Hybrid News

Filed under: Etc., GM

Remember all the bravado that Bob Lutz unleashed when we got our first glimpse of the Volt back in early 2007? Lutz has been the car’s biggest champion since then, but he’s thinking that there could be some tough news coming soon for this kind of technology. While the Volt is not named in an interview with Lutz by the LA Times that was published last week (so don’t go starting any rumors), Lutz was pretty clear-eyed about what the recent dip in gas prices could mean: “We may hate high fuel prices, but they′ve been driving us in the right direction when it comes to fuel economy. If we suddenly went to $1 or $1.50 a gallon, that would be really bad.”

This is not a new topic, and we′re in agreement with Maximum Bob on this one. We′ve written as much plenty of times, and we often refer back to this interview with David Cole where he talks about the benefits of an oil price floor for a barrel of oil. He suggested $40 or $45, but that was back in June 2007; more recent estimates I’ve heard from others put a reasonable limit at $60 or so. Whatever happens with oil prices, we can be pretty sure that a lot of old habits will return if gas keeps dropping. What will you change?

[Source: LA Times]

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Legislation and Policy

As you may have noticed when filling your tank, the plan for a gas tax holiday put forward by presidential candidates from both party brands, never came to fruition. The idea had been suspend an 18¢ per gallon federal tax on fuel from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Of course the fact that this would have saved average drivers a whopping $28 had little if anything to do with the lack of movement on bills from both Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain. It turns out the real coup de grâce may have come from the road construction industry. The excise tax money which would have meant little to individual drivers, comes out to an aggregate $9 billion. That’s money that is supposed to go toward building and maintaining roads around the country. Without that money, road construction projects would have to be put off. Canceled or delay construction projects would mean laid off construction workers, a prospect that no politician hoping to get re-elected relishes in an election year.

Rather than a tax holiday, drivers are in fact likely to see an increase soon. While high fuel prices have the benefit of pushing people to drive less, and consume less fuel, that starves the highway trust fund as well. As a result the fund is likely to be in deficit this year to the tune of $3 billion. As a result a fuel tax increase may be needed.

Looking ahead, we may need to start taxing electric bills to get funds to build roads. Even though electric cars use no petroleum, they still put wear and tear on the roads and it’s only far that the drivers who use those roads should pick up the tab. Alternatively increased use of toll roads may be necessary, something proposed by Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.

[Source: Detroit News]

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

The closing price for a barrel of oil today was $100.01 and the intra-day high was $100.10. These prices are the highest a barrel of oil has ever traded or closed. No single news event brought the price of oil to these new highs but there are concerns OPEC will tighten supplies next month. We will have more as this story develops.

Related:

• BREAKING: Oil hits $100 a barrel
• Who′s responsible for $100 barrels of oil? One guy “seeking fame”

[Source: AOL Money and Finance]

 

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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 Lascelles Linton

Filed under: MPG, BMW, MINI, Geneva Motor Show

Click on the Mini above for more pictures of the 2008 John Cooper Works package

The Mini brand from BMW proves that cars need not be ridiculously expensive to be stylish and desirable, and they don’t need huge engines to be fun-to-drive. While we think that even the base-model Mini with its 1.6 liter naturally-aspirated engine strikes a great balance between power and fuel economy for a vehicle this size, those looking for some extra get-up-and-go can opt for the turbocharged Cooper S model. For those who are never satisfied, Mini will be revealing their new 2008 John Cooper Works package at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

The Works package bumps power from 172 to 218 while achieving the same fuel mileage number of 34 miles per gallon on the highway. If you need a bit more room, the JCW package will also be offered on the Clubman, which is nearly as fuel efficient. Anytime power goes up without a detrimental effect on economy, we’re all for it. See, fun can be frugal.

[Source: Inside Line, Motor Authority]

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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 Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: MPG, BMW, MINI, Geneva Motor Show

Click on the Mini above for more pictures of the 2008 John Cooper Works package

Update: The horsepowr figure was changed from 218 to 207.

The MINI brand from BMW proves that cars need not be ridiculously expensive to be stylish and desirable, and they don’t need huge engines to be fun-to-drive. While we think that even the base-model MINI with its 1.6 liter naturally-aspirated engine strikes a great balance between power and fuel economy for a vehicle this size, those looking for some extra get-up-and-go can opt for the turbocharged Cooper S model. For those who are never satisfied, Mini will be revealing their new 2008 John Cooper Works package at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

The Works package bumps power from 172 to 207 while achieving the same fuel mileage number of 34 miles per gallon on the highway. If you need a bit more room, the JCW package will also be offered on the Clubman, which is nearly as fuel efficient. Anytime power goes up without a detrimental effect on economy, we’re all for it. See? Fun can be frugal.

