Hybrid News

Filed under: Hybrid, Manufacturing/Plants, Toyota, Green Daily, Japan

Toyota has announced that all of its 12 production plants in Japan will be shut down for 11 days in February and March thanks to the recent sales drop. Toyota sold about 20,000 fewer Priuses in 2008 than in 2007. According to Automotive News Europe (subs req′d), Toyota already reduced the number of vehicles it will build this business year by almost a million units and this round of closures means there will be even fewer Toyota’s built in the coming year. The last time all Japanese Toyota plants were shut at the same time was in 1993. Considering that all Priuses are made in Japan (that Mississippi Prius plant never got off the ground), the Prius supply will be reduced over the 11 days of quiet. The big question is if it’ll be down enough to meet demand without excess.

[Source: Automotive News Europe (subs req’d), AP]

Toyota halts all Japanese production - that means the Prius, too - for 11 days originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid

Another green car of the year award, huh? In what seems to be an emerging trend, the International Car of the Year jury will add the Earth, Wind & Power (EWP) trophy for both cars and trucks to its current stable of awards. We’ve just gotten an early look at the models that are eligible for the World Green Car of the Year award, so how do things stack up between the two sets of vehicles vying for votes from their respective jurors? Somewhat surprisingly, not very well at all. There are three finalists for the EWP award: the BMW 335d, Volkswagen Jetta TDI and um, the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI. All German, all diesel, all the time. Moving along, we have three trucks facing off as well: BMW X5 xDrive35d, Ford Escape Hybrid and the Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC.

Last year marked the first-ever Earth Angel (what’s with the old music references here?) award, which is awarded to the automaker that’s making the biggest eco-strides in all of autodom. Last year, the inagural trophy went to GM. That seems unlikely to be repeated this year.

[Source: Road and Travel]

International Car of the Year announces Earth, Wind & Power Awards originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy

The chairman of the agriculture committee in the U.S. House of Representatives wants to mandate that the ethanol blends in gasoline be raised from the current 10 percent to 15 percent. Collin Peterson (D-MN) comes from a state that grows a lot of corn and produces a lot of ethanol. Minnesota already has more E85 stations than any other state. However, the uneven availability of E85 in other parts of the country means that retail demand for E85 has not kept up with increase in production resulting in falling prices. Peterson would like to compensate by blending more ethanol into the gas supply. The problem is that might encourage the continued expansion of corn ethanol production which has plenty of acknowledged issues. While increasing the concentration of ethanol in gasoline would get around the problem of distribution of E85, it also has problems of its own. The alcohol can absorb water separate from the gasoline in the station storage tanks. This could result in corrosion in the tanks or damage to cars that are not flex fuel capable but get pumped full of concentrated ethanol.

[Source: Reuters]

Minnesota congressman wants to see ᬃ nationwide originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Austin Alt Car Expo

One of the more organized presences at the first Austin Alt Car expo this past weekend was from the Texas propane community. From propane-powered lawnmowers to a giant propane-powered school bus, you couldn’t miss the vehicles. Three pro-propane groups - the Texas Propane Educational & Marketing Foundation, the Propane Education & Research Council, and the Alternative Fuels Research & Education Division of the Railroad Commission of Texas - came together to showcase ways to burn propane for transportation. There are currently about 8,000 propane vehicles in the state, and around 200,000 in the entire U.S. See, for example, the ProPane Chevelle and compare the local numbers with 10 million propane/liquid petroleum gas (LPG) vehicles around the world.

One thing the partnership wanted to do at the Alt Car was highlight the possibility of converting vehicles on the road today to burn propane. A lot of big GM and Ford vehicles can be converted using “EPA certified conversion kits,” for example. In Texas, at least, filling the tank with propane is feasible in a lot of places; there are 750 stations offering propane in the state.

