Hybrid News

Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota, LA Auto Show, Natural Gas

Toyota isn′t holding a press conference at the LA Auto Show this year but that doesn’t mean they don’t have anything to show. The Prius purveyors have built a CNG-fueled Camry hybrid. According to Toyota spokesperson Jana Hartline, the purpose of the CNG hybrid is to demonstrate the versatility of Hybrid Synergy Drive. The car gets fifty percent better fuel efficiency than the last production CNG vehicle offered by Toyota, which was based on the 2000 Camry. Hartline explained Toyota has no immediate plans to produce either CNG or CNG hybrid vehicles. However, the company is looking at all alternatives for the future.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading LA 2008: Toyota Camry CNG Hybrid

LA 2008: Toyota Camry CNG Hybrid originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota, LA Auto Show, Natural Gas

All that’s missing is an airbrushed portrait of T. Boone Pickens on the hood. Of what, you ask? Of the Toyota Camry CNG Hybrid concept, which explores the idea of combining Hybrid Synergy Drive with natural gas power. It debuts this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and is easily identifiable thanks to its grille-free schnoz. With a pair of tanks stowed in the trunk’s spare tire well (the car rolls on run-flats), the CNG-fueled Camry Hybrid reportedly has a range of “more than 250 miles” according to the Open Road Blog. Upsides? Compressed natural gas burns cleaner, emitting fewer particulate emissions than gasoline, and even with the lower pump prices we′re currently experiencing, CNG is still a little cheaper per gallon.

The tradeoffs? CNG must be stored in cylindrical containers, so Toyota (or any other automaker, for that matter) loses the flexibility of being able to shape the fuel tank to best suit a car’s packaging. CNG’s also less dense than gas, which means less overall power than a comparable, conventionally-powered car. And then there’s that infrastructure bugaboo that seems to always pops up when discussing otherwise nifty-sounding green fuel ideas (think ethanol and hydrogen): a dearth of filling stations for the fuel in question. Toyota says there are only around 1,000 CNG pumps in the country, and most of them aren’t publicly accessible anyway. Hence, they have no plans to produce a car like this anytime resembling “soon” — it’s basically just eye candy for green-conscious showgoers.

[Sources: Toyota, WCF]

LA 2008: Toyota Camry CNG Hybrid Concept gets early reveal originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Alex Nunez

Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota, Detroit Auto Show

While we recognize there is a significant pent-up demand for information about Toyota’s next Prius, due to debut in January at the Detroit Auto Show and go on sale as a 2010 model, we’d prefer Toyota just keep pics like this to itself. Until the Prius team is ready to show something really interesting, this tactic is nothing short of boring, much like the last teaser. Looking at the shot, our best guess is that this is a toggle button for the sunroof, or possibly the rear hatch. Perhaps there is something special about what this button will do, but unless Toyota’s willing to let us in on it, we’re going to chalk this one up as a complete non-event. It’s like showing us what the back of the headrest will look like. Moving on…

[Source: GreenHybrid]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Diesel, Volkswagen, Green Daily, USA

If you are a fan of the diesel engine - and Volkswagen’s TDI engine series in particular - VW would love it if you’d go ahead and spread your love of the oil-burner with your family and friends. Of course, having the only 50-state legal diesel on the market, at least for a little while, the automaker stands to benefit from whatever pent-up demand there may be for efficient and clean diesels. Offering its Jetta in either sedan or wagon wagen forms, the German automaker hopes it has something to please everyone.

With consumer perception of diesel engines in America still mired in the ’70s and 80s era of mediocrity, VW will need all the advocates it can get to help educate the masses on the benefits of the compression ignition engine. Based on our first impressions, at least the automaker is starting off with a good product. Based on the success of this model, VW will make decisions on what other models to bring across the pond.

[Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req’d]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, India, Tata

Tata Motors announced last week, curiously, they would be building an electric car by the end of the fiscal year in Norway. One of the first questions that sprang to mind was answered today by news that the vehicle in question will be based on the “tried and tested″ Indica (pictured above) and not the Nano which we suspect will also be eventually electrified. The program appears to be well underway since unnamed industry sources are claiming that Tata is, “… currently working on five prototypes of electric vehicles on the Indica platform.” It isn’t clear if they have 5 different configurations of the car or merely 5 “validation prototypes” under construction. They are also said to be depending on lithium ion batteries to give the city car a 200 Km (125 mile) range.