[Source: MINI via Autoblog]

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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 Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in

Many of you out there are pretty knowledgeable about the batteries used in today’s hybrids and electric cars. I am not. Sure, I′ve read thousands, nay, million of words about them. I can even recognize the scientific names of the more common chemistries such as LiFePO₄ which stands for lithium, iron and potatoes. Ok, so I don’t quite have the chemistry thing quite nailed down. Luckily for me, and people like me, there are articles being written that not only help us understand how these things work but also give a historical perspective and a heads up about what people are working on now.

One such essay has just appeared in The Economist, a somewhat opinionated but respected British weekly, under the title, “In search of the perfect battery.” In their quarterly report on technology, the Economist breaks down, in language even I can understand, how a modern lithium cell works (and why some explode). The history of li-ion is discussed as well as the state of the present quest for the holy battery grail. I recommend you give it a read so you, too, can know your anodes from your potatoes.

[Source: The Economist]

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in

Viaspace, a company known for adapting space and defense technologies for consumer use, has announced that it is entering the lithium polymer marketplace. Viaspace is going to distribute Yoku Energy Co.’s batteries in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe. Yuko produces batteries that work for all kind of electronic devices to bicycles and electric and hybrid vehicles. Yoku′s daily production capacity is 300,000 Li polymer cells.

Viaspace’s CEO said that although he sees the future in fuel cells, batteries represent the here and now of portable power. He also stated that “Hybrid and electric vehicles and electric bicycles represent a huge growth area in batteries. We hope to introduce Yoku batteries into these and other markets.” He also praised lithium polymer technology as safe and flexible.

[Source: Viaspace]

 

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Original post by Xavier Navarro

Filed under: Etc., Asia

The recent Tibetan independence demonstrations and the Chinese response have, in this Olympic year, turned the eyes of the world towards the “roof of the world.” There have been some who have called for the boycott of the Olympic games and Chinese products as a result of the harshness of the “crackdown”. Our own president has even gotten involved and has asked the Chinese Premier, Hu-Jintao, to hold talks between the the Dali Lama’s representatives and the Chinese government, though I suspect even the suggestion of such a rapproachment wasn’t warmly received.

What does any of this have to do with more-environmentally-sensitive transportation? Well, I came across this article recently that informed me that the source of much of the lithium in the batteries that power our laptops, cell phones and soon, our hybrid and electric cars, is mined at the Chabyer Salt Lake in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. This is the largest source of known lithium reserves in the world, according to the China-Tibet Information Center, and it has helped China become the largest producer and user of lithium ion batteries. Yes, we mine a lot of lithium here in the U.S. but that is used mostly for a host of other products.

In the process of mulling all this over during the past week I have read about the history of Tibet and its entanglements with other countries and contemplated the stances of the various “sides” involved. I haven’t reached anything approaching a firm conclusion but the process has been a beneficial learning experience.

In the end, I can only offer this information as an example of how our actions in this modern, tightly-connected world might affect people living in distant lands and how “treading lightly″ might prevent that boomerang of karma from sneaking up behind us.

[Source: Green Energy News]

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Pacific Region, Th!nk (Think)

Th!nk UK managing director Richard Blundell said that their all-electric car could be put on sale in Australia without too much hassle. The reason? The Th!nk City, which Blundell pointed out is a real car and not a quadricycle (NEV), is designed to satisfy both EU and U. S. highway safety features and can be sold virtually anywhere. Then there are the business reasons: “Think will evaluate each market based on perceived and sustainable market demand, attractive urban center demographics and conducive legislative policy for the use of EVs,” he told The Courier-Mail. Although Th!nk’s efforts are focused on selling the car in Europe and America, moving into the Australian market could follow quickly. I think I just heard a cheer.

[Source: Couriermail]

 

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Original post by Xavier Navarro

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, MPG, Audi, BMW

Last year, Lexus became the first automaker to introduce a production eight-speed automatic transmission in the latest LS460. Recently, German transmission manufacturer ZF announced a new eight-speed of its own which is claimed to provide a 14-percent boost in fuel efficiency compared to a five-speed. It looks like Audi and BMW will likely be the first to directly challenge Lexus when they start using the ZF. Audi may be first out of the gate in 2009, with eight-speed installations in the ʒ, Q7 and the expected ʑ coupe. BMW will probably follow a year later with the X6 and the next-generation 7 series getting the extra gears. Mercedes-Benz already has a seven-speed that it builds on its own. Mercedes’ powertrain chief admits that an extra gear could be added to the unit but that the incremental improvement would be limited. As more gears are added, the weight and complexity of the system increases and the improvements become smaller and smaller. Seven and eight-speed transmissions will likely remain the maximum for the foreseeable future and six-speeds will probably take the bulk of volume in mainstream segments.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req’d]

 

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid