Lithium Charge: GE May Lease Vehicle Batteries for Electric Cars ge, ilc.v, tnr.v, czx.v, rm.v, lmr.v, abn.v, asm.v, btt.v, bva.v, bvg.v, epz.v, fst.v, gbn.v, hao.v, jnn.v, ks.v, ktn.v, kxm.v, mgn, mxr.v, rvm.to, svb, ura.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax

  Here we have another potential solution to the high entry cost for the Electric Cars. Total cost of ownership is already very much competitive with the ICE cars, but the high sticker prices will prevent Electric Cars to take the market by storm. Renault in France will be leasing the lithium batteries with the Electric Cars. All Electric Fluence will go for the same price as its  diesel version and lithium battery will be leased for the payment of 70 euro per month. 

  Now we have GE considering the same idea. Actually GE can make a very good business out of it. Customers will be ready to pay more for the monthly lease of the batteries in order to be able not to worry at all about the battery reliability, warranty and have an upgrade to the newer model. GE is looking for its place in this Next Big Thing, which is according to some venture capitalist will represent the opportunity in the market place like the Internet with another Zero. Once corporate monsters like GE will be seriously in play we can count on the very fast technological and marketing advance in this market.

"Lithium drive: German Scientists Plan to Halve The Cost Of Electric Vehicles. We are monitoring here the story with DBM Energy  - this German start up is talking about  its wonder Lithium battery: Kolibri, which can make this announcement the very low bar to beat. Question is still whether this technology will be commercially proven and on the market in the nearest future. Recently we have found some more confirmations about its potential break through in Lithium batteries performance and cost. As with all technology once the proper funding will be put in place we can expect the rapid technological advance even without the miracles promised by companies like DBM Energy."

IBTimes:

GE May Lease Vehicle Batteries for Electric Cars

September 30, 2011 

General Electric Co (GE.N) may lease costly vehicle batteries to electric-car buyers, joining other companies looking to get more people to buy alternative-energy automobiles.

The largest U.S. conglomerate is just at the "thinking stage" of such a move, said Mark Little, head of GE's research and development efforts, on Friday at an event at Nissan Motor Co's (7201.T) research center near Detroit.

GE makes batteries and is one of the biggest investors in Massachusetts-based battery maker A123 Systems Inc. (AONE.O)

A battery leasing program is a venture that could allow GE to show off its range of businesses, from its industrial core which could be influential in manufacturing the batteries, to its GE Capital finance arm which could support the leasing.

These kinds of batteries are relatively new to the auto industry, leading to a level of skepticism among consumers. Questions about durability and performance could be addressed if buyers were simply asked to lease the battery that came with the electric vehicle.

"The life span and the performance of the batteries is not well understood," Little said. "We may be better off owning the asset."

He did not comment on how far along GE is in its consideration of leasing, and did not provide a timetable for entering the business.

Little did point to GE's approximately 6 percent stake in A123, a 10-year-old lithium-ion battery maker that went public last year, as a position GE can use as it digs deeper into the electric-vehicle market. Little said that GE has "no interest in being in the car business."

Little is an A123 board member. GE's involvement in the company dates back to its venture-capital investment before A123 went public, and Little advised GE when they invested in the start-up.

Talk about electric-vehicle battery leasing has come up in the auto industry in recent years as top automakers unveiled plans to launch vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and General Motors Co's (GM.N) Chevrolet Volt. A variety of companies, including Palo Alto, California-based Better Place and Nissan, have proposed battery leasing programs as a way to ease anxiety about electric cars.

Electric cars have been slow to catch on. In the U.S., a lack of available models, skimpy infrastructure, relatively low gasoline costs and high vehicle sticker prices are factors holding back demand for such vehicles. Nissan has sold 7,000 Leaf electric vehicles in the United States since launching it 10 months ago.

On Friday, GE said it is embarking on a two-year research project with Nissan that could help it better understand energy demands of electric vehicles and their owners. GE attempted to partner with Chrysler Group LLC a few years ago on hybrid vehicle programs, but that relationship failed to pan out."