The other question that the annoucement begs is, “Why Norway?”. Well, why not Norway? Already home to two electric car makers, Th!nk and Kewet, the Scandinavian country has most of its citizens and therefore, transportation needs, within a few cities. The climate provides an excellent testing environment as well. The location of electric plugs close to parking spots may even be a factor. What’s important for non-Norwegians is that Ratan Tata has said that once the car has been deployed in Norway, “…then it will be available to employ in other markets”. Who knows, maybe even America.

[Source: Hindustan Times]

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Original post by AutoblogGreen Staff

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors

In his latest post on the Tesla blog, Martin Eberhard poses the question how big a charging circuit can you install in your house? To help readers determine the answer to this question, Martin sat down with a copy of the National Electrical Code to try and determine what the rules say. If you’ve ever tried to read a standard like the NEC, you’ll quickly find your brain tied in knots trying to figure it out.

Fortunately Martin has distilled the most relevant parts out and created a spreadsheet that can be downloaded from the Tesla site. There is no simple answer to the question of how much EV charging capacity your house can support. It depends on a multitude of variables such as what appliances and other loads you use and in what combinations as well as the wiring setup of your house. Martin would like readers to download his spreadsheet, fill it out and post the results in the comments of his post. The results will help Tesla determine what kind of charging rate potential customers can support when designing new products. If you have an older house with corresponding wiring, you may well find that you need to upgrade your home wiring before you get an EV.

[Source: Tesla]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, Land Rover, Geneva Motor Show

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the black &amp silver Land Rover LRX

The Land Rover LRX, a revelation in white, was one of the stars of this year’s Detroit Auto Show. The rakish SUV coupe complemented its looks and off-road capabilities with a green powertrain. For Geneva, the LRX remains equipped with a 2.0L diesel hybrid drivetrain theoretically capable of delivering 60 mpg in the EU combined cycle while emitting just 120 g/km of CO₂. Land Rover has also prepared a second LRX — the black-and-silver one above — to join the white one onstage. The nattily-dressed concept is there to show what a more personalized LRX would look like and to help Land Rover gauge interest in a possible production model. Two versions of the same hybrid SUV concept? We’ll say this: if nothing else, Land Rover sure seems plenty interested. Good thing. So are we.

[Source: Land Rover]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Original post by Alex Nunez

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, BMW, Legislation and Policy, European Union

Sustainable and renewable materials - such as cornstarch - are going to be sources for Goodyear’s new greener tires. Goodyear announced that it’s developing a new line of low rolling resistance tires which will not only save some fuel, but are more “respectful for the environment,” since they require less CO₂ to be produced than standard Goodyear tires. Cornstarch is going to be added as “biologic″ filling as a substitute for silicon and soot, both of which are usually obtained from oil. Goodyear has teamed up with Novamont, an Italian R+D company, BMW and obtained funds from the European Life Program to develop the tires.

[Source: Motorspain]

 

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Original post by Xavier Navarro

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, GM, Green Daily

Over at the Petrozero.org web-site, reader Scott has put his Photoshop skills to work creating a rendering of what the production Chevy Volt might look like. Working from one of the original images of the concept, the shots of the taped up wind tunnel model and what we′ve been previously told, Scott went to work. You can see the final product as the lower image above which is clearly recognizable as a Volt. Notice that the front axle center line has moved backward relative to the nose of the car and the front door cut line. The nose is now more rounded and less blunt than the concept. This is necessary to clean up the airflow around the front of the car and meet European pedestrian protection standards. The roof line, as expected, is higher and the base of the windshield is further forward with more rake, again for improved aerodynamics. The one area where the final car will likely diverge the most from this rendering is the curved side glass at the top of the doors. This will almost certainly (although I could be wrong) go away. The extra complexity of manufacturing the doors this way and the distorted visibility would likely kill that design element. Instead, judging from the wind tunnel model, the bottom edge of the side glass will probably be slightly lower than shown hear and the doors themselves will probably be solid.

[Source: PetroZero.org, thanks to Scott for the tip]

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Etc., USA

Altairnano has had the spot light thrown on it recently as a result of an agreement between Electrovaya and Altairnano partner, Phoenix Motorcars. It is in this environment of speculation that they released their 2008 1st quarter earnings report. In a continuance of recent performance, they reported a slightly reduced revenue of $1.07 million and moderately increased expenditures. Net loss for the quarter was $8.29 million. So that’s not so good, right?

While it definitely wasn’t an outstanding financial performance, interim president Terry Copeland sounded relatively upbeat during the conference call with investors that broke the numbers to them. Now stored on their website, the call began with talk of one of Altairnano’s brighter prospects, their deal with AES and the near completion of, so far, very successful testing. He stated the 2 megawatt battery system could move power around at a 4C rate or about 250kwh in 15 minutes. That certainly sounds impressive. In fact, throughout the talk, which also touched on the Phoenix Motorcars relationship, Copeland stressed the superior ability of their battery’s power density as well as their extreme temperature tolerance. In an attempt to calm fears on the financial front he discussed their near-term goal of reducing the cash burn rate.

