Friedman: How China's electric vehicle industry is going to rocket past the U.S. - and everyone else

Here you can see Chinese government really support their electric vehicle market.

Friedman: How China's electric vehicle industry is going to rocket past the U.S. - and everyone else

Plug-in Charging Infrastructure to Cover Entire I-5 Corridor in Oregon; Aims for Mexico to Canada

Maybe an EV road trip is not a far away dream.

Plug-in Charging Infrastructure to Cover Entire I-5 Corridor in Oregon; Aims for Mexico to Canada

38th Annual Electric Car Rally & Show

Last Saturday (2010/09/25), Kleenspeed team joined the 38th Annual Electric Vehicle Rally & Show event  at Palo Alto High School.

Let's take a look at event photos: 

Kleenspeed booth & Eiata

Wow, here comes Smart EV

Check these cute little gauges. Battery temp. and kW.

Electric super car! It got a turbine under the hood.

Dante, CTO, with Eiata.

See rest of photos, PLS visit Kleenspeed Facebook

Broad, Non-Partisan Analysis Concludes Electric Vehicles Are Best Solution

We really hope this is more than an analysis.

Broad, Non-Partisan Analysis Concludes Electric Vehicles Are Best Solution

FuseProject Unveils a Domestic Version of Its EV Charger

Green comes with design!

FuseProject Unveils a Domestic Version of Its EV Charger

GE and Better Place Partner to Push For Global Uniform EV Stations

Yes! That's what we need for electric vehicle.

GE and Better Place Partner to Push For Global Uniform EV Stations

Eaton Teams With Large National Fuel Retailer for Electric Car Fast Charging Deployment

The electric vehicle era is coming!

Eaton Teams With Large National Fuel Retailer for Electric Car Fast Charging Deployment

GE Airs WattStation Television Spot

Nice TV ad by GE. Here comes the Airs WattStation.

GE Airs WattStation Television Spot

Auto industry analyst predicts we'll have more than 100 hybrid and EV models in U.S. by 2015

‎2015, which is only 5 years from now!

Auto industry analyst predicts we'll have more than 100 hybrid and EV models in U.S. by 2015

Canada Won't Take a Backseat on Electric Cars

Another great market for electric vehicles- Canada.

Canada Won't Take a Backseat on Electric Cars

Madison Avenue warms up to electric cars

Oh great! More and more charging stations.

Madison Avenue warms up to electric cars

Friends from UC Davis and France

Last Friday, Kleenspeed had some friends from UC Davis and France.

Welcome to visit Kleenspeed.

Where is CTO? 

Here he is. 

Tim joins the discussion.

CTO- Dante patiently explains everything to our guests. 

Now is the presentation time. 

They are all paying attention to the presenter. 

Time for a ride. 

Now is the pre-driving lecture. 

Flying Eiata. 

How about ride on a go-kart next time? 

Plug In America.

California may be more suitable for Plug-Ins.

Plug In America.

Here are some new photos of our electric Go-Kart project

Check our Go-Kart project is progressing.

front view

back view

measuring the position of battery pack

motor

putting some weights on it for measuring balance

electronic scale

Green Overdrive: Jay Leno Shows Off His Green Garage!

There were electric cars almost 100 years ago!

Green Overdrive: Jay Leno Shows Off His Green Garage!

What is Klensped has been doing recently?

What is Kleenspeed has been doing recently?

Actually, we are doing a Go-kart project right now.

Here are some photos of Go-kart project, check it out:

Stay tuned. There will  be more coming up. 

Michigan's Consumers Energy announces discounted rate programs for plug-in vehicles

 Discount rate! What a news for plug-in cars.

Michigan's Consumers Energy announces discounted rate programs for plug-in vehicles

Giant A123 Electric Car Battery Plant Opens in Michigan

Michigan go into electric? Let's read through this news first.

Giant A123 Electric Car Battery Plant Opens in Michigan

Roadside "E-sistance": Company Launches First Mobile Charging System Solution

Mobile Charging System? That's interesting!

Roadside "E-sistance": Company Launches First Mobile Charging System Solution

A Kleenspeed special column report from Taiwan.

Auto-Online Overseas Special Column

Kleenspeed- an electric vehicle company locates in NASA Ames Research Center

Written By Ray Wu

For most people, electric vehicles are slow, inconvenient, and still in concept or prototype. But the situation has been changed since Tesla started to manufacture Roadster and sell it. Also, Taiwanese government, issued the first license plates to Taiwanese Luxgen EV+. Meanwhile, NISSAN Leaf will be sold in U.S. soon. Electric vehicles definitely are the trend and there will be another revolution in car industry. Now, AOL presents to you an electric vehicle company, which is from United States and specialized in battery management system (BMS) and battery technology- KLEENSPEED.

【The introduction of KLEENSPEED】

KLEENSPEED was found in 2007. CEO Timothy Collins is also the founder of KLEENSPEED. The company is in NASA Ames Research Center, which is at Moffett Field near Mountain View. NASA is also the technology partner with KLEENSPEED.

