News From Liberty Electric Cars

Ian Hobday, CEO of Liberty Electric Cars on BBC Radio 4: listen to the debate about environmental benefits of electric vehicles

2nd April 2013

Few things polarise opinion more than the electric car. It is either a great way to save the planet or a really bad way to get from A to B?

The Today programme's Evan Davis wanted to find out more, and took a ride in one with an enthusiast and a sceptic.

Bjorn Lomborg, the so-called Sceptical Environmentalist, having written a book of that name, has made a career attacking what he thinks are the irrationalities of the green movement. He is not a fan of electric cars.

Ian Hobday, who runs Liberty Electric Cars, took Evan and Mr Lomborg for a ride.

Listen to the full interview on the BBC website.

Liberty reveals '1000 Mile, Electric Car Project' to Motortrade Insights Magazine

30th January 2013

“I can tell you that there will be a vehicle that will do Land’s End to John O’ Groats on a single charge next year,” said Ian Hobday, CEO of Liberty Electric Cars – one of Britain’s fastest growing electric car manufacturers.

The vehicle will be capable of a range between 837 to 1,000 miles – four times the furthest range of electric cars currently available on the market.

From MotorTrades Insight's headquarters in Brentwood, Essex, the car could potentially reach many areas of Europe without having to be recharged, including Paris, Brussels, Bordeaux, Lyon, Montpellier, Marseille, Zurich, Milan, Monza, Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, Prague, Salzburg, Copenhagen, Malmo, Belfast, Dublin, and the Pyrenees.

While the price and final model is yet to be revealed, Mr Hobday said "it shows you where the electric car technology is going".

Speaking on the electric car industry as whole, he said: “If I have to forecast where we’re going to be, right now we’re at 200 to 250 miles without too much trouble. We will be at 400 to 500 miles within two or three years."

“Have no fear. Battery-based energy storage for electric vehicles will be capable of delivering everything that a tank of petrol or diesel can deliver within two or three years.”

By the end, possibly even the middle of the year, Liberty Electric Cars aims to double its workforce to 80 - a sure sign of the times to come for Britain’s electric car revolution.

Read the full story on Motortrades Insight.

'Motortrades Inside' magazine reports on Liberty and its development of revolutionary EV motor technologies.

7th January 2013

They are unfairly criticised by cynical members of the public and in the past have been know for travelling only a short distance and needing a whole night to recharge.

Yet, researchers and engineers at Cranfield University, Michelin and Liberty Electric Cars are together working overtime on projects to ‘rewrite a current law of physics’, said Ian Hobday, CEO of the company behind the project.

AN ELECTRIC MOTOR FREE OF RARE EARTH METALS

Ian, goes on to say “We are working on two types of motor at the moment. One is designed simply to be less expensive but to deliver the same performance and that’s by removing rare earth metals,” he explained. “China dominates the market, prices have gone through the ceiling, pushing up the prices of electric motors, so if we can produce a rare-earth-metal-free electric motor, we bring back down the cost of the electric motor and we reduce the cost for the final consumer.”

 

 

A NEW ELECTRIC MOTOR THAT DEFIES NEWTON

“The second motor-related project that we have on the go at the moment is the evaluation of a motor which if it’s successful would require the rewriting of a current law of physics,” he excitedly explained.

If it works, this motor will actually recharge the battery pack whilst driving the car so it does not have to stop. While it is powering the vehicle, this will provide energy back to the battery pack. We’ve been looking at the technology seriously for over six months. It sounds like perpetual motion which is why we’re sceptical about whether it works.

“We have a pilot operation up and running in our technology centre up in Coventry and initial results are quite encouraging so you’ve got developments in the area of motors where you can see them becoming more efficient and better and you can think about between 15 and 30 per cent improvement in that area of electric motors over the next two years.”

Read the full article over at www.motortradesinsight.co.uk

Liberty electric cars collaborates on the development of a range of electric buses

7th December 2012

Liberty Electric Cars Ltd will be collaborating on the development of a range of electric buses with its sister company Newport Coachworks Inc in California.

