Honda Chooses Leviton To Make EVs Go

 

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. has chosen its EV supply equipment provider – the company announced this week that it will be working with Leviton Manufacturing Company. Leviton is the largest privately held global provider of electrical wiring devices, data center connectivity solutions, and lighting energy management systems – all of which tie in fairly well to powering an electric car, although as of yet Leviton has little experience in the automotive field.

Honda’s VP of the Environmental Business Development Office at American Honda spoke briefly about the potential for both Leviton and Honda to work well together:

“As leaders in the fields of advanced technology for mobility and energy solutions, Leviton and Honda both have unique missions to create a more sustainable future. Pairing Leviton’s EV charging solutions with Honda’s advanced Fit EV and Accord Plug-In Hybrid Sedan electric vehicles will enable a more convenient and seamless ownership experience for our customers.”

Innovation From Honda

Honda, of course, has been running with alternatively powered vehicles for some time now (the CNG Civic is a particular favorite of mine, despite the lack of trunk space). The two battery-powered vehicles soon to be available from Honda are the 2013 Fit EV (out this summer) and the plug-in hybrid version of the Accord (next winter).
The Fit EV – which is super cute, I might add – is supposed to have a 120 mile range in the city (that goes down to 76 miles for combined adjusted city/highway), and will charge in 3 hours if you’ve got a 240 volt circuit to plug it into. The hybrid Accord has about 15 miles worth of driving on its electric motor alone (which is pretty far for a hybrid).



Source: Gas2.0

Take A Quiz To Earn a Shot at the Honda Fit EV

After realising the potential of hybrids early on, Honda has been a little late to join the electric car party with its Fit EV.

Better late than never, though--and now the carmaker has launched a 'readiness assessment' to determine the suitability of potential lessees.

Just as with the MINI E, BMW ActiveE and Honda's own FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle, leasing the Fit EV will not only put examples of Honda's electric car onto the roads, but feedback from customers will also be used to shape future electric car projects.

The first Fit EVs were delivered to the city of Torrance, California, for trial in the city's fleet. Honda says recharging from a 240-volt system takes as little as three hours.

There are some criteria you'll have to meet to be a potential Fit EV lessee. You'll need to live in California or Oregon to start, as these are the two states in which Honda will run the trials.

You'll also be judged on your daily commute--less than 50 miles is good, more than 75 miles isn't so good. Honda is predicting 123 miles of city driving and 95 miles highway, unadjusted--with an adjusted combined range of 76 miles using EPA testing methods.

Honda would also like to know what charger you'll be using, whether charging at home or elsewhere. You're also more likely to qualify for a lease if you own your own home, with a garage.

Interested? Take the 2013 Honda Fit EV readiness assessment.



Source: Green Car Reports

IBM, Honda, and PG&E partner on smarter charging for EVs; utilities to communicate charging instructions directly based on grid conditions

IBM has teamed with American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) on a new pilot project that will allow communication between electric vehicles (EVs) and the power grid. This project will demonstrate and test an electric vehicle’s ability to receive and respond to charge instructions based on the grid condition and the vehicle’s battery state.

This demonstration combines grid and vehicle data to create an individualized charging plan for Honda’s Fit EV battery electric vehicles (BEV), using IBM’s cloud based software platform. By utilizing the existing in-vehicle communications system in the Honda Fit EV, the electric vehicle can interact with utilities and the grid, creating a direct channel for sending and receiving usage information that could improve local grid management.

Once plugged into a charge post, the Honda Fit EV initiates a charge request via the vehicles telematics system. This request is sent to IBM’s Electric Vehicle Enablement Platform where vehicle data such as battery state and grid data received from PG&E, is combined to create an optimized charge schedule, which is then communicated back to the vehicle in seconds. Using this aggregated data, the vehicle has the intelligence to charge to the level that is needed while factoring any current grid constraints.

Using real time and simulated data, the system will test and demonstrate the ability to alter, as well as adapt charging patterns based on grid conditions. This smart charging capability will enable energy providers to manage the power used by EVs during peak times by instructing vehicles to delay or adjust charging if required.

Additionally, the IBM EV platform can collate historical EV charging data and create a profile that can be used to forecast the location and duration of EV charge loads. For example, the program can determine how many EVs are plugged in one neighborhood and the time it will take for each to reach a full charge. This level of insight will allow utilities to optimize grid operations and help reduce the chance of outages.

By communicating information directly to the vehicle, this project has the potential to significantly improve driver services. For example, the IBM’s cloud based platform could provide charge post location information and availability directly to the EV, using the telematics and Satellite-Linked Navigation to guide the driver to the most convenient place to charge.

