As the market for not only electric and clean-energy vehicles but more fuel-efficient vehicles in general grows, the demand for workers to produce parts for those vehicles increases correspondingly. It’s common sense, of course, but a new report recently issued by landmark conservation effort groups the National Wildlife Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council alongside the United Auto Workers has provided hard figures to back up the facts.

The recent report articulated that over 151,000 American individuals are currently employed in various enterprises involving some aspect of the manufacturing of components for automobiles and trucks that utilize limited fossil fuel resources more in a more efficient capacity. Among these thousands, nearly 40,000 workers reside in the state of Michigan, the area that the study designated as the hottest for “green” auto jobs; these employees use their expertise to contribute to the growth of green technologies and clean energy solutions. Among these include the Johnson Controls Inc. facility in Holland, Michigan, which focuses on the production of batteries—a facility which secured $300 million in stimulus dollars, money that may easily be used to employ roughly 550 people in green jobs.

In an article by journalist David Shepardson for the Detroit News Washington Bureau, Peter Lehner, the executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council, expressed opinions that confirmed the researched trends. “The reality is that cleaner vehicles have already led to more jobs,” he is quoted as saying. “Our report shows how strong fuel efficiency standards have employed people nationwide, so stronger standards will certainly mean even more job growth in the future.”

For more information, please visit: http://www.detnews.com/article/20110810/AUTO01/108100361/1148/Study–Auto-industry-home-to-151-000–green–job

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Combine the fact that gas prices seem to be continually eating away at the pockets of the millions of Americans who drive gasoline-fueled cars with the notion that the United States can only postpone its need for energy independence for so long, and you have a stark realization: that numerous societal changes are in order, with the adoption of electric car technology being one of them. At least, that’s how one Princeton, New Jersey company would tell it.

David Crane, the President and Chief Executive Officer of NRG Energy Inc., delivered a keynote speech today at the Jefferies 11th Global Clean Technology Conference, hosted in New York, according to journalist Tom Johnson with NJ Spotlight. In his address, Crane expounded upon how America could potentially achieve its long sought-after energy independence by converting to an energy economy that relies primarily on renewable energy sources, with electric cars and other electric vehicles playing a major role in the general reduction of energy usage.

Currently, NRG Energy Inc. is in the process of announcing its infrastructural plans to support plug-in electric vehicles in the greater Houston, Texas area, according to Johnson. The firm has also made “big investments in both wind and solar power” and has partnered with Green Mountain Energy to sell green power to customers.

Crane termed the electric vehicle a “game changer” due to the fact that it is generally one of the largest purchases many consumers make, and therefore presents an opportunity for the public to consider just how big of an impact their energy consumption is making on the environment.

Throughout his talk, Johnson reports, Crane emphasized the role of the consumer in shaping the future of American energy.

“We need to focus on the American consumer,” Crane is quoted by Johnson as saying. “Definitely, the psychology of the American public is they don’t want things forced on them by the American government, but they are sensitive to what’s going on, including the price of energy.”

For more information, please visit: http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/0223/2026/

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The green industry information resource website Ecofriend.com recently published an intriguing list of electric vehicle charging stations that help to circumvent one of the foremost complaints about electricity-powered vehicles: that electricity is not, in and of itself, a renewable resource, since it is ultimately derived from fossil fuels.

Be that as it may, numerous green companies have devised a wide variety of electric vehicle charging stations that seem to capture the best of both worlds, managing to support the popular usage of cleaner, more energy-efficient electric cars and trucks while taking advantage of renewable energy sources to charge them.

How do they do this? The answer is simple: solar powered charging stations.

Take, for instance, the solar fuel station manufactured by the firm Evergreen Solar and described on Ecofriend.com. Already in actual use in Frankfurt, Germany, reports indicate that the Evergreen Solar station is capable of furnishing battery power free of charge for an array of smaller vehicles, such as electric bikes, scooters, Velotaxis, and Segways.

But why quit when you’re ahead? If these green companies can find a way to make both electric cars and their fuel clean, why can’t they tackle some other major environmental problems while they’re at it?

