Nissan develops 10 minute charger for Leaf Electric Car

As everyone knows, the biggest hassle with electric cars is the inordinately long time needed for charging their batteries.  Imagine what a big problem it would be if you suddenly have to rush to the hospital and your car battery is on a low charge.

Currently, it takes around eight long hours to fully charge an EV’s battery. But now we have some good news from Nissan. The automaker says that in collaboration with Japan’s Kansai University, it has developed the necessary technology for charging the batteries that power electric vehicles such as the Mitsubishi iMiEV and Nissan Leaf in just ten minutes.  That too, the charging can be completed without there being any adverse effect on the voltage or the battery storage capacity.  This latest development could make a huge difference to the way electric cars are viewed by people and enhance their acceptance.  Nissan and Kansai University announced that they had been working on creating this new technology for quite some time now.

It was high time something like a ten-minute charger was developed for EVs.  Last year, Pike Research had warned that car makers could face repulsion from consumers because of the extraordinarily long time it takes to recharge an electric car.  The research company said that some consumers would probably feel they have paid too much for their charging equipment and their EV.

The technology breakthrough involves a change in the electrode material used.  The carbon electrode used inside the capacitor is replaced by one made from vanadium oxide and tungsten oxide for boosting power.  Nissan said the new charger model is almost half the size of earlier models of chargers and that this new one would be able to charge electric vehicles manufactured by different auto companies.  Also, the ten-minute charger uses a new compact charge station with less than half the price of the earlier quick charger.  However, with the price still being around US $13,000, it is currently more suited for use in institutions, parking lots, gas stations, and similar places.

Considering that advanced materials and processes are used in the revolutionary new charger, it is obvious that it won’t be readily available in the market so soon.  Secondly, at present there are not enough electric vehicles on the road to speed up the availability, or make this a priority. Nonetheless, Nissan will be continuing with the theoretical work so that by the time there is a larger demand for the quick charger they will have the product ready.

When will Nissan’s 10 minute Electric Car Charger be available?

Unfortunately, according to experts and reliable sources, it would take at least a decade for Nissan to be in a position to commercialize this technology.  But once it is introduced in the market, the electric car industry will certainly take off in a big way.

So we will have to be patient. The good thing is that though it may take some time before charging an electric vehicle becomes as fast and easy as refueling a car at a pump, the day will surely come when this will be possible.

Following the earthquake and tsunami that had struck Japan on 11 March last year, carmakers in Japan and other parts of the world thought they would have to cope with parts shortages till at least the end of this year. Their fears were justified for many of Japan’s major component manufacturers were based in the heavily devastated north-east regions of the country and were destroyed. But carmakers had underestimated the determination of the people and auto companies of Japan.

Barely six months after the disaster, Japan’s leading automotive groups were exhibiting their latest car models at the motor show at Frankfurt as if nothing catastrophic had happened in Japan.

Didier Leroy, chief executive of Toyota Motor Europe has declared that his company’s
European operations as well as manufacturing activities in Japan had returned to normal levels in June. Nissan and Honda too have made quick recoveries. David Hodgetts, UK managing director of Honda says his factory at Swindon in the UK is once again “up and running”, adding that their four or five day work shifts will soon move on to six days a week.

With the Fukushima nuclear power plant being destroyed, Japanese carmakers also had to come up with ways to contend with severe electricity shortages. For instance, Toyota moved its weekend holidays to Thursday and Friday in the months of July, August and September, so that its factories could continue with manufacturing activities on Saturdays and Sundays when there was less demand for power. Since they were not using their full production capacity in their facilities outside Japan, Toyota also shifted some of the production to its factories in other countries.

This year, Toyota expects to make and sell more cars than last year. Toyota’s Mr. Leroy said his company had sold 808,000 cars in Europe last year. But this year, in spite of the disaster and difficult economical conditions, Toyota expects to sell around 830,000 units. Andy Palmer, executive vice-president, Nissan Motor Company declared that Nissan expects production to increase from 4.2 million last year to around 4.6 million this year, despite the earthquake. Mr. Palmer said that though his company normally competed with its competitors Toyota and Honda, in times of crisis, they all cooperated with each other so that their component suppliers recovered as quickly as possible.

