Money from the sunshine

February 15, 2015February 15, 2015 Tom DentonLeave a comment

Not very scientific yet (I will produce accurate figures over the year) but since fitting solar panels to my house 4 weeks ago, I have generated about 100 kWh. Again, I will be more accurate later, but I estimate I have used about half of this in the house and sold half of it back to the grid.

I get something like 4p a unit when I sell, so a mere £2 wil be my earnings for the month (4p x 50kWh) – or about £24 per year! However, I saved something like £7 (14p x 50 kWh) – or about £84 per year. A grand total of £108!

This is about the same as I would have got as interest on the cost of the panels – so near enough break even… But of course all this is in the middle of winter, roll on the summer sunshine!

Toyota Motor Europe wants its batteries back

February 6, 2015 Tom DentonLeave a comment

With 91% of its hybrid batteries being successfully collected through its own retail network, Toyota Motor Europe (TME) is now extending collection to independent end-of-life vehicle (ELV) treatment operators
TME aims to collect 100% of Toyota and Lexus customers’ used hybrid batteries, both through its own network and any authorised ELV operator across Europe
As part of its plans to realise this ambitious objective, TME has extended until March 31, 2018 the current battery recycling agreements with France-based Société Nouvelle d’Affinage des Métaux (SNAM) and Belgium-based Umicore N.V., responsible for the European-wide take back and sustainable recycling of nickel-metal hydride (NiMh) and Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in Europe, respectively

Brussels, Belgium – Hybrid batteries can generally outlast the vehicle life. These are therefore usually only recovered at the end of the vehicle life or in case of an accident. TME has built up years of experience running an internal collection process with Toyota and Lexus retailers/repairers through a reverse logistics mechanism. Toyota and Lexus dealers receive a new hybrid battery in return for giving back the old one, leading to an average 91% collection rate.

Now TME is stepping up efforts to drastically increase the volumes of collected used hybrid batteries. It set itself the challenging target of aiming to collect 100% of the batteries, coming from both its own network and from any authorised ELV treatment operators across the whole of Europe.

That is why the company announces today the extension, until March 31, 2018, of the current battery recycling agreements:

Since 1 July 2011 France-based Société Nouvelle d’Affinage des Métaux (SNAM) has been taking back and recycling nickel-metal hydride (NiMh) batteries in Europe (installed in the Prius, Auris Hybrid, Auris Hybrid Touring Sports, Yaris Hybrid and all Lexus hybrids)
Since 20 August 2012 Belgium-based Umicore N.V. has been taking back and recycling Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in Europe (installed in Toyota’s Prius+ and Prius Plug-in)

Steve Hope, General Manager TME Environment Affairs, says “When our customers buy a hybrid, they already know that they are in for outstanding fuel efficiency, a stress free driving experience and a reliable car.” He continues “This is yet another reason for a hybrid purchase. We ensure customers that their car excels in environmental performance during its entire lifecycle, giving customers another good reason to fall in love with hybrid.”

“Today used hybrid batteries are still mainly destined for recycling”, adds Steve Hope. “However, TME has started to research the different options for the remanufacturing of NiMh batteries.” Solutions include giving those batteries a second life as vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-stationary energy source.

Since 2000, around 850,000 Toyota and Lexus full hybrid vehicles have been sold in Europe. A cornerstone in Toyota’s environmental approach is the protection of natural resources, making sustainable recycling of high voltage batteries a key priority.

Source: http://newsroom.toyota.eu/newsrelease.do;jsessionid=09E2A087C7EC121831D7F2C96977DE07?&id=4209&allImage=1&teaser=toyota-motor-europe-wants-its-batteries-back

“Electric cars are good, but connected electric cars are better”

February 5, 2015 Tom DentonLeave a comment

Says Bosch CEO Denner at Car Symposium 2015

Dr. Volkmar Denner: “Electrification will take combustion engines to new heights”
Falling battery prices will halve costs by 2020
E-bike as model: Europe’s most successful electric vehicle is about enjoyment

Powertrain electrification is picking up pace. The currently low oil price will not change that fact. This was the message underlined by Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, at the Car Symposium in Bochum, Germany. Bosch expects roughly 15 percent of all new cars built worldwide to have at least a hybrid powertrain by 2025. For the Bosch CEO, advances in battery technology are the key to lower vehicle prices. Denner, whose responsibilities on the board of management include research and advance development, believes that by 2020 batteries will deliver twice as much energy density for half the present cost.

Electrification enhances the attractiveness of combustion engines
The EU has set strict fleet CO2 targets for 2021. For this reason alone, Bosch expects hybrid powertrains to become the standard for SUVs. This will give diesel and gasoline engines an extra boost. “Electrification will take combustion engines to new heights,” Denner said. With electric support, the combustion engines of the future will consume significantly less fuel and be even cleaner. And the additional torque from the electric motor will add to driving enjoyment. Moreover, falling battery prices will make hybrids considerably more affordable.

Denner used the example of China to show how important it is in a mass market for electric cars to be suitable for everyday use. There are already more than 120 million electric scooters on China’s roads. And in China, Bosch sells the electric wheel hub drive for such e-scooters. With a top speed of 40 kph, this popular form of transport is fast enough for the traffic conditions in megacities.

And their range of roughly 50 kilometers is sufficient for everyday journeys. “The reason these two-wheelers are such a success is that they are a perfect match for Chinese commuters’ needs,” Denner said. And because they are designed to meet these needs, many models are less expensive than two-wheelers with combustion engines. According to Denner, the task now is to make such tailor-made solutions possible for cars as well.

One app to recharge the battery, nationwide
The main factor helping to make electromobility convenient will be connecting vehicles with the internet of things. “Electric cars are good but connected electric cars are better,” Denner said. At the moment, recharging vehicles is complicated. But this is expected to become much more convenient. Bosch Software Innovations, the Bosch Group’s software and systems unit, has developed an app that makes it significantly easier to reserve the charge spots of different providers and pay for the electricity. Up to now, doing this would have required a different customer card for each provider. Now all drivers need is a smartphone, the app, and a PayPal account to recharge anywhere in Germany. Bosch also complements this with a software platform that links 80 percent of all charge spots in Germany. As this example shows, Bosch no longer sees itself solely as a supplier of automotive components. The company is now combining its expertise in all three mobility domains – automation, electrification, and connectivity – and will in the future be offering its customers integrated mobility solutions.

However, rational arguments alone are not enough to win drivers over to electric powertrains. In Bosch’s view, emotion and fun play a decisive role. The example of e-bike drives illustrates this. Bosch’s “electric tailwind” makes riding a bike a joy – for serious athletes as well as recreational cyclists. Bosch is now the European market leader in this area, and its e-bike drives feature in more than 50 bike brands. “The e-bike is the most successful electric vehicle in the EU,” Denner said, adding that customers pay considerably more on average for e-bikes than they do for classic ones. “For more than 100 years, riding a bike was a mechanical process. No one saw any reason to change it. Then along came the e-bike, and completely redefined a market everyone thought would never change,” Denner said. The same could be true for the auto industry, he added. The Bosch CEO stressed that the supplier of technology and services will be using its comprehensive systems and connectivity know-how to take electromobility a decisive step forward.

(Source: Bosch Media)