The two companies have initiated a collaborative project to develop a range of electric buses for the North American market, utilizing the proprietary electric drive train technology from Liberty and combining it with the industry leading bus designs of Newport Coach Works.

The kick-off meeting set parameters for electric bus performance for the North American market, including, distance; charging times; speed; acceleration; across a range of buses from 11,500lb GVW through to 33,000lb GVW, covering the most popular segments in the shuttle and school bus markets.

The first demonstration buses should be available to be viewed and driven by operators around mid-2013.

Liberty Electric Cars Ltd. Renews Agreement with $15bn US Truck Manufacturer for the On-going Support of EVs in Europe

20th September 2012

Liberty Electric Cars Ltd. has renewed its contract with one of America’s largest truck manufacturers to provide all aftermarket warranty support to its key electric vehicle (EV) customers in Europe.

Pursuant to the new agreement, Liberty will continue to take care of all warranty support as required by its client’s customers, most of whom operate fleets of electric commercial vehicles in Europe. The client’s customers include major companies such as FedEx, UPS and Veolia, who are using the first ground up electric trucks known as the "Modec,” an EV that was launched four years ago to make pollution-free deliveries in urban areas.

In Liberty’s fully-equipped Coventry and London facilities, the Liberty E-Care team can carry out all major warranty, servicing and repair work on electric vehicles, whether the customer requires a full service, fault diagnosis or mechanical repairs. In addition, Liberty carries an inventory of all key parts, and is able to provide a comprehensive range of upgrades and accessories to help improve and customise vehicles, helping ensure they remain in top condition and to help maintain their value.

Commenting on the renewal of the servicing agreement, Mr. Ian Hobday CEO of Liberty, said, "Thanks to our unique EV technologies, and relative long history and experience in servicing this new EV market, the renewal of our agreement with one of the world’s leading truck manufacturers is a strong indicator that Liberty is one of the key EV service providers in Europe. As a result of our historical on-time, cost-effective service we are able to meet the needs of our growing list of customers in the EV market."

Liberty Electric Cars and Green Automotive Company join forces

2nd July 2012

Liberty Electric Cars join forces with Green Automotive Company (GACR), a US public company involved in the Conversion, Import and Distribution of Eco-friendly vehicles. GACR is presently planning to bring All-Electric and other Eco-friendly vehicles into the United States market through a combination of converting piston engine vehicles and importing existing EV's.

The Company is currently involved in assessing a number of All-Electric and alternate fuel vehicles including an All-Electric Intra-City and Municipal Mass Transit Bus and School Bus, for introduction to the US market. For more information on GACR, visit www.usaelectricauto.com.

Ian Hobday, CEO of Liberty Electric Cars, confirmed today: "The Liberty business in Europe is unaffected by this acquisition and the management structure remains unchanged. This deal provides us with a huge opportunity to expand in America, leveraging GACR's contacts and connections. It also gives us access to additional funds and the ability to attract more in the future, which will help us to realise our acquisition goals, invest in R&D, bring to the market several new products and confirm our position as a global player in the EV market."

For further information, please take a look at the press release here...

Liberty’s vehicle technologies praised as breakthrough in fleet sector

30th May 2012

According to Frost and Sullivan, “Liberty’s cutting edge electric vehicle technologies for large vehicles would become a breakthrough in electric vehicles technology.

Liberty Electric Cars has a high potential of success in electric vehicle battery and drive train segments.“

Please click here to read the full article on p.4.

Congratulations to the winners of Liberty’s GEN Y 2012 Design Competition

15th May 2012

Liberty have received some incredibly interesting projects from young students all around the world. The aim of the competition was to create concepts for an all-electric 2020 Generation Y car that should be iconic in shape and allows the user to express their own personality.

The vehicle should be fun to drive and should use innovative technologies and materials that can be easily configured according to the drivers requirements.

The winner of the 1st prize is a young student from The National Institute of Design in India who has been chosen for his innovative thinking and creative design.

TSB awards Liberty funding for project “MOTORE”

14th March 2012

Liberty has received an award of funding from the Technology Strategy Board in the UK for the development of a rare earth free electric vehicle motor technology.

The project “MOTORE” will provide a sustainable and affordable solution for EV motor production that is central to meeting the future demand for widespread electrification of road vehicles.

