Lead was the single strongest performing commodity in 2009, according to Scotiabank’s Commodity Price Index.
China increased overall global battery demand and in turn made for astonishing lead demand from Canada, said Vice President of Scotia Economics Patricia Mohr.
Lead prices saw a 146% increase in the period from Dec 2008 to mid-December 2009, according to the bank’s index.
Read the complete article below:
E-bikes pedal lead prices higher
New Delhi: Emmel Vheelers, an e-bike manufacturing company. with headquarters in Maharashtra, are one of the key players in Auto Expo 2010 in Electronic bikes & Scooters. Founded in 2008, Emmel Vheelers intends to triple their sales from mid 2010, and increase the number of their dealers dealers around the country.
“The market for electric two-wheelers is picking up. In the last month, around 3,500 units were sold. Last year, around 40,000 electric vehicles were sold against a market expectation of one lakh. This was because of recession. But now the market is picking up,” Manoj Laxmeshwar, President of Emmel Vheelers, said.
Emmel Vheelers has come out with new products which includes Hybrid Three Wheeler, E-Motorcycle, Vee Way Personal Transporter, Fast Battery chargers, High power e-motor cycle, high power scooter such as Vee Elite, Vee Sharp and Vee Dhoom.
Read the complete article at:
Emmel Vheelers plans to triple its sales from mid-2010
Panasonic has finally secured a majority stake in Sanyo Electric following a long negotiation. Both of these Japanese firms manufacture lithium ion cells – could this merger see prices decline?
The $4.6 billion investment is part of Panasonic’s ambition to become the leading provider for batteries of fuel efficient cars and offshoot business, such as the production of lithium ion batteries suited to electric bikes.
Read the complete article at: PanasonIc/Sanyo merger to result in cheaper e-bike batteries?
Atieva, an early-stage developer of battery packs for plug-in cars, received just over $7 million in financing this week, according to an SEC filing.
Atieva is a startup, whose backers now include Beijing’s China Environment Fund III and Venrock Associates, a venture capital firmAtieva is located in Mountain View, California.
The company was founded in 2007 by former Tesla Motors VP Bernard Tse and Astoria Networks founder Sam Weng. Atieva is working on software for monitoring individual battery cells, mechanical packaging and controls for vehicle battery packs. Using commodity cells, the idea is to produce customized packs primarily for smaller, independent car companies.
Read the complete article: Atieva Picks Up $7M for Battery Tech
Beijing, China — According to a report in Reuters, China backed down from a plan to reclassify large electric bicycles as motorbikes in December (it had been scheduled to go into effect in January), a move that threatened to derail the phenomenal growth in the e-bike market and a major driver for lead consumption. [Can you tell the source of this article is from a paper dedicated to minerals?]
The proposed legislation had stirred widespread fears that more than 2,000 e-bike factories would close and millions of users would need to get licenses and insurance for motorbikes — which they could not afford. China’s Standardisation Administration said it was rethinking the idea of re-classifying e-bikes that weighed over 80 lbs or that can go faster than 12 miles per hour as electric motorbikes. Top of the range e-bikes in China are designed to go as fast as 20 mph and usually carry 4 lead batteries, which weigh 35-60 lbs.
Read the complete article at E-Bike Ruling Withdrawn, Production Likely to Surge After Chinese Holidays
Japan’s Sanyo Electric Co Ltd is negotiating with two major automakers to supply them with lithium-ion batteries. Sanyo’s goal is ensure a market in addition to their gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles.
“Two car makers are looking into our lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles,” Sanyo Executive Vice President Mitsuru Homma told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. Who the automakers were were not disclosed.
Customers for Sanyo’s hybrid car-use batteries include Honda Motor Co, Ford Motor Co and PSA Peugeot Citroen, but Sanyo, the world’s largest rechargeable battery maker, has so far disclosed little about its electric car battery business.
Read complete article here:
Sanyo in talks to sell EV, motorbike batteries
The folks at Solar Bike went through a long and arduous trial and error period of trying out various manufacturers to find the most excellent and durable motors with very high-end batteries for their bike kits. Check out the complete bike specifications at:
www.solarbike.com.au
They use the longest lasting and safest batteries currently available. All kits are 36V and will work well with their 36V 10amphr battery. Motors are brushless and gearless (which are absolutely the best sort for electric bicycles).
