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

Ford Fusion hybrid

There are going to be a number of new hybrid cars at this year’s LA Auto Show. While much of the hype has been focused on the Honda Insight hybrid, it is the Ford Fusion hybrid that I am almost most interested in, almost.

The new Fusion hybrid will debut Ford’s new hybrid powertrain - no longer dependent on Ford’s Hybrid Synergy Drive. Even more exciting, it will out perform the Toyota Camry hybrid in fuel economy.

Unfortunately, however, Ford only intends to produce 25,000 Fusion and Milan hybrid vehicles per year. That simply doesn’t cut the mustard. It also makes me wonder, is Ford’s new hybrid powertrain truly cost-competitive?

Original post by Dahcredyns

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: Nissan, LA Auto Show, USA

Scion may have had a good thing going with the first-generation xB, which proved to be an ultra-popular model here in the U.S. Nissan hopes to capitalize on some of that model’s success with the new Cube. While the official unveiling of the latest box-it-came-in-mobile is set for Wednesday (tune in early!), Nissan’s Japanese arm has let loose some early images of the U.S.-spec Cube. What we see is pretty much an exact mirror image of the Japanese model, which makes perfect sense given that we drive on the other side of the car. The home-market Cube gets a 1.5-liter engine mated to a CVT tranny, but that’s not what we’ll be seeing under the car’s short, squat hood in the United States. All the official details will be unleashed at the LA Auto Show in no time flat, but in the meantime, enjoy the three shots in our gallery below.

[Source: Nissan]

Nissan Cube makes an early appearance originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, BMW, MINI, LA Auto Show

This afternoon BMW representatives took the wraps off the first “production” MINI E, #1 of a run of 500 that will be leased to customers in the southern California and metro New York areas starting in January. Dr. Friederich Eichiner presented the electric car to the press on the roof top terrace at the Beverly Wilshire hotel explaining the purpose of the program. BMW has built these cars as the first stage of “Project I” where I stands for either ideas or innovation. Eichiner told the media that “individual mobility will still play a key role” going forward and with increased urbanization electrically driven vehicles like this one will be increasingly important. BMW and other manufacturers have to learn how to reconcile that need for mobility with environmental concerns and plug-in vehicles are just one element of that. BMW is using the MINI E as a means to learn how these vehicles are used and how they work in the real world. Learn more about the MINI E program after the jump.

Related:

• LA Preview: Officially, official: the MINI E!

Continue reading LA 2008: Live reveal of the MINI E

LA 2008: Live reveal of the MINI E originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, MINI, LA Auto Show

The electric MINIs have arrived! While getting ready for today’s festivities here in Los Angeles, we spotted one of the 500 MINI Es that will be leased starting in January. Apparently international media are trying them out today and we′ll have our opportunity in the next couple of days. The battery MINI will make its official debut at the LA Convention Center tomorrow and we′ll have more technical details on it then. In the meantime enjoy the view of #073 of 500 as it prepares to head out for a test drive.

In the Wild: 2009 MINI E in Beverly Hills originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Hydrogen, Volkswagen, LA Auto Show, China

Shanghai VW, is bringing a hydrogen fuel cell-powered version of the Passat Lingyu to the LA Auto Show. The Shanghai Securities News, via Gasgoo, says this is the first China-made “new-energy car model” from VW to make an appearance at an auto show. It’s also the first-ever hydrogen Passat. The fuel cell Passat Lingyu (just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?) can go a reported 300 kilometers (186 miles) on a full charge and has a top speed of 150 km/h (about 93 mph) on the latest fuel cell system from SAIC (Shanghai VW’s parent) and its partners. SAIC is also behind the fuel cell Chevrolet Equinox that was used at the Beijing Olympics. Supposedly, Shanghai VW wants the hydrogen Passat Lingyu in mass production by 2010. We′ll find out more this week.

