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Realizing last year that he had had enough of the high-tech industry, Hopkins decided to set his course in a different direction - toward building recreational watercraft with a new twist.

"We’re into an environmentally sensitive recreational watercraft, so we’re trying to avoid oil," said Hopkins. "We’re building a hybrid electric-powered vehicle. This is a slow-moving power boat."

That boat is the E3 Electric Launch, a 20-foot by 8-foot catamaran-style boat with a flat deck that rests on two pontoon-like structures that guide it through the water.

The design is based on the outrigger canoes of Polynesian culture, in which a log, called an "ama" was lashed with crossbeams parallel to the main hull.

But these amas have a secret: They hold the batteries and fuel cells that, along with solar power, make up the fuel sources that power the E3.

"If you do electric power, you are somewhat limited (in horsepower), so, if you want to move, you’ve got to make it long and lean," Hopkins said. "You want as efficient a hull design as possible."

The boat will be able to run on $3 of electricity per day and will operate at a speed of up to 8 knots for eight hours (the equivalent of about 80 hours) before it needs recharging. And, with the solar panels on board, the boat’s batteries can be recharged as it runs - as long as the sun is out - according to Hopkins.

Instruments on board will show how much battery power is left, and the system will automatically recharge its batteries as needed from the power of the sun. While docked, the E3’s batteries can be recharged by plugging them into an electrical source.

And it’s not just the boat’s power source that’s innovative; the design is brand new, developed by Hopkins with a Los Angeles designer he found on the Internet, John Holtrip.

"I’ve never spoken to him; we’ve communicated only over the Internet," Hopkins said.

The E3 will be steered with a joystick, not a wheel, to control the engines on the back of each ama. The E3’s joystick steering uses the same technology as electric wheelchairs, adapted for this use.

"The pieces are not inventions," Hopkins said. "It’s really a system-integration thing." Because he’s using existing technologies, Hopkins doesn’t plan to patent the entire boat, but intends to take steps toward protecting some aspects of the design.

While the E3 prototype is still under construction - the work started less than a month ago - the plans call for a teak deck with seating for about seven people around the edges. Each ama will have an electric engine on the back, and the canopy over the top of the boat will hold solar panels that will collect energy to power the batteries concealed in the amas.

The amas themselves, constructed from a type of plywood specifically for marine use, are covered with fiberglass, inside and out, in a gelcoat green.

Hopkins, who currently has one employee working with him on the construction, plans to complete the prototype by March 15; then he’ll get aggressive about marketing the watercraft. That will include putting it in the water locally as well as at places like Squam Lake - "really to get it in front of people," he said.

Because of the boat’s alternative power sources, it runs silently and displaces very little water as it moves. Because of its design, there’s no wake created. That would make the E3 good for use in protected waters, such as estuaries, or in places where there are both people and animals living near the water. Because the boat moves slowly (another reason there’s no wake), Hopkins said the E3 is not intended for open-ocean use.

Hopkins, who launched tech companies like Amberwave and Unger-Bass (Craig Benson used to deliver cable to Hopkins back in the day when Cabletron was still around and still made cable), moved to Portsmouth with the plan of founding Newfound Boat Co. here.

"I liked the town; it’s near the coast. There are other boat builders around here," said Hopkins, who was an amateur boat builder for years before deciding last year to get out of the high-tech field.

His business plan calls for Newfound Boat Co. to be in full production by 2004, building 30 to 40 boats, with 10 to 20 employees, and that will almost certainly mean moving out of his workshop in a converted barn on Plains Avenue, where he also lives. Although he’ll be headed for bigger digs, Hopkins said he intends to keep the production of his boats in the Seacoast area.

Corbin Motors in Hollister--sued for fraud by investors and partners

By Aki Tsukioka, JCNN

Jan. 30, 23:42 (JST)

Suzuki Releases First Hybrid Mini Car

Tokyo (JCNN) - Suzuki Motor released the industry's first hybrid mini car on January 22. The Twin hybrid model combines a 660cc gasoline engine with a small electric motor measuring 8 cm in thickness. The new Twin achieves a fuel efficiency of 32 to 34 km per liter of gasoline. The annual sales goal is 100 units.