It takes abut 1 – 2 hours to install the kit, for the average individual. If you’re very experienced with this type of work — 30 minutes!
The battery is located o nthe rear carrier rack, the motor is located in the front hub, although a rear hub is also available upon request.
Solar Bike have simplified all components to only give its clients what is absolutely required for the best performance. They offer solar modules that can be used to charge the battery as an option, and are always working on better charging and energy storing mechanisms.
The Solar bike provides very smooth acceleration, allowiong the rider to travel at nearly constant speeds between 25 – 40 km/hr with some light pedalling.
Why an Electric Conversion Kit?
By using an electric conversion kit, the rider absolutely gets better performance out of an electric bike, and much better value. The batteries provided are the best in the world for electric bicycles (it’s difficult to get LiFePO4 batteries) and riders have the added advantage of using their own bicycle – one that suits them and is generally of much better quality that a production line machine.
Most users of the Solar Bike Kit, to date, are men from the ages of 25 – 80, but women and children can zip along as well!
Things to Consider
Motors come seated in rims and are available in sizes of 200W, 350W and 500W. Please note that 200W is the legal limit in Australia. These bikes do not require registration or insurance and are legally considered to be just bicycles. Engine sizes above 200W should only be used for off road purposes. These kits really develop a lot of power so you must use a bike that has steel forks! Check this with a fridge magnet, if it sticks to your forks you are ok, if not you need to get a steel set.
The Nitty Gritty
Name of kit – Solar Bike
Manufacturer – Solar Bike
Weight – Battery: 4kg, Hub motor: 6kg
Battery type – 36V 10ah LiFePO4
Battery life – 500 – 1000 cycles
Charge time – 2-5 hours
Motor type & size – 200W, 350W and 500W
Maximum speed - 35 km/hr unassisted on flat
Check out the complete bike specifications at:
www.solarbike.com.au
On January 1, China instituted new legislation on electric bikes that many pundits believe will harm the industry.
And, as an example of the interconnectedness of all things, the ebike boom drives the demand for lead, which is used in ebike batteries
China has classified e-bikes that weigh over 40 kg or can go faster than 20 km (12.4 miles) per hour as electric motorbikes. This means that the owners of these e-bikes must have insurance and driving licenses – which will prevent thousands of Chinese from acquiring the bikes.
“The development of the industry will be limited,” said a sales manager at a large e-bike battery maker in Zhejiang province. “(The standards) do not meet consumers’ requirements.”
Read the complete article at:
Tighter electric bike rules menace China lead demand
Electric motorcycles won’t be able to offer the power-to-weight ratios of modern sportsbikes, until battery technology improves. In addiiton, according to pundits, e-motorcycles have to be able to run for 600km on a charge, before most riders will see them as reasonable options.
However, when it comes to design, e-motorcycles have their gasoline-powered counterparts beat. By removing the combustion engine and the oil and dirt that accumulated on the bike because of it, opens the door for lots of design options, such as mass centralization and targeted mass distribution.
Dan Anderson’s Voltra is a great example of the kinds of designs e-motorcyles can get away with.
Read the complete article at:
Electric Voltra concept paves the way for sexy next-gen motorcycle design
Gizmodo, in its November 2009 description of the Grace ebike, called it “Part Motorcycle, Part Race Car, Part Fighter Jet”.
The German-made Grace has a CNC-aluminium frame, which is fitted with eurofighter and Formula One parts, and has a top speed of about 60km/h. The motor is a 1300W lithium ion–powered motor which lasts from 30km and 50km on a one-hour charge (depending on weight).
The Grace is expected to ship in January 2009. It is street legal only in Germany, but can be shipped world wide for off-road use.
Here’s the complete article at Gizmodo:
Grace Electric Bike Is Part Motorcycle, Part Race Car, Part Fighter Jet, and check the Grace website for complete details.
Grace is taking orders nows. Each Grace is hand-built, and ships in about 4 months from order.
