A rare opportunity: electric vehicles with no rare earth materials

We all want to be able to drive without belching greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. And we want our cars to run cleanly too.

One of the largest drawbacks of many forms of modern emission-free power, though, is our need to mine rare earth elements to make components like batteries and magnets. These 17 metals aren’t “rare” in the sense that they’re uncommon (they’re actually very common in the Earth’s crust), but rather because they’re distributed unevenly around the world, and each site doesn’t necessarily contain much of the material. So in addition to the environmental impacts of mining these materials, there is a concern: China currently dominates the global marketplace for rare earth metals (producing a whopping 95 per cent) and has already demonstrated its willingness to cut rare earth exports.

So it’s no surprise that Japanese researchers, living in a country that already relies heavily on imported metals, have developed an EV (electric vehicle) motor that can operate without any rare earth metals. Developed at the Tokyo University of Science by Associate Professor Nobukazu Hoshi and his team, the EV uses a “Switched Reluctance Motor,” which uses the difference in magnetic resistance to create an electric charge. And with the economic and environmental drawbacks of rare earth metal use, it’s likely that more such vehicles will be produced in the coming years.

Making cars without the use of rare earth metals isn’t just an area of concern for vehicles, though. Last year, IBM also innovated a solar cell, 40 per cent more efficient than similar cells, that did not use rare earth materials.

Via PhysOrg.com

Video: Electric Car Driven by Rare Earth Metal-Free Motor

You Think Canadian Gasoline Prices Are High?

Well, actually they are compared to what we’re used to paying, but compared to the rest of the world our gasoline is a bargain. And the reason isn’t that gasoline by itself is so expensive, it’s the taxes other countries put on gasoline. In fact throughout Europe, gasoline prices including tax are more than double the prices excluding tax.

On May 2, prices for gasoline excluding taxes ranged from a low of $0.95 per litre in the U.S. to a high of $1.02 in Italy. Taxes in the U.S. and Canada were $0.10 per litre and $0.39 per litre respectively, while taxes in Europe ranges from $0.88 in the U.K. to $1.40 in the Netherlands.

Where Does Your Gasoline Dollar Go?

There are three major components to gasoline pricing: crude costs, marketing and refining margins and taxes. And they vary according to world demand for, and supply, of oil; North American demand for, and supply of, gasoline; and where you live in Canada.

In 2009, when Canadian Par crude oil averaged $65.19 per barrel, crude costs accounted for 43.7 per cent of the cost of gasoline, taxes accounted for 33.2 per cent and refining and marketing accounted for 23 per cent. As oil prices rose in 2010, crude costs accounted for 47.3 per cent of the cost of gasoline, taxes for 33 per cent and refining and marketing 19.7 per cent. Thus far in 2011, Canadian Par prices have averaged $95.40 per barrel, and crude costs have risen to 49 per cent of the cost of gasoline, taxes for 30.8 per cent and marketing and refining 20.2 per cent.

The reason taxes have fallen as a percentage is that most of the tax is a fixed amount per litre. For example, the federal excise tax in gasoline is a flat 10 cents per litre, no matter the total pump price. The same is true for some provincial taxes.

Most of the regional differences in price are due to taxes varying from province to province and at time from city to city. In Edmonton, as in all of Alberta, there is no provincial sales tax. In cities such as Montreal, Vancouver and Victoria, there are municipal taxes and in Vancouver, there is a carbon tax.

More Speculation on Gasoline Prices

You know gasoline prices must be getting out of hand when the federal government promises to “look into it”. But don’t hold your breath. The government has investigated collusion in gasoline pricing six times since 1990 and has found no evidence to support it.

But it’s not only that gasoline prices are high, it’s that over the past week prices have fluctuated as much as 4.5 cents over night. And to many people, that just doesn’t make sense.

We all understand that gasoline prices are heavily influenced by crude oil prices, as shown in the graph below. And we’ve all been told that oil prices are at near record levels because of political instability in the Middle East and North Africa.

