Crowd-Sourcing the Electric Car - Open Source
(
Page 2 of 2 )
OPEN SOURCE
The group is starting small. It has identified demand for more than
500 electric conversions in Finland and its Web site aims to begin
introducing potential buyers to sellers of suitable used cars and
components, and mechanics who can make the conversion with an electric
motor and lithium batteries.
Its first conversion model will be a Toyota Corolla -- it aims to
produce a few dozen finished eCorollas this year -- which it says would
have a range of 150 kilometers per charge and a top speed of 120 km/h.
This compares with Oslo-based specialist car producer Think's model
City, which travels up to 180 kilometers with a top speed of 100 km/h.
The forum expects the used car and mechanics' work in total to cost
roughly 25,000 euros ($38,000), close to the price of a new Corolla in
Finland, and will make the conversions using commercially available
components.
On the forum, participants feed ideas to the site's discussion
boards and email lists, the best of which the non-profit community will
put into use.
The community believes 500 orders would be sufficient for mass
conversions: Think plans a batch of 8,000 electric cars next year at
20,000 euros each.
Its experts are volunteers who negotiate prices for the components
and car conversions. End-users will pay for the car, the component
costs and the mechanic.
"We are not trying to jealously build any sort of corporation out of
this," Jarvinen said. "This kind of an unorganized organism that grows
in small cells across the world cannot be bought out."
OBSTACLES
The old common problem of electric cars -- heavy batteries with a
limited life-span -- has mostly been overcome with lithium battery
technology, although limits to the range remain.
Infrastructure for power is a hurdle: there are few public spots
where one can charge an electric car in Finland, but they can also be
charged at home.
Renault and Nissan have signed a deal with Portugal to make the
country one of the first to offer consumers the possibility of
nationwide electric car charging stations. The two makers have also
said they will mass-market electric cars in Israel and Denmark in 2011.
The e-group's intentions are good, says researcher Juhani Laurikko
of the Technical Research Centre of Finland, but they are not yet
approaching the issue in a sustainable way.
"Frankly, there is not much potential here, but these are moves in
the right direction. Converting petrol-fuelled cars that are only a few
years old is a waste of natural resources," he said.
"I would rather see conversions done on used cars older than 10 years with older petrol-engine technology."
The community says it is best for the electric car's image to start with new cars rather than tired models.
Finland's Vehicle Administration said the community's cars could be admitted to the roads in Finland.
"They may well be admitted, as long as they fulfil the legally set
criteria," said Erik Asplund, senior officer at the vehicle inspection
unit. "There are a few of these criteria but probably nothing that
couldn't be overcome."
(http://www.sahkoautot.fi/)
(Additional reporting by Gerard Wynn in London; Editing by Sara Ledwith and Jon Boyle)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
/ 1 
Automotive 