That’s where the solar electric vehicle charger manufactured by the Beautiful Earth Group, a firm based in New York, steps in: the “off-grid modular station,” as described by Ecofriend.com, is powered by a 235W photovoltaic system constructed entirely of decommissioned, recycled shipping containers—large, rectangular sheet-metal boxes commonly stacked and used to transport goods on cargo ships. In addition, it’s also widely compatible with numerous electric vehicles, even the sought-after BMW Mini E.

Among eleven examples cited by Ecofriend.com as being at the forefront of innovation in the electric vehicle charging station industry, the Solar Forest stands out distinctly. Designed by Neville Mars, the Solar Forest concept envisions power stations for hotter climates that provide a “forest” of shade under which electric vehicles and their owners may park, while simultaneously harnessing the sun power heating up the solar panels not far above them.

To read more about these exciting examples, which showcase glimpses of the future in electric transport, please visit the original article on Ecofriend.com: http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/11-charging-stations-designed-to-refuel-evs-with-renewable-energy/

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According to the automobile industry information website Edmunds.com, automobile manufacturer Audi has recently made public its intentions to invest 11.6 billion euros, or approximately 15.1 billion United States dollars, into the development of “new products and technologies,” roughly 80 percent (12.5 billion dollars) of which will be devoted to “developing new products and to technologies of the future such as electric and hybrid drive systems,” Audi stated in a press release.

The 15.1 billion United States dollars of investment in the aforementioned technologies—which many hope will result in more tangible and consumer-friendly electric and hybrid vehicles at more affordable prices—come in tandem with the 1,200 technicians and employees that will be brought into the company to facilitate their production and execution.

Information on Edmunds.com also explains that this investment, Audi’s biggest so far in its entire history as a company, will contribute to the rise of products such as the Audi R8 e-tron, which Edmunds.com dubs “the first electric sports car from Audi.” The company aims to begin selling the vehicle in late 2012 according to statements it has released on the subject.

The precise end results of this multi-billion dollar investment on Audi’s behalf remain to be seen, but Thomas Sigi, a member of the board of management for Human Resources at Audi, maintains an extremely positive outlook on the company’s decision—particularly in regard to the creation of 1,200 new jobs, many of which will be dedicated to hybrid engineering and production in Germany.

“Innovation requires people,” Edmunds.com quotes Sigi as saying. “For this reason, we want to hire around 1,200 experts in 2011 who will primarily bolster our electromobility and lightweight construction fields of competence, as well as the implementation of our growth strategy.”

To read more about Audi’s announced investment, please visit Edmunds.com: http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2010/12/audi-to-invest-151-billion-in-fixed-assets-mostly-green-vehicles.html

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As part of the internationally renowned San Francisco International Auto Show, AAA of Northern California will present a special selection of fuel-efficient and alternative energy vehicles as part of an ongoing effort to highlight “green” shifts within the automotive industry.

According to the San Francisco International Auto Show’s official website, the AAA Greenlight Showcase will exhibit a hybrid automobile specially engineered by the firm to manage a fuel consumption rate of over 100 miles per gallon and which obtains its electrical energy from an innovative ChargePoint Networked Charging Station, manufactured by Coulomb Technologies. As well, a dissected Nissan Xtrail fuel cell vehicle will be on display for the general public to peruse, as will be a “sneak preview” of another fuel cell hybrid vehicle produced by Toyota, with a model similar to that of the popular Highlander sport utility vehicle, made available courtesy of the California Fuel Cell Partnership.

“The auto show exhibit is part of AAA’s long term commitment to help promote and build awareness of the variety of alternative fuel vehicles that are entering the consumer market,” states the auto show’s website.

The San Francisco International Auto Show, sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com, will see its 53^rd annual production this Saturday, November 20 through Sunday, November 28, with times of 10 o’clock A.M. to 10 o’clock P.M. daily. The auto show will showcase some of the most prominent manufacturers of automobiles worldwide, including advanced previews of 2011 models of many cars, trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles.

Besides AAA’s unique, environmentally-focused ‘Greenlight Showcase,’ many other exhibits of interest will be presented at the San Francisco International Auto Show. These include a variety of foreign sports cars, including the Aston Martin DBS, the Audi R8, the Bentley Continental, and classic American hot rods including the Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette Grand Sport, and the Ford Mustang GT Coupe and V6 Convertible. A race car exhibit sponsored by Infineon Raceway will also be included, as will a classic car collection assembled and maintained by the local Academy of Art University.