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• Lithium Charge: Fisker Karma debuts on Two and a Half Men with Ashton Kutcher's new character ilc.v, tnr.v, czx.v, rm.v, lmr.v, abn.v, asm.v, btt.v, bva.v, bvg.v, epz.v, fst.v, gbn.v, hao.v, jnn.v, ks.v, ktn.v, kxm.v, mgn, mxr.v, rvm.to, svb, ura.v, nup (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Lithium Drive: Life with an Electric Car ilc.v, tnr.v, czx.v, rm.v, lmr.v, abn.v, asm.v, btt.v, bva.v, bvg.v, epz.v, fst.v, gbn.v, hao.v, jnn.v, ks.v, ktn.v, kxm.v, mgn, mxr.v, rvm.to, svb, ura.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Lithium Drive: Rimac Automobili Concept One revealed ilc.v, tnr.v, czx.v, rm.v, lmr.v, abn.v, asm.v, btt.v, bva.v, bvg.v, epz.v, fst.v, gbn.v, hao.v, jnn.v, ks.v, ktn.v, kxm.v, mgn, mxr.v, rvm.to, svb, ura.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Lithium Demand: South Korea to invest 15 trln won in batteries to 2020 TNR.v, CZX.v, TSLA, HEV, AONE, RM.v, LI.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, LIT.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Powered by LIthium: Barrons: A Big Bet on Electric Cars TNR.v, TSLA, RM.v, LI.v, LMR.v, CLQ.v, WLC.v, HEV, AONE, GM, GOOG, RIMM, NSANY, BYDDY, F, TM, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Honda Moves Hybrid to Lithium: Plug-in to be launched in 2012 TNR.v, TSLA, CZX.v, RM.v, LI.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, LMR.v, GM, NSANY, RTP, F, HEV, AONE, BHP, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Lithium Drive: Die leise Revolution - Zukunft Elektroauto ilc.v, tnr.v, czx.v, rm.v, lmr.v, abn.v, asm.v, btt.v, bva.v, bvg.v, epz.v, fst.v, gbn.v, hao.v, jnn.v, ks.v, ktn.v, kxm.v, mgn, mxr.v, rvm.to, svb, ura.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Electric Charge: U.S. R&D Spending Aims to Jump-Start Electric-Car Industry TNR.v, TSLA, CZX.v, RM.v, LI.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, LIT.v, HEV, AONE, GM, F, FCX (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Electric Cars: Obama slips behind the wheel of the Chevy Volt TNR.v, TSLA, GM, CZX.v, RM.v, LIT.v, LI.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, HEV, AONE, RTP, BHP, FCX, GOOG, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Nissan launches quick charge points for electric vehicles (mirror.co.uk)
• GE, GM in push on EV infrastructure for China (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Lithium Charge: Hertz, GE join in China electric-car venture ilc.v, tnr.v, czx.v, rm.v, lmr.v, abn.v, asm.v, btt.v, bva.v, bvg.v, epz.v, fst.v, gbn.v, hao.v, jnn.v, ks.v, ktn.v, kxm.v, mgn, mxr.v, rvm.to, svb, ura.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax

  China is very active in Electric Cars space and has a strategic plan to create Lithium batteries manufacturing and Electric Cars industries. Chinese companies are searching the globe in order to secure supply of Lithium and put a solid foundation for the state-level energy Transition plan.

"International Lithium Corp: China Closes Strategic Lithium Transaction in Latin America. SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In another sign of Latin America’s growing strategic importance to China, SinoLatin Capital announced today the successful closing of Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd’s (“Ganfeng Lithium”) acquisition of 9.99% of International Lithium Corp. (“ILC”) a company trading on the Canadian TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol ILC. SinoLatin Capital served as advisor to ILC on the transaction. The strategic relationship agreement provides for, among other things, the right for Ganfeng Lithium to maintain and increase its percentage ownership in ILC, grants certain marketing and offtake rights and provides for ILC board representation."

TBO.com:

By The Associated Press

Published: August 25, 2011

SHANGHAI --

Rental-car company Hertz Global Holdings and General Electric plan to partner in offering electric vehicles in China and expanding the charging networks needed to run them.

An agreement signed Wednesday in Shanghai's "Auto City" of Anting calls for building hundreds of charging stations in major Chinese cities including Shanghai and Beijing, Hertz executives said.

The plan aligns with the government's effort to promote commercialization of new energy vehicles as a way to reduce oil imports and help curb pollution. Setting up the infrastructure to charge such vehicles is viewed as a key hurdle toward enticing consumers to switch from cars that run on gasoline or diesel to electric vehicles.

"Working with our existing rental-car network in China and partners such as GE, we are dedicated to helping build the necessary EV infrastructure in China and to create a new transportation solution that employs the latest technology and harnesses innovations being launched in China today," said Mark P. Frissora, Hertz's chairman and CEO.

