Assembly - February 2009 - (Page 33) Some day soon, many drivers will plug their vehicles into household outlets for charging. Photo courtesy Ford Motor Co. The holy grail of green car technology is lithium-ion battery production. Photo courtesy General Motors Corp. battery pack assembly facility in the U.S. operated by a major automaker. The plant, which will be located in Michigan, will ramp up production in 2010 using cells supplied by LG Chem Ltd. (Seoul, South Korea) and its local subsidiary, Compact Power Inc. (Troy, MI). At the recent Detroit show, several other automakers generated publicity by unveiling green cars: Chrysler LLC (Auburn Hills, MI) announced that it is developing a broad portfolio of electric vehicles, with the first models ready to go by next year. Chrysler’s completely electric ENVI powertrain will power five distinct platforms of vehicles, including a sedan, a sportscar, an SUV and a minivan. Fisker Automotive Inc. (Irvine, CA) unveiled the Karma, its first production car. The start-up company plans to use parts supplied by GM, such as the 4-cylinder gasoline engine that will be used when a driver exceeds the 50-mile electric-only range. The Karma will be assembled by Valmet Automotive Inc. (Uusikaupunki, Finland), a contract manufacturer than has built more than 1 million vehicles for customers such as Porsche and Saab. Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, MI) outlined an ambitious green vision. It is partnering with Magna International Inc. (Aurora, ON) to develop a new line of battery-powered vehicles that will be ready by 2012. Magna will provide key components, such as electric motors, transmissions, motor controllers, energy storage systems and battery chargers. Honda Motor Co. (Tokyo) unveiled a five-passenger version of its Insight hybrid. Toyota Motor Corp. (Nagoya, Japan) displayed the third generation of its popular Prius, and the FT-EV, a small battery-electric vehicle it plans to produce by 2012. Green Is Here to Stay In addition to hybrid electric vehicles, automakers are experimenting with other alternative propulsion technologies, such as electric- and fuel cellpowered vehicles. For instance, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (Tokyo) will begin selling its all-electric i MiEV later this year in Japan, while Nissan Motor Co. (Tokyo) recently unveiled a competitor called the Nuvu. Numerous startup companies located far from Detroit, such as Porteon Electric Vehicles Inc. (Portland, OR) and Tesla Motors Inc. (San Carlos, CA), are also developing a wide variety of electric vehicles. But, the recession and the credit crunch will limit the ability of any startup automaker to succeed in the short term, says Michael Omotoso, senior alternative powertrain analyst at J.D. Power and Associates (Westlake Village, CA). “The auto industry is tough—just ask the Big Three,” he points out. “Even Tesla is now struggling trying to find backing for a second model. But, long term, the right company with the right product and the right business plan can succeed in the auto industry.” Traditional automakers such as Daimler, GM and Honda are betting on a hydrogen-powered future by pouring billions of dollars into fuel cell R&D efforts. Honda hopes to establish a leadership role in the technology, like Toyota did with the Prius hybrid a decade ago, by being the first Batteries and electronic components are essential to green cars, such as the much-anticipated Chevy Volt. Illustration courtesy General Motors Corp. www.assemblymag.com February 2009 / ASSE M B LY 33 http://www.assemblymag.com
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