For more information on the San Francisco International Auto Show, please visit the show’s official website at: http://www.sfautoshow.com/

For more information about AAA’s Greenlight Showcase, please visit: www.aaa.com/greenlight/

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When it comes to the latest generation of electric vehicles (EVs), potential owners should be aware of the logistical, financial and time considerations associated with operating and maintaining these renewable energy cars, says San Jose Mercury News reporter Dana Hull.

In an article published September 5, Hull reveals what would-be buyers should know while reviewing the newest EV models, such as the all-electric Nissan Leaf and plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt from General Motors.

Along with the excitement and anticipation that comes with owning an electric vehicle, shoppers are encouraged to think of their options for charging the car, especially while at home.

Hull describes how most drivers of electric cars will need to install some form of home-based EV charging stations. For many, the garage will be the likely location for such a device. According to Hull, this installation process is “likely to require a permit and signoff from your local building inspector.”

The article also offers a few points for EV buyers to keep in mind to help them select the electric car that best meets needs:

1) Consider what, if any, recommendations auto manufacturers are making for their electric cars.

The Chevy Volt “comes with a 16 kW•h (8.8 kW•h usable) lithium-ion battery pack that can be fully charged by plugging the car into a 120-240VAC residential electrical outlet using the provided SAE J1772-compliant charging cord.” Yet, according to Hull, this three-pronged wall outlet approach to charging can take eight to 14 hours for most EVs.

Nissan’s Leaf comes with a “level 2” 240 volt-system that charges twice as fast as that of the Volt; however, the car will need to be charged with a home charging dock that Hull describes as requiring a “220/240V, 40 amp dedicated circuit connected to a breaker” that needs to “be hard-wired directly to the circuit by a certified electrician.”

2) Confirm the charging rates and system installation requirements from your local utility.

The arrival of at-home charging for electric vehicles is causing more utilities to create guidelines for charging rates and installation systems. California is one of the country’s leading electric vehicle target markets, and a number of its utilities are responding to growing consumer requests for EV-related information.

Hull cites efforts by the utilities Southern California Edison (SCE) and Pacific Gas and Electric to develop standard EV charging rates and installation policies. SCE customers are encouraged to contact the utility’s new Plug-In Electric Vehicle Readiness program for information.

For additional information about Dana Hull’s Sept. 5 article in the San Jose Mercury News, please visit:

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15977162?source=most_viewed

And to learn more about Southern California Edison’s Plug-In Electric Vehicle Readiness program, please contact:

http://www.sce.com/PowerandEnvironment/PEV/plug-in-ready.htm

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The California Bay Area is set to receive $5 million for the development of additional electric vehicle charging stations, announced the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board—a state agency responsible for overseeing air quality in the nine counties surrounding San Francisco.

In a press release issued August 4, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board, or Air District Board, confirmed it will leverage its Spare the Air program funding to award up to $5 million in grants for initiatives aimed at increasing the amount of public and private electric vehicle chargers.

The agency’s Board of Directors voted to approve the $5 million project to help make electric car ownership more viable for greater numbers of Bay Area drivers.

In particular, the Air District hopes to increase the number of residential electric vehicle chargers to a total of about “3,000 home chargers at single family and multi-family dwellings.”

The Air District also aims to have 2,000 public chargers available on-site at Bay Area-employers and commercial parking areas. Installations of fifty “fast chargers” within “close proximity” to the region’s highways are also included in the group’s proposal.

The agency hopes greater availability of public-access charging stations will make it easier for owners of existing electric cars, like the current Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, to charge their vehicles conveniently while commuting to work or running errands. The proposed charging stations may also encourage more prospective car buyers to consider purchasing the upcoming all-electric LEAF from Nissan or the newly revealed plug-in hybrid Volt from Chevy.

Air District Executive Officer Jack P. Broadbent expressed his support of the emerging electric car sector, and the need to expand clean vehicle use through increased access to charging stations.

“The past several years have seen exciting progress in the development of electric vehicle technology. Creating a useful charging network will make it easier for Bay Area residents to Spare the Air everyday by going electric,” Broadbent said.

