2010 Detroit Auto Show: We're Gonna Rock Down to Electric Avenue

2010 Detroit Auto Show: We're Gonna Rock Down to Electric Avenue

By Scott Doggett January 9, 2010

#NAIAS - The 2010 North American International Auto Show (a.k.a. the Detroit Auto Show), which starts next week, will be so green that its sponsors have created an "Electric Avenue" - a 37,000 square-foot area on the main show floor of Cobo Center in downtown Detroit - to showcase the latest in electric vehicles and EV technology.

The all-new exhibit area will feature "nearly 20 vehicles" as well as automotive  electrification symposiums and special events on an adjacent stage.

There's been no word yet whether British-Guyanese singer-songwriter Eddy Grant, 61, will be on hand to perform his 1983 hit "Electric Avenue," which takes its name from London's Electric Avenue, a street built in the 1880s that was one of the city's first to have electric lighting.

In addition to the electric vehicles that line Electric Avenue, which include a number of X Prize contestants and electric vehicles from companies few people have ever heard of, quite a number of EVs and other hybrid vehicles will debut at the Detroit show next week. Here's information on some of them:

BMW

BMW announced last month that it will debut its Concept ActiveE electric-drive system in a 1 Series coupe at the Detroit show.

The plug-in concept car is said to contain a specially developed motor located in the rear axle that delivers 170 horsepower and provides maximum torque of 184 pound-feet. That's enough to  push the vehicle from 0-60 miles per hour in less than 9 seconds.

Unlike most EVs today, the electric-drive system of the concept vehicle draws its energy from a new, advanced lithium-ion battery pack developed jointly by BMW and SB LiMotive.

The pack permits a driving range of about 100 miles between charges, BMW said. And on the European power grid, the battery pack can be fully charged in just 3 hours at a wall box with a current of 50 ampere at 230/240 volts.

BYD

Three months after announcing its plan to sell an all-electric plug-in crossover - the e6 - in the U.S. next year, China's BYD Auto announced last month that it will display that vehicle and the company's F3DM dual-mode plug-in hybrid sedan at this show.

Both vehicles are slated to go on sale in the U.S. in May.

This won't be the first time the F3DM has appeared at the Detroit show. The world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid electric vehicle attended the 2009 show.

The F3DM can travel 62 miles using only batteries. After that, a 1.0-liter gasoline engine comes on to generate electricity for the vehicle's battery pack. That makes the F3DM an extended-range electric vehicle, just like the upcoming Chevy Volt, which GM officials say can travel up to 40 miles in all-electric mode before its gas-fueled generator kicks in.

According to BYD's Website, the e6 can receive a quick charge to 50 percent capacity in just 10 minutes, is capable of accelerating from zero to 60 miles an hour in 8 seconds, has a top speed of 100 mph, and can travel 249 miles on a single charge.

The Website also says that four power offerings are planned for the e6: 75 kilowatts (101 horsepower), 75+40 kilowatts (101+54 horsepower), 160 kilowatts (215 horsepower) and 160+40 kilowatts (215+54 horsepower). The "+" signs indicate the presence of two electric motors.

The five-seat e6 is expected to sell for about $40,000 in the U.S.

Chevrolet

We're to no longer casting a green net over small cars just because they're small and get better fuel economy than large vehicles. They've got to be fuel efficient or run on an alternative fuel to win our approval now.

That's why we're not making a fuss over the Chevy Aveo RS Concept, which is said to closely resemble the next-generation Aveo, nor are we jumping up and down over the redesigned Ford Focus, which will also be taking a bow in Detroit.

Neither of the small cars is expected to get 40 miles per gallon in the city or on the highway, and that's where we've chosen - at least for the time being - to differentiate cars that are simply small from small cars that achieve impressive fuel economy or run on an alternative to gasoline.

Chrysler

After working on handful of electric vehicles the past couple of years, it's with sadness that we report that the once-great U.S. automaker won't be debuting a green Chrysler-badged vehicle at this show.

But that's not to say its stand will be empty. Thanks to parent company Fiat, Chrysler will display the entire Fiat 500 lineup - a first for North America - and among those 500s will be one that's 100 percent electric.

A plug-in electric version of the Fiat 500 minicar - what could be cuter than that? Mitsubishi would say an iMiEV, Daimler would say a Smart ED, MINI would say an electric ForTwo. It's glorious that all of the models are in the works.

There's no word yet on whether the 500 EV will be coming to the U.S. That's one question we'll pose to Chrysler reps at the show. Chrysler has said it intends to build the gas-powered 500 for North America at a plant in Mexico beginning late this year.

General Motors

The General has been shoveling advertising dollars at, and creating all kinds of hype around, the Chevy Volt hybrid for more than a year.

So  it came as a pleasant surprise that we recently learned that one of two concepts GM will debut in Detroit will possess a plug-in powertrain - and that concept will likely be sporting a Cadillac badge.

No further details were divulged. In the spirit of unveilings of yesteryear, this concept may pretty much remain a secret until a cover is removed or a curtain raised.

Honda

Japan's No. 2 automaker by volume warmed the hearts of many a CRX (1983-1991) fan when the company formally introduced the CR-Z hybrid at the Tokyo Auto Show this past October.

The similarities between the two  models were striking - even if the CR-Z concept displayed in Japan was a four-seat version and the CRX remained a two-seater throughout its production.

The CR-Z concept shown here is said to closely resemble the production model, which will be available for purchase in the U.S. in coming months. We'll get to see just how close the concept is to reality when the production CR-Z debuts in Detroit next week.

Hyundai

The South Korean automaker unveiled its first-ever plug-in hybrid electric vehicle - the Hyundai Blue-Will - at the Seoul Motor Show last April. The vehicle, which will make its North American debut at Detroit, is only a concept, and Hyundai isn't saying what plans it has for it, but the Blue-Will is a serious PHEV all the same.

It is a parallel hybrid. It can move under electric power (for only a brief amount of time) and it can blend power from an internal combustion engine and an electric motor simultaneously.

The electric motor generates 100 kilowatts, and the company claims the vehicle's lithium-ion battery is capable of propelling the PHEV 40 miles on electricity only. That's the same distance Chevrolet claims its Volt can go on electricity between charges.

Both the Volt and the Blue-Will then require an onboard gasoline-powered engine to come on. In the Volt's case, to furnish electricity to the battery. But with the Blue-Will, a 1.6-liter, 152-horsepower engine takes over completely when the battery is discharged.

Among the Blue-Will's nifty features is the use of a thermal electric generator that captures exhaust heat and converts it into electricity, which is fed into the vehicle's battery.

Whether the Blue-Will makes it into production is one thing, but we're confident Hyundai won't waste the technology it's put into the concept.

MINI

BMW's MINI brand will show a concept called the Beachcomber at the Detroit show. The flamboyantly styled concept supposedly previews MINI's upcoming Countryman four-wheel-drive car, which is due to debut at the Geneva auto show in March.

The Countryman is slated to launch in Europe next autumn and in the U.S. in 2011. It remains to be seen if the Countryman will be a true gas-sipper. At this time we're giving it the benefit of the doubt.

Nissan

The Leaf electric car is on schedule to become the world's first modern mass-produce EV, with limited sales of it in the United States and Japan scheduled to start late this year.

The zero-emissions vehicle, which seats five and is powered by advanced lithium-ion batteries that the manufacturer swears can power the Leaf to 100 miles between charges, will make its North American debut in Detroit.

According to a video on Nissan's Website, "Sales of Leaf will start in late 2010, and not just to celebrities. Leaf will be affordable, allowing just about anybody to move into the zero-emissions future."

Take that, celebrities!

Tata

The Indian automaker announced this week that it will display the world's lowest-price passenger car, the Tata Nano, for the first time in North America at the Detroit show on January 14 - or several days after most of the automotive press have gone home.

Tata Technologies, with regional headquarters in Novi, Michigan, played a key role in engineering the Nano, which is produced by Tata Motors in India.

The Nano was introduced at the Delhi Auto Show this time last year and retails for about $2,160 in India. The car has a claimed fuel efficiency of 61 miles per gallon on the highway and 52 mpg in the city on the U.S. cycle.

Just this week Tata said it would sell a slightly larger variant of the Nano in the U.S. There's no word yet on what it will cost or its fuel economy.

Think

Think, the Norwegian electric-vehicle maker, announced this week that it will invest $43.5 million to build a factory in Elkhart, Indiana, and will offer its City highway-capable urban EV in North America.

Think, which began delivering the latest generation of its all-electric City compact car to European customers last month, said it intends to begin selling the car in the U.S. later this year.

The City is a purpose-built, battery-electric car "designed for urban environments."  It can travel at highway speeds for more than 100 miles on a single charge with zero local emissions, Think said.

It will make its North American debut in Detroit next week.

Toyota

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, will stage the world debut of a new dedicated hybrid concept vehicle during the Detroit show.

The vehicle will be revealed during a news conference held on Monday. No further information about the vehicle has been publicly disclosed.

Toyota is also expected to introduce the Scion iQ Hybrid. More on that next week.

Volkswagen

VW is expected to show a new gas-electric hybrid vehicle, and the German automaker is expected to announce whether the CC R-line will be coming to America.

Volvo

Volvo announced last month that it will present a battery-electric Volvo C30 with a range of about 94 miles at the Detroit Auto Show.

That zero-emissions model will be built in limited number and offered to selected users who will drive a test fleet of the EV during a two-year trial period in order to provide Volvo with valuable experience. The Swedish Energy Agency is contributing $20.7 million to the project.

Scott Doggett:  is an AutoObserver.com Associate Editor.