KLEENSPEED is not only an electric vehicle company, but also specialized in BMS. By using advanced technology, KLEENSPEED can build a very efficient motor that can have both performance and endurance. The CTO, Dante Zeviar, leads a ten-member team and form the R&D department. This particular team was hand-chosen by Timothy Collins. All members from this team are elites from different fields.

Now, the products include the fastest EV race car- KLEENSPEED WX10 and a Miata, which is already converted into electric vehicle that is called Eiata.

【The fastest EV racecar in ReFuel Race】

Maybe KLEENSPEED is not as famous as TESLA does, and there is no such a big investor like TOYOTA, but KLEENSPEED has the fastest EV racecar that is named KLEENSPEED WX10. It is the fastest EV racecar in the world, which set the fastest record in 2009 and 2010 at Laguna Seca in ReFeul Race. The current EV lap record at Laguna Seca is 1:42.5 that was set by KLEENSPEED WX10 in July 2010.

KLEENSPEED WX10 uses AC Propulsion motor and it has 200hp, which can run 160mph. The total weight of WX10 is around 1400 pounds and that is the weight with 1600 lithium ferrous phosphate batteries. With 5-hour full charged batteries, KLEENSPEED WX10 EV racecar can run 17 minutes or 10 laps.

The driver who drove WX10 and set the fastest EV record was Tim Collins himself, a 70-year-old CEO, is also a racing driver and owns a Porsche 997 GT3. As you can see, Tim Collins is energetic and always shows his passion to electric vehicles.

【Eiata- reaches 120mph】

You can hardly tell the differences from this first generation Mazda Miata to the others. In fact, when you pop up the hood and trunk at back, you will discover the secret of it. Comparing with other electric vehicles, KLEENSPEED’s Eiata installed an electric motor instead of normal internal combustion engine. The Eiata even uses the original gearbox from Miata and can run 120mph, which is quite impressive.

As for the interior, the original air condition vents on dashboard are replaced by rpm monitor and emergency electricity switch. There is another multi-function monitor on the co-driver side, which can display all the information. It is because Eiata is an electric vehicle, the few things that driver needs to do are switch on, step on clutch and put in first gear, then Eiata is on the way.

【Test drive- speed up without any noise】

Since we are already in NASA, the test drive needs to be done. Tim told engineer to charge Eiata the night before we had a test drive. Eiata is quite different from ordinary gasoline engine car. When we had the test drive, the motor was very quiet. We could easily speed up without any noises. Furthermore, this Eiata’s motor was connected to the original transmission, which was different from other electric vehicles that had only single speed. In case there was anything that we didn’t understand, Kleenspeed engineers gave us a pre-drive lesson, which made the experience of driving this electric vehicle more fun.

KLEENSPEED Eiata is not only a clean vehicle, but also has the performance. In order to balance weight as 50:50, engineer put the battery packages at the trunk that make Eiata’s performance even better than the original Miata. Besides, there are still some spaces at the trunk. You can easily put a golf bag inside the trunk.

Eiata, as we can see, is a very mature product. KLEENSPEED also plans to sell whole conversion kit to customers and the price will be around 17,000（without installation）. You can convert your own Miata into a full electric car. It is much cheaper than a brand new electric car.

【Future goal: a light weight consumer electric vehicle】

When I visited KLEENSPEED, I also did a short interview with CEO, Timothy Collins. When I asked him about when will be the time for KLEENSPEED to manufacture its own consumer electric vehicle, I got the direct answer from Tim. He said: KLEENSPEED will definitely go into automotive industry. The prototype has been designed and it will be a lightweight consumer vehicle, which only has 2000 pounds (about 910 kg). The main purpose of this lightweight electric vehicle will be urban commuting. Tim also mentioned about this micro car will have good performance and mileage per charge, which makes it very convenient for user to park and drive in the city. Soon, there might be the first KLEENSPEED electric vehicle. 

The other question that I had was since there will be a KLEENSPEED lightweight electric vehicle, what is the purpose of having KLEENSPEED WX10? Tim answered it is because racetrack is an ultimate environment for testing. The data from racecars is certainly valuable for a new car project. The above is the reason KLEENSPEED has the racecar.

【Big future for electric vehicles】

Before this special column, Auto-online had a report about Bay Area is competing with other cities and trying to win the title of Greenest City in the U.S. At the same time, 5000 rapid chargers will be installed in Bay Area. In order to catch up the trend of electric vehicle, many of electric car manufacturers are trying to put out their electric cars. Even NISSAN and TOYOTA are doing the same thing. Can KLEENSPEED win its first war? We will stay tuned. 

West Coast Transportation Conference Aims to Make the Region Emissions Free

A green news for west coast.

West Coast Transportation Conference Aims to Make the Region Emissions Free

Coulomb Raises $15M For Plug-In Car Charging

A good news for electric cars charging stations.

