Believe it or not, the electric car has been around since the 1800s.
The first electric taxi in America took to the streets of New York in 1897.
It wasn't until Henry Ford spawned the mass produced gas guzzler in 1908 that transportation as we know it today was born.
But with gas prices on the rise and growing environmental concerns, most car companies are revisiting the electric vehicle (EV), working towards creating clean, cost effective solutions.
You've probably read our posts over the past few months about the Tesla Motors all-electric Roadster, the Tesla/Toyota partnership to make the Model S and the Chevy Volt...
Now we bring you news from Japan and Better Place, the leading electric vehicle services provider accelerating the global transition to sustainable transportation.
In April, Better Place launched a pilot program operating three switchable-battery electric taxis in Tokyo, in partnership with the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Nihon Kotsy, Tokyo's largest taxi operator.
Better Place converted gas-powered Nissan crossover utility vehicles into electric taxis with switchable batteries. (The batteries are lithium-ion from A123Systems.)
Lithium-ion batteries have high abuse tolerance, low heat evolution, and more than 95% of battery materials can be recovered and reused.
When a battery is running low, the taxi need only pull into a battery switch station, where their power source is replaced with a fully charged battery in a few minutes.
According to Science Daily, a team of Empa scientists have assessed the life cycle of lithium-ion batteries:
The investigation shows that if the power used to charge the battery is not derived from purely hydroelectric sources, then it is primarily the operation of the electric car, which has an environmental impact, exactly as is the case with conventionally fueled automobiles.
Okay, so they're more environment friendly than fuel-reliant cars, but I know what you're thinking...
What about the length of battery life?
In a medium-sized sedan, a 24 kWh battery has a range of about 160 Kilometers (100 miles) on a single charge. The trial, originally only 90 days, is now being extended until the end of the year.
According to Better Place, by extending the trial they will be able to further evaluate and optimize the design and integration of the components of the system including the battery switch station (BSS), the EV taxis, battery performance and charging — not to mention driver behavior and consumer acceptance.
Why taxis in Tokyo, you ask?
Not only do taxis provide a constant real-world application, they also account for approximately 20 percent of passenger vehicle carbon dioxide emissions due to the long distances they travel each day.
Tokyo has approximately 60,000 taxis. That's more than the cities of New York, Paris, and Hong Kong. So it's easy to see why success with this trial could lead to integration in other urban centers.
Better Place contends that battery switch is the only feasible option — from the perspective of cost, flexibility (with the ability to manage charge time to less than 5 minutes), and technology-that will work in the near-term while offering a convenient, effective charging solution.
Only time — and the trail phase — will tell if Better Place's initiative will catch on...
For now, if you find yourself in Tokyo, you can sign up for an EV taxi at the Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills.
Until next time,
Angela Guss
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