Zoomi Life

As you all may be aware, I spend a lot of time mulling over the newly-emerging technologies of the eco- and alt-fuel transportation industries. Sometimes to find out what’s coming or to try to predict what things will look like in a decade, two decades, or further out. Lately, those thoughts have focused on the one thing that all of us most often overlook, but that is essential to the comfort we have in any vehicle we drive.

Read More: The EV Dashboard of the Future, According to Me

Nissan revealed the LEAF electric car in August with announced plans to begin sales in 2010 with a production target date of late 2010/early 2011. This is further confirmed by the latest announcement that they’ll begin taking pre-orders in North America starting in the Spring of 2010. Their goal is a U.S. pre-sales target of 20,000 cars before launch.

Read More: The New Nissan LEAF and Planned U.S. Pre-Sales in 2010

Yet another automotive expert has attempted to explain to people that the electric vehicle will not be the dominant form of transportation in the near future. Back in July, Bosch executives explained how EVs aren’t likely to be a “significant” portion of the motor vehicle market for at least 20 years. Now, Nissan’s CEO has said much the same.

Read More: Nissan CEO Says Electric Vehicles Will Only Be 10% of Market in 10 Years

The Japanese government and the city of Tokyo, Japan are teaming with Better Place to test the viability of electric taxi cabs in the city. These taxis are slated to hit the roads as early as January and will utilize Better Place’s battery-swapping system to keep the taxis running 24/7.

Read More: Tokyo Testing Electric Taxis

Renault has announced that they’ll be unveiling three new electric vehicles at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show this September. One is the production-ready Fluence (Megane) EV (above) and the Kangoo EV (both slated for a 2011 release) while the third is a concept yet to be unveiled and expected to hit the market in 2012.

Read More: Renault’s 3 New Electric Cars (+video), Swappable Batteries, and Better Place

The Department of Energy has finally announced the first receipient of a low-interest loan from the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Incentive Program (ATVM) program: Ford Motors. Nissan and Tesla Motors are expected to be the next in line.

Read More: U.S. DoE Begins Giving Out ATVM Loans: Ford Gets 1st One

Nissan’s officials have promised that their upcoming electric car will be a “real” car and not a neighborhood electric or limited speed vehicle. The EV-02 test mule was only that, a test mule, and is not indicative of what the body of the vehicle will look like.

Read More: Nissan Promises a “Real Car” As Their Upcoming EV - Could it be a Be Bop?

The New York Police Department has put forty new Nissan Altima hybrids into its fleet and on the road. Eighteen of them are patrol cars while the rest are unmarked. They’re being deployed where they’ll be most useful, according to the Department. These 40 cars put the NYPD’s total hybrid fleet at 170 vehicles.

Read More: New York Police (NYPD) to Patrol in Nissan Altima Hybrids

Nissan has been making the rounds with its Cube EV prototype, vising several cities in the northwest. They’re looking for two things, apparently: a place to “land” with their first production models of the Cube EV and a place to ultimately build them in the U.S.

Read More: First Nissan EVs in U.S. Will Arrive in Seattle

It appears that if the State of Oregon has their way, they’ll become the nation’s electric vehicle capital. Three huge announcements have propelled this recently, though the state seems to be overlooking it’s current EV base.

Read More: Oregon Wants To Be Electric Vehicle Capital of the USA