Coulomb Raises $15M For Plug-In Car Charging

Electric Car 101: Lease or Buy?

Electric Car 101: Lease or Buy?How about lease a battery pack?

Obama Focuses on Green Energy and New Railways on Labor Day

Even the president of United States cares about Green Energy.

Obama Focuses on Green Energy and New Railways on Labor Day

David Suzuki: Why even electric vehicles won't save us

Check David's point of view, which is interesting.

David Suzuki: Why even electric vehicles won't save us — Autoblog Green

JOIN THE KLEENSPEED TEAM

Join the Kleenspeed Race and R&D team by contributing to our effort to eliminate carbon emissions through the development of electric vehicle systems technology

Team Hat contribution $25 *
adjustable and made in China from recycled plastic bottles

Team shirt Contribution $25 * Sizes S, M , L XL 100% Cotton, Pre Shrunk Made in Haiti, Black with white logo and lettering

Team Hat And Shirt combination contribution  $45 *

*Includes postage anywhere in the world

Send check or money order or( cash registered mail only) and mailing and email address to:
KleenSpeed Team
% KleenSpeed Technologies inc. 
NASA Ames Research Center
Po Box 429 Building #554
Moffett Field, CA 94035-0429

Auto dealers oppose proposed EPA fuel efficiency letter grades

Detroit really does't like fuel efficiency topic.

Auto dealers oppose proposed EPA fuel efficiency letter grades

‎Consumer Federation of America calls for 60 mpg CAFE standard by 2025

It's time for an electric car.

New CFA Report: 60 mpg or More Standard is Economically Achievable and Truly Responsive to Consumer Needs

Administration to Announce Intent for 2017-2025 CAFE/GHG Standards in September

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- A new economic analysis from the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) identifies a fleet-wide car and light truck fuel economy standard of 60 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2025 as critical and necessary for consumer pocketbook protection. The Obama Administration will release a Notice of Intent for 2017-2025 light duty fuel economy standards on September 30th.

"Previous fuel economy standards have left huge consumer savings on the table. A 60 mile per gallon standard in 2025 will capture those enormous benefits and provide important protections for American consumers," commented report author Mark Cooper, CFA Director of Research.

The new analysis examines the consumer and societal impacts of the 2016 standard, calculates the standard that achieves the maximum net economic benefit and measures the consumer and society impacts of those standards.

The report includes a consumer pocketbook analysis, which finds that for consumers purchasing 60 mpg cars and trucks the value of the gas savings will be greater than the increased cost of the loan.

Consumers will save money in the first year of ownership, and their purchase, when financed by a five year auto loan, will be cash neutral in the first month.

A 60 mpg vehicle will save the typical car buyer over $1,000 in gas costs over and above the increased car cost by the time the auto loan is paid off (typically 5 years) and $3,000 over the life of the vehicle (roughly ten years), which the consumer could capture in the sale price of the vehicle or by holding on to it.

The report combines estimates of technology cost from the National Academy of Sciences and MIT with the costs benefit analysis previously prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to derive its estimates of what is technologically feasible and economically justified. The Energy Information Administration's projected price of gasoline for 2025 of $3.50 (in 2010 dollars) is used. For the consumer pocketbook analysis, a five-year auto loan at 7 percent interest is assumed (which is the average auto loan rate for the past 20 years).

According to the report, the 2016 standard of 34 mpg falls far short than what would be in the best interest of consumers and society. The economic analysis shows that going to 38 mpg would have delivered additional benefits of $140 billion over the life of the vehicles covered. Moving the standard to 60 mpg will add hundreds of billions of consumer savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by hundreds of millions of tones.

The report identifies a reluctant automobile industry as the biggest obstacle to achieving the greatest consumer benefits through higher fuel economy. "The approach taken by NHTSA in the past allowed the ill-informed plans of automakers to restrain the levels of standards," according to the report.

"One of the reasons that the administration must set targets so far in advance is that the industry has been slow to adjust to the clear consumer demand for greater fuel economy," Cooper added. "We must set our sights on a higher mid-term goal like 60 mpg by 2025 to get the industry moving in the right direction.

"The decision to coordinate standard setting between California, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was an important step forward that required a compromise on the initial levels at which the standards were set," Cooper added. "The procedural progress must now be followed up with substantive progress that moves the standards to much higher levels. A real victory can only be claimed when the standards are set at a level that captures the immense benefits that had been left on the table."

The report is available at: http://www.consumerfed.org/elements/www.consumerfed.org/File/60mpg_Study090210 .pdf

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is a non-profit association of over 280 consumer groups that was founded in 1968 to advance the consumer's interest through advocacy, research, and education.

Do Plug-In Cars Need Extra Noise?

Electric Vehicles are clean to environment, but too quiet for pedestrians.

Do Plug-In Cars Need Extra Noise?

Electric vehicle charging times will depend on both the charging station and the car

Something for electric vehicle lovers. Here is a information need to know.

Electric vehicle charging times will depend on both the charging station and the car