So what of the future? Perhaps not too bad if the AES relationship begins to bear some significant sales fruit. Their Navy contract also holds good earning potential. Mentioned briefly during questioning from investors was news of possible HEV applications, including a bus. You can listen to the conference call by clicking here and read the complete Q1 report for yourself after the jump.

[Source: Altairnano]

ALTAIR NANOTECHNOLOGIES REPORTS FIRST QUARTER 2008 FINANCIAL RESULTS

RENO, Nev. — May 7, 2008 — Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. (Nasdaq: ALTI) today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2008, the company reported revenues of $1.07 million, down from $1.14 million in the same quarter of 2007. The net loss was $8.29 million, or ten cents per share, compared to a net loss of $5.18 million, or seven cents per share, for the first quarter of 2007. The basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding for the quarter were 84,219,978 compared to 69,264,018 reported in first quarter of 2007.

The company’s cash and cash equivalents decreased by $14.6 million, from $50.1 million at December 31, 2007 to $35.6 million at March 31, 2008. This is due primarily to net cash used in operations of approximately $13.5 million, purchases of property and equipment of approximately $904,000 and payment of notes payable of $600,000. This decrease was partially offset by the receipt of proceeds resulting from the exercise of stock options and warrants of approximately $424,000.

During the three months ended March 31, 2008, our cash used in operations was $13.5 million. This amount included $5.4 million of significant one-time or annual payments as follows: $2.4 million of commission and expenses were paid to the placement agent in connection with our sale of common shares for an aggregate purchase price of $40 million to Al Yousuf, LLC in November 2007, $1.8 million was paid in connection with the 2007 bonus plan, and $1.3 million of raw materials orders placed in 2007 in anticipation of receipt of the next sales order from Phoenix were paid in the first quarter of 2008.

“Our joint development agreement with the AES Corporation continues to progress,” said Terry Copeland, Ph.D., Altairnano’s interim president. “A pair of one-megawatt stationary battery packs developed for and sold to AES in 2007 are connected to the electric grid with testing nearly complete. Results thus far are just as we anticipated, and we look forward to issuing a complete third-party validation report after all tests are finished.”

Dr. Copeland continued, “We continue to work with Phoenix Motorcars to introduce their first vehicles as early as this summer. They have reiterated their desire to put in place a new development and supply agreement with us.”
First Quarter 2008 Conference Call
Altairnano will hold a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2008 results on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Shareholders and members of the investment community are invited to participate in the conference call. The dial-in number for both U.S. and international callers is 719-785-9446. Please dial in to the conference five minutes before the call is scheduled to begin. Ask the operator for the Altair Nanotechnologies call.

An audio replay of the conference call will be available from 2:00 p.m. through 11:59 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, May 16, 2007, and can be accessed by dialing (719) 457-0820 and entering conference number 5546966. Additionally, the conference call is available online, and can be accessed by visiting Altairnano’s web site, www.altairnano.com.

ABOUT ALTAIR NANOTECHNOLOGIES INC.
Altairnano is an innovator and supplier of advanced novel, ceramic nanomaterials. Altairnano’s leading edge scientists are complemented by a seasoned management team with substantial experience in commercializing innovative, disruptive technologies. The company has developed nanomaterials for the alternative energy, life sciences and performance materials markets based on its proprietary manufacturing process. This process also provides the foundation for its innovative AHP pigment process. For more information visit: www.altairnano.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements as well as historical information. Forward-looking statements, which are included in accordance with the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, may involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Altairnano’s actual results and performance in future periods to be materially different from any future results or performance suggested by the forward-looking statements in this release. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the risks that development of any the early-stage products referred to in this release will not be completed because for technical, business or other reasons; that any products under development or in the early commercial stages will not perform as expected in future testing or commercial applications; that one or more of the joint development partners or customers may proceed slowly with, or abandon, development or commercialization efforts for any of various reasons, including concerns with the feasibility of the product or the financial viability of continuing with our products or their product; that sales of commercialized Altairnano products may not reach expected levels for one or more reasons, including the failure of end products to perform as expected or the introduction of a superior product; and that costs associated with the proposed products may exceed revenues. In general, Altairnano is, and expects to be in the immediate future, dependent upon funds generated from sales of securities, grants, testing agreements, and licensing agreements to fund its testing, development and ongoing operations. In addition, other risks are identified in the company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. The company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements found herein to reflect any changes in company expectations or results or any change in events.

