“We are excited to advance our electric vehicle capability by establishing Polaris as a business partner and part owner of Brammo, one of the most innovative and aggressive companies I have found in the electric motorcycle space,” said Scott Wine, Polaris CEO. “Our companies share a passion for performance, and I look forward to exploiting the numerous opportunities created by pairing Brammo’s industry-leading electric powertrain technology with Polaris’s vast array of market-leading powersports products. This is a small but important investment for Polaris in an electric vehicle market that we feel is poised for significant growth.”

Founded in 2002, Brammo has made its mark by developing electric vehicle technology tailored specifically for the motorcycle segment. Brammo currently offers the Enertia line of motorcycles, capable of speeds in excess of 60 mph and ranges up to 80 miles on a single charge. Brammo plans to expand their product line to include high-performance sport motorcycles capable of more than 100 miles on a single charge, as well as a full line of entry- to high-performance dirt and dual-sport motorcycles.

“We have always been impressed with Polaris’ leadership within the motorsports industry. Polaris is a company founded on innovation and quality, and as such their decision to partner with Brammo is a resounding endorsement of our technology,” said Brammo CEO and founder Craig Bramscher. “This is a terrific scenario for Brammo’s customers, as we bring Polaris’ legendary engineering, manufacturing, and customer service expertise to bear on our products.”

In addition to utilizing Brammo technology in its own products, Polaris will collaborate with Brammo to grow their core business. Polaris and Brammo each bring distinct competencies and assets to this partnership, and share cultures centered on a passion for excellence and innovation. This combination of capabilities and culture will allow Polaris and Brammo to create and seize opportunities that neither could capture independently.”

Read more: Press Release

According to the Press Release, “Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT / TSE:6501,hereinafter Hitachi) today announced that Hitachi and Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd. ,which develops and manufactures lithium-ion batteries for automotive applications, such as hybrid electric vehicles, have developed ithium-ion batteries for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, a first for the Hitachi Group. These new batteries were developed in response to the growing demand for environment-friendly vehicles resulting from the increasingly strict regulations on automobile exhaust emissions around the world. Starting from the spring of 2010, the company will begin shipping samples to automobile manufacturers in Japan and overseas.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have two running modes: an EV (electric vehicle) mode, in which the vehicle runs on a motor alone, and an HEV (hybrid electric vehicle) mode, in which the vehicle is driven by both the engine and the motor. PHEVs offer dramatically improved gas mileage and reduced exhaust emissions, and so are considered a strong contender among environment-friendly vehicles of the future. The newly developed lithium-ion batteries offer the high performance and reliability required for use in PHEVs, achieving both high energy (durability; contribute to gaining cruising distance) and high output (instantaneous force) performance. In the future, Hitachi will make preparations for the shift to volume production, incorporating the expertise that it has accumulated over many years through its Monozukuri technologies and its experience in global markets.

The newly developed lithium-ion batteries offer the following unique features:
First, they have an electric capacity of 25Ah, so can run for about 20 km in EV mode, using the motor alone. This represents 4-5 times the capacity of the lithium-ion batteries for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) that Hitachi has been developing up to now.
Third, the batteries incorporate a heat-resistant separator that prevents internal short-circuits and dramatically improves safety. The separator is a key component of lithium-ion batteries that separates the cathode and the anode, and at the same time maintains ionic conductivity. Because the electric capacity of PHEV batteries is considerably higher than that of HEV batteries, consideration for safety becomes even more important. The heat-resistant separator adopted in these new batteries was specially designed and developed for automotive applications, based on ceramic separator technologies.

To accommodate larger battery sizes, a variety of simulation technologies, including structural analysis and vibration analysis, have been utilized to increase battery strength and enhance the collector structure. In collaboration with Hitachi Research Laboratory and the Mechanical Engineering Research Laboratory, Hitachi has achieved a battery structure with an even higher level of reliability than previous units.