The government has included building up the electric vehicle industry in its current five-year economic blueprint, but despite its ambitious plans such vehicles are still a negligible part of China's auto sales because of their high cost and inconvenience compared with regular vehicles.

Incentives that are likely to be rolled out include easier access to license plates — a key concern in cities such as Shanghai, where the price of plates obtained in monthly auctions recently surged above $8,000 apiece.

"There's a bit of a chicken-and-egg component," said Richard Broome, the company's senior vice president for public affairs.

"We're trying to provide some of the missing pieces," he said.

Among the vehicles that Hertz will offer is the E6, a pure electric vehicle made by BYD Autos, a battery maker turned car manufacturer that has been struggling to expand sales of its conventional and non-conventional vehicles as competition in the industry heats up.

The E6 can go 180 miles on a single charge — about the right distance for the kind of driving most customers would do in China's sprawling, traffic-jammed cities.

Hertz is not the first rental-car company to offer electric vehicles in China. That honor goes to eHi Car, a local rental-car company that is among the country's biggest."

Related articles

• Hertz, GE partner in China electric autos venture (sfgate.com)
• Hertz to Begin Renting Electric Cars in China (nytimes.com)
• GM teams with LG to develop electric vehicles (news.cnet.com)
• Hertz Guns For Zipcar's Business With Lower Fees And More EVs (fastcompany.com)
• Lithium Demand: South Korea to invest 15 trln won in batteries to 2020 TNR.v, CZX.v, TSLA, HEV, AONE, RM.v, LI.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, LIT.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Powered by LIthium: Barrons: A Big Bet on Electric Cars TNR.v, TSLA, RM.v, LI.v, LMR.v, CLQ.v, WLC.v, HEV, AONE, GM, GOOG, RIMM, NSANY, BYDDY, F, TM, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Electric Charge: U.S. R&D Spending Aims to Jump-Start Electric-Car Industry TNR.v, TSLA, CZX.v, RM.v, LI.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, LIT.v, HEV, AONE, GM, F, FCX (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Honda Moves Hybrid to Lithium: Plug-in to be launched in 2012 TNR.v, TSLA, CZX.v, RM.v, LI.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, LMR.v, GM, NSANY, RTP, F, HEV, AONE, BHP, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Electric Cars: LIthium twist: Why Toyota Likes Tesla TNR.v, TSLA, CZX.v, TM, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, LIT.v, LI.v, RTP, GOOG, AAPL, FCX, BHP, BYDDY, GM, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Lithium Charge: White House to highlight electric car developments TNR.v, CZX.v, TSLA, HEV, AONE, LI.v, RM.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, LIT.v, LMR.v, FCX, RTP, GM (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Lithium Drive: Yamaha Goes Green With New Electric Scooter TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LI.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, LIT.v, ORE.ax, GM, TSLA, F, HEV, AONE, FCX, RTP, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Range Rover Lithium E-Range: World's first electric SUV makes its debut TNR.v, TSLA, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, LI.v, LIT.v, ORE.ax, WLC.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, GM (sufiy.blogspot.com)

Lithium Charge: GE Solar powered station for electric cars ge, ilc.v tnr.v, czx.v, cgp.v, alk.ax, lmr.v, rm.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax, jnn.v, abn.v, ura.v, mxr.v, tsla, res, mcp, avl.to, quc.v, cee.v, sqm, fmc, roc, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, lit, nsany, byddf, gm, dai, rno.pa, hev, aone, vlnc

  GE moves aggressively into the Electric Cars space. There are alternatives to the Oil and we can survive the Peak Oil, which is already here. It is only the beginning, but this will spread very fast. GE has made the single largest order for the Electric Cars last year and is very active in charging space now.

  Public restrain from Nuclear means more and more Wind and Solar - it will move Rare Earths and Lithium markets further to the upside. Rare Earths are used in wind turbines and Lithium will be needed for Smart Grid storage solutions to integrate alternative power sources into the grid.

"Lithium Drive: Warren Buffett: "In not many years, you are going to see a clear change towards Electric Cars". Warren Buffett first pronounced in November 2009: "In 20 years, all cars on the road will be electric" Now we can hear his call on Electric Cars from the Master himself. He has invested in BYD - Chinese auto maker and Lithium battery company, which promise to bring its Electric Cars to U.S. BYD has made later investment in Lithium producer in China. We are in a very good company with our Lithium Dreamz.

