the Renault/Nissan-backed electric car scheme, Better Place, led by environmentally-conscious entrepreneur Shai Agassi, has expressed interested in investing in electric cars in Denmark. Better Place has commissioned market research company Ipsos to find out about the interest in electric cars in five countries – USA, Canada, Australia, Israel and Denmark. Each of these countries are involved in Better Place's roll-out plans. The results indicate that Danes are quite interested in electric cars. The percentage of Danes interested in choosing an electric car as their next car is 40%. This is below the percentage recorded for Israel (57%), but above that in the US (30%). Interestingly, the figure went up to 70% when Ipsos asked people if they would be interested in test driving an electric car. It is not clear how much money people are expecting to pay for an electric car, however. In addition, the survey showed that 57% of Danes are worried about climate change and air pollution. 79% prefer that Denmark takes a leading position in the development of renewable energy.

The  government of the Netherlands has earmarked 65 million euros to help make the Netherlands the international testing ground for electric cars. It has also drawn up a plan to speed up the introduction of electric cars onto the market. By 2010, the price of electric cars is to be far more competitive. And the first steps must have been taken towards a standard battery charging system. The government believes that the Netherlands is ideal for electric cars. Distances are short, roads are flat and the electricity network is good. What is more, many of the leading suppliers of parts for electric cars are Dutch companies. The government wants to make use of this advantageous starting position. Some of the measures from the government plan are: (1) Companies that buy electric cars will receive an average of 8,000 euros in support, (2) Companies investing in battery charging points will be eligible for tax breaks, (3) Electric cars will be exempted from both car and motorcycle tax and road tax and (4) Wherever possible, the government will buy electric cars for its own fleet. The Formula E team, made up of people from the knowledge industry, the market and civil society organisations, will look at the challenges, opportunities and dilemmas presented by electric cars.

Source: Dutch government

This Tuesday. General Motors announced it is planning to mass-produce the Chevrolet Volt, an electric vehicle that will get fuel economy of 230 miles per gallon in city driving. This is so much more efficient than any car on the road today, that it even makes the Prius look inefficient. The Chevrolet Volt will become the first mass-produced vehicle that will have an MPG rating exceeding 100, and many industry analysts agreed that the car is a generation ahead of the plug-in hybrids that are being considered and developed by a number of GM's competitors. "The GM vehicle is the best one in the country based on what we've seen," according to Don Hillebrand, who is the director of transportation research at the Energy Department's Argonne National Laboratory. This lab is specializing in technology for for plug-in vehicles. "But it's hard to tell -- other companies could be keeping theirs secret." GM's announcement is all the more striking since the company has not been known for being a "green" manufacturer. Apparently it wants to change that image. GM has already launched an advertising campaign which is centered around a logo that forms a "230" using a 2, a 3 and a round electrical outlet. The company hopes that the Volt will become the symbol of a "new" company, with a new strategy, after all the recent bailout problems.

Although the claim of 230 miles per gallon is based on a proposed federal methodology for measuring the efficiency of plug-ins, it does not mean that drivers can continuously get this extremely high mileage. This depends on the distance the car is driven. The first 40 miles in a fully charged Volt is largely powered by the battery and over this distance the car will actually get triple-digit gas mileage. If you would drive your Volt for 30 miles each day on easy roads and recharge the car every night, almost no gasoline would be required. But when this range is exceeded the car will be less efficient, or it would need to be recharged.

Source: Washington Post

Irish energy Minister Eamon Ryan announced a major move in the electrification Irish motoring. In a hugely significant and new collaboration between Government, between the semi-state electricity supplier ESB and between car manufacturer Renault-Nissan, these electric vehicles will be on Irish roads within 2 years. "This historic agreement", said Minister Ryan "is proof of Government's firm intention to act on the electrification of transport. Some months ago, I announced the Government electric vehicles target of 10% by 2020. The new Memorandum of Understanding will help us not only realise, but surpass this target. We are well on our way and our streets will see the change very shortly".

The Memoranda of Understanding (signed by Minister Ryan on behalf of the Government) and by Padraig McManus (for ESB) will create favourable conditions for the distribution of electric vehicles to the Irish market by Renault-Nissan. "In November, we sent a call to the market that Ireland was ‘open for business' with electric cars. Our call has been answered by Renault-Nissan and I'd like to welcome them to the Irish market with this new product. Today we sign, what I hope will be the first of many agreements with interested companies".

The government is to offer people between £2,000 and £5,000 to help buy an electric car. The funding is part of the government's strategy to reduce the UK's CO2 emissions. From 2011, anyone buying an electric or plug in hybrid car will be able to receive help worth between £2,000 and £5,000, depending on the cost of the vehicle they are looking to buy. To be eligible for the hand-out cars would need to meet modern safety standards and have a large enough range and top speed to make them popular. Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said: ""Cutting road transport CO2 emissions is a key element to tackling climate change. Less than 0.1 per cent of the UK's 26 million cars are electric, so there is a huge untapped potential to reduce emissions."

"The scale of incentives we're announcing today will mean that an electric car is a real option for motorists as well as helping to make the UK a world leader in low carbon transport." The government has also provided £20 million to pay for more charging points and related infrastructure to help develop a network of 'electric car cities' throughout the UK.

Source: UK Government