The Twin is 16 cm shorter than a standard size mini car. It measures 2.735 meters in length. In addition, the new mini car hybrid is also lighter than standard mini cars. The model is equipped with an automatic engine shutoff function that activates when the vehicle comes to a stop at traffic signals. This helps improve the vehicle's fuel economy. The new Twin ranks second only to the Honda Insight hybrid in fuel economy.

Suzuki will market two versions of the model priced at 1.29 million yen and 1.39 million yen (approximately $10,900 and $11,700). (Asia-Pacific Automotive Report)

Visit Suzuki Motor Corporation at www.suzuki.co.jp/cpd/koho_e/index.htm

By NORIHIKO SHIROUZU norihiko.shirouzu@wsj.com

Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL February 6, 2003

DETROIT -- As auto makers gear up to bring hybrid gas-electric vehicles into the mainstream, they could be headed for another VHS vs. Betamax technology war.

A battle for control over the future of hybrid technology is taking shape, echoing the bruising format collision from home video's early days. Companies are placing bets on which technology they think will become a market standard -- and which could end up as costly experiments.

U.S. sales of the first generation of hybrid cars are growing steadily. Toyota Motor Corp. has sold more than 40,000 Prius hybrids in the U.S. since 2000, with sales up 29% in 2002.

Honda Motor Co. has sold more than 20,000 of its hybrid cars, the two-seater Insight, launched in the U.S. in 2000, and the Civic hybrid, launched in 2002. Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co. plans to have what would be the first hybrid sport-utility vehicle, a gas-electric version of the Escape, on the market by early 2004. General Motors Corp. plans to launch a hybrid SUV, the Saturn Vue, in 2005.

Hybrids, in addition to their regular gasoline engines, have one or more electric motors to propel the vehicle at low speeds and assist the gas engine at higher speeds. The electric motors run off a battery that gets charged every time the car brakes. For now, each auto maker is putting its own spin on this basic hybrid technology.

But Toyota and GM are aggressively jockeying for strategic positions, each one marketing its propulsion system to rivals in hopes of breaking away from the industry pack.

The differences between the GM and Toyota powertrains are subtle. Toyota's Prius has a big electric motor to propel the vehicle and a smaller one for charging the battery and assisting the bigger one. In the Saturn Vue, both electric motors do both jobs.

Another critical difference is in the transmission: The Saturn Vue will have what GM describes as an "automatically shifted manual transmission," which a spokesman says gives the vehicle better fuel economy on the highway. Toyota's Prius has a more complex electrically controlled transmission system that shifts gears smoothly even as the vehicle switches between electric drive and the gasoline engine.

The biggest difference, however, is in the software controlling the powertrain. GM's system is geared toward driving patterns in the U.S., where some 60% of driving is on freeways. The Prius was designed for Japan's urban driving, although Toyota executives say it has been fine-tuned to suit the U.S. market.

For consumers, the stakes aren't quite so stark as they were in the case of Betamax vs. VHS, when some people were stuck with VCRs that couldn't play tapes in the winning VHS format. In contrast, all hybrid cars run on the same gasoline. Buyers who buy a hybrid in a format that goes on to lose will still be able to drive the car, although parts may become scarce.

Car makers, however, want to realize potentially huge cost advantages from driving high-volume sales to a single standard.

Gas-electric vehicle systems cost more than their conventional counterparts, in part because hybrid powertrain components are produced in low volumes. The cost premium varies but is generally estimated at about $5,000 or more per vehicle. Toyota's gas-electric Prius compact car costs $20,000; a similar-size, conventional-engine Toyota Corolla is priced from $14,000 to $15,500. For buyers, tax incentives can offset some of the difference.

Toyota executives had hoped GM would back its system. In 1999, the two auto companies formed a five-year partnership to develop hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles. But instead of accepting Toyota's technology, GM is working to make its own hybrid propulsion system the industry standard.

Larry Burns, GM vice president of research and development, says he is well aware of the risks of a format war. He commissioned a study of the tactical moves Sony Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. made in the 1970s that determined the outcome of the Betamax-VHS war. Matsushita made VHS the home-video standard by rallying support from other electronics companies.

