Phoenix battery EV SUV

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Last week at their annual shareholders meeting battery developer Altairnano Technologies showed off the SUV version of the Phoenix Motor Cars truck. The fully enclosed version of the vehicle was available for meeting attendees to drive and most came away fairly impressed. In the Reno Gazette-Journal article, Phoenix's Bryon Bliss acknowledges that the vehicle itself is made by an Korean company he won't name.

For the record the Phoenix SUV is a Ssangyong Actyon. Ssangyong has been best known in markets where they sell for what can charitably be described as quirky styling. Fortunately the Actyon is among the most normal looking of their lineup. As for the battery powered variants from Phoenix there is really nothing new to report.

As for Altairnano, one of the main stumbling blocks that is probably preventing big carmakers from adopting their batteries is the issue of producing the batteries in large quantities at an affordable price. General Motors in particular is trying to create a vehicle based on the Volt by 2010 at 100,000+ unit volumes for a price of around $30,000 or less. At this point, that may not be possible with the Altairnano battery.

75 Phoenix EV SUTs battery electric selling well

See? We told you Phoenix had a good thing with it's all-electric SUT. Phoenix says it's taken orders from several utility companies and municipalities for 75 of its battery-powered sport utility trucks. The Ontario-based company doesn't mention any buyers by name, though.

Phoenix has only to sell 425 more SUTs before December to reach its goal. Their next trick? A full-sized SUV capable of carrying seven passengers on not one drop of gas.

[Source: EV World]
Autoblog.com

Phoenix Motorcars Takes First Fleet Pre-sales Orders
for its All-Electric, Sports Utility Truck

Company on Track to Sell 500 Zero-Emission Vehicles in 2007

ONTARIO, Calif. - January 12, 2007 - Phoenix Motorcars has announced the receipt of 75 fleet orders from
several municipalities and an utility company for its new zero-emission, all-electric, freeway-ready sports utility truck. The company, which is on target to manufacture and sell 500 fleet-ready vehicles by year's end, will produce 16 pilot-build vehicles next month.

The company also confirmed that in consideration for a three-year exclusivity agreement within the U.S., Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTI), a leading supplier of nanomaterials and high-power battery systems technology, received a 16.6 percent ownership in the company. The three-year exclusivity agreement provides Phoenix with limited, exclusive use of Altairnano's NanoSafe™ battery packs in four-wheel, all-electric vehicles having a gross weight up to 6,000 pounds. Phoenix must meet minimum battery pack purchases, annually, to maintain the limited exclusivity agreement.

The minimum commitment to maintain exclusivity for 2007 would provide $16 Million in battery pack sales to Altairnano.
The Phoenix Motorcars sport utility truck can cruise on the freeway at up to 95 m.p.h. while carrying five passengers and a full payload, a capability that has caught the attention of fleet dealers, consumers, Hollywood and the media.

It exceeds all specifications for a Type III ZEV and has a driving range of 130 miles. Its battery can be recharged in less than 10 minutes and has a life-span of 12 years or more.
================== PhoenixMotorcars and AutoBlog.com

This is too much. Pass me a chair, I gotta sit down. = TG