In 2000, the Hitachi Group became the first in the world to begin volume production of safe, high-performance, long-lasting automotive lithium-ion batteries. Since then, it has brought a cumulative total of 900,000 cells to the market, mainly for commercial hybrid buses and trucks, as well as for railway cars and other applications. The lithium-ion batteries being released today will serve to further expand the range of applications, not only in automobiles, but also in the Social Innovation Business, which is a core area of business for the Hitachi Group; for example, in railways, construction and industrial equipment, power storage devices, and other industrial fields. To achieve this goal, Hitachi will provide customers with optimum solutions in the form of battery systems that also incorporate control devices.

Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. (President and CEO: Kunihiko Ohnuma) will undertake sales of these automotive lithium-ion batteries. Hitachi will also display lithium-ion batteries for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles at the 1st International Rechargeable Battery Expo, which will be held at Tokyo Big Sight from March 3-5, 2010.

These development activities used some of the results of research contracted by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). Hitachi has been participating in a national project related to large-scale lithium-ion batteries being promoted by NEDO and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry since 1992, and will continue its efforts to incorporate the results of such contracted research into practical applications as quickly as possible.”

Source: Hitachi Press Release

It was only a year ago that Ford’s selling price was a measly $1/share. Naturally this was due to lack of consumer confidence in the entire automotive system that had clearly been failing for at least a decade. Foreign imports were taking away the motor market from the Big 3, imports particularly from the nation of Japan. These cars were popular, built with higher quality, thus lasting longer. In addition, they had better gas mileage than their American counterparts. Yet there is now another shift in the automotive marketplace, towards cars that utilize green energy; a concept that Ford has begun to take to the next level.

Enter the Ford Escape Hybrid, touted by Ford to be the most efficient SUV on the planet. It gets an average of 34 city/31 highway miles per gallon (mpg), and uses no gas when the vehicle is stopped or driving slowly. In addition, the Escape Hybrid uses an innovative braking system to recharge the battery that powers the car while stopped or moving slowly. The heat caused by applying the brakes is captured, and transformed into energy, thus recharging the battery which is stored in the back of the car.
With optional 4WD, the question remains, does the Escape Hybrid live up to the designation of SUV? Sport Utility Vehicle denotes the ability to “escape” from the everyday grind and journey to places where there are no paved roads. The Escape Hybrid allows the driver 8.3 inches of wiggle room under the chassis for that very purpose. While you may not end up driving the Escape Hybrid over boulders or through rivers, it does possess the ground clearance to spice up an excursion to the countryside.

With an improved lineup and semi-restored faith in the U.S. automotive industry, Fords price per share has increased to $8.

With consumers largely avoiding electric cars due to their shortcomings (range, charging infrastructure) the United States Postal Service is already undertaking the electrification of their current Long Life Vehicle (LLV) model to contribute to the green movement.

AM General and Smith Electric Vehicles (SEV) will be teaming up to complete this project in converting all 178,000 LLVs currently in use. AM General will be responsible for designing and constructing the chassis, or the “engine” of a traditional car, while SEV will build the electric powertrain.

In August, SEV US Corp, a subset of Tansfield Group PLC, won a $10 million grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) in order to build a small fleet of electric trucks for demonstration. In order to fulfill its responsibilities to both the DOE and USPS SEV US Corp has mutually agreed with Ford to terminate their current contract.

In a statement to the public Darren Kell, CEO of Tansfield, stated, The goal is to deliver an electric vehicle that is perfect for the United States Postal Service; a vehicle that is energy efficient, cost-effective, reduces US reliance on oil and lowers greenhouse gas emissions.”

So whether or not an electric vehicle is a part of your future financial plans, plan on having them pay you a visit in the future. Currently there are is no target date for the full electrification of the LLV fleet, but rest assured that your mail will be delivered to you greener than ever.

Recently, an electric motorcycle start-up based in San Francisco, said that its prototype vehicle had set a world speed record for battery-powered bikes of 150.059 miles an hour at the Bonneville Speedway in Utah.