This project along with the recently announced EKZ Smartphone Application (app) pilot will help engage consumers and encourage more drivers to “plug in.” The smartphone app shows the vehicles battery level, range of travel distance, vehicle location, and current energy costs in real time. This technology coupled with the ability to communicate directly with charging stations via a GPS system, will offer consumers a “connected” driving experience.

In addition to the two pilot projects, IBM is currently a member of the EcoGrid EU consortium, a group focused on developing an energy grid that uses at least 50% of renewable energy sources, such as wind power, solar energy and biogas.

Honda Delivers 2013 Fit EV to Google and Stanford University

PRESS RELEASE

Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program participants to conduct real-world testing on new Honda battery-electric vehicle

Honda recently delivered 2013 Fit EV battery-electric vehicles to Google Inc. and Stanford University as a part of the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program. Along with the city of Torrance, Calif., each participant is now conducting general testing as well as providing specific feedback related to the future introduction of electric vehicles. The Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program participants are the first recipients of the 2013 Fit EV in the United States.

"The goal of the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program is to better understand the challenges and opportunities associated with the advancement in battery-electric technology," said Steve Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office at American Honda. "Honda has a long history with electric vehicles beginning with the introduction of our first battery-electric car, the EV Plus, nearly 15 years ago. Honda's experience and the unique feedback that Google, Stanford University and the city of Torrance will provide will be valuable to the future introduction of battery-electric technology."
Honda debuted the 2013 Fit EV at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show and announced plans to begin leasing the 123 city-mile per charge (76 mile range combined adjusted city/highway)1 battery-electric commuter vehicle to customers in select California and Oregon markets during the summer of 2012 with a rollout to east coast markets planned for Spring 2013. Equipped with a 20-kWh lithium-ion battery and 92- kW coaxial electric motor, the Fit EV battery can be fully recharged in as little as 3 hours when connected to a 240-volt circuit.

Google Inc.
The delivery of the Fit EV to Google Inc. was marked by an employee ride and drive. Nearly 100 'Googlers' took the Fit EV for a spin around the Google Mountain View, Calif., campus. Google will now use the Fit EV as a part of its G-Fleet, an employee car-sharing service that features numerous plug-in vehicles. Google's participation in the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program will involve analysis of vehicle usage including CO2 reduction, energy consumption on a miles/kWh basis and overall energy cost.

Stanford University Automotive Research
Over the past year, Honda has collaborated Stanford University professors, researchers and students from several departments including Mechanical Engineering and Psychology through various seminars and classes. The year-long collaboration resulted in a research direction on how to study the psychological and physical reactions of using battery-electric vehicles and how these reactions differ when driving a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle.

With the Fit EV now at Stanford, the research team will use both the battery-electric vehicle and a gasoline-powered Fit to test their theories. Successful methodology implementation will yield a goal of not only decreasing anxiety associated with new technology, but also increasing joy in the driving experience. Ultimately, the research results will help Honda to better understand customer acceptance of battery-electric vehicles and how to overcome physiological obstacles associated with the adoption of new technologies.

2013 Honda Fit EV

2013 Honda Fit EV at the Los Angeles Auto Show next month. It will be a 2013 model, but it should be available in the U.S. in 2012 if all goes according to plan Honda Fit EV.

Honda begins deliveries of 2013 Fit EV; first unit to City of Torrance

Honda has begun deliveries of the 2013 Fit EV (earlier post), with the first going to the city of Torrance today as one of the first major steps in the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program. The program is a prelude to the limited retail market launch of the Fit EV with customers in California and Oregon this summer.

City of Torrance gets its Fit EV. Click to enlarge.

Over the past year, Honda and the city of Torrance have worked together to gather input from Torrance residents about potential recharging station locations and jointly participated in numerous public awareness events with a Fit EV test vehicle. Honda and the city will continue to further these initiatives while also studying local government fleet usage of an electrified vehicle. The city of Torrance will also receive a Honda plug-in hybrid (earlier post) for additional testing at a later date.

Honda unveiled the 2013 Fit EV at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show and announced plans to begin leasing the 123 city-mile per charge (76 mile range combined adjusted city/highway battery-electric commuter vehicle to its US customers in the summer of 2012. Equipped with a 20 kWh lithium-ion battery and 92 kW coaxial electric motor, the Fit EV battery can be fully recharged in as little as 3 hours when connected to a 240-volt circuit.

As part of the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program, Honda will test the Fit EV with Google Inc. and Stanford University, in addition to the City of Torrance, California. Each program participant will provide Honda with real-world feedback on the Fit EV. Individually, each participant will use the Fit EV to further initiatives such as research into human behavior and various usages such as personal, fleet and car-sharing.

Source: Green Car Congress