Bs Reporter / New Delhi September 5, 2008, 0:40 IST

Germany

It will use lithium ion batteries
Battery charging stations needed

SHAH ALAM: A Dutch company announced plans on Tuesday to produce affordable electric cars by the end of 2009, promising that they would be much more powerful than existing models and have zero emissions.

Detroit Electric is in negotiations with Malaysia

CHENNAI: Visitors to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, can now enjoy travelling in a battery-operated electric vehicle.

The zoo authorities have purchased five such new vehicles from a private company. Each vehicle costs about Rs 5.5 lakh and can accommodate nearly 12 persons including the driver, said the zoo authorities. At present the zoo has about four road rails and four battery-operated vans. While the road rails were used for going around the zoo, the vans were used mainly for lion safari visits.

AIMING to expand its fleet of environment-friendly vehicles, homegrown utility vehicle major Mahindra & Mahindra plans to introduce an array of alternative fuel variants including CNG and hybrid versions of its flagship SUV Scorpio, besides plans to introduce electric vehicles.

Senator John McCain hopes to solve the country's energy crisis with cold hard cash. The Republican presidential nominee-inwaiting thinks the government should offer a $300 million prize to the person who can develop an automobile battery that leapfrogs existing technology. The prize would equate to $1 for every man, woman and child in the country. In a speech at Fresno State University in California, McCain will also propose stiffer fines for automakers who skirt existing fuel-efficiency standards. AP

Revving up the race for manufacturing hybrid vehicles on a mass scale that could reduce dependency on depleting oil resources and also address environmental concerns, Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that it plans to begin manufacturing lithium-ion batteries by next year for a plugin hybrid vehicle to be launched in 2010. This was announced at a Toyota environmental forum that was kicked off by an address, delivered on video, by R K Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Amara Raja Batteries announced its entry into the two-wheeler battery segment on Monday with the launch of Amaron Pro Bike Rider two-wheeler batteries, powered by VRLA (valve regulated lead acid) technology from Johnson Controls of the U.S., customised by Amara Raja's R&D for the Indian markets. Amaron brand ambassadors Narain Kartikeyan, Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel were present on the occasion.

DETROIT: Nissan Motor plans to sell an electric car in the United States and Japan by 2010, raising the stakes in the race to develop environmentally friendly vehicles. The commitment is the first by a major automaker to bring a zero-emission vehicle to the U.S. market. Nissan also expects to sell a lineup of electric vehicles globally by 2012.

German carmaker Volkswagen and Japan's Sanyo Electric Co will jointly develop a lithium-ion bat tery to be used in hybrid and electric cars, the Nikkei Financial Daily reported on Sunday. Volkswagen will aim to start importing and using the battery in its hybrid and electric cars by 2012, the Nikkei said. Sanyo makes nickel-hydrogen batteries that can be recharged repeatedly and Volkswagen and subsidiary Audi AG in the Volkswagen Group's first hybrid model to be rolled out as early as next year will use the batteries.