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November 7, 2009

BREAKING: Chrysler Disbands EV Group, Scuttles Broad Electrification Plan

Chrysler's ENVI Group, formed in 2007 to develop a line of electrified vehicles for the company's three brands, has been disbanded and its January pledge to have 500,000 conventional and plug-in hybrid-electric and all-electric vehicles on the road by 2013 has been junked under its new, Fiat-controlled leadership.

In an interview with Reuters news service Friday, Chrysler spokesman Nick Cappa - who only a few days before had assured us that the ENVI team was still "quietly" moving along - said the special group has been disbanded and its work "absorbed into the normal vehicle development program."

Prior to its bankruptcy and takeover by Fiat, Chrysler had showed a suite of five electric and PHEV vehicles and promised to have at least one in production by next year.

But last week, in delivering a day-long look at Chrysler's post-bankruptcy 5-year product and business plan, executives including Sergio Marchionne - CEO of both Fiat and Chrysler - made no mention of electric vehicles.

And Marchionne later told some reporters, according to Reuters, that electric cars would represent less than 2 percent of Chrysler's anticipated sales in 2015. That would be fewer than 60,000 - far from the 500,000 promised at the Detroit Auto Show in January, a few months before the car maker filed for bankruptcy.

Marchionne does plan to bring the Dodge Ram dual-mode hybrid to market next year and to introduce the fuel-efficient Fiat 500 and a lot of Fiat's fuel-efficient engine technology to the U.S. through Chrysler. He told reporters last week, Reuters reports, that he believes electric vehicles will struggle until battery reliability and range issues are resolved.

Chrysler reportedly still is talking about an all-electric commercial van to the market.

But Fiat got its 20 percent stake - and effective control - of Chrysler in a deal with the Obama Administration in which Chrysler promised to bring more fuel-efficient vehicles to market.

It's disappointing to see the company back-peddling and will be interesting to see how well Marchionne can do it without electrification.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 7, 2009, 11:26 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Fiat, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Disbands EV Program

November 6, 2009

Green Cars Get Green Light, Hybrid Sales Outperform Overall October Market

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Spurred by factory incentives, replenished stocks and the relative freshness of several models, sales of hybrid-electric cars and SUVs soared in October, easily outperforming the market as a whole.

Compared to October '08 - a month with six fewer hybrid models available - sales of Ford, General Motors, Honda, Nissan and Toyota hybrids were up 12.1 percent, while sales of conventionally powered cars and trucks were flat.

The one-month picture was even rosier, as October hybrid sales jumped 22.5 percent from September's, versus a 12.1 percent hike in sales of conventional models.

Nissan, which has only one model - the Altima hybrid, - and sells it in just the nine states with the toughest emissions standards, was the only hybrid maker to record a sales decline for both periods, dropping 46 percent from a year earlier and 13 percent from September.

As with most hybrids - Toyota's Prius excepted - Nissan's actual numbers are quite small because of low sales volumes. October's sales drop represented just 46 fewer Altima hybrid sales than in September.

Toyota's redesigned 2010 Prius, sweetened by a small factory incentive, remained by far the segment leader, accounting for 55 percent of all hybrid sales for the month.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 6, 2009, 1:18 PM
Categories:: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Lexus, Mercury, Nissan, Saturn, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Hybrids

November 4, 2009

Chrysler Plans, Part II: EVs, Hybrids Apparently Holding 'til Next 5-Year Plan

DodgeEV?.jpg While it was heartening to hear Chrysler's new powertrain chief talk about small and efficient gas and diesel engines this morning, it was far less so to listen and not hear anything about that long-rumored Dodge EV or a line of plug-in hybrids in the 2009-2014 Chrysler product plan that was unwound for us during the day.

Under the old, pre-bankruptcy plan, there was to be a Dodge EV in 2010 and a Chrysler extended-range plug-n hybrid in 2011, with more to follow. Maybe even a Chrysler 300 with all-electric drive.

Chrysler's new corporate website has a nice feature and Q&A about electrification and the work of the 2-year-old ENVI (stands for ENVIronmental) group that's developing EV and PHEV concepts and prototypes for Chrysler.

We did hear that Chrysler will bring the popular Fiat 500 subcompact (right) to the U.S. late next year as a 2011 model, to be sold in major metropolitan areas - hooray!

But discussion of its activities and plans for its future and for future electrified vehicles was glaringly absent from today's product plan session under Chrysler's post-bankruptcy bosses from Fiat.

But we're optimists at heart, and keep hearing our Chrysler friends telling us not to worry, that ENVI's still part of the company plan and still working on vehicles and systems that eventually will see the light of day.

So we cross our fingers and wait for Sig. Marchionne and crew to honor us with that information. Sooner, please, than later.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell November 4, 2009, 6:20 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Product Plan

Chrysler Plans Part 1: More Diesels and 4-Cylinder Gas Engines

Video explains Fiat Multiair system that will be used in many of Chrysler's new models to improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions and boost power.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Chrysler's new powertrain chief, Paolo Ferrero, says the company will begin widespread adoption of gas and diesel engine technologies from its new owner, Fiat Group, with the first of a family of more fuel-efficient engines due next summer.

The company believes that hybrids and electric vehicles are a longer-term strategy and will concentrate in the "short-to-medium" term on internal combustion engine improvements and downsizing, and introduction of fuel-efficient clean diesels and engines using alternative low carbon fuels such as compressed natural gas.

Chrysler also will be adopting the start-stop system, also called a micro-hybrid system, that is used in some Fiat models to shut down the engine at stop signs and when idling. It can reduce emissions and improve fuel economy by as much as 5 percent, Ferrero said.

The first model in the Chrysler lineup to use it will be the the 2011 Jeep Wrangler.

By 2014, Ferrero said during a morning presentation at the day-long Chrysler product plan meeting, 38 percent of Chrysler vehicles will use small, four-cylinder engines, up from 19 percent today, and 14 percent will use diesel engines, up from 9 percent now.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell November 4, 2009, 10:30 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Diesel, Dodge, Hybrid, Jeep, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Product Plans

Fisker Signs 100-Outlet Emil Frey Group as Major European Distributor of its PHEVs

Fisker Automotive hasn't started building cars yet, but is well on the way to ensuring a healthy launch platform when its first - the $88,000 Karma extended-range plug-in hybrid - starts rolling out of the assembly plant next summer.

The company, which so far has announced 45 U.S. dealership agreements and two smaller European distributorships, said this morning that it has now signed the 100-plus dealership Emil Frey Group to handle much of its European sales and service.

The Swiss company has outlets in six countries - Switzerland, Germany, France, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic - and handles premium brands.

Fisker previously signed GP Supercars in Italy and the Nellerman Group in Denmark as distributors and is working on a deal in China.

While the Karma initially is to be built in Finland by Valmet Automotive, Fisker last week agreed to acquire and outfit an idled GM plant in Delaware to build a second line of less-expensive plug-in hybrids and said that Karma production eventually would be moved to the U.S.

The company is financing its U.S. production and R&D in large part with proceeds of a $528 million federal loan.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 4, 2009, 8:55 AM
Categories:: Fisker, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Emil Frey Group

November 3, 2009

Denso Wants To Grow Hybrid Electronics Business Beyond Toyota

No. 2 Global Auto Parts Supplier Also Sees Future in Lithium-ion Battery Manufacturing

Japanese auto parts giant Denso Cop. says it sees a hybrid wave coming and intends to catch a long and profitable ride.

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Denso's booth at 2009 Tokyo auto Show.
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The company, the world's No. 2 parts supplier, now counts Toyota Motor Corp. - Denso's major shareholder - as its principal hybrid systems customer. It wants to standardize its hybrid battery and engine control units, power inverters and compressors so they can be sold to other automakers as well.

Denso also might start making lithium-ion batteries to keep pace with rival Robert Bosch. The German auto parts company - the worlds largest - has a battery-building partnership with Samsung that is expected to start producing lithium-ion batteries for BMW in 2011.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 3, 2009, 12:26 PM
Categories:: Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: Denso

November 2, 2009

Hyundai Mobis, LG Chem Finalize Lithium-Ion Battery Joint Venture

Batteries, batteries, batteries. That's looking like the name of the game these days.

Automakers have shown they can build decent conventional hybrids, and are about to show how well they can do on all-electric and extended-range, gas-electric hybrids - but the wall they all run into is how far their cars and trucks can go before the electrons run out.

That's in the batteries, and with few exceptions (Nissan and Hyundai come to mind) automakers don't make batteries. They may assemble the individual cells into battery packs designed for their specific vehicles, but it is at the level of the cell - and the chemistry incorporated into that cell - that the ability of a battery to store and release energy is controlled.

So its good to see so much activity in the battery development world.

Latest is in South Korea, where Hyundai Mobis and LG Chem have announced a joint venture agreement to produce lithium-ion batteries for hybrids. The $34-million venture is scheduled to start producing in the second half next year, with a goal of building batteries for as any as 200,000 vehicles a year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 2, 2009, 1:41 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Hybrid, Hyundai, Kia, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: EVs

Toyota Dusts Off Camry CNG Hybrid For SEMA Show...Hmmmm

Just wondering here, but Toyota rarely doesn't do much anything unless it has a meaningful money-making or image-enhancing possibility attached.

The company showed a neat compressed natural gas hybrid Camry last year at the 2008 LA Auto show, and said it was just a study.

It sort of disappeared, but it now being resurrected- and redesigned as a cool, green surf buggy - as the Surfrider Foundation Camry CNG Hybrid concept for an environmental lifestyles display at Toyota's stand at the 2009 SEMA show in Las Vegas this week.

With all the talk about vast new natural gas resources (albeit obtainable through the controversial hydro-cracking method of fracturing gas-bearing shale with high-pressure injections of water in a process that can release toxic chemicals that affect drinking water in areas that don't pre-treat it ), we can't help but think Toyota might be a little more devoted to the idea of a CNG-electric hybrid than it has been letting on.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 2, 2009, 12:20 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Hybrid, Natural Gas, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2009 SEMA Show

Live Web Chat With Departing Chevy Volt Program Leader Frank Weber

General Motors, concerned that the departure of Volt development leader Frank Weber will worry the faithful - and mindful of its long-ago and well-kept promise to open the doors on the program - is hosting a live Web chat at 4 p.m. Eastern time this afternoon (1 p.m. Pacific) to answer questions and explain how the change in Volt leadership will, or won't, affect things.

Weber himself, along with Doug Parks, who will be replacing him in the Chevrolet Volt program, are hosting the chat.

We're providing a platform, so sign up below for a reminder and come back at the appointed time to follow along and ask questions of your own.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 2, 2009, 10:15 AM
Categories:: Chevrolet, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet Volt

Volt Chief Frank Weber To Depart GM for Senior Post at Opel

Automaker Says Departure Part of Long-Planned Shift of Duties; Volt Still on Schedule

GM is losing the longtime head of it's Chevrolet Volt extended-range, plug-in hybrid development team but says the departure of Frank Weber (left) to its German subsidiary, Opel, is part of a long-planned leadership shuffle.

Weber, 43, is returning to Opel, where he previously was a top product developer, after heading the Volt project since March 2007.

He is the second top member of GM's vehicle electrification team to depart in recent months.

Bob Kruse, executive director of vehicle engineering for hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries, left in September to start a consulting firm and was replaced by GM engineering veteran Micky Bly.

Doug Parks, chief engineer for GM's compact car programs in Europe, will replace Weber, who is returning to Opel Dec. 1 in a still undefined "senior leadership" post.

Weber's shift comes just as a post-bankruptcy GM, looking for cash and ways to refocus itself on its core products, is scheduled to close its deal to sell majority interest in Opel to a group headed by Canadian tier-one components manufacturer Magna International and backed by Russia's Sherbank.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 2, 2009, 8:29 AM
Categories:: Chevrolet, General Motors, Hybrid, Opel, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet Volt

October 29, 2009

Plugs Everywhere: Hybrid, EV Sales to Triple Globally by 2013, Report Predicts

By Danny King, Contributor

Gas-electric hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles may account for as much as 8 percent of new vehicle sales in the U.S. in 2013, up from about 2 percent last year, as the combination of rising oil prices, falling prices relative to hybrids' conventional counterparts and a broader network of plug-in charging sites pull more people away from gasoline-burning cars, according to a recent report on the next generation of autos.

Worldwide, hybrid-vehicle sales will surge to about 2 million units in 2013 from about 550,000 units last year, while rechargeable - or plug-in - battery-electric cars will account for about 350,000 sales, compared with less than 10,000 plug-in sales last year, according to the NextGen research unit of technology industry specialist ABI Research.

With domestic new vehicle sales slumping to about 13 million units last year and the U.S. accounting for about half of the hybrid vehicles sold worldwide, less than one in 40 new U.S. cars were hybrids or plug-ins last year.

"As the economy improves, the price of oil is going to go up, so it will be much more sensible to go battery-electric or hybrid," said Larry Fisher, research director for Oyster Bay, New York-based NextGen and project manager of the report.

"As hybrids and electric vehicles come into production in greater numbers, the cost premium will come down."

Whether the surge is already taking place is a question whose answer was blurred as new car sales to surged across the board in July and August, driven by the federal cash for clunker program, only to plunge last month when the incentives stopped.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell October 29, 2009, 6:00 AM
Categories:: Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: EV

October 28, 2009

Dodge Still Planning to Launch Two-Mode Ram Hybrid Pickup in 2010

Chrysler's new bosses unveil the company's new 5-year product plan next week and word already is leaking out that with Fiat in the driver's seat there will be a pared-down list of Dodge and Chrysler vehicles in the market.

One model that has survived the cut is the long-awaited two-mode hybrid version of the Dodge Ram pickup.

In an interview with the Detroit News, Scott Kunselman, Chrysler's senior vice president fopr engineering, said there have been no changes of plan for the Dodge Ram hybrid, due to be launched next year.

A diesel version of the truck, however, seems to be out - Kunselman said he doesn't see much recrerational buyer demand for an oil burner.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 28, 2009, 3:32 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Dodge, Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: Dodge Dual Mode Hybrid

October 27, 2009

Hybrid Models Dominate Consumer Reports Annual Reliability List for Family Cars

Consumer Reports readers have spoken - as the do this time every year -and come down hard in favor of hybrids as family cars.

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Toyota Prius rates tops among family cars for reliability in annual consumer survey.
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In the widely read magazine's annual rating of auto reliability, five of the eight most reliable 2009 model year family cars in the CR report use gas-electric powertrains.

In the order CR lists them, they are:

Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion hybrid, Mercury Milan hybrid, Nissan Altima hybrid, and Toyota Camry hybrid.