By using an innovative hybrid material comprising laminate and soft magnetic materials, novel motor topology and power electronics and performance monitoring the motor will provide a sustainable replacement of the permanent magnet motors used today.

Information on the Technology strategy Board, is available on the Innovateuk.org website...

Liberty Electric Cars to participate in the prestigious DELIVER Project!

30th January 2012

Liberty Electric Cars is participating together with Volkswagen, Fiat, Michelin, IKA and HPL Proto in the prestigious EU program DELIVER to design fully electric light commercial vehicles with the goal to reduce the environmental impact in urban areas. The DELIVER project is co-funded by the European Community’s 7th Framework program.

For more information, visit the DELIVER Project Website...

Secrets of the Liberty e-Range revealed!

16th December 2011

Eyes Only, a service that connects luxury brands with people that will fall in love with them reveals the secrets of the Liberty e-Range… Read more at http://ow.ly/7WypK.

Liberty Chairman Barry Shrier key speaker at Corporate Finance Forum

11th October 2011

The event, which was organized by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment where leaders of the Cleantech industry discussed Clean Tech new technology and related business models that offer competitive returns for investors and customers, while reducing costs, inputs, energy consumption, waste and environmental pollution.

To obtain details about the presentation, please contact our Marketing Team

E-Range featured in How To Spend It

1st October 2011

How To Spend it, the UK’s leading luxury lifestyle magazine published by the Financial Times, features the Liberty E-Range in its October issue. Read the article on howtospendit.com...

Liberty Electric Cars launches Liberty E-Care

22nd August 2011

Liberty Electric Cars is introducing a pioneering after sales support programme for the increasing number of electric vehicles (EVs) on European roads. Recognising the special skills, knowledge and equipment required to service and support EVs, Liberty E-Care has been created to provide independent, highly qualified advice to businesses and individuals with electric vehicles.

In Liberty’s fully equipped Coventry and London workshops, the Liberty’s E-Care team can carry out all major servicing and repair work on electric vehicles whether the customer requires a full service, fault diagnostics or mechanical repairs. In addition, Liberty carry stocks of and are able to source a comprehensive range of parts and accessories to help maintain and customise vehicles by using genuine original equipment parts, to ensure the vehicle remains in top condition and does not loose its value.

BBC News meets Liberty MD Ian Hobday

23rd June 2011

BBC News meets Liberty Electric Cars’ Managing Director Ian Hobday and reports on the world’s first luxury zero emission 4x4 electric vehicle. Read more on the BBC…

CEO Barry Shrier presents Liberty’s new drive train technology

8th June 2011

CEO Barry Shrier presents Liberty’s new drive train technology at the third Electric Vehicle Congress in Bonn, Germany. Read the article on Wattgehtab News...

Ex Modec engineering team joins forces with Liberty Electric Cars creating one of the world’s leading EV technology centers

1st June 2011

Liberty Electric Cars has been able to secure the entire engineering team formerly employed at Modec — the Coventry based electric commercial vehicle manufacturer which entered administration in March of this year. With this move, the company has reinforced its engineering team and has now one of the most experienced teams in EV technology in the world. The 12 highly skilled experts count some 200 years of automotive engineering experience and in particular 70 years of experience in EV technology. This unique team of engineers have created EVs that have driven over 2,500,000 miles — the greatest distance and thus best experience of any electric commercial vehicle team in the world.

The company’s engineering activity has been consolidated into its new Innovation & Customer Support Centre based in Coventry. In addition to Liberty E-Tech, the advanced EV engineering and EV development centre, Liberty Electric Cars has created a support and maintenance facility, called Liberty E-Care to provide a high level of service to its own European EV customers and those of other companies.

This expansion has taken Liberty Electric Cars into a new sector — commercial vehicles — which offers a large potential for EVs, especially since routes tend to be repetitive and daily journeys are often under 100 miles round trip.

Celebrities enjoy their ride in the Liberty E-Range at the Gumball3000

25th May 2011

Several celebrities, including the famous british actor Tamen Hassan, have enjoyed their ride in the first luxury zero emission 4x4, the Liberty E-Range during the Gumball3000 event in London where the car has been selected to drive VIP guests from their hotel to the starting grid of the rally.

