Automotive

Zipcar service accelerates in Ann Arbor

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September 14, 2011

Who says you have to buy a whole car when just a piece of one will do? Use of the Zipcar car sharing service in Ann Arbor is mirroring the sector's growth across the nation, and auto heavyweight Ford Motor Company has taken notice. Ford has recently announced it will provide up to 1,000 cars to the Zipcar service in college campus towns and cities nationwide; Ann Arbor's fleet is expected to grow accordingly. "This is a nationwide move and obviously Michigan, being Ford country, has been at the forefront of getting the American-made vehicles," says Nancy Shore, director of Ann Arbor's getDowntown alternative transportation program. Shore expects to see more Ford Focuses added to Ann Arbor's bevy of Zipcars available for rent by the day or by the hour. It costs $66 for a full weekday rental, $72 on weekend days, or $8 an hour. However, Focuses will be available for rent at a reduced rate of $7 an hour. Eight Zipcars are available for rent from various downtown Ann Arbor locations. Zipcar members can choose from Honda Accord, Ford Escape, Prius, Honda Civic, Mazda 3, and Toyota Scion models. The University of Michigan also has its own fleet of about 20 cars. Members may rent from any of the campus or downtown locations. Zipcar declines to provide an exact date as to when the new Ford Focus will be available. The getDowntown program has been in talks with Zipcar about adding more vehicles, Shore says. She expects that with student housing and more downtown living options such as U-M's North Quad dorm and the Liberty Lofts, Zaragon, and Zaragon West highrises, demand for car sharing will accelerate. "There's just going to be lots more people downtown that are potentially thinking of living here, and living in a downtown environment which may mean not having a car or having only one vehicle." "When we started the program, the baseline was to make sure that they're all used at least 30% of the time," Shore adds. "And they're all being used much more than that now, which is very positive because it's clearly a program that's doing well, and we want to keep seeing it grow." Source: Nancy Shore, director of Ann Arbor's getDowntown alternative transportation program; Zipcar Writer: Tanya Muzumdar

Latest in Automotive

To head off crashes, cars talk to each other in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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August 31, 2011

Technology is being developed to allow automobiles to exchange info with one another wirelessly in order to avoid accidents. Excerpt: "As many as 3,000 autos will be equipped with the technology in Ann Arbor, Mich. The test will help the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration decide whether to mandate wireless communication in cars to avoid accidents. The decision for light vehicles is planned in 2013." Read the rest here

U-M solar car Quantum circles the lower peninsula

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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July 20, 2011

The Quantum, the latest version of the University of Michigan's solar car, is wrapping up its race across Michigan's lower peninsula today as it prepares for its annual world championship race this fall.The four-day mock race covered 1,000 miles from numerous corners of the lower peninsula, including southeast Michigan. It made stops in St. Joseph, Ludington, Traverse City, Mackinaw City and Tawas City. The team is posting updates of its progress here and here. The mock race is serving as preparation for the October World Solar Challenge in Australia."The average speeds (40-50 mph) will be a little bit less than Australia," says Rachel Kramer, project manager for the University of Michigan Solar Car Team.The student-led team behind Quantum is also using this mock race as a way to show off its newest version of solar-powered automobiles to hundreds of supporters, most of which are automotive-based companies in Michigan."We get a lot of support from Michigan-based businesses," says Kramer, a senior studying neuroscience at U-M. "Being close to Detroit helps because half of our partners are in the automotive sector."Source: Rachel Kramer, project manager for the University of Michigan Solar Car TeamWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Center for Automotive Medicine at U-M wants to make driving safer

By Newsroom

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Development News

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June 22, 2011

Years of research into automobile crashes will be part of the new Center for Automotive Medicine, or ICAM, a University of Michigan facility that will put medical professionals and auto engineers and their crucial information in close contact.The $800,000 ICAM facility will encourage past and future research into crashes, both from the automotive safety side and the human behavior side, be put into recommendations, informing changes that could save lives and money."In our many years of research, here's what we know is important," says Dr. Stewart Wang, founder and director of ICAM and director of the U-M Burn Center, says in a statement. "The vehicle is important. The restraints are important. But the occupant is the most important," he says. "Our mission is to better understand, treat and prevent crash injuries. And to really understand injuries requires doctors and engineers working together in equal partnership."ICAM is also the creator of www.crashedu.org, and is looked to as a leader in automotive safety research.Source: Ian Demsky, spokesperson, University of Michigan Health SystemWriter: Kim North Shine

U-M Solar Car team hoping to cross Australian finish line first

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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May 11, 2011

No solar car building team in America has won the World Solar Challenge since the race's 1987 debut. U-M's Quantum --the U's 11th car-- is out to reclaim the trophy 24 years later. Excerpt: "Only two things matter when building a race car powered by the sun: maximizing efficiency and minimizing weight. Everything else is secondary when the goal is crossing a continent using just enough energy to power a hair dryer. All the top teams in the esoteric sport of solar racing embrace this “less is more” ethos to a degree that would please Colin Chapman. But the University of Michigan, arguably America’s best team, has taken it to fanatical levels in a relentless drive to win the World Solar Challenge in October. The biennial sprint across Australia is the oldest and most prestigious race of its kind, the Daytona 500 or Monaco Grand Prix of solar racing." Read the rest of the story here.