Mr. Burns says the lesson is that sitting on the sidelines is risky. "If [hybrids] are going to be mainstream, we intend to be the industry leader," he says. "It would be a very risky position for General Motors to relinquish that knowledge and rely on another auto company."

Now, the race is on to win over other auto makers. Mr. Burns says GM is willing to share its technology with another maker or enter into a joint development program. He says GM is talking with a number of companies.

Toyota says it has had an "open system" for several years. "We'll open our technology to whoever knocks on our door," says Akihiko Saito, executive vice president of technology. "It's only natural that different makers will have different approaches. But eventually the best system will prevail."

Next year, Toyota plans to launch a hybrid version of the redesigned Lexus RX SUV and may offer hybrid systems as an option for the Toyota Highlander SUV. President Fujio Cho has said Toyota hopes to sell 300,000 hybrids a year around the world by mid-decade, mostly in the U.S.

Ford and Honda could emerge as swing votes in the technology race. Honda isn't leaning toward either Toyota or GM, relying instead on its own system. Koichi Amemiya, Honda's No. 2 executive, says it's too early to bet big on hybrids.

-- Todd Zaun in Tokyo contributed to this article.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1044486854102855373,00.html

Hybrid Vehicles Help Police Save Green by Going Green

By JOHN J. FIALKA john.fialka@wsj.com2

Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL February 6, 2003

STUART, Fla. -- A motorist pulls up beside Deputy Sheriff Gordon Thiel's squad car at a stoplight and shouts: "Hey, do you know your motor isn't running?"

The deputy rolls down his window and grins. "That's right," he replies. The light changes and Deputy Thiel pulls away.

On some days, exchanges like this go on for several stoplights until Mr. Thiel pulls over, opens the hood on his stubby Toyota Prius and shows the confused motorist two engines, one electric and one gasoline. With this hybrid cruiser, either engine or both together can power the car. At lights, both engines shut off, saving gasoline and reducing air pollution.

The "Buy American" policy that has long influenced the purchase of police cars and other government vehicles doesn't seem to apply to Japan's fuel-stingy hybrids, which can get more than 50 miles per gallon. City and state fleet managers have bought at least 3,000 of them and hundreds more are on order.

That has sparked a complaint or two to Mr. Thiel's boss, Martin County Sheriff Robert Crowder. Last year, a retired Cadillac dealer called on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor to ask: Why Japanese-built squad cars? "I explained to him that Japan is not an enemy anymore. It's a very valuable ally and we need this technology," recalls Mr. Crowder, a short, beefy former Marine and motorcycle buff.

So far, Mr. Crowder has bought 11 Toyota Priuses and four Honda Civic hybrids for his 311-car fleet. He figures he'll buy 50 more at an average price of about $20,000 in the coming year or two. That's $3,000 less than a new Ford Crown Victoria, the current workhorse of U.S. police-car fleets.

Because of the hybrids' great gas mileage in city traffic, (Crown Victorias average around 11 mpg), his department figures each new cruiser saves about $103 a month in gasoline. Martin County still uses the souped-up Fords to chase speeders, haul prisoners and handle traffic accidents, but the sheriff has found niches where the more muscular engine isn't necessary.

Sheriff Robert L. Crowder started the hybrid-car program in Martin County, Fla.

For example, Jennifer Heard, a department detective, uses her Prius for investigative work. "I'm such a lead foot, I probably only get 40 mpg," she says, adding that she recently nudged the little car up over 100 mph on a deserted highway. She was also pleasantly surprised to find enough room in the trunk for two armored vests, a pair of rubber boots and her shotgun.

But Deputy Thiel, who drove big American police cruisers for more than 30 years, says the shift to his Prius took a "period of adjustment." He still misses the roar when he hit the gas pedal of a 225-horsepower Crown Victoria. "I guess it comes from being an old road cop," he shrugs. But he acknowledges that the Prius, with a maximum of 98 horsepower, maneuvers more easily through the congested urban neighborhoods where he serves some 400 court papers each month.