 

We’ve also been told that recent flooding on the Mississippi River in Tennessee has caused refineries in that area to shut down, causing gasoline shortages.

But a closer examination of the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa reveals that the countries where the protests are occurring export about 1.9 million barrels of oil per day, or about 11 per cent of the region’s total, an amount that Saudi Arabia can more than accommodate merely by opening the taps a quarter of a turn.

And according to Reuters, there are concerns that refineries may have to shut down, but as of Thursday, May 12, none have done so.

One has to wonder what is really behind the price increases. And one has to really wonder hard about paying $1.32 per litre Monday and $1.36 per litre Tuesday when Tuesday’s gas was in the service station’s storage tank on Monday with Monday’s gas.

The government’s investigation will probably take several months. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of time for speculation.

Energy BOT Squad’s Newest Member

This week’s BOT knows a little something about the need for speed — FuelcellBOT can power up a vehicle using chemical electrolytes that produce electricity… for maximum driving power! And when that fuel’s hydrogen, there’s an added benefit — FuelcellBOT emits nothing but water. You don’t get much better than clean speed.

In Canada, though, FuelcellBOT’s mostly been riding transit, particularly the hydrogen-fuelled buses of British Columbia’s Hydrogen Highway. While hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been introduced by several major car companies, fuel cells are still mostly used as demonstration technologies, rather than being widely distributed.

Companies like those represented by the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, though, are trying to change that lack of market development. They note that as the materials needed to construct fuel cells improve, their cost will decrease to a more economical level.

And it’s not just vehicles that could use these fuel cells either. In fact, fuel cells are already being used largely as mobile and stationary power sources across the country, with generators like the Bloom Blox. The Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association even provides a guide entitled Permitting Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Installations in Canada (2.0 MB PDF) (though at 71 pages it’s hardly light reading).

So even if FuelcellBOT does feel the need for speed right now, she’s going to have plenty of opportunities in the future to burn as much rubber as she wants (even if fuel cells don’t actually burn any fuel anyway).

Survey Says

A recent survey by IBM’s Institute for Business Value asked 1,716 U.S. drivers what would motivate them to switch from using a gasoline, diesel or hybrid vehicle to an electric-only vehicle. They also asked 123 auto industry executives to rate the importance consumers place on each choice.

The results are summarized as follows:

	Drivers	Executives
Innovative pricing models or lower price overall	71%	81%
Extended reach or range of the vehicles	64%	63%
Convenience of usage or services	63%	60%
Availability of charging infrastructure	62%	65%
Significantly higher oil prices	51%	76%
Green image or sustainability concerns	48%	33%
Government incentives or regulations	41%	73%
Traffic congestion	26%	11%

Although it’s surprising that, for the most part, consumers and auto execs are on the same page, what’s more surprising is that fewer than half the drivers were motivated by greenness and sustainability.

Isn’t that the whole point of electric-only vehicles? No emissions? Cleaner air? Other than that, what is the attraction to vehicles that are more expensive than their conventional counterparts, have smaller ranges and need expensive home renovations to convert garages and carports into recharging stations?

For one thing, operating costs are lower because electric vehicles are mechanically simpler and electricity is cheaper and more efficient that gasoline, but op costs weren’t even mentioned in the survey results. Hopefully, all the respondents were motivated by environmental concerns, but only 48 per cent said so.

All Aboard!

If you have trust issues, this isn’t for you.

A group in Europe is collaborating on the development of  the SATRE project. The road train project uses technology to link up vehicles behind a truck that sets the pace for the group. Researchers are trying to answer the question “How close would you drive to the car in front of you when you are not in control?”

The first successful demonstration of the technology that controls and links the line of cars has been completed at the Volvo Proving Ground close to Gothenburg, Sweden. The ultimate goal of the project is to be able to implement this platooning or convoy approach to driving in order to improve both safety and fuel efficiency on Europe’s highways.

