Hybrid News

Filed under: MPG, Mercedes Benz, UK

UK luxury car buyers have a new, more fuel-efficient option in the sedan category. Mercedes-Benz has updated the C-Class to include the BlueEFFICIENCY technology and the C 180 KOMPRESSOR BlueEFFICIENCY joins its thirstier siblings in UK dealerships this coming January. Mercedes says the new model can save company car users up to £370.80 with its 11 percent increase in fuel economy and 18 g/km drop in CO₂ emissions (down to 149). It also gets 37.3 mpg (US) on the European combined cycle. These greener changes are the result of a lighter car, better aero design and improved “energy management.” The best part is that the BlueEFFICIENCY model replaces the previous C 180 without a price increase, and I′m sure there are some who will appreciate that this BlueEFFICICNEY model still provides 156 hp and 230 Nm of torque. More details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz C 180 KOMPRESSOR BlueEFFICIENCY coming to UK with no price increase

Mercedes-Benz C 180 KOMPRESSOR BlueEFFICIENCY coming to UK with no price increase originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Hybrid, Mercedes Benz

Mercedes Benz will be launching its first hybrid, the S400 BlueHybrid next spring and Phil Floraday from Automobile got a chance to sample it on a recent trip to Europe. The S400 is a mild hybrid, and in many respects it’s more similar to the Honda IMA system than Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy drive. The S400 will be the first mass-produced hybrid with a lithium ion battery pack. As Phil explains, the system provides start/stop capability, and some electric boost. However, the main purpose is to drive vehicle electrical systems off the lithium battery, reducing the parasitic loads on the engine. The battery itself gets most of its charging from regenerative braking that provides 75 percent of the braking capability in most urban driving.

[Source: Automobile]

Automobile gets first drive in the Mercedes 𔗈 BlueHybrid originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Toyota, Green Daily, Lightweight, USA

Worried that the trend towards smaller cars in the United States is going to result in more injuries? It’s a rational concern, especially for those who are used to driving in full-size cars, trucks and SUVs and are normally surrounded by two or more tons of metal. But, light weight does not necessarily mean that a car isn’t safe. Proving this once again is Nick Chambers, a blogger for Gas 2.0 who inadvertently crashed his little Toyota Yaris into a dirt embankment and rolled it three times. Judging from the pictures, this was a pretty extreme crash, but Chambers walked away with only minor injuries.

Small cars must be engineered properly to retain their safety credentials, but it’s not impossible. Remember that all cars go through the same safety testing, regardless of their size. Crumple zones, airbags (you might want to make sure your Yaris has them), anti-lock brakes, stability control and the like all do their jobs and are standard on nearly every car sold in the States. Plus, as many drivers make the switch from big to small in the name of economy, the chances of meeting a nearly immovable object on the highway will only be reduced. Of course, we wouldn′t recommend trying it for yourself or anything.

[Source: gas2.0 via Instapundit]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

If you get into a room with a lot of people who make up part of the cellulosic ethanol industry, things can get a little technical. This is the situation here in Chicago for the Platts 3rd Annual Cellulosic Ethanol and Biofuels conference. A few hundred representatives from a lot of companies in the cellulosic ethanol “space” (I hear this term so often these days - the green tech space, the green car space, etc. Why?) are here and the rapid-fire presentations are truly talking to the choir, as it were. Sure, attendees disagree exactly how to best make cellulosic ethanol, but they all understand, well, the space.

So, join me as I share a bit about what was said and done at the conference. This post will cover the first few seminars, when some of the broader questions about cellulosic ethanol and the market were taken up. I’ll have more posts later about other aspects of the discussion. Jump past the fold for more.

Continue reading Platts Cellulosic Ethanol Conference - industry overview

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Diesel, Etc., Audi, Toyota, Volkswagen, European Union, SEAT

The EcoTour was a 7-day tour through nine European countries with 42 of the most fuel-efficient cars. The tour started 12 September in Barcelona, Spain, and finished 19 September in The Hague in the Netherlands. The target was burning the least fuel possible during the seven days. There were two winners for each day: one absolute, and one for each category, as well as a final global winner: The Seat Ibiza Ecomotive, which averaged fuel consumption of 3.80 l/100 km (61.90mpg U.S.), and was driven by F.A. van Heijningen and N.A. van Heijningen-de Kok from the Netherlands. The event offset its carbon emissions via BP’s target-neutral program (&euro0.18 for each tank of normal gasoline, diesel or LPG and as much as &euro0.36 for each tank of BP Ultimate premium fuels). Follow us after the jump to see the complete results.