All five also are rated as CR recommended, meaning they scored well in the magazine's internal testing and driveability ratings as well as in the consumer-driven reliability survey.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); John O'Dell October 27, 2009, 12:18 PM
Categories:: Ford, Hybrid, Mercury, Nissan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Consumer Reports

Honda CEO Ito on Hydrogen, Hybrids and BEVS - Green is the Theme

Honda Motor Co. pulled the plug on Formula 1 racing to divert the money being spent there to green technologies and the company that's been playing second fiddle to Toyota in the green cars sweepstakes says it wants to hybridize larger vehicles again.

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Honda's top executive prefers hydrogen fuel cell FCX Clarity but says battery-electric cars will come first.
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That's the word from Honda President and CEO Takanobu Ito, speaking with a select group of automotive writers - including Edmunds' Inside Line News Editor Kelly Toepke - at the 2009 Tokyo auto show last week.

Toepke tells us that Ito is committed to the further greening of Honda, even to the extent of developing an environmentally friendly sports car that - his words - is truly green, "not like the car Lexus announced" at the show. He was referring to the limited production, V10-powered, $375,000 Lexus LFA supercar, which he apparently doesn't believe is green enough.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 27, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Fuel Cell, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Cars

October 26, 2009

Bright Has Another Idea - eSolutions Consulting to Leverage Development Expertise

It hasn't started building its own yet, but start-up electric delivery van maker Bright Automotive has started a consulting business offering services to other automakers interested in electric powertrains, lightweight materials techniques and general manufacturing efficiency.

Those things are specialties of Bright, formed at the beginning of 2008 by battery specialist John Waters - he designed the battery pack for GM's renowned/notorious (take your pick) EV1.

The company's IDEA commercial van prototype features a plug-in hybrid powertrain that mates a gas engine and an electric drive system and is hundreds of pounds lighter and far more aerodynamic - thus four or five times more fuel efficient - than competing vans of the same load capacity.

The new offshoot, called Bright eSolutions, is an in-house consulting and engineering operation offering to apply Bright's staff and their learnings from the IDEA development process to customers' projects.

The group launched the new business unit today in conjunction with the announcement of its first contract- with the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Command (TACOM) for a $1.4 million project to demonstrate Bright's parallel hybrid technology for no-combat use in military vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 26, 2009, 3:53 PM
Categories:: Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Bright eSolutions Consulting

October 23, 2009

'Weird Silver?' 'Quantum Leap?' GM Seeking Name for Volt's Silvery Color

We're sure they've got an in-house name for it, but GM says it will give consumers a chance to come up with the official name for the Chevrolet Volt's initial exterior color - a silvery hue that has a slight color-shift toward emerald when the light hits it just right.

Killerwatt?

The automaker will fly three finalists in the Volt color naming contest to Los Angeles for the 2009 LA Auto Show in December (there are worse places to be that time of year) - they will also get a $400 gift card, two nights at an LA hotel and admission to the show's initial media preview day on Dec. 2.

ElectroLicious?

The finalists will be announced Nov. 16 and the public will be asked to vote on the best name from then until Dec. 1 on a special GM website.

Names can be submitted on the contest site until the evening of Dec. 1, when the winner will be announced.

Shockingly Silver?

In addition to the trip and show, the winning contestant will get the opportunity to test drive a pre-production Volt.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 23, 2009, 2:31 PM
Categories:: Chevrolet, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet Volt

October 22, 2009

2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Subaru Has Hybrid Plans Beyond Tourer Concept

Subaru, which is displayed a concept hybrid touring car at the Tokyo Auto Show this week, plans to have several hybrids in the market in the next few years, Fuji Heavy industries President Ikuo Mori told reporters at the show.

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Hybrid Tourer concept is Subaru's interpretation of a gas-electric car. The grille, at least, is likely to see production - on other Subaru models if not on this gull-winged four-seater.
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Fuji is Subaru's parent company.

Mori declined to say whether the hybrid would be based on the "Subaru Hybrid Tourer" concept at the show and wouldn't say whether it would be a model developed with technology partner Toyota, or would use a design and a hybrid system of Fuji's own making.

The Tourer concept uses a Fuji-developed system that mates Subaru's 2.0-liter horizontally opposed "Boxer" engine with a pair of electric motors.

But Subaru is expected to launch a hybrid version of its redesigned Legacy in Japan in 2011, using technology licensed from Toyota - Fuji's largest shareholder.

A Legacy hybrid could easily make its way to the U.S.

Ignored in all the hybrid talk was the fact that Subaru also has recently unleashed a battery-electric version of its boxy Stella subcompact. Although mainly used for testing purposes, the Stella EV is likely to lead to a retail model and that could lead to an EV for at least limited sales over here in the states that have adopted California's zero emissions vehicle mandate.

The more, the merrier, we say.

How 'bout a hybrid WRX? Better yet, why not an all-electric WRX featuring independently driven electric wheel-motors in each hub?

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 22, 2009, 8:11 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Hybrid, Japan, Subaru, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Tokyo Auto Show

Advanced Battery Cost Info Elusive as Auto and Battery Makers Jockey For Position

Many Cost Reductions Due to Subsidies, Not Manufacturing Efficiencies; Goals Uncertain

By Bill Visnic, Contributor

DETROIT - A shocking fact from the Business of Plugging In conference here: At today' s prices, the raw materials needed to produce the advanced lithium-ion batteries for plug-in hybrids or extended-range electric vehicles with energy capacity similar to General Motors' Chevrolet Volt will cost at least $8,000 per vehicle.

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GM engineers work on T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack for Chevrolet Volt.
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It gets deeper when the experts here start talking about the manufacturing investment required for all manner of electrified-vehicle components that at this moment don't exist. A plant to manufacture enough batteries for 10,000 large-battery-capacity electric vehicles will cost $60 million to $80 million.

Participants in the conference point to these figures as evidence that the Obama administration's goal of one million plug-in electric vehicles on the road by 2015 probably isn't going to happen - despite word from many with battery interests that costs are dropping.

J.E. Robertson, chief technical officer and executive vice president of new-product creation for Canada's Magna International Inc. (the same Magna that's buying GM's Adam Opel car-making operations in Europe), did say that plants designed to make the batteries in high volume could reduce costs.

But for now, somebody's got to build a plant to address even 10,000 vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 22, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Advanced Batteries

October 21, 2009

Heavy Incentives Land Escalade, Insight Hybrids on Edmunds' Best Deals List

Incentive spending by automakers is soaring as a continued weak buyer market has inventories, which shrunk during the Cash for Clunkers program, piling up again.

It's unusual to see hybrids on the list of heavily incentivized cars, but this week two gas-electric models, the 2009 Cadillac Escalade hybrid SUV and the 2010 Honda Insight hybrid sedan, have both landed on Edmunds.com's "Deals of the Month" list.

"There are finance and cash deals on several of GM's hybrids, largely because sales have been slow all year and the automaker is hoping to move the 2009 models off the lots before the 2010s start piling up," said Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell.

"And the Insight just hasn't been moving very well, so the reduced lease they're offering is a good hook to pull people into Honda dealerships to look at them," she said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 21, 2009, 10:57 AM
Categories:: Cadillac, Honda, Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: Auto Incentives

2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Honda CR-Z Hybrid Concept is Close to Reality

Honda Motor Co. offered a glimpse of the very near future in Tokyo late Tuesday as it unwrapped a sporty four-seat version of the CR-Z hybrid that will hit the market late next year as a 2-seat coupe.

Although they're calling it a concept, the "CR-Z Concept 2009" is pretty much what we'll see - sans the tiny rear jump seats - when the real thing hits U.S. showrooms in the second half of next year.

Actually, we'll see the real thing a little sooner, the production version of the CR-Z hybrid sport coupe will debut as a production car in January at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 21, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Honda, Hybrid, Japan
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Tokyo AutoShow

October 20, 2009

Toyota To Begin Selling New Sai Hybrid December 7 - in Japan Only

Toyota made it official today - the new Japan-only Sai hybrid goes on sale Dec. 7.

The gas-electric sedan, based on the Lexus HS 250h, will be priced at 3.38 million yen ($37,500), well above the Prius' starting price in Japan of just over 2 million yen ($22,000).

Toyota, which has benefited from Japanese government incentives aimed at increasing the number of fuel-efficient vehicles on the road, said it's goal is to sell 36,000 Sai sedans a year.

The new hybrid is rated at 54 miles per gallon in the Japanese combined city-highway test cycle, well below the new Prius' 90 mpg rating. (The U.S. rating for the near-identical Lexus HS 250h is 35 mpg while the 2010 Prius gets a 50 mpg EPA rating.)

The company hasn't said whether it intends to broaden Sai sales beyond Japan, but if there are U.S. plans it would have to come in at a much lower price as the Lexus version starts here at $35,075 and hasn't been a particularly hot seller.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 20, 2009, 11:47 AM
Categories:: Hybrid, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Hybrids

Field Narrows to Final 43 in $10 Million Progressive Automotive X Prize Contest

From Gas to Electric, 3-Wheelers to Exotics, Contestants Vie to Build 100 MPG Vehicles

Students from West Philadelphia High School are youngest competitors, but no slouches when it comes to design or performance, as shown by their Alternative category entry, the biodiesel-electric EVX-GT hybrid sports car. The school also has a diesel-electric hybrid Ford Focus in the Conventional class.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Judges for the Progressive Automotive X Prize contest have winnowed the field in the race for $10 million in prize money for building the best 100 MPG ~~MPH~~ car to the final 43 teams.

The teams will enter a total of 53 vehicles (there are different categories, so multiple entries are possible) in a competition pitting them against one another in a variety of road and safety tests.

All the finalists already have survived two design judging rounds that pared the number of entries from the original 111 teams with 135 vehicles.

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The Progressive Automotive X Prize was launched at last year's New York Auto Show.

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The contest, aimed at inspiring green-car development, was announced more than 18 months ago. It challenges contestants to design, build and operate a commercially viable vehicles that can deliver fuel economy of at least 100 miles per gallon - or the equivalent.

Part of the competition involves presenting a marketing plan to the judges, who will decide if the vehicle has real-world possibilities.

Among them, the final entrants use 14 different fuels including gasoline and electricity, with battery-electric and hybrid-electric the most popular types of powertrains.

In the hybrid-electric category, teams are entering vehicles whose internal combustion engines run on gasoline, diesel biodiesel, ethanol, butanol and compressed natural gas.

There are even three entries that use plain old gasoline as their sole fuel.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); John O'Dell October 20, 2009, 3:20 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Butanol, Diesel, Ethanol, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, Hybrid, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: 100 MPG Car

October 14, 2009

Chevy Volt Engineers Yak Live From Open Road Development Drive

Volt test car passes UPS truck on Interstate 80 near Toledo, Ohio, during 2-day engineering development drive.

An engineering team for the Chevrolet Volt - the highly-touted plug-in hybrid General Motors Co. plans to launch around this time next year - is on the road for a 1,200-mile test in a fleet of eight pre-production Volts and pulled off to the side of the road today for a brief chat with journalists.

The big story for Volt skeptics may be the report from engineers that they don't see any problem achieving the car's targeted 40 miles of all-electric driving range.

The Volt's lithium-ion batteries are performing well and chief engineer Andrew Farah said he has "no concerns about being able to get up to 40 miles" with production Volts.

The team (left) departed the the Detroit area Tuesday and was in West Virginia this afternoon, about halfway through the Volt test drive.

Overnight, half of the test fleet got battery charges and half didn't, the better to replicate real-world driving in which some drivers may not have access to the overnight recharging that would allow resumption of battery-only operation.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (6); John O'Dell October 14, 2009, 4:00 PM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet Volt Test Drive

Ford Hybrids Soared in First 9 Months, Helped Company Weather Sales Drought

But Sales Swollen by Cash for Clunkers Program Have Dropped Since it Ended

Ford Motor Co. says that despite the overall weak new-car market, sales of its gas-electric hybrid models for the first nine months of the year jumped 73% from a year earlier.

The automaker cited this year's introduction of the Ford Fusion (left) and Mercury Milan hybrid sedans as well as increased demand from the fedral government for fuel-efficient hybrids for its various fleets.

The company didn't mention the big bump the recent federal Cash for Clunkers program gave to Ford's newest hybrids. Dealers sold 2,353 Fusion hybrids in August, the last month of the program, but only managed to move 1,116 in September.

Ford, the only of the three major U.S. carmakers not to declare bankruptcy this year, sold about 26,000 hybrid vehicles through September, the company said in a statement today. The U.S. government has acquired about 3,000 hybrid vehicles from Ford so far this year, while the Fusion hybrid has attracted many non-Ford owners to the brand, the company said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell October 14, 2009, 2:32 PM
Categories:: Ford, Hybrid, Mercury
Technorati Tags:: Ford Fusion Hybrid

October 13, 2009

Volvo Will Bring PHEV and Diesels to U.S., Still No Word on a Volvo EV for Us

Volvo officials didn't have much to say about U.S. plans when they showed off their new C30-based electric car concept and a prototype plug-in, diesel-electric hybrid (right) in Sweden last month.

But the head of the automaker's U.S. operation confirmed in a recent interview what we've long suspected, that Volvo does plan to bring plug-in hybrids and diesels to this market at some point.

The big questions are when, and what about that EV? Both went unanswered in Volvo Cars North America CEO Doug Speck's interview with Automotive News.

Fuel prices, consumer interest and government support of the various advanced automotive technologies will drive Volvo's efforts, Speck said.

He repeated what Volvo told us last month - that the company's first pug-in hybrid would hit the market in Europe in 2012. He added that it will come to the U.S. sometime after that, and that Volvo diesels also would be sold here at some point.

It all makes sense - as does our suspicion that a Volvo EV won't be withheld from this market for too long once the company gives the go-ahead to a production project.

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Volvo showed off this C30 hatchback-based battery-electric prototype in Sweden last month.

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The U.S., after all, accounts for nearly a quarter of Volvo's sales and the company can't afford to withhold its newest and most advanced vehicles for very long.

Add to that the demands of the new U.S. CAFE rules which require average fleet fuel efficiency to hit 35 mph by 2020 and you can build a pretty good case for Volvo hybrids, diesels and EVs being sold here.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 13, 2009, 11:30 AM
Categories:: Diesel, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Surveys, Volvo
Technorati Tags:: Diesel

Michelin Awards Environmental Performance in American Le Mans Series

Lowe's Fernandez Acura driven by Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz took top green honors in the American Le Mans Series prototype class as winner of the annual Michelin Green X Challenge for finishing highest with the lowest environmental impact.

Gil de Ferran, Simon Pagenaud and their LMP Acura took the checkered flag in the prototype class at this past weekend's American Le Mans Series final at Laguna Seca, but the increasingly important 'green' flag was captured by another team of prototype Acura drivers.

