Recharge Wrap-up: Ohio State wins EcoCar 3 Year One, Renault video praises environmental benefits of EVs

Sat, Jun 6 2015

A new video from Renault touts the benefits of electric vehicles. The video covers how EVs can help improve the air we breathe and mitigate climate change. It looks into the future at how the air of various metropolitan areas would improve with the adoption of electric cars. It focuses on how EVs help reduce not just CO2 emissions that put the climate in jeopardy, but gases and particulate matter that directly affect the human health. A study in Rome shows that if 10 to 20 percent of the vehicles were electric, particulate pollutants that cause respiratory and heart diseases would decrease by 30 percent, with nitrogen dioxide decreasing 45 percent. "The solution already exists," the video says, "and it is quite accessible for most of us." See the video above, and read more in the press release below.

Ohio State University has won Year One of EcoCar 3. Winning the Year One trophy in the competition to create eco-friendly technology and incorporate it into a Chevrolet Camaro, the team defends its title from EcoCar 2 and wins $10,000 in prize money. "This year really lays the foundation vehicle development, which is critical step in the process for future success," says Ohio State University Engineering Manager M.J. Yatsko. "We have already begun vehicle dynamic analysis for next year and are excited to share some of our innovative features we plan to integrate into our vehicle." Teams receive their Camaros this fall, and will use the next years to install, test, and refine their technologies. Read more from the US Department of Energy.

Advanced Microgrid Solutions will use up to 500 megawatt-hours of Tesla batteries for grid-based energy storage. It will install the Tesla Powerpack systems for storage in commercial and industrial facilities to help balance the grid load. It offers greater reliability for the grid, and cost saving for customers. "Tesla's focus on performance and design makes them the stand out technology choice for our projects," Says Advanced Microgrid Solutions CEO Susan Kennedy. "AMS' projects require intelligent, powerful and scalable energy storage solutions. Tesla's technology gives us the edge we are looking for." Read more in the press release from AMS.

The National Electric Drag Racing Association has announced the Inaugural 2015 NEDRA Points Championship Series. It borrows rules from NHRA and IHRA, and seeks to put vehicle consistency and driver skill at the forefront. "Since 1997 NEDRA has been the record keeping and sanctioning organization for electric drag racing," NEDRA says on its Facebook page. "Now, going into our 18th year, we have crafted a platform on which anyone can successfully compete and win." The goal is to make electric drag racing accessible to all drivers, whether they're racing a Tesla Model S, Nissan Leaf, an electric motorcycle or some sort of EV conversion. Read more from NEDRA, and at Inside EVs.

[VIDEO] The electric car and its benefits for the environment

Groupe Renault is a pioneer in all-electric vehicles (EVs) and the only automaker with a range of four electric vehicles. In this promising market, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is the global leader.

Electric vehicles have a key role to play in improving air quality in cities, since they emit neither NOx nor fine particles during driving (1). According to a study conducted in Rome, if electric vehicles made up between 10% and 20% of the vehicles on city roads, this would cut the concentration of particles that cause respiratory and heart diseases by 30% and the concentration of nitrogen dioxide, a powerful respiratory irritant, by up to 45%. As for the environmental footprint, electric vehicles emit no CO2 and do not consume fossil fuels during driving (1). In comparison with an equivalent internal combustion engine vehicle, this reduces by nearly one half (2) the environmental impacts to which the contribution of the transport sector is generally highest: global warming and the depletion of natural resources. In addition, as electricity generated entirely from renewable energies gradually becomes more widely available to both businesses and consumers, zero-CO2 electric mobility will become possible, not only during EV use, but also during generation of the electricity to charge the battery.

(1) Excluding wear parts. (2) Based on the average European EV mix.

Related Gallery EDTA 2008: GM's EcoCar

News Source: Renault, YouTube: Renault, Department of Energy, Advanced Microgrid Solutions, Inside EVs, NEDRA

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By John Beltz Snyder