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GE, Nissan team on smart charging for electric cars

General Electric and Nissan plan to research "smart charging" technologies for electric vehicles to help consumers take advantage of cheaper electricity rates and keep the power grid stable.

The two companies on Monday announced a memorandum of understanding to undertake research mainly at GE's Niskayuna, N.Y., smart-grid lab for three years. The first phase of the work will focus on integrating electric car charging with homes and buildings. The second phase will work on integrating electric vehicles in the power grid, according to the companies.

"Together with Nissan, we will take a comprehensive look at what technologies will be needed in the car, on the grid and at home or work to make smart charging a reality," said Mark Little, the president and director of GE Global Research, in a statement.

Nissan last week began taking orders for the Nissan Leaf, an all-electric sedan that can go about 100 miles. The automaker plans to start delivery of the car in the U.S. and Japan by the end of the year.

As these plug-in vehicles come to market, though, people in the auto and utility industries say there still are a few issues that need to be cleared up to make the transition smooth for car owners.

In a blog post, GE scientist Matt Nielsen, who is taking the lead on the smart-charging research, said that GE and Nissan will seek to sort out which challenges are real and which are perceived by using computer simulations and gathering data.

Among the challenges Nielsen sees are equipping homes with the appropriate wiring for car charging, administering low-cost metering plans from utilities, and managing car cables so people don't trip over them. … Read more

Nissan Leaf reservations begin Tuesday

Nissan announced it will be taking reservations for the Leaf electric car. Nissan will be accepting $99 reservation fees from folks who have registered on NissanUSA.com, the company said.

According to a news release, more than 115,000 people have formalized their interest in driving the Leaf.

"Early interest in the Nissan Leaf has been highly encouraging," said Brian Carolin, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Nissan North America. "People from across the country have raised their hands to be among the first to drive home a Nissan Leaf. Consumers are pledging broad support for the … Read more

Electric Nissan Leaf priced at $33,000 in U.S.

Nissan said on Tuesday it will begin taking orders on April 20 in the U.S. for the electric Leaf sedan which will be priced starting at $32,780 before subsidies.

The all-electric car, which has four doors and a hatchback, will start shipping in 20 areas in the U.S. in the first half of next year and be available nationally later next year. A lease costs $349 per month.

In addition to the purchase price, it's recommended that consumers have a home charging station, made by Aerovironment, installed for an average cost of $2,200, according to … Read more

Nissan Leaf to be made in the U.K.

Nissan will kick off mass-production of the Leaf, and the lithium ion batteries that power it, at the company's plant in Sunderland, U.K.

The Japanese company today announced that the facility will have a production capacity of 60,000 units a year and will start manufacturing batteries in 2012 for both Nissan and its Alliance partner Renault. Nissan will invest $640 million (486.2 million euros) in the plant.

Production of Nissan Leaf will begin in Oppama, Japan, later this year followed by Smyrna, Tennessee, in 2012. Sunderland will come online in early 2013 with an initial annual … Read more

Car Tech Live 155: Mustang, you're breaking our hearts! (podcast)

We may have found the ugliest car ever, wanna' see? A Porsche hybrid goes to Nurburgring; Volvo offers a factory-installed Windows PC; lots of Porsche Cayenne feedback from y'all; and a drive in an American icon (you should really wait before you buy).

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) Episode 155 Show notes

• Are car start buttons dangerous? Toyota may think so...

• ...and Cooley agrees.

• CNET reviews the 2010 Mustang V6

• Antuan shows you how to make your Garmin speak in your voice

• Nissan starts taking orders for the electric Leaf in April… Read more

Nissan to take Leaf reservations in April

Nissan will start taking reservations for its Leaf all-electric sedan in April, with deliveries coming at year's end.

The company isn't disclosing the car's price tag, but Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has said it will be competitively priced with similarly sized vehicles, which the company sees as crucial to mass market adoption. The $100 reservation fee is refundable, and the company will start to take actual orders in August, Nissan said Thursday.

The design of the car is very much aimed at everyday use, although its anticipated 100-mile driving range does impose limits. It's a four-door … Read more

Mass., Nissan partner on Leaf charging network

The 24-city Nissan Leaf Zero-Emission Tour stopped at the Museum of Science in Boston on Tuesday to announce that Nissan and Massachusetts will develop an electric-vehicle charging network and policies to support widespread adoptions of electric cars.

The agreement includes plans to promote a charging infrastructure for electric cars so drivers could charge their cars at home, work, and other locations. Nissan also has agreed to make available a supply of electric vehicles statewide.

Nissan has spearheaded a holistic approach to zero-emission mobility by working with several states, municipalities, utility companies, including the state of Tennessee, the state of Oregon, … Read more

Nissan revises electric-vehicle plan

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Nissan North America has cut the amount it intends to invest in a new U.S. electric-vehicle assembly line and battery plant by about $200 million and in turn reduced the amount of a federal loan it will tap.

Nissan originally estimated the cost of the Smyrna, Tenn., project at $2 billion and had applied for $1.6 billion in low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Energy to pay for 80 percent of the project.

The scope of the project hasn't changed: produce 200,000 lithium ion batteries and 150,000 complete electric vehicles a … Read more

Seattle getting introduced to the Nissan Leaf EV

Nissan is certainly laying the ground work to provide would-be buyers plenty of places to charge the all-electric Leaf car coming out in 2010.

In conjunction with Ecotality subsidiary eTec, Nissan North America is announcing yet another area in the U.S. where it will try to sell its electric car and offer public charging stations in conjunction with a U.S Department of Energy-sponsored program.

The Leaf is scheduled to be showcased at a press conference in Seattle with Mayor Greg Nickels on Wednesday to kick off the Pacific Northwest effort. On Monday, Nissan announced collaborations in San Francisco, … Read more

Looking under Nissan's Leaf

Automakers tend to agree that the electrification of the car is inevitable, but Nissan is leading the way by readying a mass-market, affordable electric car for production. The Leaf is a midsize hatchback with a range of a little more than 100 miles, according to Nissan. Although Nissan didn't let us drive it, the company brought the Leaf to CNET's headquarters so we could get a close look at what might be the future of driving.

When Nissan first released pictures of the car, commenters found it ugly, with its bulbous headlights giving it a frog-like appearance. But … Read more