Edmunds.com photo editor Kurt Niebhur was there to take in the race and filed this report for Green Car Advisor on the environmental aspect of the competition.
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Race for the Green

Racing and environmentalism might seem to run on different sides of the track, but the Michelin Green X Challenge just might have something to say about that.

Started in 2008, the Michelin Green X Challenge was formed by the tire maker in conjunction with a major racing series, the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy and the Society of Automotive Engineers International.

As a race within a race, the Green X Challenge awards points to cars - and drivers - based on four different criteria; releasing the least amount of CO2, displacing the least amount of petroleum, excelling in energy efficiency during a race weekend, and last, but by no means least, finishing position.

As testament to the fairness of the rules in both the ALMS and the Green X Challenge, the 2009 Season saw nine different cars from eight different teams representing five different manufacturers. All teams involved ran on E10 ethanol blended gasoline, E85R gasoline blended ethanol, GTL biodiesel or E10 with electric hybrid power.

For the 2009 season, the winners of the Michelin Green X Challenge were the #15 Lowe's Fernandez Acura, driven by Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz, in the Prototype category, and the #44 Flying Lizard Porsche, driven by Seth Neiman and Johannes Van Overbeek, in the GT category.

With the success of the Green X Challenge, as well as the focus these days on environmental responsibility, it came as no surprise that Michelin announced it would continue the challenge through the 2010 American Le Mans Series..

Kurt Niebuhr, Photo Editor

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Photo courtesy of ALMS

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 13, 2009, 5:15 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Diesel, Ethanol, Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: American Le Mans Series

October 8, 2009

Wanna Cut CO2, Dump Oil Habit? Switch Company Fleets to Hybrids, CNG

Study Says Fleet Conversions Quickest Way for U.S. to Make Dent in Carbon Footprint

By Danny King, Contributor

Corporations could be significant players in improving air quality and reducing carbon emissions by converting their fleets of gasoline and diesel vehicles to hybrids and compressed natural gas-powered cars and trucks, according to a study by the nonprofit Center for Automotive Research.

If just one-fourth of all major corporations were to convert their vehicle fleets, a new CAR study found, the resulting reduction of CO2 emissions would be the equivalent of removing 600,000 vehicles from the streets.

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AT&T is converting 8,000 trucks and vans, such as this, to compressed natural gas.
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The move would cut U.S. gasoline use by 750 million gallons a year and be the fastest way the nation could achieve significantly improved fuel efficiency, the Ann Arbor, Mich., think-tank said in its report.

Replacing 25 percent of all corporate vehicles with hybrid or CNG vehicles also would support 10,000 vehicle-assembly jobs, the report said.

CAR used AT&T's vehicle fleet for its case study, extrapolating the findings to other corporate fleets.

"If the country is serious about increasing the number of fuel-efficient vehicles on the road in the near future, the fleets of America, with their rapid turnover of vehicles, represent the best opportunity in the shortest time frame," said Kim Hill, director of CAR's sustainable transportation and communities group.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 8, 2009, 5:15 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Natural Gas
Technorati Tags:: CAR

October 7, 2009

It's Diesel Vs. Hybrid in Annual Green Car of the Year Nominations

Audi's A3 TDI diesel and Mercury's Milan Hybrid are two of the contenders in LA Auto Show's green car face-off.

It will be diesel vs. hybrid and luxe models vs.standards in Green Car of the Year judging for December's 2009 Los Angeles International Auto Show. The five finalists in the annual competition, announced today, are the Toyota Prius (left), Honda Insight (below, right) and Mercury Milan hybrids on the gas-electric side and the Audi A3 TDI and Volkswagen Golf TDI (below, left) on the diesel side.

Judges picked the VW Jetta TDI last year, so if either the Golf or A3 win it will be two-in a-row for the fuel that most Americans still equate with big-rigs and giant bulldozers. There could be sentiment of the small luxury-performance car, which would help the Audi, but the engine in both the A3 and the Golf is the same that won it for the Jetta TDI in 2008.

Our handicapper at Inside Line's Straightline blog seems to be betting on the redesigned 2010 Prius, reasoning that the Milan Hybrid doesn't stand much of a chance because its twin, the Ford Fusion Hybrid, was nominated but didn't win last year, and that the judges will be loathe to salute diesel for a second consecutive year.

That leaves the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, and the Pruis is the greener of the two by dint of its greater fuel economy.

How would you handicap the contest?

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell October 7, 2009, 3:32 PM
Categories:: Audi, Auto Shows, Diesel, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Mercury, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Diesel

Infiniti Says Its First Hybrid - Based on Redesigned M35 - Will Launch in 2011

Nissan's first self-developed hybrid system will make its debut in 2011 in the company's luxury line, under the hood of the 2012 Infiniti M35 sedan, the automaker said this morning.

The hybrid version of the car will hit the streets a year after the redesigned, conventionally powered M35 is launched next spring as a 2011 model.

Infiniti describes its first-ever hybrid system, developed entirely within Nissan (the system in the Nissan Altima hybrid was licensed from Toyota), as a single electric motor-dual clutch arrangement with the first clutch installed between the electric motor and gas engine.

The company is withholding information about range, power, battery size and capacity, transmission design and performance - likely so it can get a second splash in the automotive media when the numbers are released.

But Green Car Advisior was in Japan on a Nissan-sponsored trip last year when the company first showed off its new hybrid system, in a G35 (back then it was slated to appear in the Infiniti lineup in a 2010 model, so it is coming two years later than initially expected). Here's what we reported about the system back then:

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 7, 2009, 1:11 PM
Categories:: Hybrid, Infiniti, Nissan
Technorati Tags:: 2012 Infiniti M35 Hybrid

October 6, 2009

Green Car Entrepreneur Says He's Got a Hybrid-Car Plant Deal For Mississippi

Press Conference Follows Ex-Partner's Announcement of Similar Plan for Alabama

The other shoe drops.

A week after his former associate announced plans for a multi-billion-dollar hybrid car plant in Alabama, entrepreneur Xiaolin "Charles" Wang says his GreenTech Automotive will build a billion-dollar hybrid car plant in neighboring Mississippi.

Wang (right) and Yung Yeung, who operates Hybrid Kinetic Motors, split up last year in an acrimonious fight over allegations by Yeung - also known as Yang Rong and Benjamin Yeung - that Wang was trying to steal his company and investors.

As partners - although Yeung alleged in a federal suit last year that Wang was only an employee -the two had previously pitched a $6.5 billion hybrid car plant for Mississippi.

In settling the suit, the two agreed to go their separate ways, Yeung keeping the Hybrid Kenitcs name and Wang operating as GreenTech. Wang also agreed to pay Yeung $1.5 million.

It now appears that each as also kept the same basic operating plan and are engaged in a bit of one-upmanship.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 6, 2009, 4:05 PM
Categories:: Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: Hybrids

Company Says Off-the-Shelf Electric Motors Can Help Cut Hybrid Costs

Remy International has unveiled its first "off-the-shelf" motor (right) designed for hybrid vehicles, the first of a series of new motors as the company - the largest U.S.-based supplier of electric motors for hybrids - boosts production capacity with a recent $60 million grant from the U.S. government.

Remy said it expects to be able to manufacture 100,000 of its new HVH250 electric motors at factories in North American and Europe and is designing others to broaden its reach into the car, truck and heavy-equipment hybrid markets.

The company believes standardized hybrid motors will be welcomed by auto makers because they will help lower the cost of hybrid vehicles.

"The premium cost associated with hybrid vehicles is a major factor affecting hybrid adoption in the U.S. The highly engineered components have been produced in low volumes, resulting in a higher per unit cost," said John Weber, chief executive officer of the Pendleton, Indiana-based company.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 6, 2009, 11:54 AM
Categories:: Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: Electric Motors

October 5, 2009

Toyota Faces International Trade Hearing over Hybrid Patent Infringement Claims

A Florida company that already has won a judgment against Toyota in a hybrid technology patent infringement case, will get a hearing before the U.S. International Trade Commission on its claim that the company's newer hybrids continue to infringe on the same patent.

And whereas the federal court that found for Paice LLC in the earlier Toyota patent infringement case refused to grant the company's request to bar Toyota from selling its Prius, Highlander and Lexus RX 400 hybrids in the U.S., the trade commission's only power, should it also find for Paice, is to block Toyota's imports.

Paice requested the hearing last month.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 5, 2009, 5:17 PM
Categories:: Courts, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Paice

Daimler's Zetsche Betting on Fuel Cells, With Battery-Electrics, Hybrids For Interim

Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche says he's still is betting on a hydrogen future for the automobile.

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Mercedes B-Class fuel cell cars are being used in long-term road tests in Europe and U.S.

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But in a round-table interview with reporters form a variety of media including (subscription only) Automotive News during the recent Frankfurt Auto Show, Zetsche said that hybrids and battery-electric cars will be long-term interim technologies until hydrogen fuel cell cars and hydrogen fueling technology are ready for market.

Daimler is investing heavily in both electric and fuel cell technologies, he said, and has banded together with other German automakers to boost hydrogen fueling technology.

Asked if Daimler would consider four-cylinder engines for its Mercedes-Benz cars as U.S. fuel economy regulations tighten, Zetsche said that he wouldn't rule out the option .

He also said, according to an interview transcript posted today by Automotive News, that he sees a continued weak U.S. market for luxury cars for several years and that the Chinese market is likely to step in to gill the void.

Fuel efficiency for luxury cars is becoming a necessity rather than an afterthought, Zetsche said, adding that he is convinced that many customers continue to want a comfortable and spacious car but "would not like to be called callous by their neighbor because the fuel consumption is astronomic."

Daimler - indeed, the entire auto industry,- is at the "tipping point now" for electric cars, he said, pointing out that hydrogen fuel cell cars use all-electric drivetrains.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 5, 2009, 2:55 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Daimler, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Daimler

Mazda Seeking Billion-Dollar Capital Boost To Help Fund Green Initiatives

In a bid to catch-up to other major players in the auto industry's green sweepstakes, Mazda "Zoom-Zoom" Motor Corp. say is is planning to raise as much as $1.1 billion in new capital with much of it earmarked for development of hybrids and other fuel-efficient technologies.

The Japanese automaker does have a hybrid in the market, the slow-selling Tribute hybrid SUV, but it is simply a re-badged version of Ford's escape hybrid.

Now that Ford no longer owns controlling interest in Mazda, that kind of cross-corporate product and technology sharing is likely to stop.

So Mazda needs its own fuel efficiency lineup, and fast.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell October 5, 2009, 11:16 AM
Categories:: Hybrid, Mazda
Technorati Tags:: Mazda Hybrids

October 2, 2009

Congress Considering Allocating Energy Department Funds for Green 3-Wheelers

Aptera Motors, Elio Motors and other companies developing fuel-efficient three-wheeled vehicles got a boost from Congress this week in their quest for federal funding.

Legislation to make three-wheeled vehicles eligible for Energy Department loans passed a conference committee of House and Senate leaders Wednesday and then got approval from the full House on Thursday.

It is part of an energy spending bill likely to go before the Senate by next week for final congressional passage, a Senate aide said.

"Obsolete bureaucratic definitions should not create roadblocks and stifle innovation," said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who co-sponsored the legislation.

If the Senate passes the bill, it would have to be signed by President Barack Obama to become law.

General Motors Co. has been critical of the bill.

The Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentive Program is intended for large automakers that make many cars and that have the potential for large gasoline savings, the company has said.

GM spokesman Greg Martin declined comment on the latest development.

GM has applied for three department loans totaling more than $10 billion.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (5); Scott Doggett October 2, 2009, 1:47 PM
Categories:: Aptera, Elio, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: 3-Wheel

Nissan Prices 2010 Altima Hybrid at $26,780; U.S. Sales Still Limited to 9 States

Nissan North America has announced that the 2010 Altima Hybrid, which goes on sale in nine U.S. states on Monday, will have an MSRP of $26,780.

A statement distributed by Nissan on Wednesday and posted verbatim on many blogs and Websites erroneously reported that the model will be available nationwide.

In fact, it will only be available in the same nine states that the 2009 Altima Hybrid was sold in (California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont).

The Altima Hybrid powertrain mates a specialized version of Nissan's QR25 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and standard electronically controlled CVT with an advanced electric drive motor/generator. The 198-horsepower hybrid has been EPA rated at 35 miles per gallon in the city and 33 mpg highway.

Combined with Altima's standard 20-gallon fuel tank, the model has a projected driving range of more than 600 miles between fill-ups.

Among the many changes for the 2010 Altima Hybrid is a restyled hood, grille and front bumper, new wheel designs, standard Vehicle Dynamic Control on all models, revised interior fabric and finishers, new exterior colors and revised option package content.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); Scott Doggett October 2, 2009, 10:38 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Nissan
Technorati Tags:: 2010 Nissan Altima Hybrid

Hybrids Down, But Not Out In September as Clunker Cash Flees Market.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

The cash for clunkers frenzy that pulled many hybrid shoppers into the market earlier than they'd intended in July and August caused a big letdown in September as sales of gas-electric cars and trucks, which had been rising steadily all year, plunged 48.4 percent.

Only 19,977 hybrids were sold in September, down from 38,701 in August. The sales slide was the first in several months and was worse that that of the far larger conventional vehicle segment, which dropped by 40.9 percent from August.

Falling sales of the Toyota Prius - they were down 42 percent for the month - contributed heavily to the numeric decline although almost every hybrid model lost ground.

On a month over month basis there were no corporate winners in the hybrid segment as even Toyota - the industry leader with three out of every four hybrid sales - saw a 39.7 percent decline in its Toyota and Lexus hybrids.

And that was the segment's best performance.

Lots of Losers

Nissan, which has been on a tear with its single offering, the Altima hybrid sedan (helped by generous incentives in recent moths), saw its hybrid sales plunge 89.1 percent in September; Honda, the number two hybrid company, saw sales fall 61.6 percent; Ford, which had been rising since the March introduction of its Fusion hybrid sedan, was off 54.5 percent, and GM's hybrid sales fell by 40.8 percent.

Compared to sales at the end of the third-quarter last year- when the financial industry collapse began and the bottom fell out of the auto market, the picture was a little better as hybrid sales last month were down just 4.1 percent from September '08.

In contrast, conventional car sales fell 22.5 percent in the September-September comparison.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell October 2, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Lexus, Mercury, Nissan, Saturn, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: September 2009 Hybrid Sales

October 1, 2009

Honda Says Nano Tech Breakthrough Could Revolutionize Electronics

Research Could Lead to Better Electrical Storage for Hybrids, EVs, and Much More

Microscopic carbon nanotubes may have the potential to transport electricity faster and over greater distances with minimal loss of energy, according to Honda Research Institute USA. In this image, the 10 tubes grown on red. pink or peach-colored substrata have metallic conductive properties while the one growing on a blue substrate has semiconducting properties and could not be used to replace metallic conductors such as copper. The empty substrata on either side of the center section are particles too small or too large to grow usable nanotubes.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

By themselves, carbon nanotubes don't do much - don't look like much, either (in fact, you need a pretty powerful electron microscope to see 'em).