In the US and Canada too, Toyota has made a complete recovery and will soon achieve 100 % production of its Tacoma, RAV4, Tundra, and Lexus RX 350 models. Production of eight other auto models sold in the United States, such as Avalon, Corolla, Camry, Matrix, Sienna, Highlander, Venza, and Sequoia is also on in full swing. Earnings of American auto workers are on the rise as Toyota escalates assembly and production of its vehicles.

Besides, Toyota also recently announced that its plant at Huntsville began production of 4-cylinder engines last month for the Highlander, Camry, RAV4, Sienna, and Venza, and. that production of the Corolla will begin as scheduled this month in Mississippi at Toyota’s 14th North American plant where it is still hiring workers.

Toyota unveils new car models at Frankfurt Motor Show 2011

The Frankfurt motor show 2011 truly belonged to Toyota, with Toyota introducing one car model after another.  The motor show clearly belonged to the Prius cars as their hybrid models stole the show.  The new model of Avensis was also introduced.  The new model of Prius 2012 displayed some remarkable features.  It looked as if the new Prius model has definitely received a facelift.

A few minor, yet classic changes were clearly visible in the interior and exterior of the new Prius model.  The front bumper adorned a new changed look and the lower grille has been enlarged.  The headlamps look majestic sporting clear and new lens.  The configuration of lamps is based on the updated and new LED technology.  In order to facilitate daytime visibility, the bumper has also been fitted with daytime lamps.  The mirrors on the door have a power folding facility and the elegant taillight have undergone a huge transformation.  The wheels of the new hybrid models are made up of fresh alloy.

New Toyota Prius Models at Frankfurt Motor Show 2011

The new Prius model now displays a dazzling interior with an attractive color combined with other great facilities.  The interior of the car now sports a new rich black color compared to the dark grey in previous models.  The interior of the car is also adorned with attractive upholsteries and graceful silver inserts.  The color of the button which is used to start the car has also been changed to blue.  The design of the center console has also been greatly revised.  There is a marked change in the information display which now will project information in a three dimensional way.

At the Frankfurt show, the Prius Plug in Hybrid and Prius V were also displayed by Toyota.  The Plug in Hybrid model is accompanied with state of the art features and one of the best hybrid models based on Synergy Drive phenomenon.  Read more »

Honda to target small car market in Japan and worldwide

Takanobu Ito, Chief Executive Honda Motor Co. Ltd.  recently announced Honda’s plans to increase the proportion of its very small cars, called kei cars, in the company’s total output from 25% to 40% within the next five years.  Honda also wants to leverage its expertise in building small cars in Japan to build similar light cars in European countries and emerging markets.

Honda believes that the small car business would guarantee Honda’s future growth.  That is, the company would be able to maintain its business in Japan, while at the same time ensure its future success in the global market too.  However, Honda will focus on developing its kei car business in Japan first, while also making efforts to boost sales of bigger car models such as the Civic and Jazz in overseas markets before moving on to its kei cars there maybe within 10 years.

At present, sales of small cars having small engines that are sized 660 cc or less and get special tax benefits in Japan, comprise a little below 40 % of Honda’s domestic market. The kei car owners are currently eligible for availing of different types of benefits such as discounts on insurance, car tax, and parking fees.  Honda expects to increase the sales of its kei cars to 45 % within the next 10 years.

As a direct consequence of regulatory pressures on manufacturers to build cleaner cars and the introduction of new tax incentives for inducing more consumers to buy them, very small cars, often referred to as the “A” segment, played a prominent role in this year’s Frankfurt auto show.  Germany’s Volkswagen had unveiled its very small city car, the Up! from which it has plans for building a new line of models.

Compared to VW’s small cars presented at the Frankfurt auto show, most of the kei cars on Japanese roads are much smaller. Honda would be studying how small cars are used in countries overseas. For instance, Honda might increase its kei cars’ length for foreign markets, for factors like the physical size of passengers differs from country to country.  Also, for European countries where people drive at high speeds on highways, Honda might need to modify the 660 cc size of small car engines.