[Source: Texas Propane]

Continue reading Austin Alt Car: Propane participates proudly

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

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

If you want to find out how absolutely awesome the RAV4-EV, Toyota’s all-electric vehicle that was avaible in the late 1990s and early 2000s, is, all you have to do to is talk to someone who still drives one today. We′ve heard from a lot of people who swear by these aging rides, and wouldn′t trade them for anything, today or tomorrow.

It seems that Toyota has realized it had something good back in the day, and wants to see what these aging EVs can teach us today. The company announced this morning that is will be bringing four off-lease RAV4-EVs to Portland, Oregon - where it is currently holding a Sustainable Mobility Seminar - to “assist in the development of clustered electric-charging infrastructure for the arrival of future zero- and low-emission vehicles.” What that means is that the BEVs will serve as shuttles between local mass-transit terminals and downtown/suburban locations using a centralized car charging system similar to Toyota’s e-com system that went online in 1999. The RA͠-EVs, all fully refurbished 2002 and 2003 models, will be part of the University of California, Irvine’s ZEV-NET (Zero Emission Vehicle-Network Enabled Transport) program. Portland State University is also a part of the tests. More details available after the break.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota brings refurbished RAV4-EVs to Portland for infrastructuce testing

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

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

If you want to find out how absolutely awesome the RAV4-EV, Toyota’s all-electric vehicle that was avaible in the late 1990s and early 2000s, is, all you have to do to is talk to someone who still drives one today. We′ve heard from a lot of people who swear by these aging rides, and wouldn’t trade them for anything, today or tomorrow.

It seems that Toyota has realized it had something good back in the day, and wants to see what these aging EVs can teach us today. The company announced this morning that is will be bringing four off-lease RAV4-EVs to Portland, Oregon - where it is currently holding a Sustainable Mobility Seminar - to “assist in the development of clustered electric-charging infrastructure for the arrival of future zero- and low-emission vehicles.” What that means is that the BEVs will serve as shuttles between local mass-transit terminals and downtown/suburban locations using a centralized car charging system similar to Toyota’s e-com system that went online in 1999. The RA͠-EVs, all fully refurbished 2002 and 2003 models, will be part of the University of California, Irvine’s ZEV-NET (Zero Emission Vehicle-Network Enabled Transport) program. Portland State University is also a part of the tests. More details available after the break.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota brings refurbished RAV4-EVs to Portland for infrastructure testing

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Etc., Green Culture, Green Daily, Automotive X-Prize

Sometimes, people on the green fringe are called some not-so-nice names, with “crazy” being one of the more mild. But, if you’re the kind of greenie who revels in the wacky, perhaps you’ve got an idea you’d like to share with the world and you’re sick of yelling it from the highway overpass. Right now would be a good time to get your idea out there, because the mainstream X Prize Foundation is looking for “Crazy Green Ideas” and is willing to pay $25,000 for them. Well, for one of them at least.

The X Prize Foundation, which is putting together the Progressive Auto X Prize, today announced a video contest called “What’s Your Crazy Green Idea?” that has a $25,000 prize for “the best video proposing a new, world-changing X PRIZE in the field of Energy and the Environment.” Use dreams to power Segways? Capture energy from people typing on a keyboard to power the computer? Harness the energy from unladen swallows or migrating coconuts? These are all fair game for the crazy idea contest. Whether they’ll win - well, that’s up to the X Prize folks.

The short version of the rules is that they need to be two-minutes long, posted to YouTube soon (winners will be announced in December) and must answer the following three questions:

1. What is the specific prize idea?
2. What is the Grand Challenge or world-wide problem that you are trying to solve?
3. How will this prize benefit humanity?

More details after the break.

[Source: X Prize]

Continue reading X Prize asks: “What’s Your Crazy Green Idea?”