According to an Aug. 24 story by San Jose Mercury News reporter Paul Rogers, charging stations are planned for installation in apartment buildings, offices, homes and parking garages located as far north as Santa Rosa and south to San Jose.  The article also confirms the Air District’s emissions reduction program will offer a voucher to cover up to 25 percent of the 3,000 home charging stations.

For additional information on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board and the electric vehicle charging station program, please visit:

http://www.baaqmd.gov/
http://www.baaqmd.gov/~/media/Files/Communications%20and%20Outreach/Publications/News%20Releases/2010/charge_100804.ashx
http://www.mercurynews.com/

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Start discussing Electric Cars with any group of people who don’t own one and sooner or later you’ll come up against this objection: it will run up their electricity bill.

You could say: Well, yeah ~ but even if it does, will it cost you as much in electricity as you’re now paying in gas and oil changes (to say nothing of the nasty oil stains on the driveway and garage floor)?

Then they might say, well, yeah, but the electricity from my house comes from coal, so it’s still not really a “green” electric car.

At which point, you may want to excuse yourself and leave, or ask them to go home, as the situation warrants.

Or you could point out the story on the Sierra Club website of Darrell Dickey and his solar powered life.

Dickey, of Davis, CA hasn’t put gas in his car in years. Besides that, he doesn’t pay for electricity in his house. In fact, my favorite quote from his story is this: “For $45,000 we bought a new car and fuel for the rest or our lives.”

And he’s not just talking about fuel for their electric RAV4. With his borrowed $45,000, Dickey bought the electric car “brand new” and the solar system now installed on his garage. That system now powers both the house and the car, and his payments on the loan are $120 less than what he paid for electricity and gas for the car, alone.

I guess you could say that his investment in solar started paying for itself from day one.

In the same article is the story of Stephen Weitz, and I love it’s title: “This Truck Runs On Sunshine.” It doesn’t get any cooler than that ~ or maybe it does, because Weitz, too, powers both his home and vehicle with a solar energy system installed on the rooftop of his house.

A PhD in Biochemistry, Weitz had multiple reasons for buying an EV and installing a solar system with which to power it: “1) global warming and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS); 2) Albert Einstein; 3) nitrogen “overdose”; and 4) open habitat and species destruction.”

All excellent reasons ~ although I’ve got to say, Dickey’s main reason was particularly appealing to me. When he and his wife had a baby, he realized that it “would embarrass me to have to explain to my daughter why we continued to import and burn oil when we knew the consequences.” Good on ya, Dad. (You all know how I feel about babies. )

But Weitz didn’t find it as easy as Dickey to implement his plans for driving a totally clean green car ~ at least the part about buying the EV.

He searched the web for some time before he “was lucky and found one of the rare vehicles in the movie “Who Killed the Electric Car” that hadn’t been crushed by the auto industry—a factory-built Chevy S10 pickup.”

Uh, I had a Chevy S10 pickup about 12 years ago ~ it wasn’t electric. I live in the midwest ~ I didn’t know there were any. Turns out GM was already making electric cars back then, more than 15 years ago ~ and doing so successfully ~ so why aren’t we all driving electric cars already?

The more I find out about the history of EVs in this country, particularly GM’s testing and discarding of the Impact and EV1 and 2 models out west ~ with no publicity or opportunity for anyone to try them east of Phoenix ~ the angrier I get, and the more I want to know why.

In fact, to be straight up honest with you, this is my second attempt at writing about EVs powered with solar energy ~ because I found out so much about the early GM electric cars that were collected up and destroyed that, combined with what I already know about GM (what anyone who’s been paying attention for the last couple of years knows), that first article took off in an entirely different direction of its own. And if I want to finish this article about solar powering your electric car, I’d better leave it at that.

Except for one thing: watch the move Mr. Weitz mentioned above: Who Killed the Electric Car? You can get it at the Plug In America website or rent it from Netflix. Then you’ll know at least part of why I’m so ticked off.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programing.

As I was saying (before I so rudely interrupted myself), one of the coolest ways to really go green with your electric car is by generating the electricity it runs on with renewable energy technology like solar panels and wind generated energy offered by the local power company, discussed in yet another story in the same article, this one about Alex Beamer’s experience.

Beamer also searched the internet for his truck, also a survivor of the EV massacre, a “1997 production vehicle made by Chevrolet . . . They made about 1,500 of them. Most were leased vehicles that were collected at the end of the leases and crushed.”