[Source: Seat and Eco Tour]

Continue reading The Seat Ibiza Ecomotive wins the Eco Tour 2008

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Original post by Xavier Navarro

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, USA

Oregonian politicians, including Governor Ted Kulongoski, have met with BYD Auto representatives in a bid to persuade the Chinese automaker to use Portland, Oregon as a home for its North American headquarters, distribution hub, and possibly even a site for vehicle manufacturing. Eventually. For now, BYD wants to sell its hybrid and electric cars in North America and is casting about for a place to set up shop to accomplish that. Portland has the advantage of being on the coast closest to China and also possesses the type of sustainable image that the company finds attractive. The manager of their automotive sales division, Henry Li said, “The top factor is a place that is environmentally friendly, where people have a green mind-set,…That’s very important.”

According to a Portland Tribune article discussing the meeting, BYD wants to launch their F3DM and F6DM for $25,000 and $30,000 to begin with. These are plug-in serial hybrids like the Chevy Volt but have a 60 mile all-electric range before the motor kicks in to supply the battery with additional energy. The Volt all-electric range is 40 miles. BYD is the world’s largest cell phone battery maker and prides itself on its lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) formulation. The company apparently wants to wait until their is more of a high speed battery-charging infrastructure before launching their gas-free versions of these models. They hope to have decided on an American test-market location by the end of this year.

[Source: Portland Tribune]

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in

Altair Nanotechnologies announced this week that the new lithium titanate battery it is developing for the U.S. Navy has completed its 500th full depth cycle and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, lost just one percent of its total capacity. The Navy (thanks to U.S. taxpayers) is paying Altair $2.5 million for these batteries. While not destined for any vehicles, the Navy’s goal with the battery program is to reduce dependency on expensive jet fuel used in back-up turbines and, through that, to reduce carbon emissions. Altair also has a history with Phoenix Motor Cars and their all-electric SUV and SUT.

More details on the Altair and the Navy’s lithium titanate battery are available here. Altair is also developing batteries for the Army’s “M119 105mm lightweight gun digitization program.”

[Source: Altair Nanotechnologies Inc.]

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Etc., Transportation Alternatives, Japan

Most people are under the impression that trains are a reasonably green sort of transportation. When used in a city to move people about, the environmental benefits seem pretty obvious. Fewer cars are needed on the roads, decreasing congestion and electric trains are more efficient and create less air pollution than their automotive brethren. But apparently that’s not good enough for some folks in Kagoshima, Japan. They realized if they placed some midori (green) around and under the train tracks, not only could they improve the appearance of their town but also reduce the heat island effect caused by acres of concrete and pavement. In the newscast discussing this development a reporter takes a temperature reading while standing on the asphalt street of 62.6 degrees Celsius (143.96 Fahrenheit). Moving over to the grass, the temperature drops to a much more reasonable 35 degrees C (95 F). So far they’ve done just under 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) but hope to green about 9 Km (5.5 miles) by 2012. The effect on the people of the city seemed positive. The one comment the reporter received from a woman about the improvement that we could understand without an interpreter said it looked beautiful. We agree. Thanks to B.T. for the tip!

[Source: Japan Probe]

Continue reading Greening the rails in Japan

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Lightweight

Click above for a gallery of the Webasto LiGHT concept.

Webasto is a European manufacturer of sunroofs and retractable roofs. In order to demonstrate their latest top technology they have commissioned the construction of a concept to be displayed at the Geneva Motor Show. The LigHT concept was designed and built by Italian design studio IED Automotive. The innovation is the new top mechanism that is reportedly devoid of a frame. The polyurethane top has a glass rear window and the whole thing folds completely flat on the rear deck. Convertibles invariably end up weighing more than hard top counterparts because of the extra structure that’s necessary when the top is removed. A lighter, simpler top like this could eliminate a big chunk of the weight penalty.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport, via Autoblog]

PRESS RELEASE

Webasto at the Geneva Motor Show 2008

Presentation of the Webasto LigHT (Light Hybrid Top) roof concept and the LHG (Liquid Heat Generator) auxiliary heating system are highlights of Webasto’s appearance at the show

Stockdorf/Munich - 12 February 2008 -

Webasto is exhibiting at the 78th Geneva Motor Show taking place 6 - 16 March 2008, new products from its two business groups Convertible, Roof &amp Body (CRB) and Global Comfort Solutions (GCS) will be presented under the motto “Moving Innovations” in Hall 5, Stand 5132. The CRB input is the new “Webasto LigHT Concept” - an innovative roof concept featuring a hybrid top with a new material mix - which will be shown on a roadster design study. The contribution from GCS is the Liquid Heat Generator (LHG), a newly developed auxiliary heating system which generates heat, which occurs through turbulence in the engine coolant, and is regulated by an intelligent hydraulic performance control.