But really, do you really want to hurdle down the highway at 90 km per hour, hands free, reading the paper or enjoying your breakfast burrito as technology takes it’s turn at getting you safely to the office? Wait a minute, that might not be bad.

But just because we can, doesn’t always mean we should.

NGVs reduce GHGs

In the future, when you stop for gas, you may actually be stopping for gas, as in natural gas.

The Natural Gas Use in Transportation Roundtable, a group comprising representatives from the trucking, automotive and natural gas industries, environmental groups and federal and provincial governments, published its report Natural Gas Use in the Canadian Transportation Sector: Deployment Roadmap (4.2MB PDF) in December 2010.

The report touts natural gas as a clean, economic and abundant fuel for all vehicles, but particularly for medium and heavy trucks operating in return-to-base and corridor fleets.

In commending the report, the Canadian Gas Association, added that natural gas can reduce GHG emissions from heavy trucks by as much as 25 per cent, while saving up to 30 per cent in fuel costs. The CGA also pointed out that natural gas vehicles can run on renewable natural gas from landfills, digesters and wastewater treatment plants.

Currently, 99.4 per cent of the energy used in Canada’s transportation sector is sourced from refined crude oil products and only about 0.1 per cent is sourced from natural gas.

There are some barriers, however, such as vehicle conversion costs and limited infrastructure. But, with growing environmental concerns, with vehicle energy use forecast to increase 31 per cent between 2004 and 2020, and with the price of crude oil forecast to average $93 US per barrel in 2011, natural gas vehicles deserve a closer look.

Sure EVs are Small, But is the Market Big Enough for all of Them?

By early 2012, there will be at least eight electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers competing for market share in North America. The question is, is there a market?

Low speed and short range aren’t the issue. The 125 kilometre per hour average top speed of an electric car is about 75 kilometres per hour over the normal urban speed limit. And, according to Electric Mobility Canada, 90 per cent of Canadians have a round-trip commute of less than 60 kilometres, which is well within the 130 kilometre average range of an electric car. Further, according to Natural Resources Canada, 60 per cent of the distance travelled by Canadian cars is made up of trips of less than 25 kilometres.

The issue is, when Canadians purchase cars, we still think distance, not practicality. We think about trips to the cottage, to the campground, to hiking trails, bike paths and ski hills, even to other cities. We look at electric cars as being “second cars.” For city use.

Is there a demand? So long as we purchase vehicles based on less than 40 per cent of our driving, there won’t be.

MORE How to Sell an Electric Car

At the end of 2010, there were three electric cars (EVs) on the North American market – the Tesla Roadster, Chevy Volt and Nissan LEAF. The next year or so will see the entry of up to five more and, again, their names tell us something about the marketing strategies used to sell a product facing increasing competition.

Take the Fisker Karma. The name goes beyond green to spiritual. Drive this car in this life and you’ll be rewarded in the next life. Except the Karma, like the Volt, has an internal combustion engine as a back up. True, it never directly powers the vehicle, but it does burn gas. It’s speedy, stylish, powerful and costs about $87,000. Maybe not so pious after all.

Daimler-Benz continues to target the intelligent car buyer with its Smart Electric Drive. As the name suggests, it’s the all-electric version of the Smart Fortwo. But smart? Well, certainly not the head of the class. Less expensive cars have more power, more speed and longer ranges.

For the musician, there’s the Coda Sedan. Coda is defined as “the concluding passage of a musical piece”, and the Coda Sedan is touted as the end of the internal combustion engine. In its price group, it’s above average in range, speed and power, and it seats four. But it’s not the end; more of an interlude.

Obviously, the Think City is targeted at the thinking city driver. Above average in everything except power and price. On the road since 1999, the Think City has already enjoyed great popularity in Europe. The only dumb part is that it won’t be commercially available in North America until 2012.

Not sure who is being targeted by the Wheego LiFe. The initial image is piggies returning from market, but they’re doing so in one of the more cost-efficient EVs. And, according to the manufacturer, there’s plenty of room for groceries.

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