If Honda masters the technology of developing kei cars in its home country Japan, then when it enters into the ‘A’ category market in Europe Read more »

Honda, Toyota offer big incentives to boost sales

The earthquake that struck Japan in March put the car industry in plenty of problems resulting in loss of production and low sales. After months of uncertainties and despair, the leading car makers of Japan are gearing up in a big way to account for all the losses incurred. Industry experts feel that a battle is on the cards between the best car makers of Japan in order to achieve maximum sales. Plenty of plans and strategies are being charted out to woo the consumers. The consumers are also not complaining as they have plenty to look forward to now. With the economy not doing well, the consumers had shied away from the showrooms.

Industry sources have revealed that plenty of incentives are going to be given by car makers, as the production of cars has also picked up. The buyers are in for a shopping feast as they would have a larger say in buying. Honda and Toyota are leading in offering incentives to customers. This also makes great sense as Honda and Toyota were the hardest hit and these two car makers had suffered huge production losses. The market share of Toyota in the United States has gone down by a good three percent.

The supply of inventories for manufacturing new cars is steadily increasing with Honda and Toyota gaining the most. Toyota is going all out to increase its car output for catering to the needs of domestic market. Toyota is also mobilizing its operations at its plants all over North America to increase the output of cars at these units. This is seen as a positive move as the majority of car dealers were left idle without any branded new cars. The North American car production of Honda is in full swing and back to its original full capacity. Honda has also increased its production of cars in Japan to 95% of its original capacity.

The year 2011 has been bad for both Honda and Toyota with both suffering huge losses. This can be attributed to lack of supply of spare parts and accessories required for manufacturing new cars. Honda witnessed car sales dip by as much as 28%. The car sales of Toyota went down by 23%. Other leading car makers of Japan also incurred significant losses with Subaru losing 9% of its car sales in the month of July.

At the same time, Korean and American car makers increased their market share by manufacturing new cars. General Motors increased its share by 8%, Chrysler increased its sales by a good 20% during the month of July and Ford also gained around 13%. The Korean and American car makers largely gained because sufficient Japanese cars were not hitting the market. The dealerships of Honda and Toyota are upbeat and optimistic.

In order to increase the consumer and dealer confidence, Toyota is planning to introduce the next model of Camry Sedan in the mid size range. The Camry Sedan has been Japans number one selling car for a record thirteen years out of the last 14 years. The good news is that prices were slashed by a good $2000 compared to the last model.

Not to be left behind, the car dealers are also offering huge incentives, primarily due to the confidence shown by Honda and Toyota. All the positive steps taken both by the dealers and leading car makers should definitely bring back the eager consumers back to the car showrooms. Definitely, this is a great time for the consumers to buy new cars with plenty of discounts and incentives being offered.

Honda to spend $355 million in Ohio plant upgrades

The massive and destructive earthquake that struck Japan has left the automobile industry in complete disarray.  The supply chain management system of leading auto makers has been completely thrown off gear.  Adding to their cup of woes, the exchange rate problems related to currency, has also affected leading car makers.  All leading car makers including Honda have been troubled by the turn of events due to the massive earthquake.

Honda is trying to recover its losses incurred in Japan by concentrating and investing more on its North American car plants.  This move has been hailed as positive and welcomed by the car industry in general.  Honda plans to invest a whopping $355 million to increase its manufacturing capacity at Ohio in the United States.

Honda’s car plants in North America

Honda plans to pump in a good $166 million in to its car plant at East liberty.  Honda has one more car plant at Marysville which would be receiving a good $64 million.  Honda is making a huge effort to reinforce their car operations in the United States as their cars were the first to hit the roads of United States.  The engineering facility of Honda at Raymond is also going to see improvements in its wind tunnel.  But Honda has not declared the exact cost of the improvements to be carried out at Raymond.

The factories of Honda at North America are undergoing a complete makeover, with Honda planning to optimize their production at all their factories across North America.  Honda faced a huge shortage of parts in March and this led to a 2.6 percent fall in the sales at United States in the month of July.  The market share of Honda fell to 9.3 percent which at one time was a good 10.6 percent.