In addition, three creative and dynamic 1:4-scale convertible roof models provide a glance into the automotive future they are the result of a design study carried out by Webasto in cooperation with Munich University’s Faculty of Design. Under the motto “The roof of the future″, the potential designers had the opportunity to unleash their fantasy and develop studies beyond the classic convertible body styles. Furthermore, the company is also displaying the world’s largest polycarbonate roof, exclusively developed for the smart fortwo and to date fitted in 100,000 series vehicles.

On the public days at the show, Webasto will be offering end customers a wealth of information on its current range of after market products in the areas of parking heater systems and sliding roofs for passenger cars.

 

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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: Etc., Green Culture, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Green Daily

Photo by gailf548. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Over the weekend, I met a guy at a party who’s been a mechanic for the last 15 years. Once we told each other what we do with our workdays, we naturally fell into a conversation about cars and green technology and the like.

As part of our chat, he said something that struck me as pretty right-on. We hear a lot from auto company executives and media relations here at AutoblogGreen, and we hear from our share of clean car advocates and drivers fed up with gas prices. But mechanics? We don’t hear a lot of their voices. But we should; as the guy told me, whatever the car companies make will one day break, and he’s the guy who needs to put those vehicles back on the road.

Twenty years ago, auto repair was a skill that you could learn from a book or someone who’d been doing it for a while. Today, though, on top of the basic understanding of how a vehicle works, you need all sorts of diagnostic equipment and computers just to figure out what’s wrong with the truck on the lift. Then, to fix most problems, you need to make an investment in equipment and time that’s so high it’s pushed most home mechanics out of the hobby. Oil changes? Sure. Swapping out a hybrid battery pack? Maybe if you′re Kim Adelman. Now, introduce flex-fuel systems, high-power NiMH or lithium ion batteries (or even ultracaps) and complex hybrid systems to the mix. What do you do then? Follow me after the jump for a few thoughts on what may be coming down the road.
Photo by gailf548. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Over the weekend, I met a guy at a party who’s been a mechanic for the last 15 years. Once we told each other what we do with our workdays, we naturally fell into a conversation about cars and green technology and the like.

As part of our chat, he said something that struck me as pretty right-on. We hear a lot from auto company executives and media relations here at AutoblogGreen, and we hear from our share of clean car advocates and drivers fed up with gas prices. But mechanics? We don’t hear a lot of their voices. But we should; as the guy told me, whatever the car companies make will one day break, and he’s the guy who needs to put those vehicles back on the road.

Twenty years ago, auto repair was a skill that you could learn from a book or someone who′d been doing it for a while. Today, though, on top of the basic understanding of how a vehicle works, you need all sorts of diagnostic equipment and computers just to figure out what’s wrong with the truck on the lift. Then, to fix most problems, you need to make an investment in equipment and time that’s so high it’s pushed most home mechanics out of the hobby. Oil changes? Sure. Swapping out a hybrid battery pack? Maybe if you’re Kim Adelman. Now, introduce flex-fuel systems, high-power NiMH or lithium ion batteries (or even ultracaps) and complex hybrid systems to the mix. What do you do then? Follow me after the jump for a few thoughts on what may be coming down the road.

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Hybrid, Lexus, Legislation and Policy, UK

Click on the image to enlarge

Lexus would like to remind drivers who frequent the city of London that the GS450h is a credible sports sedan which falls well below the maximum penalty which will be in effect as part of the upcoming Congestion Charge. Emitting 185g/km of CO₂ will allow for a daily charge of £8, as compared to the £25 maximum penalty which many performance and luxury vehicles will be subject to.

We’re not going to dispute the facts as presented by Lexus, but we’ll also stop well short of suggesting that the GS 450h is the eco-friendly choice (there are certainly other options). Still, its comparatively low emissions, along with its 35.8mpg in the combined cycle, give a possible reason to choose it over some of its rivals, if for none other than to save some extra cash.