  Warren Buffett: "We have an investment in battery powered Electric Cars. I think within not so many years you are going to see huge change to battery powered Electric Cars. But it is hard to see who will be the winner in all that. GM will probably try to compete with their electric car, the Volt." 

"Lithium Drive: GE buying Volts provides catalyst for Electric Cars mass market. Commercial fleets are very important to the early stage of adoption of electric cars, Bloomberg is picking up on the obvious leadership, which is so much needed from corporate interests in U.S. It is the matter of corporate economic survival now in the age of Inflation multiplied by Peak Oil. We expect that GE will be followed soon all over the world with commercial fleets rumping up productions of electric cars, automakers dropping the prices in volume based economic cycle and affording our mass market electric mobility revolution to take off.

"GE is up to its word and is ordering 25000 EVs - it is a huge endorsement from this powerful company for Electric Cars mass market. It is the first step and it is the most important one: commercial fleets are providing additional benefits to corporate owners - Eco friendly branding will the obvious one. GE is heavily involved in Electric Cars value chain already and choice to buy GM Volts should not surprise anyone - GE is holding a stake in A123 and A123 supplies batteries to GMVolt.

  Now President Obama's target of 1 million Electric Cars on the roads by 2015 could be seen as a very modest one - we need just 40 other corporation like GE to fulfil his dream. Among interested parties are FedeEx, UPS, US Post, Avis, Herts and others."

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• James Dines on Silver and Gold Markets and what is coming next for Rare Earths and Lithium tnr.v, rvm.v, laq.v, bvg.c, bva.v, tnr.v, asm.v, grc.to, amm.to, ktn.v, gbn.v, rvm.to, mgn, asm.v, sgc.v, ngq.to, btt.v, alk.ax, nem, fcx, bvn, auy, abx, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Lithium Charge: Secretary Chu Announces New Funding and Partnership with Google to Promote Electric Vehicles goog, tnr.v, czx.v, alk.ax, lmr.v, tsla, rm.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax, jnn.v, abn.v, res, mcp, avl.to, quc.v, cee.v, sqm, fmc, roc, li.v, wlc.v, c (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• TNR Gold: Strategic Investor Selects International Lithium Corp. Proposed Spin-off From TNR Gold Corp. Proceeding tnr.v, czx.v, li.v, ore.ax, gxy.ax, sqm, fmc, clq.c, rm.v, lmr.v, ree. mcp, lma.to, grc.to, ngq.to, rvm.to, mgn, auy, slw, cuu.v, lun.to, g (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Lithium Drive:TNR Gold Corp.: Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. Board Approves Strategic Investment in International Lithium Corp. tnr.v, czx.v, alk.ax, lmr.v, tsla, rm.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax, jnn.v, abn.v, res, mcp, avl.to, quc.v, cee.v, sqm, fmc, roc (sufiy.blogspot.com)
• Lithium Investments: Richard Mills: Strategic Investor For International Lithium tnr.v, czx.v, alk.ax, lmr.v, tsla, rm.v, nup.ax, srz.ax, usa.ax, jnn.v, abn.v, res, mcp, avl.to, quc.v, cee.v, sqm, fmc, roc, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, lit, nsany, byddf, gm, dai, (sufiy.blogspot.com)
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Lithium Drive: GE buying Volts provides catalyst for Electric Cars mass market ge, gm, tnr.v, rm.v, lmr.v, alk.ax, tsla, abn.v, sqm, fmc, roc, lit, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, res.v, ree, avl.to, nsany, f, gm, rno.pa, dai, byddf, hev, aone, vlnc

  

  Commercial fleets are very important to the early stage of adoption of electric cars, Bloomberg is picking up on the obvious leadership, which is so much needed from corporate interests in U.S. It is the matter of corporate economic survival now in the age of Inflation multiplied by Peak Oil. We expect that GE will be followed soon all over the world with commercial fleets rumping up productions of electric cars, automakers dropping the prices in volume based economic cycle and affording our mass market electric mobility revolution to take off.

"GE is up to its word and is ordering 25000 EVs - it is a huge endorsement from this powerful company for Electric Cars mass market. It is the first step and it is the most important one: commercial fleets are providing additional benefits to corporate owners - Eco friendly branding will the obvious one. GE is heavily involved in Electric Cars value chain already and choice to buy GM Volts should not surprise anyone - GE is holding a stake in A123 and A123 supplies batteries to GMVolt.

  Now President Obama's target of 1 million Electric Cars on the roads by 2015 could be seen as a very modest one - we need just 40 other corporation like GE to fulfil his dream. Among interested parties are FedeEx, UPS, US Post, Avis, Herts and others."