Green Car Guide test drives the Liberty E-Range

24th May 2011

Liberty has a specific niche market in its sights, including senior company directors who are currently paying many thousands of pounds in Benefit-in-Kind tax on their petrol-powered executive cars, who could trade them in for an electric Range Rover and instead pay zero Benefit-in-Kind tax. But more than anything, this car is a statement for people who want to portray a certain image with their car – it’’s an iconic vehicle that has zero-tailpipe emissions, and that still offers the potential of impressive performance and four-wheel drive capability. Read the full article.

Liberty Electric Cars lands large order for Scandinavia and Iceland

28th April 2011

Liberty Electric Cars has signed a memorandum of understanding with Icelandic company, Northern Lights Energy (NLE), for an order for 150 electric vehicles to be delivered across Scandinavia, Iceland and the Faroe Islands over the next four years. The order, one of the largest Liberty Electric Cars has received, has a value of around £24m.

The Liberty E-Range, the world's first pure electric 4x4, is ideally suited to these regions where there is a large proportion of gravel roads and an advanced electricity supply grid using a vast amount of renewable energy. With relatively short distances between many of the major centres of population the Liberty E Range, with its 200 mile autonomy is ideally suited to the conditions in these countries. Liberty Electric Cars will be one of the first companies to deliver electric vehicles to Iceland and there is already considerable interest being shown in the Liberty E-Range by individuals, companies and the government.

Liberty Electric Cars seeks to assist failed electric commercial vehicle maker Modec

8th March 2011

Deeply concerned by the news that Coventry-based electric commercial vehicle maker Modec has entered administration, making about half of its workforce redundant, Liberty Electric Cars CEO, Barry Shrier, has committed significant resources within the Liberty organization to see how to help Modec.

Speaking on Monday 7 March about the news that Modec had been put into administration, Shrier said: “It’s a sad day for the automotive industry as the UK has become the epicentre of electric vehicle technology – a position we must not relinquish. I believe Modec needs to be rescued by a UK firm to secure jobs and retain engineering expertise in this country.”

Shrier went on to outline Liberty’s technology road map and growing list of customers, speculating that a combined Liberty/Modec organization would make a formidable player in the emerging EV sector.

Modec was founded by Lord Jamie Borwick in 2004 and is widely regarded as the market leader in electric commercial vehicles and one of the most promising low-carbon business opportunities for the West Midlands. When takeover talks with its American partner, Navistar, failed the company had no option but to call in the administrators.

Liberty E-Range joins the Switch EV demonstration programme

24th February 2011

The Liberty E-Range has been delivered to Tim Lamb, general manager at Metrocentre and is joining herewith the Switch EV demonstration programme, part of the Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator programme. The usage of the pure electric Range Rover across the North East will be monitored and evaluated and will help to develop the market for new models and applications of electric vehicle.

Tim Lamb extremely supportive of the environmental credentials of electric vehicles and a self confessed car enthusiast, does not want to compensate on performance and comfort to drive electric, making him the perfect trial candidate for the E-Range.

“I can’t wait to drive the E-Range and to understand how it works. The performance and range of the vehicle is very impressive and I hope that by the end of the trial I am a convert.”

Liberty E-Range voted 3rd Top Luxury Car of 2010

15th January 2011

Liberty’s E-Range has been voted 3rd top luxury car of 2010 by the Norwegian financial newspaper Finansavisen. Read the full article.

Wired road tests Liberty E-Range in London

2nd December 2010

Wired Magazine tested the Liberty E-Range in London - See full comments on Wired UK’s Liberty E-Range article.

Liberty E-Range is “the best car in the world”

26th November 2010

The most important daily financial newspaper in Norway Finansavisen presents the Liberty E-Range as "The best electric car in the world" - read the full article.

Liberty to take part in Electric Vehicle Investment Networking Breakfast

18th November 2010

Liberty Electric Cars will participate at the Electric Vehicle Investment Networking Breakfast organised by Cleantech Investor Ltd in London at the Gherkin on the 26th November 2010.