But shoot a jolt of electricity into them and it's a new ball game.

They conduct electricity faster, over greater distances and with less energy loss than just about anything else, and they are so small that you can pack an enormous number of them - and an enormous amount of high-efficiency conductivity - into a fairly small package.

Huge application possibilities exist, especially in the search for lighter, cooler-running and more powerful electronics and electrical storage devices for hybrid and electric vehicles.

That's why America Honda Motors is so excited about the announcement today from its R&D unit that researchers there have devised a way to grow carbon nanotubes so that 91 percent of the tubes gown have the necessary metallic properties, nearly double the best efforts of of other research efforts, the company says.

Commercial in Five Years?

A Honda spokesman told Green Car Advisor the research could result in commercial applications for carbon nanotubes in five years or less.

The project was led by Honda Research Institute USA, in Columbus, Ohio, in conjunction with researchers at Purdue University, in Indiana, and the University of Louisville, in Kentucky.

The research, to be published in Friday's edition of Science magazine, opens "new possibilities for miniaturization and energy efficiency, including much more powerful and compact computers, electrodes for supercapacitors, electric cables, batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, artificial muscles, composite material for automobiles and plane, energy storage material and electronics for hybrid vehicles," Honda said in its announcement.

Makes you dizzy just thinking about it.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 1, 2009, 1:34 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Honda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicles

2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Toyota's Newest Hybrid, the SAI Sedan, to Bow This Month

Despite reports that Toyota intends to spread its Prius nameplate across multiple models, including a Subaru, the Japanese automaker announced today that its only other dedicated hybrid will debut at the Tokyo Auto Show later this month without the P word anywhere on it.

As we reported previously, the SAI (an artist's rendition of which is shown here) is a medium-size sedan based on the Lexus HS250h hybrid.

The SAI's starting price will likely fall between the HS250h's $41,751 and the new Prius hatchback's $21,668. The sedan will reportedly go on sale in Japan later this month.

The Lexus has a 2.4-liter gasoline engine, more powerful than the Prius's 1.8-liter power plant. It is less efficient, too. The EPA rates the HS250h's fuel economy at 35 mpg in combined city-highway driving, compared with 50 mpg for the new 2010 Prius.

There's no word yet on the SIA's fuel efficiency, nor is Toyota saying where it intends to offer the vehicle, although we assume it will be available in the U.S., which is the world's largest automotive market behind China.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett October 1, 2009, 10:45 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Economy

September 30, 2009

Honda to Debut MPV Hybrid and Near-Production-Ready CR-Z at Tokyo Auto Show

Honda announced today that it will display at the Tokyo Motor Show next month a near-production version of the CR-Z (right), which will likely be the world's first hybrid sports car to employ a six-speed transmission when it goes on sale next year.

Alongside the CR-Z Concept 2009 will be the EV-N (below left), a small, four-seat battery-electric vehicle inspired by the N360, the twin-cylinder, air-cooled 360cc micro car launched with a plastic trunk lid in the 1960s. The revival vehicle has solar panels on the roof that could be used to charge the battery. Honda said the EV-N is "purely a design study and there are no plans for production."

The show will also see the debut of the Skydeck Concept (below right), a six-seat hybrid MPV/minivan, similar to the Ford S-Max. Honda said this design study is a great example of how hybrid technology can be placed in a range of different cars for different needs.

"To give the Skydeck the practicality of a conventional MPV, many of the hybrid system components, including the high-power battery, are housed in the car's center tunnel (rather than behind the rear seats or under the floor, as with previous production hybrids). This allows for greater cabin space, and the room for three rows of two seats. It also gives a lower center of gravity."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 30, 2009, 3:44 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicle

Top Electric Vehicle Executive at General Motors Leaves to Start EV Consulting Firm

Bob Kruse, who recently led a team that played a key role in the development of the Chevrolet Volt and who crafted the automaker's long-term electric-vehicle strategy, has resigned effective today.

Kruse, executive director of global vehicle engineering for hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries since early last year, left to focus on an EV consulting company he founded last month.

He will provide automotive and vehicle electrification expertise for companies looking to seize a piece of more than $1.3 billion in federal grants available to Michigan and Detroit's major automakers.

"My departure from General Motors has nothing to do with my view of the future success for the Volt," Kruse said. "I've left on very good terms. I have a lot of respect for the leadership of General Motors."

GM spokesman Rob Peterson told Green Car Advisor that Kruse's resignation, coming only 13 months before the Volt's scheduled production launch, "won't have any impact" on the gasoline-electric hybrid sedan.

"There's never a good time to lose good people, but there's a deep bench with the Volt and that team was working together before Bob joined and they will continue to march on," he said.

Kruse's resignation comes at a crucial time for GM, which is banking on the Volt extended-range electric vehicle to help it meet stringent new government fuel-economy rules and to change the public's perception of the company as being an electric-car killer and a proponent of gas-guzzlers.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 30, 2009, 11:48 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Bob Kruse

September 29, 2009

2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Subaru 'Hybrid Tourer Concept' Keeps AWD, Boxer Engine

Subaru is set to unveil a new hybrid concept at the upcoming 2009 Tokyo Auto Show - a gull-wing touring car with technology features that presage the real thing the automaker is slated to put into production as early as 2011.

The Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept - catchy name! - will combine Subaru's famed symmetrical all-wheel drive and horizontally opposed "boxer" engine with a next-generation automatic transmission and two-motor hybrid system.

The automaker, owned by Fuji Heavy industries with Toyota Motor Corp. as a sizable minority stakeholder, isn't offering much detail about its hybrid system this early in the game, but has said in the past that it intends to license technology from Toyota.

What info Fuji Heavy has provided includes the tidbit that the system will include a company-developed lithium-on battery derived from the li-ion pack used in the recently launched, Japanese-market Subaru Stella EV.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 29, 2009, 9:00 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Hybrid, Japan, Subaru
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Tokyo Auto Show

September 28, 2009

No Truth In Rumor of 'Prius' Nameplate on Subaru Hybrid, Toyota Spokesman Says

It's no secret that Subaru is working on a hybrid, using technology licensed from Toyota Motor Corp., which has acquired a 16 percent stake in Subaru over the past year largely to tap into the lithium-ion battery development work being done by the all-wheel-drive specialist's parent, Fuji Heavy industries.

But now there's rumor circulating that the new Subaru hybrid, when it gets here, will be called the Subaru Prius as part of an effort by Toyota to broaden use of the Prius name and further ensure that it is synonymous with "hybrid" the world over.

Discussion with a posting yesterday evening on PriusChat.com by someone claiming to be a Subaru salesman who said he recently attended a corporate briefing on the new hybrid at which the "Subaru Prius" name was used.

It might have been used as a tongue-in-cheek reference to Subaru's intent to license Toyota hybrid technology for its upcoming hybrid vehicle, but we though it highly unusual that Toyota would let such a valuable brand name out of the Toyota fold.

Our own Subaru sources say they hadn't heard of a Subaru Prius, and now John Hanson, head of Toyota's U.S. environmental products communications team, tells us that there's no way anyone but Toyota will be able to use the Prius name.

"Absolutely not. That's a model reserved exclusively for Toyota," Hanson said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 28, 2009, 1:30 PM
Categories:: Hybrid, Subaru, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Subaru Hybrid

Alabama Has Hopes For Hybrid Autos Plant, But Foundation Seems Shaky

Hybrid Kinetics Motors, a start-up that wants to build hybrid cars in the U.S., has announced its intent to build a new green-car manufacturing plant in Alabama for assembly of bi-fuel hybrids that can use either gasoline or compressed natural gas in their internal combustion engines.

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Photographer for newspaper Website Al.com caught this image of Yung Yeung showing off rendering of proposed Hybrid Kinetics Motors plant at Alabama press conference last week.
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The company, which has a Pasadena, Calif, address, was formed several years ago by the former chairman of China's Brilliance Automotive, Yung "Benjamin" Yeung (also known as Yang Rong) who fled his native China in 2002 after being charged with unspecified "economic crimes."

In its Alabama announcement, HKM says it could build as many as 300,000 vehicles a year - a goal, we think, that's based on equal parts hope and hype.

Among other things, HKM claims its car will have a 1.5-liter engine and an electric motor that combined will pump out as much as 400 horsepower and deliver at least 45 miles per gallon fuel economy.

We don't see any way - including giving them away- that an unproven manufacturer could unload 300,000 cars a year - hybrid or not - in North America; nor do we see much hope of a 1.5 liter gas or CNG engine tied to a reasonably sized electric motor putting out anything near 400 ponies.

Besides the questionable claims, the company's plan, announced with fanfare in Birmingham late last week at a press conference attended by state officials including by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, comes with a big "IF."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 28, 2009, 1:24 AM
Categories:: Hybrid, Natural Gas
Technorati Tags:: Alabama Hybrid Factory

September 25, 2009

2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid: Great Ride, Difficult Brakes, Good Big-Car Fuel Economy

S400 HYBRID (27).jpg

By Robert E. Calem, Contributor

With its 2010 S400 Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz has taken some significant steps to redefine the premium hybrid sedan market - in part by minimizing the premium.

The price premium, that is.

Despite cutting-edge technology that includes what the automaker says is the world's first lithium-ion battery designed specifically for automotive use, Mercedes-Benz new entry-level U.S. is priced staring at $88,825, nearly $4,000 less than the S550 that previously was the entry-level S-Class in the U.S.

Of course, being an S-Class model, the S400 Hybrid still offers a high level of luxury and a cavernous interior, along with the same refreshed body styling as the rest of the 2010 model line. Passengers and passersby would be hard-pressed to distinguish it if there weren't Hybrid badges on the trunk lid and the center stack, and BlueEfficiency badges on the front quarter panels.

But the S400 Hybrid's difference is unmistakable from the driver's seat - where we logged hundreds of miles over two days last weekend, with decidedly mixed emotions.

Innovative Battery
The leading innovation in the S400 Hybrid is the aforementioned 120-volt, 0.9 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that's small enough to fit into the engine compartment - like an ordinary car battery - rather than beneath or behind the seats, as in other hybrid vehicles.

There's no compromise in terms of people room or trunk space. And even with a high-strength steel housing, its own separate cooling circuit and cells that sit in a vibration- and jolt-dampening gel, the battery still weighs less than most others, and also has a higher energy density, according to Mercedes-Benz.

It's a so-called mild hybrid because the system doesn't propel the S400 on electricity alone, but there's still plenty of power and a decent fuel economy bump other gasoline-fueled S-Class models, including the the European market S350 on which it is based.

A 20-horsepower magneto-electric motor mounted in the torque converter housing between the engine and the transmission produces 118 pound-feet of torque, and kicks in during acceleration, to assist the 275 horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine (which generates 258 lb.-ft. of torque) in driving the rear wheels. The usual stop-start scheme turns the engine off when the car isn't moving.

The result is a fuel economy rating of 19 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway, a 30 percent improvement over the S550's mileage rating.

Compared with the V6-powered S350 sold in Europe, Mercedes-Benz says the S400 Hybrid also produces 21 percent less CO2 emissions.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell September 25, 2009, 4:00 PM
Categories:: Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz
Technorati Tags:: 2010 Mercedes Benz S400 Hybrid Driving Impression; Mercedes Benz Hybrid

September 24, 2009

EV Battery Maker A123 Systems Raises $380 Million from Initial Stock Offering

Lithium-ion car battery maker A123 Systems Inc. increased the number of shares in its initial public offering and priced them for $13.50 apiece, above the estimate range.

The upsized deal helped the Watertown, Massachusetts, company raise $380.4 million, far above what it had expected. On Tuesday, facing strong demand, A123 had raised the price estimate range of the IPO to between $10 and $11.50 apiece, up from the original range of $8 to $9.50.

A123 sold 28.1 million shares, 9.3 percent more than expected.

A123, which was founded by scientists linked to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, develops batteries and battery systems for hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and all-electric vehicles and works with such carmakers as BMW, Chrysler and General Motors.

"The fact that they have received several hundred million dollars from the government and have strong venture backers and corporate partners like Motorola and Qualcomm clearly reveals the confidence in this intriguing cleantech story," said Scott Sweet, senior managing partner with advisory firm IPO Boutique.

A123 won a $249.1 million grant in August from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a competition for $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funds for companies that make advanced automotive batteries.

The IPO's underwriters, led by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, have the option to buy another 4.2 million shares, which could bring the deal's total proceeds to $437.5 million.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 24, 2009, 3:23 PM
Categories:: BMW, Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: A123Systems

Electric Vehicle Makers Try to Temper Expectations Ahead of California Rule

California took the pulse of the zero-emissions vehicle industry this week and found plug-in electric vehicle manufacturers worried about charging infrastructure and public expectations.

The California Air Resources Board is hearing from fuel cell and EV manufacturers in preparation for releasing regulations for its Zero-Emissions Vehicle Program. Targets for 2015 and thereafter are due out by Nov. 10, with final targets due by early next year.

In its fifth major revision of the program since 1990, it voted last year to reduce the 2014 sales target from 25,000 to 7,500 vehicles.

A philosophical difference emerged between conventional car manufacturers and electric-only car companies.

Nissan, which is shooting for a 100-mile range for its Leaf EV, is playing down its perks. When asked to compare gasoline-powered and EV batteries, a company executive said not to expect comparable performance.

"Since the battery's not part of the emissions, it's not required to last 10 years and 150,000 miles," said Brian Verprauskus, senior manager of corporate planning for Nissan North America. "The issue's going to be the degradation. If the customer is OK with reduced range after 10 years, it'll definitely last that long, but after 10 years, we think there'll be more advanced batteries and the customer's going to want to swap it out with a next-generation battery."

Tesla Motors, on the other hand, is emphasizing the ways EVs differ from conventional cars. "We're trying to market cars based on the new attributes of EVs themselves," said J.B. Straubel, Tesla's chief technical officer. "It's an offensive technology shift. We can offer some new competitive advantages to customers."

EV manufacturers said the installation of charging infrastructure remained the biggest bottleneck to widespread implementation. BMW, which ran into charging issues with its MINI E pilot program, said the industry needed to agree on a standard for in-home charging infrastructure.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 24, 2009, 10:39 AM
Categories:: BMW, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Legislation, MINI, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: BMW

Land Rover Says Smallest, Most Fuel-Efficient Range Rover Will Enter Production

Land Rover announced today that a production version of its Range Rover LRX Concept SUV (pictured) will be built, with sales to begin in 2011.

Designed and engineered at Land Rover's Gaydon facility, the new Range Rover will be the smallest, lightest and most fuel-efficient vehicle the company has ever produced.