Video Ypsilanti’s Auto Heritage Museum

By Keith Jefferies

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Economic Development

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May 4, 2011

Maybe you've stumbled past the Auto Museum after a night of fried pickles and brews at Ypsi's Sidetrack and wondered what was inside. Well, wonder no more. This Depot Town destination provides an important glimpse into the city's auto history. And they've got a Tucker! Don't know what that is? Watch, learn, visit.

Sakti3’s batteries viewed as one of the top technologies of 2011

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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April 27, 2011

As electric and hybrid vehicles account for a greater percentage of cars on the road, the need for cheaper and better batteries grows. MIT's Technology Review thinks Sakti3 could be the company that makes that happen, with their cutting edge "solid-state battery."Excerpt:"To make solid-state batteries that are practical and inexpensive to produce, Sastry has written simulation software to identify combinations of materials and structures that will yield compact, reliable high-energy devices. She can simulate these materials and components precisely enough to accurately predict how they will behave when assembled together in a battery cell. She is also developing manufacturing techniques that lend themselves to mass production. "If your overall objective is to change the way people drive, your criteria can no longer only be the best energy density ever achieved or the greatest number of cycles," she says. "The ultimate criterion is affordability, in a product that has the necessary performance."Although it may be several years before the batteries come to market, GM and other major automakers, such as Toyota, have already identified solid-state batteries as a potentially key component of future electric vehicles."Read the rest of the story here.

Saline plugs in electric vehicle charging station

By Newsroom

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Development News

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March 2, 2011

Electric vehicle owners should soon to able to find the city of Saline in online directories for hot spots to juice up your car. The city has recently signed an agreement with DTE Energy to install a charging station in Parking Lot No. 3, on the south side of E. Henry Street, this spring. "An ongoing goal of the city council is to have a sustainable community," explains Saline City Manager Todd Campbell. As part of this pilot program, DTE, under a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy, will provide up to $12,500 to supply and install the equipment. The utility will collect usage data and maintain ownership of the station through December 2013, after which ownership will revert to the city, Campbell says. Signage directing drivers to the station will also be erected.The council has not decided whether to impose fees for the charging, although discussions are leaning that way, says Campbell. He estimates charges at $1 for the hybrid-electric Chevrolet Volt and $2 for the all-electric Ford Focus and Nissan LEAF.Source: Todd Campbell, city manager of SalineWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

Ann Arbor body shop owner enters the Daytona 500

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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March 2, 2011

From Ypsi High School drop-out to the owner of three local auto body shops to landing a driving team in the Daytona 500, Dusty Whitney's future is firing on all pistons. Excerpt: "On Thursday, Whitney's dream of competing in the Daytona 500 was realized when Yeley finished 17th to earn one of the two qualifying spots. He will start 33rd Sunday in the 43-car field. "I talked to Dusty right after the race and he was so excited, he was outside his skin," said Rick Fischer, owner of Fischer Honda in Ypsilanti, who remembers Dusty when he cut his grass as a teenager. "He was a kid who dropped out of high school, worked in a small body shop, took some classes at Washtenaw (Community College) and now he owns three body shops. He has such a great business mind. "I'm so excited for him with J.J. making the Daytona 500. This is the type of spirit of Michiganders, the true can-do attitude where you work hard to make your dream come true. He's definitely living his dream."" Read the rest of the story here.

U-M startups dominate Clean Energy Prize competition

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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February 23, 2011

Start-ups from the University of Michigan swept the top spots in this year's Clean Energy Prize competition, including first-place winner CSquared Innovations.CSquared Innovations plans to take its $50,000 in prize money to help commercialize its lithium-ion battery technology and pump up its staff to 14 people this year. The U-M Dearborn spin-out is working through the U-M Office of Technology Transfer to build a faster, cheaper, laser-based method of making nano-structured materials and coatings for lithium-ion battery electrodes, solar cells, and industrial coatings. The technology could make the manufacturing process much less expensive. Nick Moroz, vice president of engineering and development for CSquared Innovations, says the Clean Energy Prize really helped his team gain confidence in its product and should help speed up the process of bringing it to market."We got a great amount of exposure and networking experience from it," Moroz says "There were a number of venture capital and angel investors there that started conversations with us."Among the focus areas of the start-ups participating were renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart grid technologies, environmental control technologies, plug-in electric vehicles, energy storage, and creating a mechanism to allow organizations to use their self-created biodiesel through fuel purchase agreements. Two-thirds of those 23 start-ups came from Ann Arbor.The other winners include Smart Energy (second place, $25,000) which is creating an innovative financing model to retrofit municipal buildings for energy efficiency savings. Third place ($10,000) went to Impact Card to develop a funding mechanism that aggregates consumer credit card reward points as project financing for renewable energy development. The last two first place finishers include Algal Scientific and Enertia, which are still developing their technology and gathering seed capital to commercialize their products.Source: Nick Moroz, vice president of engineering and development for CSquared InnovationsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.