Auto makers have long boosted sales by selling cars as police cruisers, a role in which the cars also can serve as advertisements. That's the case with hybrids. "There's a guy who lives here in Jensen Beach. He would always ask me a lot of questions about it," the deputy says, as he drives through the area. "The next thing you know, he's driving one [a hybrid] around."

Sam Butto, a spokesman for Toyota, says that roughly 6.5% of the 35,000 Prius cars sold in the U.S. have gone to government fleets. A Honda spokesman says it has sold only a few Civic hybrids to government agencies, but is starting to target that market.

"Look, we all want to buy American," says Wyatt Earp, fleet manager for Marion County, Fla. But U.S. companies, he points out, don't yet sell hybrids. Mr. Earp -- a descendant of the legendary frontier lawman -- manages the annual procurement of cars by the Florida Sheriff's Association, which negotiates wholesale rates for about 5,000 city and county agencies. Last year it bought 100 hybrids. "Now the word is getting around. I think we'll have 10 times more orders than we had last year," Mr. Earp says.

"On this one, the Japanese are just way ahead of the Americans and the Europeans," says Mayor Gus Garcia of Austin, Texas, who has spent three months driving his new Prius. In smog-bound Houston, city building inspectors use five hybrids and have ordered 27 more. "These vehicles will save the city thousands on gasoline and maintenance," Mayor Lee P. Brown says. Seattle is also using hybrids; it owns 36 and has 15 on order.

Stanford Daily, Wednesday, February 5, 2003

By Natalie Farrell

Seeking to educate faculty and students on what they consider vices of sport utility vehicles, a group of Stanford students is launching a campaign to raise awareness of the automobile’s contribution to environmental and political problems.

Neril thought that this issue was particularly salient to the Stanford community because a handful of students own Hummers, which he described as one of the worst “gas guzzlers.” Even more students own other types of SUVs — infamous for their low fuel efficiency and high emissions of greenhouse gases, which have been shown to contribute to global warming.

“We want to make people aware that SUV consumption is a national security issue and a global environment issue, not just a personal choice,” he said.

According to some estimates, the United States is home to five percent of the world’s population but produces nearly one-third of all greenhouse gases. The recent upsurge in popularity of SUVs has increased greenhouse gas emissions, since SUVs emit on average two times as much carbon dioxide as a regular car.

After the group had its first meeting on Jan. 29, Bushinsky said that he has been “amazed” by the student response and that group leaders have been approached by members of several other student groups who are interested in working with them on the project, which he calls an “awareness raising campaign.”

“The idea is that the technology to make these cars more efficient is out there and it’s been sitting on the shelves for decades,” Bushinsky said. “[Instead of focusing on emissions], auto manufacturers have increased things like the size of the car and horsepower as technology has gotten better, so you’ve actually seen a decline in average fuel efficiency since the late ’80s.”

The group’s primary focus so far has been garnering student attention via mass e-mails, and it plans to post a banner in White Plaza advertising the rally at the auto mall.

“One of the goals of our group is to raise consciousness of this issue and make gas-guzzling as socially unacceptable as smoking indoors,” Neril said.

Bushinsky acknowledged that a transition to fuel cell or hybrid cars would be an ultimate goal in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. However, since this transition will not likely come for some years, he said that for now, putting a stop on the growing trend of driving SUVs is essential.

“We’re not out to say everyone should go around on horseback,” Bushinsky said. “Really, what we’re trying to do is say that auto makers should recognize that there is a demand for fuel-efficient cars.”
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=5338&n=156,196&sid=196

GREEN MACHINES

A New Paice for Hybrids?

Does more voltage equal more efficient gas/electric vehicles?

by William Rapai 9/22/2002

In a nearly empty building in Livonia, Mich., sits a prototype that might make gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles on the road today look like lawn mowers.

The system isn’t even in a car. It’s just a seat, a steering wheel, a throttle, and a couple of engines – gasoline and electric – wired to the battery system of an old New York City bus. But according to Theodore Louckes, chief operating officer of Paice Corp., a tiny start-up company, these components are all that are needed to prove that the Ford and Chrysler designs on the drawing board and the Toyota and Honda hybrid vehicles on the road today are ill-conceived, poorly designed and unnecessarily expensive.