The three-door SUV will be built in Halewood, near Liverpool, England, subject to quality and productivity agreements, and will be sold in more than 100 countries around the world, the company said in a statement.

In an interview with Edmunds.com's Michelle Krebs this morning, Jaguar Land Rover spokesman Stuart Schorr said the LRX will be the first of four new segment offerings from the company, with Jaguar and Land Rover to receive two each.

He stressed the four will be premium brands, meaning they won't come cheap. Schorr also said that Jaguar Land Rover is committed to hybrids and electrics, but he refused to provide further details.

The LRX Concept debuted at the Detroit Auto Show last year and featured a 2.0-liter diesel-hybrid powertrain, which when running on biodiesel achieved a claimed fuel economy of 60 miles per gallon.

Jaguar or Land Rover Plant to Close

In a related development, India's Tata Motors Ltd. said today it will close one of the three Jaguar Land Rover assembly plants in England by 2014 in a bid to move its money-losing British unit into profitability.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 24, 2009, 9:27 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Biofuels, Diesel, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Jaguar, Land Rover, Plug-ins and Electric, Range Rover
Technorati Tags:: Detroit Auto Show

September 23, 2009

British Publication Says Rolls Royce Is Considering a Battery-Powered Phantom

A British publication reported today that luxury-car crafter Rolls Royce is thinking about producing an all-electric Phantom similar in appearance to the gasoline-powered Phantom pictured here.

Auto Express News, citing an unidentified RR spokesman, said that of the brand's entire lineup a battery-powered Phantom made the most sense because, at more than 5,600 pounds with a heavy 6.75-liter V12 under the hood, replacing the engine with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery shouldn't create a major weight issue.

The greatest problem RR engineers anticipate is coming up with an electric Phantom that gives the vehicle a respectable travel range between charges. But then, there'd be nothing preventing the engineers from adding a small range-extending gasoline- and diesel-powered engine to serve as a generator to keep the juice flowing.

With the base price of the 2009 Phantom set at $350,000, an additional EV or plug-in hybrid EV premium wouldn't likely be an issue for prospective customers. And there's something awfully cool about being able to prowl the nights in a silent Phantom.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 23, 2009, 2:49 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Manufacturers, Plug-ins and Electric, Rolls Royce
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicle

Got Questions? Electric Drive Group Promises Answers During Live Chat Thursday

The Electric Drive Transportation Assn., the national advocacy group for electric cars, trucks, buses, and all other electrically powered conveyances, is hosting a live chat Thursday with its executive director, Brian Wynne, from 2-3 pm - Eastern Time (11 am-noon Pacific Time).

It's the association's first try at an on-line chat and spokeswoman Jennifer Watts says it will be wide open, with Wynne fielding questions about everything from the availability of vehicles to how the smart grid works.

"We hope to talk about everything from hybrids to fuel cells," Watts said.

You can join in by logging onto the EDTA Web site, or by clicking here.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 23, 2009, 2:05 PM
Categories:: Fuel Cell, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Cars

Continental to Buy U.S. Firm's Ultracapacitors for Auto Engine Stop-Start Systems

Maxwell Technologies Says It Also Is Working on Ultracapacitors for Hybrids, EVs

Much of the EV discussion these days - when not focused on which companies are building what cars - is about batteries, but there's another electrical energy storage device out there that's making inroads.

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Maxwell Technologies' "Boostcap" ultracapacitors will be used in Continental stop-start system component.
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It's the ultracapacitor, a device that is quickly charged from an engine generator or regenerative braking system and has a very high energy density that is rapidly discharged.

That makes them less than optimal as the main energy source for an electric vehicle, but ideal as a sort of supercharger good for quick bursts of energy. And that makes them ideal for engine start-stop systems - also called micro hybrid systems - that shut down an internal combustion engine instead of letting it waste fuel and pump out emissions while idling.

Start-stops require a big energy boost to instantaneously restart the engine when its time to go again, and that's prime territory for ultracapacitors.

That's been the belief of Maxwell Technologies, a San Diego-based energy storage systems developer that has just announced a deal to supply its proprietary "Boostcap" ultracapacitors for a critical piece of stop-start system componentry manufactured by global auto supply giant Continental AG.

Maxwell said its ultracapacitors are to be used starting next year as the energy storage element of a Continental voltage stabilization system (VSS) for start-stop systems in new cars.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 23, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: EVs

September 22, 2009

Fisker Scores $528-Million Loan From Feds For Next-Generation Plug-in Hybrid

Its first car hasn't gone into production yet, but already Fisker Automotive is well on the way to introducing a second plug-in hybrid, thanks to a $528-million federal loan.

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Fisker Automotive specializes in plug-in hybrid cars.

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The infant automaker said today that it has reached agreement with the federal Energy Department on terms of the low-interest loan, funded through the $25-billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program.

The company said in May that it was seeking the loan to spur production of the new car.

Fisker, based in Irvine, Calif., said today that the bulk of the money will be used to develop its next-generation plug-in hybrid with some being used to complete development of the company's first car, the Fisker Karma PHEV (left) slated to go into production later this year.

While the Karma is an $87,900, 408-horsepower exotic built under contract in Finland, Fisker's next cars will be more modestly priced and powered, will be built in the U.S., and will start at around $47,400 before the $7,500 federal tax credit.

The new plug-in is being developed under the code-name Project NINA - named, the company says, for one of the three ships in explorer Christopher Columbus' tiny fleet, and symbolizing the auto industry's "transition from old world to new."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 22, 2009, 2:05 PM
Categories:: Fisker, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Fisker Karma

$100 Million In Green Transportation Grants Awarded by Transportation Department

The federal government has awarded $100 million in grants to 43 metropolitan transit agencies that had submitted plans to cut emissions and create so-called "green" jobs.

The grants mark the Obama Administration's continued investment in reducing the environmental impact of transportation vehicles by using technologies that boost fuel efficiency and cut pollution.

Many of the green grants are for agencies to replace diesel transit buses with diesel-electric hybrid and battery-electric buses, but a number also involve increased use of solar energy.

California-based transportation agencies such as the Bay Area's AC Transit and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be given more than $17 million for projects such as boosting solar energy capacity to make hydrogen with clean electricity, installing photovoltaic panels to offset electricity use at maintenance yards, and installing a flywheel energy storage system, the U.S. Transportation Department said in a statement announcing the grants.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 22, 2009, 12:12 AM
Categories:: Diesel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Mass Transit, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
Technorati Tags:: Federal Transit Authority

September 18, 2009

Nissan, Other Automakers Working On Sounds to Make Silent Electric Cars Safe

Toshiyuki Tabata spent 30 years as a Nissan Motor Co. engineer trying to make gasoline-powered cars quieter. Now he's consulting music composers to make electric cars noisier -- and safer.

An article published by Bloomberg news service today addresses the efforts Tabata in particular and automakers in general are making to make electric and hybrid cars, with little or no engine noise, safer for pedestrians.

Some of the automakers are simply seeking sounds that resemble conventional engine noises. But as we learn from Tabata, Nissan is doing something completely different.

The company consulted Japanese composers of film scores. What Tabata and his six-member team came up with is a high- pitched sound reminiscent of the flying cars in "Blade Runner" (pictured), the 1982 film directed by Ridley Scott portraying his dystopian vision of 2019.

"We wanted something a bit different, something closer to the world of art," Tabata said.

The article is well worth the time it takes to read it.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett September 18, 2009, 12:23 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: General Motors

September 17, 2009

Toyota Tells Dealers It Will Use Prius Name on 'a Family of Models' to Drive Sales

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose."

Shakespeare wrote that for Juliet in his lyrical tale of star-crossed lovers, but Toyota dealers are -- in their own words -- saying the very same today.

That's because the Prius name possesses magical sales powers for the Japanese automaker. As a result, it has decided to sprinkle the name across more hybrid models in its U.S. lineup to boost their sales.

At a meeting in Las Vegas earlier this week of the 60 largest Toyota dealers in the U.S., Toyota executives announced the name Prius would be attached to "a family of models" using similar hybrid powertrains, veteran Toyota dealer Earl Stewart said.

"The Highlander hybrid and Camry hybrid do OK, but calling it 'Synergy Drive' never resonated with consumers," Stewart sad. "But they can make hay on the Prius name. It's a magic name. If somebody says 'I drive a Prius,' everybody knows what he means."

Romeo couldn't have said it better.

Toyota will have a range of Prius hybrid models "but Prius won't be a separate sub-brand like Scion," Stewart said.

A Thorny Issue

Separately, Toyota is launching a $1 billion fourth-quarter marketing campaign, its biggest ever for that period, to boost weak U.S. sales.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett September 17, 2009, 2:39 PM
Categories:: Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Japan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Efficient Cars

House Passes $2.90 Billion Bill for Advanced Technology Vehicle Research

Targeting more federal money to support the auto industry, the House on Wednesday approved an expansion of government-led research into making cars and trucks more fuel-efficient.

The House plan would allow the Energy Department to spend up to $200 million more each year on research and development for advanced-technology vehicles and auto parts.

Lawmakers' aides said the additional $200 million would boost government-supported research in this area to around $550 million if Congress, as expected, funds the request later this year.

The measure passed on a 312-114 vote, attracting dozens of Republican votes, even though some GOP lawmakers questioned its cost.

Wednesday's House action represented the latest move by Congress and the Obama administration to aid the auto industry. The White House stepped in with billions of dollars to rescue General Motors and Chrysler and led the companies through bankruptcy, and Congress approved $25 billion last year to help the industry retool assembly plants to meet tougher fuel economy standards.

Congress also created a $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program of incentives that successfully spurred new car sales over the summer.

Fuel-efficient technology is in great demand because of higher gasoline prices and the expectation of tightening auto regulations. Administration officials on Tuesday released plans to raise the gas mileage standards to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 and link greenhouse-gas emissions and fuel-economy requirements.

Democratic Representative Gary Peters of Michigan, who sponsored the green vehicle technology bill, said "there is no doubt that in the years ahead more Americans will be driving hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles, and cars and trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells."

"The only question is whether these new technologies will be researched, developed and manufactured here in the United States, creating American jobs, or whether this technology will be built overseas," Peters said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 17, 2009, 1:37 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing

2009 Frankfurt Motor Show: Toyota Unwraps Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept

Toyota today continued to release a slow trickle of information concerning its all-new Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept, which debuted this week at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

In addition to details about the car that we've previously reported, now know this concept vehicle with an absurdly long name uses the same Hybrid Synergy Drive technology that can be found in the new Prius.

In other words, it's also equipped with a 1.8-liter gasoline engine working with an electric motor and an engine stop-start system to help cut emissions and improve fuel economy.

The Auris HSD produces 97 horsepower, accelerates from 0-62 miles per hour in about 10 seconds, and has carbon dioxide emissions of less than 100 grams per kilometer.

The Auris HSD differentiate itself from the standard Auris in many ways. Its front end styling is entirely fresh, headlights, hood, bumper and grille. Various aerodynamic tweaks and special badging also set it apart from the regular Auris.

Although Toyota has included "Concept" in the car's name, a new Auris hybrid looking identical or nearly identical to the one shown here is scheduled to enter production next summer and begin shipping toward the end of the year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 17, 2009, 10:26 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept

September 15, 2009

Fisker Reportedly to Announce Planned $39,000 Plug-In Hybrid This Week or Next

Kleiner Perkins investor, and former president of Oracle, Ray Lane, said that electric vehicle maker startup Fisker is gearing up to make a major announcement about a $39,000 plug-in hybrid vehicle later this week or next week.

That tidbit from earth2tech.com, which reported today that the venture capitalist, whose firm funded Fisker, let the news slip at the AlwaysOn Going Green conference in Sausalito, California, earlier in the day.

Fisker has already developed its inaugural plug-in car the Karma (pictured), which will be sold for $87,900, but as Lane put it on the panel "who would not want to buy a Fisker Karma if you could afford it."

Does that mean that Fisker has received a Department of Energy loan?

In March, Henrik Fisker, founder and CEO of the Irvine, California-based company, said that Fisker plans to refurbish a factory in the U.S. and develop a lower-cost plug-in hybrid car than its $87,900 Fisker Karma if DOE loans come through.

Back then Fisker did not specify how much money the company requested, but said, "If we get the DOE loan we will start the project this year... It could be in the market in as little as 26 months from when we start."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 15, 2009, 11:37 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fisker, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Fisker's New Plug-In; Fisker Plug-In Hybrid; Fisker Karma; Pontiac

September 14, 2009

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: VW's L1 Diesel Hybrid Concept Gets a Claimed 170 MPG

With the premature appearance of some photos of the current L1 Concept in the German media over the weekend, Volkswagen today distributed information and multiple images of the ultra-high-mileage carbon-fiber two-seat diesel runabout ahead of its scheduled debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

The German automaker announced that the L1 Concept is powered by a new two-cylinder 0.8-liter turbocharged direct-injection engine -- the smallest diesel engine intended for production applications ever built by Volkswagen.

That engine is mated to a 10-kilowatt/14 horsepower electric motor and a 7-speed direct-shift gearbox (or DSG, an electronically controlled multiple-shaft dual-clutch manual gearbox without a conventional clutch pedal) -- all situated at the back of the car. Together, the three components create the "most fuel-efficient road-legal car hybrid drive in the world," according to Volkswagen.

The L1 -- which takes its name from 1 liter of diesel will provide 100 kilometers of driving, although in reality 1.38 liters are required to go that distance -- is operated in two different modes depending on the load conditions.

In the standard "ECO mode," the TDI engine develops a power of 20 kilowatts/27 horsepower at 4,000 revolutions per minute. In sport mode, the car's power rises to 29 kilowatts/39 hp at 4,000 rpm. The TDI's maximum torque is 73.7 pound-feet at 1,900 rpm. A stop-start system automatically shuts down the engine when vehicle has stopped and restarts when the accelerator or "E-pedal" is pressed.

A Little History

This isn't the first L1 VW has come up with. Seven years ago, Dr. Ferdinand Piech, at that time chairman of the board of management at VW Group, drove a prototype L1 from Wolfsburg to Hamburg "that was unlike any other car before it: the Volkswagen 1-Litre car -- the world's first car with fuel consumption of one litre fuel per 100 kilometers," as VW tells it.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett September 14, 2009, 3:37 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Diesel, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Diesel-Electric Hybrid

Toyota Reportedly Sticking With Nickel Battery After Testing Lithium-Ion in Priuses

Toyota Motor Corp. is sticking with nickel as the preferred battery material for most of its hybrid vehicles after three years of secretly testing Prius hatchbacks with lithium-ion packs, Bloomberg reported today.