Find out more here…

Lords amazed by performance of Liberty E-Range

4th November 2010

Liberty has recently presented its E-Range electric Range Rover to the House of Lords in London where Lord Ahmed has been amazed by the car’s performance.

Liberty Electric Cars presents innovative technology at Brussels Cleantech conference

26th October 2010

Liberty Electric Cars has presented its innovative technology at the Cleantech conference in Brussels organized by the Embassy of Kazakstan and the European Union to support the country in its initiative to reduce its overall pollution levels. Ian Hobday, Managing director Liberty Electric Car said: “ We are proud to be part of this exciting cooperation. Kazakhstan is one of the worlds largest sources of raw materials, but it is also a very forward looking country, that seeks to work with partners from around the globe to develop new technologies especially in the “clean technology” arena.

Liberty Electric Cars wins Chinese Government contract

27th September 2010

Liberty Electric Cars has entered into an agreement with a Chinese Government agency to provide the technology for a pure electric bus platform to be built in China. The programme sees the building of a minimum of 10,000 buses over a 5 year period with the possibility for this to rise to 30,000. Each one of the buses to be built in China will use a unique "e-Kit" designed, assembled and shipped from the North East of England. A dinner in celebration of the partnership was hosted by Sir John Hall at Wynyard Hall in the North East, where the management team of Liberty and the Chinese delegation were told by Sir John of his support and enthusiasm for the project and the prestige it would bring to the area.

World's First Electric 4x4 joins new Future Car Challenge

21st September 2010

The world's first pure electric 4x4, Liberty's E-Range will take part in the RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge. It will join around 50 other electric, hybrid and low-emission ic engined cars, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles on the pioneering 60 mile run from Brighton to London on Saturday 6 November. For more information, visit www.futurecarchallenge.com.

AutoExpress highlights advantages of E-Range

14th July 2010

An all-electric Range Rover that can travel 200 miles on a single charge is set to hit the road!

Due to go on sale by the end of the year, the E-Range is produced by Oxford-based Liberty Electric Cars. It is claimed to cover 0-60mph in around seven seconds on its way to an 85mph top speed. Details of the car’s drivetrain and weight have not yet been disclosed, but motors at each wheel are powered by two batteries in the engine bay and six under the car. The E-Range can be charged wirelessly when parked over an induction plate, or using a standard electricity supply or fast charger.

Liberty estimates that owners who spend £50 a week on petrol at present would cut costs to £10 with the E-Range. Prices start at £160,000, although this is likely to fall as the technology develops.

Liberty accomplishes test drive successfully

5th July 2010

Liberty Electric Cars has completed extensive testing to prove for the first time a new and unique world-beating technology that is set to fundamentally revolutionise the vehicle sector. The Liberty Electric E-Range is the world’s first luxury high-performance, Pure Electric, non-polluting 4x4 that will be readily available to fill a significant gap in the family-size and luxury vehicle market – and it will be available in the UK before any other country.

The testing — which took place in and around Newcastle-upon-Tyne on XX June 2010 — put a Liberty-converted Range Rover* through its paces to demonstrate the abilities of the technology. The result is proof that the company has created a large, luxury vehicle that is 100 per cent zero emission** yet performs as well — and in some cases even better — than any combustion-engine equivalent available on the market today.

The new technology can also allow for wireless charging — another world-first — where the car is simply parked over an induction plate and charges automatically without the need for plugs or power leads.

“We are incredibly proud to have proven our critics wrong and demonstrated the performance ability of our proprietary and patented, class-leading technology”, said Liberty Electric Cars Founder and CEO Barry Shrier, who was present at the testing.

“The Liberty Electric E-Range accelerates from zero to 60 in circa 7 seconds, reaches a top speed of 100mph, and has a distance capacity of 200 miles on one single charge — this is the upper end of the drive range that any current EV is able to achieve. In short, the vehicle enables the consumer to enjoy the power, prestige and luxury of the iconic Range Rover without the cost to the environment,” Barry said.

*Liberty Electric Cars is not related to, or endorsed by, Land Rover PLC.
**in line with automotive industry definition of zero emissions at the tailpipe.