foot longer than Daimler's Smart ForTwo two-seater and about two feet shorter than the Mini Cooper. In other words, it's not big – but the company does have big plans, and production could start next year, TechnologicVehicles reports.


Source: Autoblog Green

Electric Smartcar in June? Not Likely

If you’ve ordered an electric Smart-car and don’t live in Germany, chances are you’re going to get it a little later than expected. But Daimler apparently isn’t worried about the delay if it means they’ll retain the high quality they’ve already promised.

The problems are part of the supply chain – specifically the batteries. The parts for the batteries and the battery cells are made by several different companies (mainly Daimler subsidiaries), and one of them is citing trouble with its supplier.

Li-Tec, a subsidiary of the energy company group of Evonik and Daimler, can’t ship the battery cells because, it says, one of its suppliers isn’t delivering the parts it needs to produce them. Having been on both sides of the retail counter, sometimes a supplier issue is actually a supplier issue (they can’t make them fast enough, their supplier is out, they’ve sold your parts to somebody else) and sometimes they’ve screwed something up and are desperately trying to salvage the situation.

Regardless of which is behind Li-Tec’s delay, Daimler insists that the company finish the cells in order to keep the quality high, and that there is no problem with the batteries themselves (would that announcement fuel rumors of battery issues or quell them?). The finished batteries will eventually be produced by Accumotive, another Evonik/Daimler subsidiary.

The German market, which Daimler regards as its most important if the electric Smart is going to succeed, will get its cars on time in June 2012; Daimler has specifically denied rumors that delivery would be pushed back from June until September. Production in Hambach, France is also reported to be totally on schedule.

Source: Gas2.0

Daimler and Conductix-Wampfler collaborate on EV inductive charging research project

Daimler and Conductix-Wampfler are collaborating on a research project on the wireless inductive charging of electric vehicles co-funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, BMU). The main target of the project is a safe, automotive-grade charging system with maximum efficiency and minimum weight and package.

The two project prototypes, built using the B-Class E-CELL with range extender, are equipped with an electronic rectifier and a collector coil integrated into the underbody cover. Main components on the infrastructure side are the supplying electronics and the charging coil, which was realized in two variants: above- and below-ground.

Besides the wireless energy transfer, the other functional aspects are the wireless communication between infrastructure and car; the driver assistance function for “driving onto the position above the charging coil”; the automatic start of the charging process; and the vehicle identification.

The inductive transfer components were designed with automotive specific requirements and optimized in packaging and weight. Conductix-Wampfler—which has experience with inductive power transfer in manufacturing automation as well as on from the wireless charging of electric busses in Genoa and Turin, which have been in operation since 2003—developed all components of the system.

Daimler defined the functions of the charging system on the car’s side and developed the assistance system for driver support. The coil integration within the underbody cover of the cars was designed and supplied by Röchling Automotive.

After the prototype vehicles had been built the complete system was mechanically and electrically integrated and taken into operation as a whole. Two inductive charging stations are in the field and are intensively used for the everyday-tests.

First results confirm the considerable gain of comfort in comparison with cable-based charging and that inductive charging is suitable in principle. Further potential optimization regarding package, weight and integration in future vehicle model lines was identified and will accordingly be further developed.

There was an evaluation of the first “driving-experiences” with study participants who had to “drive onto the optimum charging position”. After two or three exercise runs this could be well achieved supported by parking assistance functions. The system tolerates smaller deviations within the range of a few centimeters without noteworthy loss of charging efficiency or transferable power. Also, the system showed already good results regarding electromagnetic compatibility. Future engineering work will seek to optimize this as well as to improve efficiency and to develop solutions for a series production application.

The partners are also evaluating new common projects with potential inductive charging applications in small commercial vehicles and buses. The results of the current tests are important to national and international standardization activities, with the aim to guarantee interoperability of inductive charging systems of different suppliers and vehicle manufacturers.