But let’s not go there again . . . easier on your eyes and my blood pressure.

See you on the green ~
Rebecca

Read the original Sierra Club article, which, as far as I can tell, is 3 years old ~ at http://www.sierraclub.org/wecandoit/home/electric_cars.asp#dickey

Rebecca Longster is a writer, editor, and lover of words. She believes passionately that people can be healthier, wealthier, and happier living and working in harmony with the earth, and that doing so is a practical as well as a moral imperative. In addition to writing fiction and non-fiction, both for the web and for print publication, she currently teaches writing at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. (and, apparently, she has a temper.)

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Americans love their cars ~ always have ~ since the very first mass produced Model Ts rolled off the assembly lines, and there have been many to love between then and now.

The newest entry into this love affair is the EV, short for Electric Vehicle, and unlike it’s cousin, the hybrid, whose reception by the American public has until recently been rather tepid ~ the cars themselves are kind of conservative looking, not sexy enough for the younger crowd, and perceived as too expensive for the gas savings promised ~ this first generation of the EV in the U.S. is strutting her stuff with different makers and models offering something for everyone.

As with every other field of human endeavor, once a good idea catches on ~ once the public has made it known that this is what they want ~ designers and manufacturers are falling all over themselves to see who can be first to roll out the prettiest, sexiest, and most affordable models.

Right now, the Chevy Volt and the Nissan LEAF are leading the pack, just by virtue of the fact that these are the first models under mass production and the earliest entries into the electric car market ~ both promising availability for purchase here in the states later this year.

GM’s Chevy Volt will have a price point of $41,000, which GM hastens to add, will actually be much less with the government tax incentives. It has a nice, sleek design, and will run a total of 340 miles on one battery and a tank of gas, the first 40 miles of which will be gas-and-emissions free, powered by a “16-kWh lithium-ion battery.” After 40 miles, when the battery runs low, the gas generator will take over “seamlessly,” according to a GM press release, generating the electricity that the car will run on.

Not bad. But will the Volt be enough to repair the broken trust of the public in GM and it’s products? Time will tell.

For the present, GM’s main worry should be the Nissan LEAF, which outstrips the Volt in attractive features in several different directions. The LEAF is a sleek yet practical four-door coupe, but it’s design has that sexy car-of-the-future look, especially in front. Nissan expects to release the LEAF for sale in select markets in December, and then nationwide early next year.

But the two main differences in the LEAF’s favor are price and the “all electric” milage. At a much more affordable $33,000 before tax incentives, LEAF will be attractive to a broader customer base, and with a total range of 100 miles (instead of 40) on electricity alone, the LEAF will appeal to short range commuters and soccer mom’s who drive more frequently but shorter distances.

Both the LEAF and the Volt will be rechargeable at home via 120 or 240 volt outlets, and at higher-speed charging stations, the new-age services stations that will eventually replace gas stations, that are springing up all over the country.

Just last month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City demonstrated the simplicity  of recharging at a public car charging station ~ by charging his electric Smart Car at a station installed on a Manhattan parking lot. And that station is just the first of many, with 100 charging stations set to be installed all over the city over the next year.

Smart, the makers of the distinctive ForTwo (which is the next car my husband and I are buying ~ though now we may wait for the electric model) has been test running 100 electric ForTwos in the UK since 2007, and 1000 more have been or are being released in Europe and the US for the same purpose this year, according to the Smart website. The first electric ForTwos for sale to the public are expected to be released in 2012.

Smart has been researching and testing electric cars for some time, but now several other car makers are joining Smart, GM and Nissan, hopping on to the electric car bandwagon, including manufacturers like Toyota (who has partnered with Tesla and Panasonic for this endeavor), and Mitsubishi, to name just two.

As Mayor Bloomberg observed: “The electric vehicle is not just a pipe dream or a scene from the Jetsons . . . It is here and it is here right now.”

And it’s about time ~

See you on the green.

Rebecca

Rebecca Longster is a writer, editor, and lover of words. She believes passionately that people can be healthier, wealthier, and happier living and working in harmony with the earth, and that doing so is a practical as well as a moral imperative. In addition to writing fiction and non-fiction, both for the web and for print publication, she currently teaches writing at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

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