The manufacturing units and engineering facilities of Honda are highly advanced with the use of latest state of the art technologies.  Honda opened its manufacturing units in United States much before the other giant car makers like Nissan and Toyota.  This definitely gives an edge to Honda over other car makers.  During the downturn, Honda also had to incur huge losses and its output across its car plants at Mexico, Canada and United States fell by 26 percent.  Even in terms of car units, Honda which produced 754,807 last year could only manufacture 559,981 car units. Read more »

New Toyota Prius models to offer AC outlets for Home Appliances

The devastating earthquake which shook Japan has also resulted in widespread power crisis.  The Japanese households are the worst hit as they are not able to run their household appliances for their daily needs.  Toyota which is known for introducing its cars with innovative features has hit upon a novel idea.  The following year, Toyota is planning to introduce the Prius hybrid electric car which comes with a 1,500 watt AC power outlet.  The power derived from this electric car is sufficient to run your household appliances for a good two days.

Toyota Prius – Power for your camping needs

The new Toyota Prius hybrid electric car will have an optional AC power point.  The batteries of the new hybrid electric car have enormous energy storage capacity.  The energy capacity of the batteries is so huge that it acts as a backup generator for your entire house.  Not only this, you can also derive power from the batteries when you are out on camping expeditions.  The power derived from the batteries of the new hybrid electric car is good enough to power a makeshift camp.  The batteries of the new Toyota Prius car model can deliver power up to 1500 watts and that too constantly.  If the gas tank is full, you will get unlimited supply of power for two days.

Toyota also conducted a demonstration wherein the Prius hatchback powered the household electric appliances like desk lamp, fan, hotpot and refrigerator.  This is definitely a great boon for Japanese households affected due to power crisis.  An onboard inverter has also been fitted to the Toyota Prius to change the current from DC in the batteries to AC.  This is because the household electric appliances run on AC current.

The huge energy storage capacity of the batteries of the new hybrid model is sufficient to power large appliances like microwaves and fridges.  Due to different regulations and voltage requirements, this new technology of Toyota Prius hybrid electric car model would be available only in Japan in the initial stages.  But all this has definitely caught the imagination of the individuals world over.

Toyota Prius – Source of Power in Emergencies

The Gulf coast is a great market for Toyota Prius hybrid electric cars as these places are constantly hit by hurricanes and it takes days for restoring power.  Using the car battery as backup for your entire house or using it to power your household appliances is a great way of running the household chores when there is power shortage.  In the next few years, Toyota has also decided to introduce this power backup option in its American cars.  Definitely, the proud car owners would feel overjoyed at this great development.

Japan car makers to start hiring again

The devastating earthquake and the ferocious tsunami have left the car manufacturing industry shattered with acute shortage of auto parts.  If this were not enough, the backlog of orders has also increased manifold.  In order to solve all the problems and in an attempt to reach the original production capacity, giant car maker Toyota along with all the car manufacturing companies has decided to hire contract workers.  This definitely sounds reasonable as this would help the companies to reach their original production levels.

You would be amazed to know that Toyota is planning to hire a good four thousand workers at all its factories across Japan.  The company first aims to achieve its domestic target by the beginning of October.  Toyota has decided to start hiring the contract workers from the middle of July.  The hired workers would be working across all the factories throughout Japan. After almost a good one and a half years, Toyota will be again recruiting workers.  Toyota is mainly hiring these workers to work at the vehicle assembly section and the part manufacturing section.

Japanese car makers to hire contract workers to up production

Honda too is planning in a big way to recruit contract workers.  The basic idea is to recruit about one thousand workers and this definitely would help Honda to increase its output in the later part of the year.  Apart from this, Honda has also decided to renew the contracts of the present workers.  By July end, Nissan has also decided to increase its count of contract workers by two hundred across its five plants in Japan.

Although the giant automakers and all other Japanese car makers have decided to hire contract workers, the Japanese auto industry is cautious and uncertain.  Read more »