[Source: Altairnano]

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Filed under: Green Culture, Green Daily, USA

Daryl Hannah prefers guys with green cars

We’ve been covering Challenge X since we first started our blogging careers, but we somehow missed the results of an extremely interesting survey which was conducted by the group of college students. The survey focused on green automobiles and society’s view of their drivers. It turns out that in this day and age, you have a better shot at attracting attention from the opposite sex if you drive an eco-friendly car as opposed to a sports car. In fact, almost nine out of ten women would prefer to get to know a guy with a green car. Your social life would improve too, as eighty percent of respondents would rather talk to someone with a fuel efficient car that someone with the latest model sports car.

Other interesting tidbits gleaned from the survey include the notion that $4 for a gallon for gas could be a tipping point to get consumers to actively pursue a green car purchase. There’s plenty more interesting information contained in the press release pasted after the break.

Related:

• It’s the first date. Do you want him to show up in a Prius or a Hummer?

Press Release:

Survey on Fuel Efficiency: It’s What’s Inside That Counts

Detroit, Mich. - With rising gas prices, today’s car buyers admit fuel efficiency and diversity is not just a necessity, it’s also fashion forward. If Americans had to choose between driving a car that was beautiful on the outside vs. one that was “greener” on the inside, nearly eight in 10 Americans (79 percent) who plan to buy or lease a car within the next two years would choose the greener car. These and more compelling statistics are a result of a national survey recently conducted by Challenge X - a national collegiate engineering competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM).

The survey also revealed more than one in three Americans (36 percent) who are on the fence about buying a hybrid vehicle say the tipping point to seriously consider the purchase would be if gas prices rose to $4 a gallon. Nearly three in four car buyers

(73 percent) say the rising cost of traditional fuel would influence their decision to buy a hybrid vehicle as their next purchase.

Here’s additional Challenge X survey insight on how fuel efficiency is changing Americans’ car consciousness :

* Fuel- efficient — The new chick magnet? Close to nine in 10 women (88 percent) say they’d rather chat up someone with the latest fuel-efficient car versus the latest sports car.
* How to win friends and influence people. Eighty percent of American car buyers would find someone with the latest model fuel-efficient car more interesting to talk to at a party than someone with the latest model sports car.
* Not green?That’s a fashion don′t. More than four out of 10 (45 percent) 18-43 year-olds say it’s a fashion faux-pas nowadays to have a car that is not green or environmentally friendly.
* Project roadway. More than seven in 10 (73 percent) car buyers say if there were a reality TV show like “Project Runway” that was not about fashion design, but instead about designing the best-looking fuel-efficient and emissions-free car, they’d definitely watch.

Aside from the fact that it’s hip to be green, 86 percent of American car buyers say that when it comes to innovation in fuel efficient cars, our country has some catching up to do. An overwhelming 97 percent also agree that a nation’s commitment to innovate should include encouraging the spirit of innovation in young people because they bring a fresh perspective.

About Challenge X

Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility highlights innovative ways young people are working to improve our world by developing alternative energy solutions through a real-world engineering competition.

Student teams from 17 universities throughout North America are tasked with re-engineering a Chevrolet Equinox with alternative propulsion systems to reduce petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions, while retaining the vehicle’s performance and consumer appeal. The vehicles range from hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid or fuel cells and run on ethanol, biodiesel, hydrogen or electricity.

“The Challenge X competition is a great way for General Motors to be directly involved with student engineers, working on sustainable mobility, as they gain real-world experience on arguably the hottest topic facing the auto industry today,” said Micky Bly, GM director of Hybrid Vehicle Integration and Controls.

“This competition focuses on advanced technology that promotes energy security and economic growth,” said Ed Wall, manager of the Vehicle Technologies Program, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. “Challenge X demonstrates how government, industry and academia are working together to develop creative approaches and solutions to decrease energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in America’s vehicles.”

The competition began in 2004 and concludes in mid-May 2008 with a road rally from New York City to Washington, D.C. Additional information about the Challenge X program is available at http://www. challengex.org and photography is available at http://www.digitalrailroad.net/challengex

Methodological Notes:
The Challenge X Survey was conducted from February 20-28, 2008 by Kelton Research. In total, 500 interviews were fielded online. During fieldwork, quotes were set to ensure a reliable and accurate read that was representative of U.S. consumers, ages 18 or older, who plan to purchase or lease a car in the next two years.

The results of any opinion survey are subject to variation - in the form of a margin of error. The overall margin of error for this study is +/-4.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

[Source: General Motors]

 

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski