Original post by 06hch2
But for one thing I kept my eyes on the battery and I went down to 1 Bar I was in about 40 min bumper to bumper traffic. I was heading to go see Stevie Wonder. I noticed on stop and go that the battery got all the way down to 1 bar which had me worried.
I am also wondering about the brake system. It seems like when I am going fast and have to come to a stop the Charge meter goes way up and then it feels like my car is kicking to switch from Gas to Electric. Is this normal.
When I drive 65+ on the freeway it rides smooth but stopping and going is like a bucking bronco sometimes. I don’t understand it.
I bought this 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid with 64,000 Miles on it and I got the extended warranty for the battery up to 100,000 miles or 2011 and a Full Car package deal for extended warranty so if somethings goes wrong I can take it in.
This is my second car and I am loving the smooth ride on the freeway, but in stop and go driving it takes a little getting used to. I just wanted to post this to get some advice. I am 23 living in San Francisco Bay Area, California. I just want to ask for advice if there is something wrong or is it normal. Sometimes I can stop really smoothly and then there are other times of the kind of kicking going on. I am just worried I don’t have much control over the brakes.
And Also this is a random question, but would a Sony MEX-BT2600
CD Receiver with Bluetooth™ Connectivity be a good thing to buy for this car. I like my iPod hookup via the AUX in the old 1989 Honda Civic LX I had where I could listen to the iPod perfectly.
I am just trying to get some User Info on that product because I heard the BlueTooth works well but I want to know the Phone Book Capacity with it.
Sorry I know not a real Hybrid question, but if you know please drop me a line.
Thanks again
Original post by sandman423
Original post by vioarc
Original post by Benton
Filed under: MPG, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Green Daily
2008 Honda Element
We get a lot of interesting emails in the AutoblogGreen inbox. Some of them provide good tips or lead us to stories of people doing amazing things. Some just make us laugh. And some just ask us a question we’re just not able to help (no, I can’t tell you how to order ethanol in Africa. Sorry). A message we got today is a blend - part good idea for a post, part need more info. Here’s the note from reader Kelsey:
I have a 2006 Honda Element. I’m trying to find any information available about how bad my SUV is for the environment, according to how much I drive and how I use it, etc. I keep finding articles that deal with the “greenest” cars, even the ones that are the worst, but not a lot about specific cars like mine. Any suggestions on where to look? Thanks for the help!
It’s not hard to find sites that take SUVs to task - and with good reason. For most people, these giant rides are just overkill and a more reasonable vehicle should certainly be on their radar. Still, while we’re not interested in the anti-SUV sites right now; we should also shy away from the types of stories that say a Hummer is better than a Prius. That’s just not true.
In Kelsey’s case, the best place to start is the Element’s miles per gallon. This is one of the areas where we have the numbers available. According to the EPA, a 2006 Element with 2WD, an automatic 4 speed transmission and the 4 cyl, 2.4 L gets 19/24mpg city/highway (the manual gets 19/23 and and the 4WD versions are similar). As Kelsey writes, how much the vehicle is driven and the driving style plays a huge role in the Element’s impact on the environment. But for now, let’s stick to the averages. Kelsey, feel free to chime in with a comment to let us know how accurate these numbers are. Read more after the jump.
Continue reading Reader Question: How bad is my SUV?
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Original post by Sebastian Blanco
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The surge in popularity for small cars and fuel-efficient hybrids has left Toyota facing an unusual problem: deepening shortages of popular models such as the Prius hybrid. A limited inventory of small cars hurt Toyota, which reported a 11.5 percent drop in U.S. sales in June. In stark contrast, Japanese rival Honda Motor Co reported a 13.8 percent sales rise on record demand for its Fit subcompact car and Civic sedan. |
Original post by Jason
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The Prius is old news, even the Honda Civic Hybrid is well-known enough not to raise any eyebrows and let’s be honest — who can afford a Lexus? So you’ve probably been wondering when other car-makers would start making hybrids already. Well Volkswagen started making noises about its Golf TDI Hybrid in March, but it felt like a teaser. Now, the German car-maker has unveiled some more pictures of the model and is saying it will start testing in 2010. |
Original post by Jason
Filed under: Biodiesel, Etc., On Two Wheels, USA
The modern definition of a hybrid vehicle is any single machine with multiple sources of power. Usually, this means one internal combustion engine and one electric motor with batteries. This is again the case with the Biohazard Jet Bike, though its internal combustion engine happens to be a propane-fed turbine engine which spins at up to 112,000 revolutions per minute and produces forty-five pounds of thrust. The electric motor is powered by twenty-four volts of juice and is said to be good for eighteen miles per hour for up to twenty miles.
The bike also has pedals, though they are non-functional. From the looks of things, much of the cycle comes from the pedal-powered world, with a front fork and wheels cribbed from the bike world for sure. Still, this machine looks like lots of fun, and jet engines have been known to run on nearly any combustible fuel, including our personal favorite: biodiesel.
Related:
Gallery: Jet-Powered Electric Bike
[Source: eBay Motors]
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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, Green Daily
At the big unveiling of the Chevy Volt, GM said the vehicle would be able to hold 12 gallons of liquid fuel and be able to go 640 miles on that energy and what was stored in the batteries. Well, that announcement was 18 months ago and things have changed since then. The latest that we’ve heard about is that the liquid fuel tank will be something smaller than the original estimate.
Kicking Tires quotes “a source” that says that the exact size of the smaller tank is not yet set but that, “We’re working on that.” The new goal is to give the Volt a range of 360 miles without any help from the initial charge, so that would imply a tank of maybe eight or so gallons - still plenty for most drivers most days in a PHEV like this. While the aerodynamics of the Volt have proven to be much more important than weight when it comes to increasing the miles per gallon number, every bit counts. We’re waiting on a reply from GM to see if the smaller fuel tank move is official.
UPDATE: GM’s response was that they will share “the detailed technical information on the production vehicle at the appropriate time.”
[Source: Kicking Tires]
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Original post by Sebastian Blanco
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, Green Daily
At the big unveiling of the Chevy Volt, GM said the vehicle would be able to hold 12 gallons of liquid fuel and be able to go 640 miles on that energy and what was stored in the batteries. Well, that announcement was 18 months ago and things have changed since then. The latest that we’ve heard about is that the liquid fuel tank will be something smaller than the original estimate.
Kicking Tires quotes “a source” that says that the exact size of the smaller tank is not yet set but that, “We’re working on that.” The new goal is to give the Volt a range of 360 miles without any help from the initial charge, so that would imply a tank of maybe eight or so gallons - still plenty for most drivers most days in a PHEV like this. While the aerodynamics of the Volt have proven to be much more important than weight when it comes to increasing the miles per gallon number, every bit counts. We’re waiting on a reply from GM to see if the smaller fuel tank move is official.
[Source: Kicking Tires]
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Original post by Sebastian Blanco
I’m thinking its a result of the gas cap not being on tight enough… Before you poke fun, note I live in NJ where its illegal to pump your own gas 
Can anyone confirm and save me a trip to the dealership? If it could be the gas cap, any idea how long the light would stay on for, like how many vehicle starts/stops or something? Or is there a quicker way to reset? Auto parts store refused to clear the code… I’d like to reset then see if it comes back, of course assuming that code indicates a possible gas cap not tight enough issue.
Thanks!
Original post by electro22
Filed under: Manufacturing/Plants, BMW, MINI, Fiat, Lightweight
Although the first two generations of BMW’s revival of the Mini brand have been sales sensations and are nothing if not fun to drive, the Bavarian company’s true engineering merit has always been with rear-wheel drive vehicles. So, it isn’t at all surprising that the huge sporting automaker from Germany is looking to co-develop its next front-wheel drive Mini platform with Fiat. Though it could be argued that the Fiat 500 is a direct shot across the bow of the retro-style Mini Cooper, the money savings from platform sharing was apparently just too much to resist for the two automakers.
Fiat certainly has a long history of producing fine small cars, and its current Punto and Panda-based 500 have received rather good reviews from the European motoring press. What’s more, BMW has always used engines developed in cooperation with other manufacturers for the Mini. Still, it seems odd that the two marque’s would go at each other with vehicles built off the same underpinnings. We’ll just need to wait and see how well the two vehicles are differentiated from one another.
[Source: Reuters]
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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski
The roads here are pretty rough and I admit I take some country roads on occasion, but I am wondering if anyone else out there has experienced similar problems?
Original post by usajar
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, Vectrix
Travel options in Paris just got a happy new addition. A scooter taxi service (yes really!) that goes by the name of City Bird has just added a pair of Vectrix electric maxi-scooters to its fleet. Now, instead of riding to your favorite cafe or tourist attraction on the back of a Suzuki Burgman or Honda Goldwing, you can now travel carbon and noise pollution free on a stylishly painted (n’est-ce pas?) Vectrix.
If this whole two-wheel taxi thing seems a little strange to you and your French literacy is adequate (or you have Google translate) you can check out the company blog and learn everything there is to know about the concept. From what we understand, the prices are decent and you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in traffic jams like you might in a four-wheeled taxi. You can order up your ride via the Internet or telephone. If you happen to have an excellent knowledge of Paris and its environs and are a licensed and experienced driver looking for a unique employment opportunity you might want to get in contact with them for that too. Thanks to Mike W. for the tip!
[Source: City Bird via Bikes in the Fastlane]
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Original post by Domenick Yoney
Filed under: Etc., Manufacturing/Plants, Solar, GM
The General Motors factory in Zaragoza, Spain is set to get a roof tiled in solar panels as part of a larger initiative throughout GM’s European operations. 183,000 square meters of photovoltaic cells will be capable of providing up to a quarter of the factory’s peak demand. Zaragoza is GM’s biggest European factory, and the project will cost €50m, though its benefit will be significant reduction in energy bills for the automaker. GM has 19 other plants in Europe, and the Saint Petersburg factory is next on the list for the solar treatment. Other locations may follow, though some are likely better suited than others due to a variety of environmental and business factors.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub Req]
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Original post by Dan Roth
Filed under: Biodiesel, Ethanol, EV/Plug-in, Flex-Fuel, Hydrogen, Volkswagen
Click above on the Ego concept for more images of VW’s 2028 concepts
Apparently, Volkswagen thinks its time for another weird and wacky look into the future. This time, the German automaker is gazing just twenty years ahead. The results of its future look are three virtual concept cars. Yes, all three are capable of driving themselves, as you would likely imagine. As would be expected of any self-respecting gaze into the future, petroleum is not part of the picture. In its place are biofuels for those who simply must have liquid fuels and, of course, electricity. We feel pretty confident that these projections are possible, but that’s right about where any semblance to reality ends.
After taking a leisurely stroll through the über clean park, a father and his son are reminded that it is time to leave by a hologram. What car to have delivered? The VW One wouldn’t do, as it only seats a single occupant. The VW Room is overkill, as it is intended for an entire family. So, the son chooses to summon an Ego, a two-seater sportscar concept complete with user-defined green flames.
[Source: Volkswagen 2028]
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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski
The UK P&I Club is looking to raise around $100 million in hybrid capital in order to meet potential increases in solvency requirements when the EU Solvency Directive II comes into force in 2012. The Club says that the hybrid capital sought in this issue is both a cost-effective way of raising capital and of providing a safeguard against a future increase in solvency requirements.
Original post by george_douglas@nrel.gov (George Douglas)
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More details on Toyota’s solar-powered Prius |
Original post by haroldo
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County will showcase the latest in hybrid-vehicle technology during an open house at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 15, at Churchill Woods Forest Preserve in Glen Ellyn.
Original post by george_douglas@nrel.gov (George Douglas)
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, GM, On Two Wheels, Green Daily, USA
The first installment of Transformers pushed some serious gas guzzling on movie audiences by way of the upcoming Chevy Camaro (with V8 power, naturally) and a Hummer. Our esteemed Mr. Blanco was less than impressed by the movie’s lack of green credentials. After all, being nothing more than a movie, a perfect opportunity presented itself to introduce the movie-going world to clean transportation. It now sounds as if Mr. Bay and General Motors have seen the green-tinted light, as rumors now suggest that GM’s upcoming green poster-child will indeed make an appearance in the highly-anticipated Transformers sequel. We anxiously look forward to seeing the Chevy Volt in production form in the next Transformers movie, and it would be some serious icing on the cake if we witnessed it transform into some kind of awesome gas-guzzling-robot butt-kicker along the way.
Remember too that GM will be showcasing another gas-saving vehicle in the upcoming flick in the form of the Chevy Beat. For our two-wheeled fans in the reading audience, Mr. Bay will also be featuring a female robot in the form of a Pepto-pink Buell.
[Source: Reuters]
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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski
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