Danish electric vehicle (EV) leasing company ChoosEV and car park operator Q-Park have entered a national agreement on setting up EV charging stands in car parks across the country, reports the Danish Energy Association in its daily newsletter. Q-Park administrates over 40,000 parking places nationwide, and many of them are reserved by companies and commuters. The deal ensures ChoosEV that its customers have access to a nationwide network of charging stands. The agreement also matches well with Q-Park's desire to highlight its environmental strategy. Country Director for Q-Park, Alex Pedersen, commented: "We want to clearly communicate all our green initiatives to customers, and what can be more tangible than the fact that when you see a Q-Park sign, you know that you can also find environmentally sound charging stands for EVs?" Q-Park will install its first EV charging points in car parks in the Copenhagen area, before spreading out the facility to the rest of the country.

Source: Denmark.dk

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today approved new temporary experimental rates for plug-in electric vehicles for San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E) customers as part of the utility's Pricing and Technology Study. The Study will be performed by SDG&E, in collaboration with ECOtality, Inc. and Nissan. The experimental rate schedules will begin January 1, 2011, and will remain in effect until November 30, 2012 (or until the completion of the Study). ECOtality was the recipient of a U.S. Department of Energy stimulus grant to fund the deployment of electric vehicles and charging systems in five U.S. cities, including San Diego. "The Study will help the state better understand the impacts of different rate structures on how and when customers charge electric vehicles," said CPUC President Michael R. Peevey. "This information is critically important as we contemplate a future with widespread electric vehicle usage, given the additional electricity demand these vehicles create and the associated impacts on the grid. Studies like this can help facilitate a smooth transition as increasing numbers of electric vehicles enter the market."

Today, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for Nissan North America's advanced battery manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tennessee. This past January the Department closed a $1.4 billion loan with Nissan North America to retool the Smyrna factory to build advanced electric automobiles and an advanced battery manufacturing facility. "I'm excited about the future we have begun to build here today -- a future where America's workers have good jobs, making clean cars that will reduce our dependence on oil and help us transition to a clean energy economy," said Deputy Secretary Poneman.

Nissan plans to use the proceeds from the loan to produce its all-electric vehicle, the LEAF, at its existing Smyrna, Tennessee plant. Nissan will offer electric vehicles to fleet and retail customers, and plans to ramp up production capacity in Smyrna up to 150,000 vehicles annually. Nissan anticipates the project may result in an increase of up to 1,300 jobs when full production is reached. Retooling of the existing plant and construction of the battery plant will result in about 250 jobs.

Amidst continual buzz about innovative green vehicle technologies and the impending arrival of the first full-function all-electric vehicles in a decade, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy today released environmental ratings for model year 2010 vehicles. This is the thirteenth year ACEEE has published its rankings as part of ACEEE's Green Book® Online, the organization's environmental guide to cars and trucks, available at greenercars.org. Scrambling to recover from last year's sales slump and bankruptcies, manufacturers are introducing an array of new vehicles designed to meet the demands of fuel-conscious buyers and increasingly stringent fuel economy standards. "With the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf both scheduled to make appearances in the latter half of 2010, manufacturer interest in advanced technologies is even more intense, with a particular emphasis on electric vehicles," said ACEEE vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan. "But the eco-stars this year are once again hybrids and smaller, conventional vehicles. Gasoline vehicles are evolving fast, but manufacturers continue to devote much new efficiency technology to boosting power."

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