Hybrid News

Filed under: Green Culture, MPG, Toyota, Green Daily, Lightweight, Japan

It may be little, but Toyota’s iQ seems to have made a big impact on those voting for Japan’s Car of the Year awards. In fact, the final tally wasn’t even close, as the diminutive iQ managed to score a perfect ten from 39 of the 65 jurors, earning a total of 526 votes. That total bests the second place finisher, the Citroën C5, by over 300 votes. Somewhat surprisingly, the mighty Nissan GT-R only snagged the bronze, despite its world-beating performance and attractive price point. It just goes to show you that the world’s priorities have shifted from outright performance to clever design and fuel efficiency.

Toyota’s closest competitor for microcar supremecy is the smart fortwo. That car only seats two while the iQ manages to double that seating capacity by use of an extremely well thought-out design. Rumors has it that the Japanese COTY will come to America wearing a Scion badge and will spawn a number of unique variants. Now that’s something to look forward to.

[Source: Inside Line]

Toyota iQ wins Japanese Car of the Year originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Transportation Alternatives, UK

Way back in April, the idea for electric green Black Cabs in London was first floated. Chinese automaker Geely is apparently still working on the cabs and the U.K. authorities and watchdog agencies are beginning to pick up on the idea. The Environmental Transport Association in particular has taken notice that many cabs in London are powered by diesel engines, which may be great for fuel efficiency but not so much for human health. Many diesel-powered vehicles emit plenty of particulates that have a nasty effect on the body when inhaled. Since taxi cabs are often left idling, those particulates can get a bit out of control very fast. For this reason, the ETA is suggesting that electric Black Cabs could hold great promise and foresees a fleet of 20,000 electric taxis running through London’s busy streets. Early estimates put the TX4E’s top speed around 50 miles per hour and its range at about 100 miles. There should be a fleet of ten electric cabs ready for testing early next year.

[Sources: ETA, Business Green]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle), India

A while back we gave you a heads up about a clock-making company in India which was seeking to diversify and enter the electric car business. As if that wasn’t ambitious enough they made the claim, and still do, that their car would challenge the Tata Nano and sell for less than one Lakh (about $2500 US). At the time, we were skeptical that the company could realistically produce anything other than a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) for that price but wondered how it might compare to that other, better known electric car, the Reva G Wiz. Well, we wonder no more. The wraps have recently come off the Ajanta Oreva and …it’s a Flybo? Ok, maybe it’s not exactly a Flybo but it is some sort of the Smart Fourtwo knock-off and a quick search of the B2B Alibaba website tells us it, or at least its parts, most likely came from China and so only minimal assembly work is being done by the company at its factory in Kutch. Whatever the case, we doubt it will really impact the sales of the Nano (once they get they factory re-built) or even the G-Wiz., which is already available in India. Ajanta Group officials are apparently still tight-lipped about the car but, according to a news report by NDTV, a country-wide rollout is expected to begin in two months. Hit the jump for video from NDTV.

[Source: NDTV]

Continue reading Video: New Nano challenger is … a Flybo?

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Filed under: Manufacturing/Plants, Tata

Do you remember the problems Tata is facing as it gets ready to build the Nano, the world’s cheapest car? Well, the Indian manufacturer has now officially decided to move the location of the factory. The new plant will be built in Sanand, India (that’s near Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat). The plant will be quite large, covering 1,100 acres (445 ha), and have an initial capacity of 250,000 units annually, which could be expanded to up to 500,000 cars per year, Tata said. Although initial plans aimed for production to start this month, it seems that the new cars will now roll out next March. Our source also reports that a CNG and an all-electric version of the Nano are on the drawing board.

[Source: Reuters]

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Original post by Xavier Navarro

Filed under: Etc., Legislation and Policy

The John McCain presidential campaign has started running a new TV ad in Michigan that simultaneously tries to pander to everyone. Earlier this year, while campaigning in the primaries, he told voters in Michigan and Ohio that “those (manufacturing) jobs aren’t coming back.” In that bygone era of six months ago, McCain was opposed to any kind of protection for American businesses from free trade policies. Now the new ad proclaims support for federal loans to help automakers re-tool to build more efficient vehicles and presumably compete with certain foreign automakers.

