GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

Th!nk is the Norweigian carmaker that is building a small electric city car, which will be running on lithium-ion cells made by U.S. battery maker EnerDel.

The Th!nk City, as its known, is an electric minicar, the first of which rolled off the production line in November 2007, and is expected to begin selling in Europe later this year. That car is capable of 180km range and a top speed of 100km/h.

Last week, Th!nk chairman Jan-Olaf Willums made the surprise statement that company is about to unveil its next-generation electric car, a five-seat sedan. Further was the tantalizing fact that it will be designed and engineered in collaboration with a major global automaker.

Other sites have theorized that the as yet unnamed partner could be Ford or GM, but we’ll have to wait until next week to find out.

Source (Greentech Media)

Luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz announced yesterday that they are ready to go ahead with lithium-ion batteries for full scale production in 2009. This demonstrates that lithium-ion batteries are safe and ready for major automotive use, and can be built for the scale needed.

Mercedes has introduced the S400 BlueHybrid, which will be a parallel gas-electric (non-plug-in) hybrid that will go on sale in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2009. The 299 hp V-6 will get 29.7 mpg. Next up will be the S300 BlueHybrid with a 221 hp twin-turbo 4 cylinder expected to get an impressive 43.6 mpg.

Mercedes reports this will be the “first patented integration of a lithium-ion battery into a series-produced passenger car” and tells us the battery is 1.9 kw/L.

They also say “the engineers’ success is above all a result of the Daimler-developed integration of the lithium-ion battery into the vehicle’s climate control system. This ensures that the battery always works at optimal system temperatures of between 15 and 35°C, which in turn makes it possible for the battery to provide long service life and maximum performance”

The AP has reported that the lithium-ion battery pack is being made by none other than Continental .  For those who aren’t keeping up, of course, Continental is one  partner of one of the Volts pack making teams.  Although not mentioned in the article, it wouldn’t surprise me if A123 might be making Mercedes cells.  If that turns out to be true, then this is the same dynamic duo making packs for the Volt, making its development that much more likely and giving Conti one-up over LG Chem/CPI.

I will say this development makes the Volt’s outlook a lot brighter.  Although pricing not announced, don’t expect the S400 for 35K.

Source (AP)