Source: Green Car Congress

Daimler testing B-Class E-Cell plug-in hybrid with inductive charging

PRESS RELEASE

The idea sounds as easy as convincing: Instead of „filling up" an electric vehicle by cable the driver parks conveniently above the power source when using contactless inductive charging of the battery. The charging process starts automatically as soon as the car is parked over a charging point. Additional advantages come to the fore especially in public areas: The inductive charging points can be integrated into the ground safe from vandalism.

Currently widespread inductive charging is still a long way off. Yet to test feasibility of such a system Daimler and Conductix-Wampfler have elaborated the basics for wireless charging of electric vehicles in a research project cofunded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, BMU). Main target of the project "wireless charging" was a safe, automotive grade charging system with maximum efficiency and minimum weight and package.

More Comfort and High Efficiency
Goal of the field test was to evaluate everyday-usability of wireless charging as well as to probe advantages and disadvantages in comparison with charging by plug and cable. As early as a few days into the field test the advantages customer comfort and charging safety by the automated charging process became apparent.

The testing focused on the basic charging process. Efficiency of the system admittedly still doesn´t match charging by cable, but is with 90 percent already very promising and only slightly beneath cable based solutions, if all components from socket to battery are taken into account.

There was an evaluation of the first "driving-experiences" with study participants who had to "drive onto the optimum charging position". After two or three exercise runs this could be well achieved supported by parking assistance functions. The system tolerates smaller deviations within the range of a few centimeters without noteworthy loss of charging efficiency or transferable power. Also, the system showed already good results regarding electro magnetic compatibility. It is the task of future engineering work to optimize this as well as to improve efficiency and to develop solutions for a series application.

Technology and Vehicle
The protototypes built within the project on the basis of the B-Class E-CELL with range extender are equipped with an electronic rectifier and a collector coil integrated into the underbody cover. Main components on the infrastructure side are the supplying electronic and the charging coil, which was realized in two variants – as an above ground and beneath ground coil.

Besides the wireless energy transfer other functional aspects are the wireless communication between infrastructure and car, the driver assistance function "driving onto the position above the charging coil", the automatic start of the charging process and the vehicle identification. In the area between the coils an object detection avoids risks by warmed metal items.

Detailed scientific studies generated the foundation for the first layout of the inductive transfer components with automotive specific requirements and their optimization regarding package and weight. Comprehensive system simulations served to validate the designs.

Conductix-Wampfler has developed all components of the system and could rely during the process on comprehensive experience with inductice power transfer in manufacturing automation as well as on know-how from the wireless charging of electric busses in Genoa and Turin. These are in operation since 2003.

Daimler has defined the functions of the charging system on the car´s side and realized the assistance system for driver support. The system was integrated into two vehicles with range extender, nameplate Mercedes-Benz B-Class E-CELL Plus. The coil integration within the underbody cover of the cars was designed and supplied by Röchling Automotive.

After the prototype vehicles had been built the complete system was mechanically and electrically integrated and taken into operation as a whole. Two inductive charging stations are in the field at the Daimler-Engineering-Location Böblingen-Hulb and are intensively used for the everyday-tests.

Résumé and Outlook
First conclusions confirm the considerable gain of comfort in comparison with cable based charging and that inductive charging is suitable in principle. The potential optimization regarding package, weight and integration in future vehicle model lines is identified and will accordingly be further developed.

At the same time an evaluation is done on new common projects with potential inductive charging applications in small commercial vehicles and busses. The results of the current tests are important to national and international standardization activities – with the aim to guarantee interoperability of inductive charging systems of different suppliers and vehicle manufacturers.

Short Profile Conductix-Wampfler
Conductix-Wampfler is the world's leading supplier of mobile energy supply and data transmission systems. With own companies and several partners Conductix-Wampfler is present in nearly all relevant countries. With about 1.000 employees across the globe, the group generated sales of over € 177 million in fiscal 2010.