The difference, Louckes believes, is in how the power is controlled and how much is used. Paradoxically, in order to save energy you have to use more of it.

Hybrids touts

Environmentalists and automakers tout the virtues of hybrid automobiles as a way to cut fuel consumption and emissions because the vehicles are powered by gasoline and electric motors. Many people in the auto industry believe hybrids will act as a critical bridge between the gasoline-powered engines of today and the hydrogen-powered fuel cells likely to power autos a generation from now.

Both Toyota and Honda have had some success with their hybrid vehicles in sales and publicity. Both companies, however, are pretty much the same in one aspect – they use technology developed in the 1970s, and both use a relatively modest amount of power – 200 to 300 volts – to operate a rather anemic electric motor.

Paice’s Hyperdrive system, however, uses 800 volts, which makes the system both lighter and less expensive than current systems because electricity is delivered more efficiently at a higher voltage. Louckes says the higher voltage has other significant advantages; vehicles equipped with Paice’s system will:

Double fuel economy of today’s gasoline-powered vehicles;

Lower emissions enough to qualify vehicles for California’s Super Low Emissions Vehicle certification;

Equal or better the performance of current ICE vehicles;

Provide enough energy to power large vehicles or pull heavy loads;

Be produced at a cost that will be competitive with current ICE engines;

Be compatible with all fuels

Louckes says he has proof that the concept works – dynamometer tests conducted by Roush Laboratories simulating the Federal Urban Driving Schedule and the Federal Highway Cycle. Those tests on a 4250-pound family sedan, similar to a Cadillac, showed the Hyperdrive system operating at 38 mpg in city driving, compared to 19 mpg for a conventional internal-combustion engine. When tested at highway speeds, the Paice system delivered 54 mpg.

As for emissions, the Paice system was measured at 0.06 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. That’s well below the current California Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle standard of 1.70 grams per mile.

“It’s no longer a matter of will it work,” Louckes said.

A Roush Laboratory spokesman declined to comment on Paice’s system, but said that the data is accurate as captured under the tests, which simulated road grade, inertia and vehicle weight.

Critical difference

Paice’s system is different from other hybrids in two critical ways: increased voltage and the way power is managed.

The system consists of a 15-hp starter generator, a 100-hp traction motor and a 70-hp, 1.3 -liter gasoline-powered internal combustion engine, which is used only when it can be run at peak efficiency. In city driving, the vehicle can be powered for up to 20 minutes by the battery alone. When the battery charge is depleted, the gasoline engine turns on and locks in at 1500 rpm, providing enough power to run the electric traction motor and recharge the battery.

During this cycle, the gasoline engine is used to power only the electrical motor and battery — therefore, it uses less fuel and emits less pollution than if needed to power the vehicle through stops and starts. When more torque is needed than the electrical motor alone can provide, the computer control matches torque between the motors and closes a clutch in the drivetrain.

The system is managed by two bi-directional AC/DC computer controlled inverters, which continually monitor the system and send power where needed.

The system is the brainchild of Dr. Alex Severinsky, who is now Paice’s chief executive officer. Louckes said Severinsky came to him and a couple other potential investors to demonstrate his idea. Louckes came away impressed enough to help form the company.

“We tried like hell to poke holes in it, and we weren’t able to do it,” Louckes said.

Louckes, a 40-year veteran of General Motors who retired in 1988 as chief engineer of the Olds Division, admits Paice has a long way to go; the system has yet to be sold to an automaker or be produced for a significant road test. Paice is taking both of those steps right now; company leaders are talking with automakers in Europe and North America and are planning to have a prototype vehicle on the road within 18 months.

Louckes says it’s unlikely that Paice will become a new supplier to the OEMs. Instead, the company plans to develop and license the algorithms and core software and have other companies build the components. One of the other problems Paice is dealing with right now is finding the right help and suppliers.

“We know how big a task this is and we know we can’t do it all by ourselves,” Louckes says of the 12-employee company.

So, why haven’t the global OEM’s figured out there’s a better way?

“We’ve taught them that,” Louckes says, “and they’re beginning to move that way.”

Paice Corporation: http://www.paice.com

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/business/5127734.htm

Posted on Fri, Feb. 07, 2003