After the break, Lexus provides a chart comparing the power, acceleration, CO₂ emissions, combined fuel economy and congestion charges of the BMW 540i, Jaguar XF and Audi A6 4.2 V8 FSI against its own GS450h. Very thoughtful of them, wouldn’t you say?

Press Release:

PERFORMANCE WITH NO PENALTY: A CAPITAL IDEA FROM LEXUS

Is October’s increase in the daily London congestion charge the end for high-performance cars in the capital?

Lexus says not, thanks to its GS 450h. The fast and stylish hybrid is currently exempt from the congestion charge and, from October, will attract a daily charge of only £8 compared to the £25 paid by its high-polluting rivals.

While the escalating cost of driving a premium sports model in the city may give potential Porsche, Jaguar and BMW owners second thoughts, the Lexus GS 450h is a more than credible alternative that delivers performance, elegance and luxury. Critically, the Lexus only emits 185g/km of CO2 - less even than many mass-market family saloons - and costs no more to drive down Bond Street than an everyday hatchback.

More than that, existing owners and those who buy a GS 450h before October, can drive charge-free until 2010. But that’s only part of the story.

Not only does the GS 450h′s technically brilliant hybrid power system give clean and fuel-efficient performance, it also delivers genuine sports performance. The combination of a V6 petrol engine and powerful electric motor produces 341bhp and maximum torque right from zero rpm, enabling sub-six-second acceleration from nought to 62mph. Those figures put models such as the BMW 540i, Jaguar XF and Audi A6 4.2 V8 FSI in the shade and the GS looms large in the rear view mirror of performance icon, the Porsche 911 3.6 Carrera.

And none of those models comes anywhere near achieving the Lexus’s fuel economy of 35.8mpg (combined cycle), let alone its reduced CO2 levels.

Simply put, there are precious few other cars that offer such high performance and luxury without incurring the full force of the C-Charge.

[Source: Lexus]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel

First, some history:

• March 2008: $1.85 a gallon in Iowa.
• October 2007: $0.00 a gallon in Wisconsin.
• August 2007: $1.85 a gallon in South Dakota.
• May 2007: $1.85 a gallon in Iowa.

These are just some of the recent ethanol (E85) promotions that companies like GM and groups like the American Lung Association have offered. Tomorrow there’s another event, this time at a Kum & Go station in Norwalk, Iowa. For four hours (between 10 am and 2 pm) E85 is on offer for $1.60 a gallon. Full details after the jump.

Say what you will about corn ethanol (and we do, don’t worry), the food for fuel debate, and the high cost of gas for most of the country, for at least a few people, filling up the flexfuel car won’t hurt quite as much tomorrow as it usually does. Take it for what it’s worth.

Press Release:

E85 At $1.60 A Gallon Likely To Draw Many To Norwalk

Norwalk, Iowa - (May 5, 2008) — With gas prices at record highs, owners of flex-fuel vehicles in the Des Moines metro will be very likely be lining up for E85 for $1.60 a gallon from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday, May 8 at a local Kum & Go station. Located at 2991 Sunset Drive in Norwalk, Iowa, the E85 promotion at Kum & Go is the latest in a series of promotions by the Des Moines-based fuel retailer.

“When oil and gasoline prices rise, so does the sales of alternative fuels like ᭉ,” said Jessica Zopf, program manager for the Iowa Clean Air Choice Team. “If you are lucky enough to have a flex-fuel vehicle that can use ᭉ as well as gasoline, promotions like this offer a great value.”

The event was sponsored by the Iowa Clean Air Choice Team: General Motors, Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, Kum &amp Go, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Petroleum Marketers &amp Convenience Stores of Iowa, Iowa Soybean Association, National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, Iowa Biodiesel Board and American Lung Association of Iowa.

[Source: Bob from ALAMN]

 

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Legislation and Policy

Many have seen the film “Who Killed the Electric Car?” and become angry about a previously untold tale and frustrated by the lack of electric cars in the market. 14-year-old Liza Stoner of Minneapolis saw the film and decided to do something to carry its message further. This summer she will pedal from her home to Washington DC to deliver a petition calling on Congress to take action.

Her ride is supported by the Fellowship for Renewal, a group that “supports youth led initiatives and young activists who aim to inspire a call to action by creating awareness and understanding of environmental and social injustices through extraordinary physical endeavors.” Calling her effort the “Ride for Renewal,” she could use your signature. The petition is online at at ipetitions here. More information about the ride is at rideforrenewal.org.

[Source: Ride for Renewal]

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Original post by Marc Geller