Toyota last month ended road tests of 126 Priuses in the U.S., Japan and Europe that began in 2006, Jana Hartline, a company spokeswoman said in an interview with the news service. Details of the program, in which the cars' nickel metal hydride batteries were replaced with more expensive lithium models, weren't released.

Automakers are introducing models all or partly powered by lithium-ion batteries holding twice the energy of nickel packs. While Toyota's lithium version performed well and gave "small" fuel-economy gains because of lighter weight, nickel is favored for conventional, mass-market hybrids for its cost, said Kazuo Tojima, the carmaker's senior staff engineer for batteries.

Lithium's "durability, stability and safety are assured," the company's tests showed, Tojima told Bloomberg.

The tests appear to be among the most thorough done by companies planning to introduce the batteries, said Menahem Anderman, president of consulting firm Advanced Automotive Batteries in Oregon House, California.

"We now know that a lithium-ion battery can work; that's not really the question," he said. "Cost is critical, and we still don't know enough about long-term durability."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 14, 2009, 12:31 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Frankfurt Motor Show

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Greenest Car Show Begins Previews Tuesday

Hyundai Motors' ix-Metro Hybrid city car is one of several dozen 'green' cars and concepts debuting at Frankfurt show.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

This week's Frankfurt Auto Show promises to be the greenest major auto show to date - a showcase for fuel efficiency improvements and alternative powertrains that are coming to the forefront as the mainstream auto industry finally begins coming to grips with the need to begin weaning itself - and us - from petroleum.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 14, 2009, 1:49 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, Citroen, Diesel, Fiat, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show

September 11, 2009

Toyota Provides More Details Regarding Auris Hybrid Concept to Debut at Frankfurt

Toyota today provided more details regarding the Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept it will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, including word that the vehicle marks a milestone in Toyota's plan to deploy full hybrid technology across the automaker's entire European model line-up.

"Full hybrid" means the car can be propelled by gasoline engine alone, electric motor alone or a combination of both. Most hybrids cannot do this.

Earlier this month we reported that, according to Toyota, the Auris hybrid uses 19 percent less fuel and emits 17 percent less climate-changing carbon dioxide than the standard Auris. We can now report that the five-door hatchback is slated to go on sale in Europe starting the second half of 2010, but there's no word on plans to send the car to North America.

In a statement, Toyota reported that the hybrid "marks a significant milestone in Toyota's plan to equip its mainstream European models with full hybrid technology. Toyota is committed to making the environmental benefits of its Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) accessible to a wider customer base and it is on track to offer a hybrid version of every model in its range by the early 2020s."

A five-door hatchback is the best selling type of car in Europe and consequently the installation of HSD in Auris is the logical first step in deploying full hybrid technology across Toyota's entire European model line-up.

By introducing the Auris concept, Toyota also aims to shift customer perceptions of hybrid technology. The obvious advantages are improved fuel efficiency and low CO2 emissions, but the automaker said customers will also experience smooth and sophisticated driving unlike any other family hatchback, thanks to the everyday usability, comfort and quietness of the Toyota full hybrid powertrain.

The Auris concept will be built by Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK at the Burnaston factory, near Derby. The manufacturer's suggested price for the vehicle has not been revealed.

In addition to changes to the Auris's powertrain for the concept car, Toyota says subtle changes have been made to Auris's styling to improve aerodynamic efficiency. The front end is designed to optimize airflow and so help maximize fuel efficiency. The front and rear bumper corners have flat surfaces, a feature that not only accentuates the car's wide and solid stance, but also smooths the flow of air over the vehicle's flanks, minimizing turbulence and drag.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 11, 2009, 11:53 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: C02

September 9, 2009

Mercedes-Benz to Unveil Vision S 500 Plug-in Hybrid Concept Next Week

Mercedes-Benz is expected to debut a Vision S 500 plug-in hybrid concept at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show, looking much like the one pictured here.

Although company spokesmen won't discuss it publicly yet, we've been told the concept will feature a V6 gasoline engine connected to a lithium-ion battery that has a storage capacity of more than 10 kilowatt hours.

That's enough to enable the car to go about 19 miles on electricity only before an onboard gas-powered engine-generator kicks in to feed juice to the lithium battery.

Acceleration is said to be 5 and half seconds from a standstill to 60 miles an hour. Mileage is said to be 73.5 mph, but it wasn't at all clear how that number was reached.

We expect to learn a lot more about this concept next week.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 9, 2009, 5:15 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Daimler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Frankfurt Motor Show

September 8, 2009

Survey Finds 48% of Americans Would Be Interested in PHEV With 40-Mile Range

Pike Research.jpg Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are one of the most highly anticipated new product categories of recent years, a research firm reported today, with 48 percent of the American consumers surveyed stating that they would be "extremely" or "very" interested in purchasing a PHEV with a 40-mile range on a single charge.

"Plug-in hybrids match the driving requirements of most consumers we surveyed," said Clint Wheelock, managing director of Pike Research, which conducted the Web-based survey of 1,041 U.S. consumers. "82 percent of respondents drive 40 miles or less per day, with an average daily driving distance of 27 miles."

The upcoming Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle and other EREVs under development promise the ability to travel 40 miles on electricity only. Thereafter, a small onboard internal combustion engine-generator, likely fueled by gasoline, would come on and supply electricity to the vehicle's battery, electric motor or both.

Other findings of the survey:

85 percent of consumers stated that improved fuel efficiency would be an important factor when choosing their next vehicle.
65 percent of survey respondents interested in PHEVs expressed a willingness to pay a premium price, over and above the price of a standard gasoline vehicle, with an average premium of 12 percent.
Consumers indicated that the availability of workplace, private, and public vehicle charging stations in their local area would be very important.
79 percent of consumers would be interested in investing in a fast-charging outlet for their home; however, willingness to pay is out of line with industry expectations.

More information about the survey can be found at Pike Research's Website.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett September 8, 2009, 4:45 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Economy

Fisker Says Karma Gets 67.2 MPG, CO2 Emissions of Just 83 Grams Per Kilometer

The Fisker Karma will get 67.2 miles per gallon and emit just 83 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer using a respected methodology for measuring the emissions of plug-in extended-range electric vehicles, the automaker announced today.

Calculations developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers estimate the carbon-dioxide output of the four-door hybrid will be less than that of today's cleanest production cars and 75 percent less than that of competing vehicles, on average.

The society is an internationally recognized organization of experts that help drive government automotive policy.

That said, the fuel economy label the U.S Environmental Protection Agency ultimately slaps on the Karma might bear a different estimate than 67.2 MPG, because the EPA is still determining how it will label plug-in hybrids.

Fisker Automotive said the sale of 15,000 Karmas could save some 248 million gallons of gasoline and 2.5 million tons of CO2 per year compared to a convention car of comparable size and horsepower.

And, as Fisker wants everyone to know, the Karma can save all that gas and air pollution while achieving supercar-like torque and six-second 0-60 mile-per-hour acceleration.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 8, 2009, 1:19 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fisker, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Carbon Dioxide

Lotus to Unveil Range-Extending Engine-Generator for Hybrids at Frankfurt Show

Lotus Engineering announced today that it will unveil a range-extending engine-generator for series hybrid vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show, held later this month.

Attached to the hybrid's electric motor via the crankshaft, the Lotus Range Extender sustains vehicle operation beyond the range provided by the vehicle's batteries.

Lotus said in a statement that the 1.2-liter, three-cylinder engine-generator can use gasoline or alcohol-based fuels, was designed for maximum fuel efficiency and can recharge the batteries of a series hybrid as well as provide direct power to the electric motor that propels the vehicle.

The Range Extender features an innovative architecture comprising aluminium monoblock construction, integrating the cylinder block, cylinder head and exhaust manifold in one casting. Lotus said this results in reduced engine mass, assembly costs, package size and improved emissions and engine durability.

The engine-generator is optimized between two power generation points, giving 15 kilowatts of electrical power at 1,500 revolutions per minute and 35 kilowatts at 3,500 rpm via the integrated electrical generator.

Lotus said the Range Extender's low weight (123 pounds) makes it ideal for the series hybrid drivetrain configurations for which it is designed. The engine uses an optimized two-valve port-fuel injection combustion system to reduce cost and mass.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 8, 2009, 12:25 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Ethanol, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Lotus
Technorati Tags:: Battery Electric

USPS Finds Electrification of Its Delivery Fleet Operationally Feasible

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

Much fuss has been made this year about General Motors' claim that the Chevy Volt extended-range electric vehicle due out next year will be able to travel 40 miles on electricity only, and the fact (often heralded by GM) that most American motorists drive fewer than 40 miles a day.

The General hopes you'll connect the dots, but he's been saying it loud and clear for more than a year anyway: Unless you drive more than 40 miles between charges, you probably won't need to put any gasoline in the plug-in automobile.

But if you should happen to go as far as the Volt can take you on a single charge, the General says, don't fret. As an extended-range EV, the Volt is packing a small gasoline-powered engine-generator that can keep juice flowing to the electric motor that propels the vehicle.

Now imagine this: You open a report from the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service on the feasibility of electric vehicles in the USPS and you read that (1) only about 3 percent of the service's 146,000 delivery vehicles travel more than 40 miles a day, and (2) those vehicles average a lousy 10 miles per gallon.

No doubt your heart would race if you read those factoids, just as ours did when we read the 23-page report, released last week with little fanfare.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett September 8, 2009, 12:37 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, Energy Companies, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet Volt

September 4, 2009

Toyota Passes 2 Million Total Hybrid Sales Worldwide; Most Were Sold in America

Toyota Motor Europe announced today that cumulative hybrid sales in Europe have topped the 200,000 mark, with 50 percent of the sales recorded in the last 24 months.

TME has sold a total of 202,126 Toyota and Lexus hybrids since introducing Europe's first commercial hybrid in 2000, the company said in a statement.

"The breakthrough result coincides with news that Toyota has sold over 2 million hybrids globally since launching the world's first mass-produced hybrid, Prius, in 1997 to critical acclaim," the company said.

Moveoever, Edmunds.com data put Toyota hybrid sales in the U.S. through August of this year at 1,106,203 vehicles sold, accounting for a 73 percent share of the U.S. hybrid market and a 0.6 percent share of the overall U.S. passenger vehicle market (cars and trucks combined).

Prius accounted for 768,638 sales, or 69.5 percent, of Toyota's total U.S. hybrid sales. The popular model accounted for 50.8 percent of the overall U.S. hybrid market and 0.45 percent of the overall U.S. passenger car market.

Toyota has a global target of 1 million hybrid sales per year by the early 2010s, with European sales representing up to 10 percent of this target.

In July, TME announced that it would manufacture a hybrid version of its C-segment hatchback, Auris, in the United Kingdom from mid-2010. That would mark what Toyota referred to today as "a critical first step" in the company's plans to offer a hybrid version of every model in the early 2020s.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 4, 2009, 12:30 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Edmunds.com

Hyundai to Debut ix-Metro Hybrid CUV Concept and i10 EV at Frankfurt Motor Show

With the recent launches of the Tucson ix compact SUV and the Elanta LPI hybrid-electric vehicle, this period was already rather verdant on the green front for Hyundai.

Now comes word from the South Korean automaker that it will be debuting two advanced fuel-efficient vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show - the ix Metro gasoline-electric concept CUV (right) and the i10 Electric (below).

The ix Metro smallish hybrid crossover is designed for the European sub-B segment and, according to Hyundai, achieves carbon-dioxide emissions of only 80 grams per kilometer.

The vehicle is powered by an inline three-cylinder, 1.0-liter gasoline engine cranking out an impressive 125 horsepower. It's mated to some kind of hybrid drive system Hyundai is unwilling to discuss publicly now.

The other Hyundai vehicle to make its world debut at Frankfurt is the i10 Electric, a plug-in all-electric urban commuter that, the automaker says, will see limited series production beginning in 2010 with the South Korean market.

The i10 Electric is powered by a 49 kilowatt motor and a 16 kilowatt per hour battery. Hyundai says the vehicle achieves a top speed of 81 miles an hour and a driving range of 99 miles.

The i10 Electric will be sold to government ministries, state corporations and utilities in the first stage. The retail sales date is not decided

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 4, 2009, 11:46 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hyundai, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicle

September 3, 2009

Toyota Faces Patent-Violation Claims That Could Ban Import of Its Hybrids Into U.S.

Toyota Motor Corp. faces a patent-infringement claim that may result in a U.S. import ban on its Prius and other hybrid models, the Bloomberg news service reported today.

Closely held Paice LLC filed a complaint today with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, claiming Toyota is infringing its patents. It seeks an order to ban imports of products using its inventions.

Even if Paice were to prevail, Toyota would likely be able to keep selling its hybrids while it mounted a lengthy and vigorous challenge to the decision.

Paice won a jury verdict in 2005 that the Prius, Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX400h hybrid vehicles used Paice inventions related to drivetrains, Bloomberg reported. The new ITC complaint claims the hybrid Camry, third-generation Prius, Lexus HS250h and Lexus RX450h infringe the same patent.

In the complaint, Paice said Toyota is precluded from arguing that the additional vehicles don't infringe the patent or challenging its validity because of the 2005 verdict, which was upheld on appeal. The drivetrains of the vehicles in the ITC case "are materially the same" as those in the Lexus and Highlander vehicles in the civil case, Paice said in the complaint.

That same patent will be at the center of another trial set to begin Oct. 1 in federal court in Marshall, Texas, involving the Toyota Camry. Paice claims the Camry also infringes two other patents. A second case, also pending in Marshall, involves claims of infringement of another patent by the Highlander and Lexus models.

The commission in Washington is set up to protect U.S. market from unfair trade practices, including patent infringement. If it agrees to investigate Paice's claims, the investigation could be completed in about 15 months. It has the power to order U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials to block infringing products from entering the country.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett September 3, 2009, 3:46 PM
Categories:: Courts, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Court

Audi Exec Says Only Idiots Would Buy Volts; Chevy Says That's a Dumb Remark

johan-de-nysschen.jpg (JPEG Image, 360x279 pixels).jpg In an interview earlier this week, Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen (right) dismissed the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid as "a car for idiots."

He said that few consumers will be willing to pay $40,000 -- the Volt's estimated base price -- for a car that competes against $25,000 sedans and conventional hybrids. Nor, he noted, is the Volt a luxury car whose green-technology costs will be excused because it also delivers prestige or performance.

"No one is going to pay a $15,000 premium for a car that competes with a (Toyota) Corolla" in terms of prestige and performance, he said. "So there are not enough idiots who will buy it."

More than a few people at Chevrolet took offense. In an interview with Green Car Advisor, Volt spokesman Rob Peterson said:

"I'm pretty surprised somebody would make such a bold statement that challenges the intelligence of anybody in the EV movement, and especially those people who are anxiously awaiting the Volt. It just doesn't seem like a real bright statement."

It'll be interesting to see how well the Volt sells. The vehicle is slated to start appearing in showrooms in very limited numbers at the end of next year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett September 3, 2009, 2:05 PM
Categories:: Audi, Chevrolet, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Audi

Tokyo Denies Chrysler Claim, Says Toyota Received No Aid in Development of Prius

Back in March, Jim Press, vice chairman and president of Chrysler, was quoted in a Business Week report as saying, "The Japanese government paid for 100 percent of the development of the battery and hybrid system that went into the Toyota Prius."

Toyota quickly denied the allegation, stating that it got no such help in developing the gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle.

Well, it took the Japanese government more than five months to respond, but today it announced that Press (pictured) was wrong.

Sosuke Tanaka, an official at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said today that Toyota had not received financial aid from the government in developing the Prius, according to ministry records.

"Toyota developed its own technology," Tanaka said in an interview with The New York Times. "So please talk to Toyota about research and development."

Chrysler defended Press, who worked at Toyota for 37 years before joining Chrysler in September 2007.

On its media blog, Chrysler said Press "was not speaking negatively of Toyota" but "referenced the close cooperation between the Japanese government and Japanese industry."

Chrysler said Press would like to see similar cooperation between government and industry in the U.S.

Didn't the U.S. government just save Chrysler's trunk, so to speak? For a second time? Jim Press, this would be a good time to reflect on the proverb, Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); Scott Doggett September 3, 2009, 1:03 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

BorgWarner, UQM Team Up On Turn-Key Electric Powertrain For Automakers

Colorado's UQM Technologies and Michigan's BorgWarner have tied the knot in an agreement to integrate UQM's proprietary electric propulsion system with BW's electric drive single-speed transmission for use in gas-electric hybrid and all-electric passenger vehicles.

First up on the customer list is Southern California-based Coda Automotive, which has announced plans to introduce a battery-electric, five-occupant passenger sedan next summer.

The Coda, to be built in China and based on a heavily reengineered Chinese sedan, will use the QQM-BorgWarner electric powertrain, which mates UQM's 134 peak horsepower electric motor with Borg Warner's 31-03 eGearDrive tranmsission.

The 102-pound, 125 kilowatt motor delivers peak torque of 221 ft-lbs, magnified by the transmission's 6:5:1 gear ratio to 1,440 ft-lb at peak output.

That's sufficient, says Coda CEO Kevin Czinger, to give the $45,000 (estimated) car a 0-60 launch time of under 11 seconds - on par with the Chevrolet Malibu hybrid.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 3, 2009, 12:33 PM
Categories:: Coda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: BorgWarner

China Denies Hoarding Metals, Says It Just Wants to Create Jobs in Inner Mongolia

China's moves to tighten control on the mining and export of a class of metal ores called rare earth are aimed at attracting high-tech manufacturing to Inner Mongolia, and not at dominating the market, The Wall Street Journal reported today, citing a senior Chinese official.

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The rare-earth element lanthanum, right, is used in the manufacture of hybrid-car batteries.
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As we reported earlier this week, a number of those rare metals are used to make the high-power, lightweight magnets for electric motors of hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Ford Fusion. Others are major ingredients for batteries used in hybrid cars.

Wednesday's comments by Zhao Shuanglin, vice chairman of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, appear aimed at quelling concerns that China is trying to dominate the global market for rare-earth resources.

China produces more than 90 percent of the world's output of the metals. Recent steps by Beijing toward tightening export restrictions have sparked concern in other countries.

There also appear to be concerns about China's investment in rare-earth producers in other countries.

In Australia, the government has delayed yet again consideration of a $210 million investment by China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group Co. in Lynas Corp., an investment that would give the Chinese company a majority stake in the biggest new rare-earth mine currently under development.

Lynas, which unveiled the planned investment in early May, said Wednesday a 30-day review period by the Australian government's foreign investment review board had again been reset so that the board has until early October to consider the deal.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 3, 2009, 1:01 AM
Categories:: Batteries, China, Ford, Honda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Battery Manufacturing

September 2, 2009

Mercedes Adds 'Extended-Range' Plug In to its Family of BlueZero EV Concepts

Mercedes-Benz has added a small gas engine to its BlueZero E-Cell electric car concept to turn the limited range battery-electric hatchback into an extended-range hybrid in the manner of the upcoming Chevrolet Volt.

The battery-extended Benz, called the E-Cell Plus, utilizes a turbocharged, 1-liter, three-cylinder engine mounted over the rear axle to serve as a generator feeding juice to the lithium-ion battery pack once the initial charge is depleted.

Mercedes says the E-Cell Plus has a range of up to 600 kilometers - 375 miles - including 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, of all-electric drive from its grid-charged battery before the engine-generator kicks in and starts burning gasoline. The original BlueZero concepts were unveiled at the Deptroir Auto Show in January.

The compact concept car uses the same electric drive system as the non-augmented E-Cell, with an 18 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack feeding a 70-kilowatt sustained output (100 kilowatt maximum) compact electric motor capable of 320 Newton meters of torque (236 lb-ft).

It is capable of pushing the car from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (60 mph) in "less than 11 seconds" - nothing to write home about unless its way, way less than 11 - and is electronically limited to a top speed of 150 kph (93 mph).

The gas engine in the E-Cell Plus wouldn't improve performance figures as it would be used only to continue generating electricity to extend the vehicle's range to three times the pure-electric model's 200 kilometers, or 125 miles.

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Concept shows 1-liter gas engine-generator through cutout in cargo bay floor.

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Mercedes says that with a special rapid charger the E-Cell Plus' battery can be brought up to half-full n just 30 minutes and to full charge in just under an hour. Charging could take 6 hours or so with standard household current. On-board electronics would support the billing and information systems used by the electric charging stations that are slowly being installed in cities around the globe to accommodate increased use of plug-in electric vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 2, 2009, 4:15 PM
Categories:: Chevrolet, General Motors, Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: EVS

Hybrid Sales Up Again in August, Carried By Clunker Cash and Slow-Growing Acceptance

Nissan Altima hybrid was one of the stars of August, more than tripling sales for the month despite limited availability.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

The federal Cash for Clunkers program may have been good for conventional cars in August, but monthly sales performance was a letdown for hybrids after an explosive July.

Oh, sales of gas-electric cars and SUVs were up last month - a 9.2 percent gain from July, but that pales by comparison to the 35 percent gain the segment recorded in July over June and doesn't stand up well, either, against the 26.6% August increase posted by conventionally powered vehicles (cars and trucks except hybrids).

Overall, however, August 2009 hybrid sales of 38,701 gas-electric cars, SUVS and pickups were up 48.6 percent from 26,044 in August '08 - a significant gain explained in large part by the addition of half a dozen new hybrid models, including the Honda Insight, Ford Fusion and Lexus HS250, that weren't available a year earlier.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 2, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Lexus, Mercury, Nissan, Saturn, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: August 2009 Hybrid Sales

September 1, 2009

Tesla's Elon Musk Brings The Valley Girl Up to Speed on Electric Vehicles

We're not sure which bothered us more: Watching Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk eat escargot, or watching someone in Northern California's Silicon Valley talk like a true "valley girl," which as we all know is a shallow creature that resides amid shopping mall and freeways in Southern California's San Fernando Valley.

The interviewer, Jesse Draper -- who attended UCLA, just down the freeway from San Fernando Valley -- does a decent job of getting Musk to explain what makes his all-electric cars special, during the Internet show's second episode of the season. There were several mildly interesting exchanges. Here's one:

Draper: "I have a hybrid. Why is (Tesla's all-electric Roadster and Model S cars) better than a hybrid?"

Musk: "When you say you have a hybrid, you have something that's really maybe 2 percent electric and 98 percent gasoline. And you need to say, OK, if all the world had your car, well, we'd still be 100 percent dependent on gasoline. The advantage to all-electric is that you can then generate your electricity from renewable means like solar, wind, geothermal, and that's a sustainable future."

We encourage you to chew bubble gum and watch the episode.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 1, 2009, 2:45 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicle

Toyota to Unveil Auris Hybrid and Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept at Frankfurt Show

Toyota will unveil a gasoline-electric hybrid concept of it Auris compact car as well as a Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the automaker announced today.

Toyota said the Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept (right) is a step forward in the company's plan to expand its hybrid lineup. The world's largest automaker will begin production of the Auris hybrid at its factory near Derby, about 120 miles north of London, starting mid-2010.

Toyota said the Auris hybrid uses 19 percent less fuel and emits 17 percent less climate-changing carbon dioxide than the standard version.

The company builds most of its hybrid vehicles in Japan, but also produces a small number of Prius hybrids in China and the Camry hybrid in the United States.

In July, Toyota President Akio Toyoda said the carmaker would shift its focus in the diesel-heavy European market to hybrid vehicles as part of a new effort to use its resources more selectively.

Toyota Europe CEO Tadashi Arashima said making hybrids in Europe would help ensure that full hybrids "become more accessible to a wider range of customers."

Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid vehicles a year within the next few years.

Toyota also will give its Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept a world debut in Frankfurt. The low-emissions car is based on the new, third-generation Prius.

An artist's rendering of the Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept appears at left. A photo of the vehicle has yet to be released.

The carmaker said it will offer 150 of the fuel-efficient Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concepts to fleet customers to test next year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 1, 2009, 9:28 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Carbon Dioxide

Clean Cities Initiative Parcels Out $300 Million for Alt Fuel Vehicles, Stations

The federal-private Clean Cities progam is responsible for promoting a lot of alternatively fueled vehicles over the years and this month added to the tally by handing out $300 million in federal grants that will help various government agencies and commercial fleet operators deploy and fuel 9,000 more - mainly commercial trucks and taxis using compressed andliquid natural gas, propane and E85.

The list is long -agencies in 22 states and muillti-state regions received funding, and a little disheartening - it provides for 542 new alt-fuel stations, but that includes only 1 hydrogen fueling station and 210 electric vehicle chargers -most of them in three locales, Chicago and North and South Carolina.

Only about100 of the 9,000-plus alt-fuel vehicles to be subsidized with the grants will be all-elelctric, including at east 56 neighborhood electrics, or NEVs. But more than 1,000 will be trucks and buses (and a few cars) using propane.

Gas-electric hybrids will account for at leat 738 of the vehicles (the totals aren't exact because the grant descriptions don't always specify how many of which type of vehicle will be purchased with the funds.

Still, the main purpose of the program is to clear up the diesel emissions and other exhaust fumes choking many cities, and that's a goal we applaud, long and loudly.

A rundown of grants, provided by the federal Energy Department, shows that more than 1,400 diesel trucks and buses and several hundred gasoline-burning taxis will be replaced by alt-fuel vehicles. Almost half - 651 - will be LNG trucks replacing diesel trucks in several Southern California locations.

Most will use natural gas, but150 gas and diesel trucks in Maryland and 190 diesel school buses in Kentucky will be replaced with hybrid-electric models.

Teh feds say the programs will help displace 38 million gallons of petrolleum annually.

The entire list of grants, and their descriptions,is available here.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell September 1, 2009, 5:25 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Emissions, Ethanol, Hybrid, Hydrogen, LPG, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Clean CIties Initiative

August 31, 2009

As Hybrid Cars and Electric Vehicles Gobble Rare Metals, Global Shortage Looms

The Toyota Prius hybrid automobile is popular for its fuel efficiency, but its electric motor and battery guzzle rare earth metals, a little-known class of elements found in a wide range of gadgets and consumer goods.

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Neodymium: A key component of EV motors.
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That makes Toyota's market-leading gasoline-electric hybrid car and other similar vehicles vulnerable to a supply crunch predicted by experts as China, the world's dominant rare earths producer, limits exports while global demand swells, Reuters news agency reported today.

Worldwide demand for rare earths, covering 15 entries on the periodic table of elements, is expected to exceed supply by some 40,000 tons annually in several years unless major new production sources are developed. One promising U.S. source is a rare earths mine slated to reopen in California by 2012.

Among the rare metals that would be most affected in a shortage is neodymium, the key component of an alloy used to make the high-power, lightweight magnets for electric motors of hybrid cars, such as the Prius, Honda Insight and Ford Fusion ~~Focus~~, as well as in generators for wind turbines.

Close cousins terbium and dysprosium are added in smaller amounts to the alloy to preserve neodymium's magnetic properties at high temperatures, Reuters reported. Yet another rare earth metal, lanthanum, is a major ingredient for hybrid car batteries.

Toyota has 70 percent of the U.S. market for vehicles powered by a combination of an internal-combustion engine and electric motor. The Prius is its No. 1 hybrid seller.

Reuters reported that Jack Lifton, an independent commodities consultant and strategic metals expert, calls the Prius "the biggest user of rare earths of any object in the world."

Each electric Prius motor requires 2.2 pounds of neodymium, and each battery uses 22 to 33 pounds of lanthanum. That number will nearly double under Toyota's plans to boost the car's fuel economy, he said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett August 31, 2009, 3:40 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Energy Companies, Ford, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: China

Speculation: Porsche Cayenne, Green and Not-So, May Be Axed When Cycle Ends

The End Would Come Around 2016 If VW Decided To Limit Porsche to Sports Cars

No sooner do we write up a piece on the hybrid and diesel Porshe Cayenne models than our colleagues at AutoObserver post a piece speculating that the Cayenne is likely to bite the dust as Volkswagen completes its takeover of Porsche and begins implementing its own product planning ideas.

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Aufedersein?

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Bill Visnic's musings make sense, and if the Cayenne - in all versions, green and black - does fade away at the end of the present model cycle in 2016 or so, we won't shed tears.

It's a nice SUV, with tons of power and loads of style and accoutrements, but it's not exactly a vehiclel that the world needs. Porsche sells a lot of them, but we can see that with VW holding the purse strings, a Cayenne would offer unnecessary competition to the VW version - the Touareg - and the to Audi Q& from that rmember of the VW stable.

Still, we stand by our positions that:

the Cayenne hybrid, which goes on sale here next spring, is a very nicely done hybrid with impressive fuel economy for such a large vehicle; and
the Cayenne diesel, on sale in Europe and under study for the North American, ought to be sold here - it would be a lower-priced alternative that's almost as fuel-efficient and as fun to drive.

And wouldn't it be interesting if this early word of the potential demise of the Cayenne caused sales to rise, thus prompting VW to rethink the money-making potential of the line and evenutally deciding to keep on trucking with Porsche?

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell August 31, 2009, 1:31 PM
Categories:: Audi, Diesel, Hybrid, Porsche, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Cayenne Diesel

BMW to Unveil Diesel-Electric Hybrid Sport Car Concept at Frankfurt Motor Show

BMW, which is repositioning itself as a green-car company after years of branding itself as a maker of high-performance cars, announced today that it will unveil its ''Vision EfficientDynamics'' diesel-electric hybrid sport car concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

The 3-series-size concept is a showcase for BMW's lightweight body construction, hybrid-drive technology, and new packaging and aerodynamic ideas. It features gullwing doors and is powered by a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged engine that's slated for production in 2011.