Right after that, the ad supports tax credits for clean vehicles. This, of course, is followed by the mantra of “drill baby, drill!” It doesn’t actually use that phrase, but does express support for off-shore drilling on the grounds that it would “reduce the cost of gas and spur truck sales.” The primary reason there is suddenly so much interest in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles is because of that high cost of fuel. Reducing the price of fuel would reduce the demand for more efficient vehicles and act counter to that re-tooling the ad mentions only seconds earlier. After all, it is the same plants that build those trucks that McCain says he wants to spur sales of that are being re-tooled. Tell us Mr. McCain, what is it you stand for?

Watch the video after the jump.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: McCain ad tries to pander to all sides simultaneously

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Legislation and Policy, USA

With the threat of a President Bush veto looming overhead, Congressional Democrats are letting the ban on offshore drilling expire next week. The hot button topic has been debated since Mr. Bush lifted the presidential ban back in July, leaving only House Democrats to stand between big oil and U.S. shorelines. Democrats countered that the environment was more important than expensive gasoline, and although Dems have a majority in both the House and Senate, they don′t have enough votes to trump a veto.

House GOP leader John Boehner of Ohio calls the move “a victory for Americans,” but it’s likely most environmentalists aren’t in much of a celebratory mood right now. Mainstream America, however, will likely welcome any news that could lead to relief at the pump. And although any drilling could take years to come to fruition, the knowledge that America’s vast offshore reserves will eventually enter the fossil fuel fray could help calm the volatile market. Whether cheaper gasoline is coming or not, the shift away from gas-gobbling SUVs and trucks looks to be a permanent one. Here’s to hoping that by the time the drills are ready to pump crude, protesters will have a far larger choice of EVs to take to the rally.

[Source: Yahoo]

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Original post by Chris Shunk

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep

Now that we’ve had some time to find the spec sheet for Chrysler’s new EVs on the companies media site and then perusing it, we can answer some of the questions that initially came to mind from the press release. You might have noticed that Chrysler is claiming the same 40 mile electric range for its T&C and Wrangler ER-EVs that GM claims for the Chevy Volt. And yet GM had to completely redesign the car to minimize drag in order to achieve that range. How is Chrysler doing it with a brick shaped Jeep and a maxi-sized minivan? Why more batteries of course. The Volt is spec’ed out with a 16 kWh battery pack. The Chrysler uses a nearly fifty percent larger 22 kWh pack while the Jeep goes all the way to 27 kWh. The Jeep actually has a larger pack than the Dodge/Lotus sports car which only has a 26 kWh pack. That raises both questions and answers. At 26 kWh, it only takes 4 hours to charge from a 220V / 30A outlet. That kind of charge time with a Tesla Roadster is only available with an 80A outlet. The question is how do they get the 150-200 mile range with a pack roughly have the size of the 53 kWh unit used by Tesla? You can read the full spec sheet here.

[Source: Chrysler]

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: EV/Plug-in

My friend Lou Ann Hammond sat down with Don Hillebrand of the Argonne National Lab following last week’s unveiling of the Chevy Volt. Argonne has developed some very promising lithium ion battery chemistry. The work done at Argonne is funded in large part by the U.S. Department of Energy, which can be translated as taxpayer dollars. It’s nothing unusual for governments to fund basic research or for the results of that research to be licensed to private companies for commercialization. However, in other countries, that technology is usually targeted at domestic companies for commercialization. Here in the U.S. however, there is no preference given. In fact, it turns out technology developed here is often licensed to companies from elsewhere. In the case of the electrodes developed at Argonne, a license went to Toda Kogyo, a Japanese battery manufacturer. Toda is planning to manufacture batteries in Canada, using technology our tax dollars paid to develop. Is this a wise use of our money? If no U.S. company is willing to step up and use the products of our research, it should at least be used by someone. The fundamental problem is not that foreign companies are licensing our technology, but that Americans apparently don’t have the foresight to do so. Apparently, they feel it’s wiser to focus on services than actually producing tangible products. That strategy seems to be working so well in today’s economy, so why not continue?

[Source: CarList]

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Manufacturing/Plants, GM, USA

Although they haven′t told us who yet, GM has chosen the battery supplier for the upcoming Chevy Volt (above). Still, whether it is LG Chem or A123 that gets the Volt contract, it seems that the General may need more batteries than the chosen one can deliver. The company is, after all, planning more vehicles based on the Volt-type architecture and might also want to move to lithium ion chemistry for its old school hybrids since the NiMH batteries from Cobasys has been less than reliable. Even though some battery companies out there are looking for more business GM doesn′t want to have to depend on foreign companies or distant production facilities for its power packs. At least that seemed the message the Wall Street Journal seemed to get from recent trips to Washington by Detroit execs.

