Month: June 2010

4.7 Million Electric Car Charge Points by 2015

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Pike Research forecasts 4.7 million charge points for electric cars will be installed worldwide from 2010 to 2015. Pike forecasts that by 2015, more than 3.1 million EVs, including plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles, will be sold worldwide. Pike Research’s indicates that competition from infrastructure providers will intensify by the end of 2011. Leading the first 20,000 U.S. charge point installations are AeroVironment, Better Place, Coulomb Technologies, and ECOtality. GE, Panasonic, Samsung, and Siemens are moving into the space with hardware and network services.

Mitsubishi i Electric Car 2012 U.S. Model

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Fortunately, the new 2012 Mitsubishi i for the USA will have the steering wheel on the standard left side, because I am struggling with this test drive of the 2010 iMiEV Japanese version. Steering from the right-hand side is not so bad, but every time I use the “turn signal lever” the windshield wipers start flying. Mitsubishi is now taking orders for the 2012 U.S. version of the popular Mitsubishi electric city car starting at $29,125, over $5,000 less than the 2012 Nissan LEAF.

Zipcar Files IPO with Car Sharing Forecasted for $6 Billion

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By 2016, car sharing will be a $6 billion annual business according to forecasts by Frost & Sullivan. Zipcar’s IPO filing shows its market leadership with 400,000 members. An IPO would enable faster growth, other acquisitions, and debt repayment. The firm plans to expand into 100 major metropolitan areas in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, from its current 13 markets. The SEC filing shows that organic growth was only moderate in 2009 and that the firm is not yet making profits.

5,000 Free Electric Car Charging Stations from California to New York

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Coulomb Technologies Smart-Charging for Ford Family of Electric Vehicles accelerates plug-in charging in nine U.S. cities. Ford is promoting smart charging as it now takes orders for the Ford Transit Connect, next year for the 2011 Ford Focus EV, and in 2012 the Ford Plug-in Hybrid. Ford is partnering with Coulomb Technologies to provide nearly 5,000 free wall-mounted charging stations for some of the automaker’s first electric car and electric delivery van customers.