72% Increase Per Year for Electric Hybrid Sales

"Sales of hybrid electric vehicles have increased an average of 72 percent a year for the past five years," says the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy in a June 20, 2007 press release. The release also contains data related to overall benefits to the nation's fuel supplies that are directly related to the efficient fuel use of hybrids. The numbers are small, but growing rapidly on a percentage basis each year.

Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge

Each year, Dell sponsors a solar car race in Texas. Every other year, the race route alternates between a closed track course at the Texas Motor Speedway just north of Fort Worth, which is the 200,000 person venue that holds NASCAR and other large races in Texas, and cross-country events. This year's route takes the school-aged teams of entrants from a starting line in Round Rock, TX (Dell Computer's hometown north of Austin) all the way to New York, over several days beginning Monday, July 16.

There are pre-race activities over the weekend leading up to the race, which I will attend with my own children and report on in this space! Above is a picture of last year's entrants at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Electric Outboard - 3HP Equivalent

Briggs and Stratton now produces what they've named the ETek Electric Motor System, which is an electric outboard boating motor that's more powerful and more efficiently engineered (housing, prop design, etc.) than electric trolling motors. The ETek has 150 lbs of thrust, which B&S is calling the equivalent of a 3 h.p. gas motor; this mixed terminology gets tricky though, as thrust lbs and horsepower measure different things, and a 3 h.p. electric motor would produce more "push power" than a 3 h.p. gas motor would. Again, even THAT conversion gets into murky waters, with some claiming that a true 3 h.p. electric motor would give the same propulsion as up to a 5-8 h.p. gas motor.

Here's what we do know: it's available, it's made by Briggs and Stratton, it has a street price of under $2000, it has 150 lbs of thrust (electric trolling motors, which this is NOT, normally range from 20-70 lbs thrust and retail new for $100-$700 or so depending on the thrust and the control mechanism), and there is a less powerful but more expensive version branded by Minn Kota (huge purveyor of electric trolling motors) .

Lotus Design Does It Again

Lotus Design, which is in a partnership with Tesla Motors for the design of Tesla's electric sports car, is now designing a crossover electric vehicle for Zap! Lotus's official site is pretty much non-existent other than a gorgeous Lotus splashed on the main page, so details about their developing strategy are a bit sketchy. However, it appears that they are positioning themselves nicely to latch onto the coming all-electric vehicle boom.

All Things Moved By Electricity

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This is becoming a vast and, more importantly, well-organized repository for things related to movement by electricity. Land/water/air vehicles, motors, battery technology, you name it. Everything from how-to's and reviews to press releases, ideas and, of course, opinions. Explore, learn, keep yourself abreast of the latest developments, and contribute if you feel like it - all right here at Electric Motive!

Tom Worth