So what’s the solution? Perhaps the number one Detroit automaker is going to take it upon itself to build its own batteries. Although it hasn’t made any public announcements to that effect it does seem they are soliciting a new employee who’s job-to-be description includes, “Manufacturing Engineering lead for the creation of a battery manufacturing plant assembly process and first implementation execution.” The recent listing on the Linked In website placed by GM calls for a candidate with an MS mechanical, electrical or chemical engineering and many other advanced qualifications to be a lithium ion battery Engineering Group Manager (EGM). Regardless of the scope of GM’s battery-making ambitions, if you, or if someone you know, is seeking a sweet full time tech job with a well-established American manufacturing company and have, among other things, an “ability to deal with ambiguity where clear solutions are unknown,” then give it a shot.

[Source: Linked In]

Continue reading GM to build their own batteries, seeks new employee

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

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

Few companies manage to stay in business for 100 years, but for the second time this decade (Ford reached the milestone in 2003) an American based automaker has hit that threshold. Tuesday marks the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of General Motors with a celebration at its world headquarters in Detroit. Automobile Magazine’s Don Sherman takes a look at GM and it’s chances for future success with electrified vehicles in the New York Times. With a price tag that has crept upward by 30 percent from the original target, and styling that departs significantly from the highly regarded 2007 concept, the chances for success of the Volt are being increasingly questioned. The need for aerodynamic efficiency has left many feeling that the sporty vision we saw last year has morphed into another Prius clone. Sherman quotes several industry observers who doubt that lithium batteries will be able to meet the vehicle lifespan requirements that are needed and they may well turn out to be right. At this point it’s simply too early to tell. GM is conducting accelerated durability testing, but until they have years of use in the real world, we simply won’t know if the models are accurate enough. Meanwhile stick with us on Tuesday morning when we bring you live coverage of the official reveal of the Volt production design from Detroit.

Related:

• BREAKING: Is this the production Chevy Volt in Transformers 2?
• EPA vs the Chevy Volt: Hybrid or electric car? 48mpg or 100mpg?
• Production Chevy Volt photos leak out!

[Source: New York Times]

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, USA

With the rise of hybrid and electric cars, advances in battery technology have become increasingly important and so it is pleasing to hear of new companies whose products have promising properties. Such is the case with Planar Energy Devices which has just signed a licensing deal with Policell Technologies Inc. that will enable the company to incorporate a nano-tech-derived separator film in its large format PowerBlade lithium ion battery. The separator film in a battery separates the anode (where the current enters) and cathode (where the current exits) and this one has some special qualities that prevents thermal runaway which could result in a battery fire. The spec sheet (PDF) for the PowerBlade has some pretty impressive numbers including 220Wh/kg of energy density. That’s enough to cruise in a Tesla Roadster for over 400 miles instead of its current 244 mile range.

Planar Energy Devices was spun out of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) last year and is targeting the consumer electronics and automotive markets. While they have so far only produced a few batteries for potential customers to try out, their facilities in Orlando are capable of some manufacturing capacity and their goal is to eventually do just that. Company CEO Scott Faris says, “Planar is committed to pursuing strategies for cost-effective domestic manufacturing. We recognize that the ability to design and build world-class batteries from the United States is not only possible, but also desirable if we are to achieve energy independence as we move toward an electrical energy driven economy.” Sounds good to us! Get all the details in the press release after the break.

[Source: Planar Energy Devices]

Continue reading Planar Energy Devices plans to produce PowerBlade advanced battery in U.S.

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Filed under: Lightweight, European Union

We’ve been talking about the KTM X-Bow for over a year now and while it’s nice to read about a car’s innovative lightweight construction and its many event appearances, there’s nothing like an in-car video of a few laps around Silverstone to help one gain a true appreciation of how the X-Bow makes good on its performance promise. Of course, this isn’t just a track car and will be available for the street but the legendary British circuit is where Drivers Republic jumped into the car-as-art-piece and filmed it stretching its legs.