[Source: Gasgoo via Green Car Congress]

LA Preview: hydrogen fuel cell Passat Lingyu originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, MINI, LA Auto Show

Over at the MINI micro-site (is that redundant?) MINISpace the editors have posted an interview with Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht, Senior Vice President Brand Management MINI, and Ulrich Kranz, Head of Project i about the company’s new electric car. The MINI E will be officially unveiled next Wednesday morning in Los Angeles, although we’ll be getting full technical low-down a day earlier. Armbrecht and Kranz don’t actually reveal a whole lot about the battery-powered two seater that we didn’t already know, but if you haven’t been paying attention, it’s a good way to catch up. The MINI E is basically a beta test for BMW engineers to learn more about how lithium ion-powered plug-in cars perform in real world conditions. In a relatively unusual move, people in the warm climes of the west coast don’t get an exclusive on this one. Customers in the New York/New Jersey area will be able to try out the MINI E in the cold as well. We’ll be interested to see how it fares.

[Source: MINISpace]

MINI executives talk about the MINI E originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Hydrogen, Kia, LA Auto Show

Apparently the production version of the Kia Soul won’t be the only debut on the Kia stand next week in Los Angeles. Kia will also be featuring a version of its new Borrego SUV with electric drive and a hydrogen fuel cell. The fuel cell stack is the fourth generation of Hyundai’s in-house developed system as in the i-Blue concept that appeared at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. In the Borrego FCEV the stack will provide power for a 154 hp electric motor and the vehicle should have of about 315 miles. The new stack design is also expected to have cold starting capability down to -30^o C. Kia is evidently planning a low volume production test using the Borrego FCEV in South Korea beginning in 2010, similar to what Honda has been doing with its FCX Clarity program.

[Source: Kia-World]

LA Preview: Kia to debut fuel cell-powered Borrego SUV originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, BMW, MINI, LA Auto Show

For those of you hoping to snap up one first electrically powered MINIs, we have what may be bad news. The price of the MINI E keeps creeping upward. The other day, Automotive News reported that the battery-powered prototypes were going to cost over $500 for the lease. Today however, another site that we aren’t familiar with, Luxvelocity, is reporting that it will priced at $850 per month for a one year lease. We’ve contacted BMW and MINI for a comment but have yet to hear anything back. It’s unlikely that we will be hearing anything either since the car will debuting at the LA Auto Show in less than two weeks.

The Luxvelocity article does state that BMW will still be losing money on the cars at that price since they are hand-built prototypes. Given the value of these 500 cars, it should be no surprise that BMW would also require lessees to have a lockable garage to park the car in and install the wall charger. If you live in an apartment you’re out of luck for now. We’ll let you know if we hear anything new. Thanks to J for the tip!

Update: It’s been confirmed by MINI USA spokesperson Nathalie Bauters that the price will in fact be $850/month.

[Source: Luxvelocity]

MINI E will reportedly cost $850/month for one-year lease originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, MINI, LA Auto Show

Since MINI USA opened up the MINIspace.com site a couple of weeks ago to allow people to register their interest in leasing the new MINI E next year, over 9,500 people have signed up. Unfortunately most of them will not actually have the opportunity to get one. BMW is only building 500 of the little battery cars and they’ll only be offered up in California, New York and New Jersey. For those lucky few that do get selected for the field test, the cars won’t be inexpensive. BMW hasn’t officially announced the price yet but Automotive News is reporting that the lease payment will be over $500 per month. We’ll be getting our first up close look at the MINI E along with a technical briefing at the LA Auto Show in two weeks. Following the show, the official application process will start and the company expects to deliver the cars starting in January.

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

9,500 people sign up to lease MINI E, will cost over $500/month originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, MPG, BMW, Ford, Saturn, SMART, Volkswagen, LA Auto Show

The editors at Green Car Journal have announced their picks to succeed the Chevy Tahoe hybrid as the Green Car of the Year. The five finalists for 2009 cover all the bases including hybrid, diesel and really small. The vehicles up for the award include the Ford Fusion hybrid, the Saturn Vue 2 Mode hybrid, the BMW 335d, the VW Jetta TDI and the Smart ForTwo. To qualify, the cars have to be in production by January 1, 2009. Last year at the LA Auto Show, editor Ron Cogan announced the Tahoe as the winner based the fact that it brought a huge improvement in efficiency to what was then still a huge market segment. As we now know that’s no longer the case. We′ll learn who the winner is in a few weeks, but for now, please cast your own vote from among these new models.

