Many interesting news at the Washington D.C. Auto Show this year: new rivalry in the low speed EV market; the Nissan Leaf as well as the Chevy Volt getting star treatment and aiming the mass market; and a dedicated advanced technology area. cars21.com outlines the insights.

There was a lot going on for EV enthusiasts at the D.C. Auto Show that ended on Sunday as the underlying theme was clear to the organisers: “Electric is the big deal this year," said Gerard Murphy, President of the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association, the event's sponsor.

Among the 30 new vehicles that made an appearance at the D.C. show, the hybrid and EV category was represented well by General Motors' coming electric car, the Volt, BMW's emission-free concept car, the Active-E, as well as the electric Fiat 500 and Nissan's forthcoming Leaf electric car, to mention just a few.

At one of the show’s conferences, Nissan once again highlighted that with the Leaf, the company is aiming to break out of the tiny niche markets for such cars so far. "We're serious when we say 'mass market, " said Tracy Woodard, Director of Nissan's government affairs.

GM to add Washington to Volt development programme

Recognising Washington D.C. as one of the leading areas for EV technology, General Motors has announced at the Auto Show that D.C. would join California and Michigan as the initial consumer markets for its 2011 Chevy Volt. “In addition to geographical considerations, each market also has progressive local and state government leaders and utility partners who are crucial in bringing electric vehicles to market, ” said Jim Campbell, general manager of Chevrolet. The company will deliver around 100 Volts to several utilities across US as well as 500 charging stations that will be installed for residential, business and public use.

D.C. Department of Transportation spokesman John Lisle says the city can jump-start the technology by purchasing electric vehicles for the city fleet and by installing the necessary infrastructure.

Advanced Technology SuperHighway featuring EVs

For the first time, the D.C. Show organisers have dedicated an area of around 60,000 m2 (65,000 square feet) to display electric and hybrid vehicles as well as those powered by hydrogen or ethanol or clean diesel. The "Advanced Technology SuperHighway" showcased not only the carmakers’ latest innovations in safety and sustainability but also from the companies that can build the infrastructure needed for the advanced technology.

Columbia aiming to lead the low-speed EV market

With its new car, a concept vehicle called “Crossline”, the American manufacturer of low-speed electric vehicles, Columbia, is preparing to become market leader in its area. Columbia marketing manager Greg Breckley declared that they want to win the low-speed electric car wars with its new model. It will be probably out by the end of this year and will have a top speed of around 40 km per hour (25miles/hour).

Breckley adds, that the company is not trying to compete with Nissan or Coda or Ford, but wants to sell its vehicles to groups like the military or universities. In fact, Columbia sold 1,000 low-speed electric utility vehicles to the Army earlier this year and has so far delivered 600 of them. For the new car, Columbia is considering a change from the lead-acid based power train that they are using in their current models to absorbed glass mat batteries. The suggested retail price before any tax credits will be around €14,500 ($20,000).