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Hybrid, Honda, UK, Paris Motor Show

The big news coming from Honda for the Paris Motor Show is the introduction of the Insight hybrid concept. We are glad that previous reports that the name would be changed were incorrect. For the rest of their booth, Honda has other things to show off as well, and we′ve pasted the official press release after the break. The next big debut is the Euro-market Honda Jazz, which is known in most of the rest of the world as the Fit. We tested the U.S. Sport version and you can read all about that here. Although everybody knows what the Jazz looks like, Honda will be trotting out the entire line, which includes 1.2, 1.4 and 1.4 i-SHIFT Automated Manual Transmission models.

Along with the Insight and Jazz, Honda will show off its newly-updated Civic hybrid for the first time. Drivers who want an automatic with their 2.2-liter diesel engine will get that option for the first time ever. Lastly, Honda will bring along its latest FCX Clarity and the CR-Z concept that we’ve all seen a million times already. Anything we left out? No? All righty then, there you have it.

[Source: Honda]

Continue reading Honda reveals its plans for Paris

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, Renault, Paris Motor Show

Renault is taking the wraps off a new diesel hybrid crossover at the Paris Motor Show next month. The gull-winged Ondelios is described by Renault as an “environmentally friendly long-haul journey.” The nearly 16 ft-long, three-row six-seater has an interesting drivetrain layout with a 2.0L 205 hp, 332 lb-ft diesel engine as the primary power source. In addition there is a 20kW electric motor mounted at each axle in a mild hybrid configuration. Renault hasn’t yet provided any detailed information on how the system is mechanized but it is apparently not set up to drive the vehicle on electric power alone. Instead, the electric motors are used to provide some acceleration boost and regenerative braking capability. The energy from/for the motors is stored in a 4kWh lithium ion battery pack.

The diesel engine is equipped with a seven-speed dual clutch transmission and, combined with the electric motors, the Ondelios gets from 0-62 mph in 7.8 seconds. For such a large vehicle it has a comparatively low 3,200 lb mass although again Renault hasn’t released details on the vehicle’s construction. All of this yields a claimed 52.3 mpg (U.S.), which is pretty impressive for such a vehicle.

[Source: Renault]

Continue reading Paris Preview: Renault Ondelios diesel hybrid crossover, 52.3 mpg

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Mazda, Paris Motor Show

Automatic start-stop systems for engines are becoming increasingly common on vehicles in Europe. However, these systems typically use the conventional starter motor to re-start the engines after a stop. This can result in slow re-starts and additional load on the starter. Mazda has devised a new system that they claim will provide quicker, more consistent re-starts. The Mazda system relies on direct injection to function. When the engine is stopped, sensors are used to stop the engine with the pistons in a precise location. This will allow one of the cylinders to have a known amount of air in the combustion chamber. When the time comes to re-start, fuel is injected directly into the cylinder and ignited. The expansion of the burning fuel is used to get the engine turning to re-start the engine. Mazda claims the engine can re-start in 350 milliseconds, about half the time of a conventional starter. The re-starts are indexed to consecutive cylinders so that the same cylinder isn’t used every time. Mazda claims a 10 percent reduction in fuel consumption on the Japanese urban test cycle.

[Source: Mazda]

Continue reading Paris Preview: Mazda introducing new, smarter Smart Idle Stop System

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Diesel, Mazda, Paris Motor Show

At the Paris Motor Show next month, Mazda will be showing off its new 2.2L MZR-CD clean diesel engine that will be installed in the Mazda 6. The new engine is rated at 182 hp and yields 42 mpg (U.S.). One of the interesting elements of the new engine is a Mazda-developed diesel particulate filter (DPF). The combination of modern common rail injection systems and particulate filters are the technology that has allowed new diesels to be almost soot free. Typical DPFs contain a porous ceramic core that captures the particles. Periodically, the filter has to be regenerated to clear the particles. This is done by injecting more fuel into the engine and raising the exhaust temperature to a point that will burn off the particles. This process that typically occurs about every 500 miles and increases the fuel consumption somewhat.