The internet publication also did a lengthy piece with some nice pics in which they discussed some of the merits and short-comings of the X-Bow. Among the things they liked were the cars audacious looks (duh!) and the quality that went into the materials and construction. Being British they felt obliged to compare it with the Caterham and the Ariel Atom. Although the newcomer appears to be an exercise in light-weighting, the older two-seaters beat it in that department. The original specs called for the carbon fiber speedster to weigh in at 600 kg (1322 lbs) but post-production it has balloned to more than 700kg (1543 lbs). The KTM creation does excel in handling though and as the driver makes his way around the track, he fills you in on all the details. So, maybe you’re thinking, “This isn’t so very green now, is it.” and you may have a point. The Audi-sourced engine burns gasoline at an only slightly slower rate than a “normal″ sportscar. However, KTM may environmentally redeem itself if it can parlay the technological advances from its £53,850 ($93,871) play toy into some small (hopefully more affordable) city cars. Hit the jump for some KTM X-Bow track action.

[Source: Drivers Republic]

Continue reading Video: KTM X-Bow gets track tested

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Audi, Volkswagen

It was only last April that Audi was saying that it had no plans for an electric car (EV) in the immediate future. It’s possible they’re operating under a different definition of “immediate future” than us or maybe they have just changed their minds because, according to Car Magazine Online, Audi has unofficially said it will offer an electric version of the Volkswagen up! when they become available, possibly before 2011. In terms of vehicle development lead times that sure sounds like “immediate future” to us! Of course, it is conceivable they may be as just as flaky with their EV plans as they have been with their ̯ and ̱ hybrid programs. If there are more up! production delays, Audi may may a plan B. According to another bite-sized article in Car Magazine Online, Audi is also considering reviving its A2 (R.I.P. 2005) with an aluminum space frame (ASF) and stuffing it full of batteries. With all Audi’s indecision though, a more sure bet may be Volkswagen making an electric Volkswagen.

[Source: Car Magazine Online]

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Filed under: Volkswagen, Lightweight, European Union, UK, Germany, USA

We’ve heard rumors that Volkswagen would be going against the concept up!’s rear-engine and rear-wheel drive architecture, and it now appears that those earlier rumblings are indeed true. That’s a big knock against the retro-theme that attracted many to the concept in the first place. After all, countless numbers of individuals were first introduced to the VW brand via the iconic Beetle, which, of course, had it’s engine hanging off the rear and driving those wheels. VW CEO Martin Winterkorn says, “Our engineers favored a rear engine and fought until the end for that solution.” Those dang accountants ruined the fun again.

A front-wheel drive architecture will undoubtedly lower the cost of the vehicle’s development as it will allow for a much larger use of already-designed parts and will surely let VW use architecture from its Lupo small car. Still, that platform-sharing doesn’t seem to be speeding up the development too much as it is now five full months behind schedule.

Hatchback, minivan and sedan versions of the platform are expected to begin sales in Europe in 2011, a full two years after rivals such as the Fiat Topolino and Toyota’s iQ model are to go on sale. We have hopes that the up! will make it stateside, though the new FWD format surely makes them considerably less compelling to many eyes, ours included.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Mitsubishi, Green Daily

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is one of the most exciting pure-electric projects discussed by a major automaker. For one thing, the numbers being tossed around for this city car are astounding: something around 100 miles per charge (depending on driving style) and 1,000 vehicles that might be ready for sale for €17,000 ($24,800US) in 2009 or 2010. The trouble is, for American drivers, that these vehicles are only going to be available in Japan and Europe (so far, Mitsubishi has only said “maybe″ to U.S. sales of the i-MiEV).

So, what’s the answer? An online petition organized by one Ben Robeson and tipped to AutoblogGreen by Steven L. The petition encourages Mitsubishi Motors North America to bring the i-MiEV here because “the American public is ready for this type of vehicle” (read the full text after the jump or sign on here). As Steven wrote to us, this call won′t have a lot of impact unless there are a few thousand signatures, which might take a while. I can′t tell when the petition was put online, but it currently has just 75 votes.

Related:

• Mitsubishi testing upgraded i-Miev in Japan
• Mitsubishi’s all-electric i MiEV may arrive earlier than expected
• Why Mitsubishi is so bullish on the i MiEV

[Source: Petition Online]

Petition text:

To: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

We would like to encourage Mitsubishi to bring the i MiEV electric car to the United States of America. We feel there is sufficient demand for an affordable electric vehicle and the market is just waiting for a strong candidate to be sold. The attention that the Tesla Roadster and GM Volt prototype have received in national media are strong indications that the American public is ready for this type of vehicle, and Mitsubishi has shown that it has a good candidate for opening up this market in America.

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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 Sebastian Blanco