Bloomberg:
Immelt Buying Volts Casts GE as Electric-Car Corporate Catalyst

General Electric Co.’s move to buy as many as 25,000 rechargeable cars, almost half of them from General Motors Co., may herald more purchases of electric vehicles for corporate fleets.

“You’ll see some early adopters follow suit, people maybe like UPS or FedEx, and those are your logical first movers,” saidJohn Segrich, who leads the green research group for Rye, New York-based Gabelli & Co. and manages the SRI Green Fund. “You are going to see large corporations move this way.”

GE unveiled its order yesterday as automakers prepare a new generation of battery-powered autos, including GM’s Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Motor Co.’s Leaf, to reach showrooms as early as the end of this year. GM’s portion of the order is 12,000 vehicles, including the 2011 Volt.

Corporate purchases can help nurture a viable commercial market for the cars, because initial demand among retail buyers will be muted, said Ray Lane, managing partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

“Mass adoption by consumers of electric vehicles will happen slowly because of range anxiety and cost,” said Lane, who said his Menlo Park, California-based firm has invested more than $1.5 billion in green technology startups that include carmakers Fisker Automotive Inc. and Norway’s Think.

Fleet operators may react differently, because “the business case for electric vehicles is pretty good,” said Lane, who is also Hewlett-Packard Co. chairman.

Tax Credits

While purchase prices may be higher, corporations would reap savings from tax credits and lower costs for electricity than gasoline, Lane said. Another advantage: “It’s easier to install charging equipment at a fleet garage,” he said.

GE would see an additional boost, because Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt is positioning the Fairfield, Connecticut-based company to benefit from energy-efficient technologies by producing batteries, car-charging stations and smart-grid systems.

“Being a first mover on this, they get not only the moral high ground, but also seize the initiative on charging-station technology,” said Peter Sorrentino, a senior portfolio manager at Huntington Asset Advisors Inc. in Cincinnati, which held about 5.48 million GE shares as of October.

Hybrids such as Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius made up about 2.4 percent of U.S. sales through October, based on data compiled by Bloomberg. Worldwide market share for hybrids and battery-powered cars may be 7.3 percent a decade from now, researcher J.D. Power & Associates said on Oct. 27.

UPS, FedEx

At United Parcel Service Inc., hybrids and other alternative-fuel vehicles account for about 2 percent of a global fleet of 102,000. FedEx Corp. said its total is about 2.5 percent of the 75,000 vehicles in its Express and Ground units, excluding its freight operations. Between them, UPS and FedEx deliver about 80 percent of all packages in the U.S.

UPS doesn’t have a timetable for adding more such vehicles, said Michael French, a spokesman for the Atlanta-based company. Neither does FedEx, according to Deborah Willig, a spokeswoman for the Memphis, Tennessee-based company. FedEx CEO Fred Smith is chairman of the Electrification Coalition, a Washington-based group of transportation and energy executives.

Other companies are already embracing the new autos for passenger use.

Google Inc., which has 30 hybrid and plug-in models in use for employees at its headquarters in Mountain View, California, will “transition and expand that fleet next year with new electric vehicles that are coming into the marketplace,” said Parag Chokshi, a spokesman, without elaborating.

Enterprise, Hertz

Closely held Enterprise Holdings Inc. and Hertz Global Holdings Inc., the two biggest U.S. rental-car companies, have ordered hundreds of electric vehicles, including Nissan Leafs.

GE, which agreed with Nissan in April to research car- charging infrastructure, hasn’t specified what electric autos it plans to order beyond the Volt. Buying the Chevrolet sedan is a boost for a car reliant on different technology than either pure battery power, such as the Leaf, or the gasoline-electric combination in the Prius and other hybrids.

The $41,000 Volt is designed to go 25 to 50 miles on electric drive before an onboard gasoline engine starts charging the battery. Buyers will be eligible for a $7,500 rebate from the U.S. government.

Business backing for new technology such as advanced autos is going to be more important as government spending wanes, Immelt said in a speech in London last month. Kleiner Perkins’s Lane said Republican control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the new Congress next year may curb future incentives created under the 2007 energy bill.

“It seems there is some uncertainty as to what’s going to happen,” said Oliver Hazimeh, partner and head of the global e- Mobility practice at management consultant PRTM. “We are in the infancy of this market, and there’s not going to be smooth sailing.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Rachel Layne in Boston at rlayne@bloomberg.net; Alan Ohnsman in Los Angeles at aohnsman@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ed Dufner at edufner@bloomberg.net"

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"At least something is happening on our home turf in the lithium space - BASF now is very active in Europe - and we are pleased to see the company pushing in North America as well. If our expectations are correct, the wold will become a lot smaller according to Jeff Rubin. Time to market will mean distance to market. Lithium production in Nevada will make a picture even more stable. With time, even more expensive production, but on the home land will make sense during the Resource Grab stage of post QE recovery."

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"Potentially we can talk here about the order for EVs with a magnitude of tens of thousands electric cars which will be on the streets very soon. This is  the step into the right direction! We hope that GE will not disappoint with the final numbers to be released next week. Adoption rate for EVs will depend on the production volume, which can allow to reduce the cost of Electric Cars. Commercial users - like GE - apart from all other benefits to the all other consumers will benefit in PR and brand building by projecting their environmentally friendly image. Commercial fleets will allow EV to gain momentum in the market place. Today we have a very important step into this direction - we think that other corporations will follow the GE lead."

Bloomberg:

GE to Purchase 25,000 Electric Vehicles From GM, Rivals by 2015

November 11, 2010, 8:33 AM EST

• 
  

By Rachel Layne

Nov. 11 (Bloomberg) -- General Electric Co. will buy 25,000 electric vehicles, almost half of them from General Motors Co., by 2015 in the biggest such order ever.

Electric autos will make up at least half of GE’s 30,000- car fleet, as well as leased vehicles from its GE Capital unit, the company said in a statement today. GM’s portion of the order is for 12,000 vehicles including the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt is positioning Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE to benefit from more energy- efficient technologies by producing batteries, car-charging stations and smart-grid systems. GE said it’s in a “strong position” to help 65,000 leasing customers convert to electric vehicles and sees the electric-car market adding as much as $500 million in sales in the next three years.

“Wide-scale adoption of electric vehicles will also drive clean-energy innovation, strengthen energy security and deliver economic value,” Immelt said in the statement. GE’s equipment generates one-third of the world’s electricity.

GE’s order is a boost for the Volt as Detroit-based GM prepares for an initial public offering after its 2009 restructuring in bankruptcy.

“Electric vehicles are a real-world technology that can reduce both emissions and our dependence on oil,” GM CEO Dan Akerson said in the statement. The company plans to deliver Volts by the end of this year, he said. The sedan has an electric motor to drive the wheels and a gasoline engine to recharge the batteries once they’re spent.

In the U.S., the Obama administration has committed more than $11 billion in taxpayer aid to help car and battery makers start producing electric vehicles.

Battery Power

Other automakers preparing to sell vehicles powered solely by batteries in the next 18 months include Nissan Motor Co., which starts delivering Leaf hatchbacks late this year; Ford Motor Co., readying electric versions of its Transit Connect delivery van and Focus compact car; and Toyota Motor Corp., which will sell a rechargeable RAV4 sport-utility vehicle.

By buying so many vehicles, GE is helping drive down their price, which will spur production and increase demand for battery plants and other parts-makers, Fred Smith, chairman of the Electrification Coalition, a Washington-based organization of transportation and energy executives, said in the statement. Smith is CEO of FedEx Corp.

‘Acceptable to the Public’

The move will “make electric vehicles more visible and acceptable to the public at large,” Smith said. “This is good for GE, good for our economy and good for our nation.”

GE will open two customer centers to evaluate vehicle- charging, driver experience and maintenance requirements and to display an array of models and manufacturers. One will be near Detroit in Van Buren Township, Michigan, as part of a new technology center GE announced last year, and the other in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, where GE Capital Fleet Services is based, according to the statement.

GE is investing $10 billion in the next five years in clean energy across its business lines. Its products include lithium- ion batteries for cars and trucks via a venture with A123 Systems Inc. and sodium-based batteries for use in large vehicles such as locomotives.

GE Energy Infrastructure is the company’s biggest industrial unit, accounting for $37 billion of the parent company’s $157 billion in revenue last year. GE is also the world’s largest maker of locomotives, jet engines, medical- imaging equipment and related information technology systems.

GE fell 7 cents to $16.55 yesterday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have gained 9.4 percent this year.

--Editors: James Langford, Margot Slade

To contact the reporters on this story: Rachel Layne in Boston at rlayne@bloomberg.net; Alan Ohnsman in Los Angeles at aohnsman@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ed Dufner at edufner@bloomberg.net"

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