View Poll

[Source: Green Car Journal]

POLL: 2009 Green Car of the Year finalists announced originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Hybrid, MPG, Ford, Mercury, LA Auto Show

The long-awaited redesign of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan is almost upon us and we got our first look at the new powertrains this week in Dearborn. As expected, increased fuel efficiency has been the number one priority for Ford’s engineers, followed by power and refinement. In the conventional models, the sedans have picked up the redesigned engines that we first saw last spring in the 2009 Escape and Mariner compact SUVs. We did learn some new information about efficiency improvements to the 2.5L four cylinder and the 3.0L V6 that Ford hadn’t revealed previously.

Even more importantly, the sedans will now be available with a hybrid powertrain for the first time. While the 2.5L engine in the hybrid is shared with the Escape, the electrical part of the system is almost entirely new. The whole system has been designed in-house by Ford and if what we were told pans out, this mid-size sedan will be the most fuel efficient car in the segment on the road in the U.S. One thing the Ford staff emphasized during the briefing was the company’s emphasis on affordable fuel efficiency. VP of Global Powertrains, Barb Samardzich, told the assembled media that “we don′t want our sustainability strategy to be public affairs exercise.” In reviewing the company’s plans for the coming decade, Samardzich focused on affordable technologies that can be applied to almost all cars in the near term. That means that over the next five years, almost all Fords will have transmissions with at least six gears and well over half of the company’s North American products will have EcoBoost engines. Read on to find out more about what Ford has in mind for the Fusion and Milan in 2009.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Tech Analysis: 2010 Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan powertrains, 38 mpg hybrid!

Tech Analysis: 2010 Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan powertrains, 38 mpg hybrid! originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Hydrogen, Solar, LA Auto Show, Green Daily

The indie rock band The Flaming Lips has a compilation album called Finally the Punk Rockers Are Taking Acid, and if ever there was a collection of automotive concept car designers about which we could say the same thing, it’s the folks who designed the race cars in the 5th Annual LA Auto Show Design Challenge.

Part Speed Racer, part podracers, part just crazy and at least a little eco-minded, these cars (if you can call them that) would make me want to watch racing in 2025, the year the designers were trying to imagine. I mean, look at the wheels on the Mitsubishi’s MM‡ (above). The idea is that this vehicle could be driven forward no matter what direction it’s pointing. The full line-up includes:

The all-electric MAZDA KAAN, the energy-generating GM Chaparral Volt, the hyperaerodynamic Audi R25, the BMW Hydrogen Powered Salt Flat Racer, Honda′s The Great Race 2025, Mitsubishi’s MMR25, Mercedes-Benz’s Formula Zero Racer, the hydrogen-powered Toyota Le Mans Racer “that never needs to stop,” and VW’s Bio Runner.

There is more information on each racer after the jump, and we’ll find out which concept wins the Design Challenge when we get to LA in a few week’s time. For now, I’ve put all 64 images of these fanciful concepts in the gallery below, but if you want to see a vehicle in particular, click on the linked name above. Enjoy, and whew.

[Source: LA Auto Show]

Continue reading WTF will racing be like in 2025?

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Hybrid, Lexus, LA Auto Show

Click the photo for a high-res gallery of the LF-Xh concept

Lexus is set to bring its 2010 RX-series of crossover utility vehicles to the LA Auto Show, including an updated hybrid model. Details are scarce, but there may be a clue or two we can glean from the LF-Xh concept that was shown back in late 2007 at the Tokyo Motor Show. Recent spy shots indicate that the new ‘ute won’t differ all that much styling-wise from the current model, so don’t expect anything as radical as the LF-Xh concept, but we’d expect to see the lines smoothed out even more than they currently are. The hybrid system is likely to be at least mildly revamped and could possibly get an EV mode akin to the one that its Highlander hybrid sibling got when it was redesigned and introduced at the Chicago Auto Show. We’ll be in LA to bring you the goods live.

[Source: The Car Connection]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski