Livni

Articles on the push for an electic car market

http://www.projectbetterplace.com/

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Did you know - Israel's landscape is per size, the most diverse landscape on planet earth, with 4 climate regions, snow peaks to sandunes, unique flora, fauna & climates mixing and crossing over from 3continents. for example - 500 million(!) birds use Israel's sky to migrate twice a year from the northern hemisphere to the south and back.

Livni

Renault importer joins Israeli electric car project

Carasso will also probably import for a trial run the electric version of Renault's Kangoo van.
Dubi Ben-Gedalyahu 7 Nov 07 19:31

Renault (Paris:RNO) importer Carasso Auto Importers Ltd. will probably participate in the electric car venture, Project Better Place headed by Shai Agassi and Idan Ofer. Sources inform ''Globes'' that the car at the heart of the project will be based on the Renault Megane, which will be equipped with high-performance electric engine based on advanced fuel cells.
Carasso will provide technical support and services for the electric Megane in Israel during both the trial period and commercial launch.

Renault says that electric Megane is an "experimental project". Carasso will also probably import for a trial run the electric version of Renault's Kangoo van, which has been marketed in Europe for several years. The Kangoo will probably be adapted to carry the new fuel cell.

In October, the Renault Nissan Alliance announced that it had taken the strategic decision to enter the electric car market and would market several new models by 2012. The new cars will reportedly participate in Project Better Place.

Renault VP recently visited Israel in connection with Project Better Place. He met, among others, President Shimon Peres, a supporter of the project.

The Ministry of Finance plans to grant tax breaks for electric cars. Sources inform ''Globes'' that the Israel Tax Authority is examining several alternatives, including a partial or full purchase tax exemption on imported electric cars.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 7, 2007

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Did you know - Israel's landscape is per size, the most diverse landscape on planet earth, with 4 climate regions, snow peaks to sandunes, unique flora, fauna & climates mixing and crossing over from 3continents. for example - 500 million(!) birds use Israel's sky to migrate twice a year from the northern hemisphere to the south and back.

Eyal

It's funny, because Renault cars are know for their electric problems...

ira

Government to encourage electric cars
The government will consider deploying a national infrastructure for electric cars.
Lilach Weissman and Dubi Ben-Gedalyahu 11 Nov 07 18:01
Prime Minster Ehud Olmert announced today that the government would encourage the development of electric vehicles. Olmert was speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting in which the ministers discussed "green" transportation moves which would conserve energy and help the environment. Olmert said that the government would consider granting experimental incentives to companies and factories that produced electric cars and would also consider deploying a national infrastructure that would enable electric cars to drive on Israel's roads.
"The alternative transportation technology will also decrease air pollution and the dependency of the State of Israel on oil," explained Olmert.


An inter-ministerial steering committee will be appointed, headed by the director of budgets, to examine various proposals on the matter. The committee will include members of the prime minister's office, the ministry of transport, the ministry of national infrastructures, the ministry of industry, trade and labor, the ministry of the environment, the ministry of justice, the tax authority, the antitrust authority and the ministry of the interior planning administration.

In addition to the steering committee, a number of secondary teams will be formed, to deal with various facets of the plan.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on November 11, 2007

ira

ExxonMobil partners with Ben Gurion University on hydrogen fuel system
Israeli start-up Engineuity also develops hydrogen fuel cells.
Merav Ankori 19 Nov 07 18:41
ExxonMobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM), QuestAir Technologies Inc., Plug Power Inc. (NasdaqLUG) and Ben Gurion University of the Negev are collaborating to commercialize an on-vehicle hydrogen production system for use in a fuel cell-powered lift truck application.
Plug Power will seek to commercialize unique technologies developed by ExxonMobil, QuestAir Technologies, and Ben Gurion University that take liquid fuels - gasoline, diesel, ethanol or biodiesel - and convert them into hydrogen onboard the vehicle where it will be used in a fuel cell power train.


BG Negev Technologies and Applications Ltd., Ben Gurion University's technology transfer company is responsible for the university's share in the program. The university is represented by the Blechner Center and Prof. Moti Hershkowitz. The university and its partners have been developing the individual components that make up the on-vehicle hydrogen fuel system. Sulfur is controlled by an ExxonMobil proprietary S-Trap developed in conjunction with the university. Plug Power will be responsible for integrating the fuel system with its GenDrive fuel cell power system for lift truck applications.

ExxonMobil Research and Engineering VP R&D Dr. Emil Jacobs said. "By developing a system that converts liquid hydrocarbons into hydrogen directly on a vehicle without the need for storage, we hope to demonstrate significant infrastructure, logistics, and cost advantages compared to other hydrogen vehicle systems, all while reducing the impact on the environment. There is a long road ahead before this technology could be deployed on a mass scale in passenger vehicles, but it has the potential to be up to 80% more fuel efficient than today's internal combustion engine technologies and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 45%. The use of this technology in a practical, commercial setting such as in a lift truck application is an important early step in demonstrating the potential benefits this technology may hold in the long-term.”

Most prototype hydrogen vehicles on the road today are powered by highly-compressed or liquefied hydrogen that is delivered to distribution points and then stored at high pressures on-board the vehicle. For these vehicles to be widely adopted a significant hydrogen generation and delivery infrastructure must be developed. As the ExxonMobil system uses conventional fuels and produces hydrogen on demand, no such infrastructure or on-board storage would be necessary.

An interesting competitor to this project is Israeli start-up Enginuity Ltd., which is developing technology to produce hydrogen on board the vehicle as needed, utilizing a modified internal combustion engine with a zero emission solution.

Like ExxonMobile, Engineuity also claims that its technology overcomes the obstacles facing hydrogen fuel cells: safety, transport, installation, and storage because the hydrogen is produced on board and consumed immediately. It also says that refueling with the technology is no more frequent than at present for regular vehicles. The converted engine can use existing manufacturing infrastructure, eliminating the need to develop a whole new infrastructure.

The main difference between Engineuity and ExxonMobile's proposed systems is that Engineuity's technology does not need to use oil reserves to make fuel.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 19, 2007