That engine works with two electric motors, mounted front and rear. The rear motor is said to generate 34 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque, although BMW says it can achieve 51 hp for short bursts.

The motor acting on the front wheels delivers a claimed 80 hp and 162 pound-feet of torque, but can supply up to 139 hp momentarily. Altogether, BMW's new diesel-electric hybrid system is rated at 356 hp and 590 pound-feet of torque.

The high-profile debut of the vehicle is significant in that it is clearly represents BMW's shift toward low-emission vehicles and technology as part of its wider EfficientDynamics strategy.

As you'll recall, BMW pulled out of Formula One as part of this repositioning of the brand. The company has done a splendid job of selling itself as the maker of the "ultimate driving machine" as defined by high performance.

That said, its marketing department believes that BMW will not be regarded as a premium brand in the future if it does not become overtly environmentally friendly. Hence the release of photos, including the one shown here, showing the car in a verdant setting.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 31, 2009, 10:45 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, BMW, Diesel, Emissions, Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: BMW

August 28, 2009

Porsche's Green Peppers: Diesel and Hybrid Cayenne Models Spice Things Up

Porsche promises V8 performance and 4-cylinder fuel economy with 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Hmm. A Porsche Cayenne hybrid, or the diesel?

Spend $70,000 or so for a superpowerful, hybrid gas-sipper (27 mpg versus 18 mpg for the V6-equipped standard Cayenne), or around $52,000 for a powerful diesel that delivers about 24 mpg? (The price tags are our best guesses. Porsche hasn't said anything official.)

Diesel? Or Hybrid?

Oops, the diesel isn't a choice, yet. You can only get it in Europe, South Africa and Australia right now - although Porsche is trying to find out if enough U.S. buyers would want one to make a business case for jacking up the emissions treatment system to meet U.S. standards and sending a few over.

The hybrid, however, goes on sale here in the spring, just in time to satisfy the green fancies of those who (a) have the bucks and (b) want to one-up the other Cayenne owners at the country club.

We got a chance this afternoon to take both new SUVs - a preproduction prototype Cayenne S hybrid and a European-spec Cayenne diesel - for a short spin in the hills of Beverly and were mightily impressed by both.

Diesel? Hybrid?

It wasn't that long ago that most everyone in the automotive media was raising eyebrows and questions about Porsche's decision to build an SUV.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); John O'Dell August 28, 2009, 7:43 PM
Categories:: Diesel, Hybrid, Porsche
Technorati Tags:: Cayenne Diesel

South Korea Becoming Hotbed of Lithium Battery Production for Hybrids, EVs

South Korea is rapidly becoming lithium-ion central.

In support of the national government's encouragement of alternative green-vehicle production there, South Korean component giant Hyundai Mobis and battery maker LG Chem are discussing a joint venture to build batteries for hybrids and electric vehicles and, according to a report in AsiaPulse, could announce a deal early next month.

Additionally, Samsung SDI and German parts and components giant Robert Bosch have inked an agreement to build a joint-venture lithium-ion battery plant in Ulsan, South Korea's industrial center.

The country's Ministry of Knowledge Economy said the joint venture, called SB LiMotive, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ulsan city government earlier this week and that construction of the battery plant should begin in September with the plant slated to begin operation in 2011.

The race among South Korea, China, Japan and late-starting U.S.A. to become leading suppliers of advanced batteries should help lower battery costs as volume increases.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell August 28, 2009, 8:49 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicles

August 27, 2009

Detroit's Azure Dynamics Delivers Hybrid 2-Ton Step Van to Postal Service

Detroit-based Azure Dynamics says it has delivered a hybrid-electric step van to the U.S. Postal Service, opening the door to potential additional sales.

The two-ton van, to be used in Long Island, N.Y. in a 12-month test, is based on the Ford F450 commercial truck chassis.

It mates a Ford 5.4-liter V8 engine with an electric drive system that pulls its power from a 60 kilowatt nickel-metal hydride battery.

The company's proprietary "Balance" hybrid system allows for all-electric dive for short distances at low speeds, shuts down the gas engine at idle, provides electric assist for acceleration and uses regenerative braking to recharge the batteries.

Azure has been selling the vans with the new hybrid system since last summer.

There's a pretty good business case for hybrid delivery trucks, which see a lot of low-speed, stop-and-go driving that enables regenerative braking systems to keep batteries charged, maximizing the amount of time a hybrid truck can operate in all-electric mode.

Curt Huston, Azure Dynamics' chief operating officer, said in a statement released this morning that the company's system for commercial delivery vans can "improve fuel economy by up to 40 percent, save 30 percent on maintenance costs and reduce greenhouse emissions by 30 percent."

Azure also makes hybrid buses and earlier this week announced the sale of five 14-passenger "Balance" hybrid buses to the Volusia County, fla., transit agency.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell August 27, 2009, 11:12 AM
Categories:: Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: Azure Dynamics

August 26, 2009

Land Rover Reportedly to Launch Range Rover LRX With Hybrid Drivetrain for 2011

The final production version of the Range Rover LRX could be unveiled June 17, and will likely be offered with a hybrid drivetrain, the British magazine Autocar reported today, citing unnamed Land Rover sources.

"The premium compact SUV will finally be given the go-ahead for production by the end of the year, insiders have told Autocar. Production would probably begin in early 2011," the magazine reported.

The June date is being considered because it will mark exactly 40 years since the original Range Rover was first revealed to the public.

The LRX would be positioned as the new, more environmentally friendly face of Range Rover as part of the brand's 40th anniversary.

It is expected that the styling of the final version of the LRX will differ from the concept, the magazine reported. The car will also have the option of a hybrid drivetrain, which could be standard on more expensive versions.

The LRX is based on the same basic transverse engine platform as the Freelander and will be built at that model's home, the Halewood factory on Merseyside.

The hybrid version of the LRX will probably use an electrically driven rear axle, which will work in combination with the engine-driven front wheels, Autocar reported.

The LRX will arrive at a time when most industry analysts expect new car buyers in western Europe to embrace the concept of downsizing, with upmarket vehicles in the Golf class (B segment) becoming particularly popular.

As part of this, sales of the largest SUVs are expected to be hit hard in the EU, although they will remain popular in the Middle East and other developing markets.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 26, 2009, 4:56 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Land Rover
Technorati Tags:: Hybrid

Air Line Pilots Association Seeks Ban on Lithium-ion Battery Shipments on Jetliners

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

An airline pilots union is calling for a government ban on shipments of lithium batteries aboard passenger and all-cargo planes after a series of fires in recent years involving aircraft.

This development might have an adverse affect on electric vehicles and most hybrid vehicles because lithium batteries are widely regarded as the best type to propel the vehicles.

At the very least, reports of a link between lithium batteries and fires aboard aircraft won't help public perception that such batteries are safe.

In statement released Tuesday, the Air Line Pilots Association said that federal regulators have been slow to act on the issue and that "the evidence of a clear and present danger is mounting."

The ban would not apply to devices containing batteries brought aboard by passengers, but as you can read in the adjacent boxed text, there has been at least one instance of a passenger reporting that his laptop computer was emitting smoke.

Since March of last year, six fires have been reported on board passenger and cargo jets linked to lithium-based batteries, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. None of the incidents resulted in deaths or serious injuries.

In a recent letter sent to Cynthia Douglass, acting deputy administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Captain John Prater, head of the pilots' union, pointed to three recent incidents as proof positive of the urgent need to prohibit lithium-battery shipments.

During just the past two months, fire, smoke, or evidence of fire associated with battery shipments has occurred aboard three separate U.S. airliners, he wrote in the letter.

The incidents, which took place in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and Honolulu, Hawaii, were similar to a 2006 battery fire aboard a DC-8 in Philadelphia, he wrote.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett August 26, 2009, 11:53 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Air Line Pilots Association

China to Begin Hoarding Precious Metals Used in Hybrids and All-Electric Vehicles

Beijing is drawing up plans to prohibit or restrict exports of rare earth metals that are produced only in China and play a vital role in cutting edge technology, from hybrid cars and catalytic converters, to superconductors, and precision-guided weapons, according to a reputable British newspaper.

A draft report by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has called for a total ban on foreign shipments of terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, thulium, and lutetium. Other metals such as neodymium, europium, cerium and lanthanum will be restricted to a combined export quota of 35,000 tons a year, far below global needs, The Telegraph reported.

China mines over 95 percent of the world's rare earth minerals, mostly in Inner Mongolia. The move to hoard reserves is the clearest sign to date that the global struggle for diminishing resources is shifting into a new phase. Countries may find it hard to obtain key materials at any price.

Alistair Stephens, from Australia's rare metals group Arafura, told The Telegraph his contacts in China had been shown a copy of the draft -- "Rare Earths Industry Devlopment Plan 2009-2015." Any decision will be made by China's State Council.

"This isn't about the China holding the world to ransom. They are saying we need these resources to develop our own economy and achieve energy efficiency, so go find your own supplies," he said.

Stephens said China had put global competitors out of business in the early 1990s by flooding the market, leading to the closure of the biggest U.S. rare earth mine at Mountain Pass in California -- now being revived by Molycorp Minerals.

New technologies have since increased the value and strategic importance of these metals, but it will take years for fresh supply to come on stream from deposits in Australia, North America, and South Africa. The rare earth family are hard to find, and harder to extract.

Stephens told The Telegraph that Arafura's project in Western Australia produces terbium, which sells for $800,000 a ton. It is a key ingredient in low-energy lightbulbs. China needs all the terbium it produces as the country switches wholesale from tungsten bulbs to the latest low-wattage bulbs that cut power costs by 40 percent.

No replacement has been found for neodymium that enhances the power of magnets at high heat and is crucial for hard-disk drives, wind turbines, and the electric motors of hybrid cars. Each Toyota Prius uses 25 pounds of rare earth elements. Cerium and lanthanum are used in catalytic converters for diesel engines. Europium is used in lasers.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 26, 2009, 10:09 AM
Categories:: Batteries, China, China, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Arafura

August 25, 2009

Smart Offers ForTwo With Lots of Classy Touches - and 'Micro Hybrid Drive'

Perhaps building upon the popularity of the top-end BRABUS versions of the ForTwo, Smart announced today that is welcoming autumn with a decidedly upscale ForTwo characterised by high quality equipment, fine materials and a rich appearance.

The new Smart ForTwo Edition Highstyle features exclusive paintwork in trendy chocolate brown metallic and elegant 12-spoke, 15-inch alloy wheels. The exclusive interior of the special model boasts an especially tasteful mix of fabric and leather.

Or perhaps Smart just wants to communicate that the smallest and shortest car available for the mass market in North America doesn't have to look like a toy - or at least like a cheap toy. We can see it appealing to older people whose tastes are more refined than those of the teens and twentysomethings buying ForTwos.

The Edition Highstyle is available with 71- or 84-horsepower gasoline engines. The former is fitted with an automatic start/stop system as standard equipment - what Smart calls "micro hybrid drive" - which we all know shuts down the engine when the driver applies the brakes and the vehicle is moving slowly.

Smart reports that exclusive, gleaming metallic leather on the seats and in the doors contrasts with the light and dark fabric ensemble reserved for this special edition.

Decorative brown seams are a subtle reference to the exterior. The kneepad and instrument panel have a leather look. The 3-spoke sports steering wheel with gearshift is covered with leather, as is the gear knob. Trim parts that shimmer in matt silver round off the high quality yet dynamic impression of the interior.

This ForTwo starts at $23,000 for the 71-hp version and $800 more for the peppier version.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 25, 2009, 2:09 PM
Categories:: Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Smart
Technorati Tags:: Daimler

Opel to Debut New Astra at Frankfurt, Offer It With Choice of 8 Fuel-Effcient Engines

Opel announced today that it will debut at next month's Frankfurt auto show the completely updated Astra small family car that will launch later this year.

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Right, the Astra in red and Ampera.
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The model, which the European subsidiary of General Motors has produced since 1991, will be offered with a choice of eight engines, ranging from 95 horsepower to 180 horsepower, that are 12 percent lower in fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions that the current line-up of Astra engines.

The new Astra has grown slightly to provide a roomier interior and, at the same time, it has benefited from engineering enhancements that allow it to improve fuel efficiency and performance.

Also sharing the stage in Frankfurt with the new Astra will be the Ampera, the European version of its Chevrolet Volt, which Opel unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March of this year.

The two extended-range, plug-in hybrids are the same under the skin. The Ampera will be sold in most of Europe starting in 2011 while Vauxhall, GM's British unit, will build and market a right-hand-drive version for the U.K. starting in 2012 (providing GM and its European marques are still a team then).

The Volt is slated to launch at the end of 2010.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 25, 2009, 9:32 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Opel, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Auto show

August 21, 2009

Toyota Medium-Sized Hybrid Sedan Reportedly Coming to Japan Later This Year

Toyota Motor Corp plans to release within this year a new medium-sized hybrid sedan, the SAI, that is bigger than the current best-selling Prius as it seeks to expand its lineup of electric-gas hybrids, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.

The SAI will be positioned as a Toyota brand-version of the luxury Lexus HS250h hybrid sedan released in mid-July. It will have the same basic structure but different exterior and interior designs, the sources said, according to a report in tomorrow's Japan Today.

The SAI's starting price is expected to fall between the HS250h's $41,751 and the new Prius' $21,668, the sources said.

Toyota also plans to release a cheaper compact hybrid based on its Vitz model with better fuel efficiency than the new Prius and a minivan-type hybrid as early as in 2011.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 21, 2009, 2:32 PM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Hybrid

August 20, 2009

ABC Newscast Captures a Day in the Life of a Top Automotive Spy Photographer

Automakers the world over routinely send their camouflaged prototypes to California's Death Valley to see how the vehicles perform in temperatures that often exceed 120 degrees in the shade.

These vehicles - among them a slew of hybrid, alternative-fuel and plug-in electric vehicles - are typically two to three years from reaching showrooms, hence the practice of automakers to conceal the prototypes' appearance from competing automakers.

It's also in this unforgiving environment, particularly during the hottest summer days, that Brenda Priddy can be found standing or crouching at roadside, snapping pictures of the pre-production models.

The unassuming mom is one of the greatest automotive spy photographers of our time - a member of a legion of specialists whose pics frequently appear here and other Edmunds.com sites and blogs, and in magazines worldwide.

A recent newscast by ABC's "Nightline" did a good job of documenting Priddy hard at work. We encourage you to watch the videotaped report.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 20, 2009, 4:54 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Alternative Fuel