Genovation Featured in EV World Podcast 21 May '09
By EV World Podcast
Article Published: May 21, 2009
One hundred years ago, there were nearly 100 electric car manufacturers in America. By 1920, nearly all were extinct. Now they're roaring back with a vengeance.
One of those new firms is Rockville, Maryland startup Genovation Cars. Beginning where all hopeful car company's start, it produced its first electric car, the converted Ford Focus pictured above on the Washington Mall, and opened its doors for business.
Andrew Saul, the scion of Washington, D.C. real estate mogul B.F. Saul II, is the company president and CEO. He, along with his partners, launched Genovation some 18 months ago with the first objective in mind being inexpensively converting -- as these things go -- government and corporate car fleets to electric drive. They picked, coincidentally, the exact same vehicle that Ford choose for its own electric car program, the Focus. Where Ford partnered with Magna Electronics to develop its drive system, Genovation went the "off-theshelf" route with the goal being an under-$30,000 conversion.
With its considerably deeper pockets, Ford could afford to invest in high-performance lithium batteries. Genovation turned to that century-old standby, lead-acid to keep costs down. That brings the price of the system and labor to about $22,000, not including the car. With the car, Saul estimates the price tag at around $28,000. Range, however, is limited in this stage of the project to just 15 miles. He is planning an option that would locate more batteries under the rear seat, increasing the range to 30 miles. Eventually, a lithium battery option would be available, upping the electric-range to 60 miles.
Longer range, Genovation wants to create a modular, plug-n-play drive system that allows owners to upgrade from DC drive to AC induction, and from lead to lithium. The company is currently working with two customers, one a catering company that could order up to 50 vehicles over the next twelve months; the second a local government entity. The company is also planning a range-extender engine option, as well as a pickup that will allow for larger battery packs and thus greater range.
Beyond the conversions, Genovation has a ground-up design dubbed the G2 that it intends to be as sustainable in construction, operation and recycling as possible. It will be offered initially as a kit car in order to get around the expense of federal crash safety testing.
