Paris will launch a new city-wide electric car sharing service by the end of 2009 The current oil crisis is likely to spur on many cities to think about and introduce various schemes. As Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë announced last week, Autolib will feature 4,000 electric cars available for rent.
Sir James Dyson, known for inventing the famous bagless Dyson vacuum, has turned his efforts towards creating an improved electric motor for automobiles.
Carlos Ghosn, CEO for Nissan and Renault, wasn’t too impressed with hybrid cars, saying that they are “a nice story, but they’re not a a good business”. Ghosn said that Nissan, along with Renault, “has an opportunity to be a world leader in mass-marketing [zero-emission vehicles].”
When I say “zero-emission” vehicles, I am referring to electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles, cars that do not burn oil and release zero emissions into the air. Fuel cell vehicles are promising for the future—and Nissan continues to invest in their development—but the production and distribution of hydrogen is yet much more problematic than electricity or batteries. Because the battery technology is more advanced, we will introduce electric vehicles first.
Uh, Mr. Ghosn, have you had a chance to look at Project Unity?
Auto manufacturers are more forward thinking now. Chevrolet with the Volt, Mercedes planning to be petroleum free by 2015, and Audi promises an electric car within 10 years.
Other electric autos on the horizon include The Lightening Car Company, the plug-in Prius, and the Corbin Sparrow. And that’s only the beginning. Electric and hybrids are in full swing now, with more manufacturers looking to follow suit.
This week John McElroy even said “Hey GM, bring back the EV1“.
Is it time to start looking into Hybrid conversion kits like this one from Hymotion?