The Mazda DPF has a new molecular structure for the core that allows oxygen to pass through more easily, getting it into contact with the particulates. As a result the regeneration process is more effective. They claim that the interval between regenerations is doubled and time for each regeneration is cut by two-thirds. The new diesel will go on sale in Europe in 2009.

[Source: Mazda]

Continue reading Paris Preview: Mazda to introduce new 2.2L diesel engine

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Chevrolet, Paris Motor Show

The compact MPV that we’ve been seeing spy photos of for the last several months and referring to as the Chevy Tacuma now has an official name and introduction date. What now looks more like a crossover will be debut next month in Paris as the Chevrolet Orlando. The Orlando is built off the same Delta compact platform as the new Chevy Cruze and the Volt. In fact, the Orlando is likely to be the MPV that was identified last fall to be built at GM’s Detroit Hamtramck plant alongside the Volt. If the Orlando pictured above looks vaguely familiar it’s because it draws a lot from the stying of the Chevy Sequel fuel cell concept, particularly in the side glass and the overall proportions. The Orlando has three row seating for seven (although that third row is likely to be very snug. GM hasn’t given any indication of whether the Orlando will be offered in the U.S. although the fact that it will likely be built here certainly points in that direction. If it’s built alongside the Volt, an E-Flex version would seem like a good choice as well.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Paris Preview: Chevrolet Orlando MPV to debut, Sequel gets real

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Ford, Paris Motor Show

Click on the Ka for a high res gallery

As we approach next month’s Paris Motor Show, Ford is releasing more details on its new baby, the second-generation Ka. We now know that it will be launched with a pair of engine options, one each running on gas and diesel. The gas engine will be a 1.2L 69 hp unit while the Ka gets a diesel for first time with a 1.3L unit that generates 75 hp. The gas engine reduces fuel consumption by 21 percent compared to 1.3L unit in the old Ka. The diesel goes even further getting a rating of 56 mpg (U.S.) and both powertrains get CO₂ ratings under 120 g/km. Like other European Fords, the Ka has been tuned for good handling including spending some development at the Nurburgring amongst the Z̵s and GT-Rs. Production kicks off alongside the Fiat 500 this fall in Tychy, Poland. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely we′ll see it here in the U.S., but you never know. The Ford press release is after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Paris Preview: Ford releases more details on the new Ka

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan, Paris Motor Show

Click above for high-res gallery of Nissan’s Paris Motor Show lineup

Nissan is planning on showing three new cars at the Paris Motor Show next month. Two of them are conventional small cars that we’ve already got photos of. The third is a battery powered 2+1 seat micro-car called the Nuvu. We don’t yet know what the Nuvu will look like or whether it will give a hint of what to expect when Nissan introduces a production EV in 2010. The Nuvu is only three meters long which should make it an interesting challenger to the new electric smart.

On the conventional side, Nissan will launch the Pixo, a collaborative effort with Suzuki based on the latter company’s Alto. The Pixo and Alto are both being built at a factory in Delhi, India. The little four door, five seater is moved along by a 1.0L three cylinder. For those that need something a bit larger, Nissan will also show a refreshed edition of the Note. The Note gets an all-new front end to enclose the gas or diesel engines. With the 1.5L diesel, the Note gets a carbon dioxide emissions rating of just 119 g/km, exempting it from congestion charges in an increasing number of cities.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Paris Preview: Nissan to intro new mini-cars, EV concept

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Volvo

Click to view a hi-res gallery of the Volvo C30 Green Racer

In the campaign to make racing greener, the World Touring Car Championship has been a leader. Following the example set by its sister company Audi at Le Mans, Volkswagen’s Spanish subsidiary Seat began taking race wins in the WTCC in diesel-powered Leons. But the series has announced it is beginning to phase in ethanol, and of all the carmakers in the world, Volvo has stepped up to the plate.

We brought you initial news of the C30 Flexifuel Green Racer when it was unveiled for the local Swedish Touring Car Championship, in which it has already been winning races against fossil-fuel regulars. Volvo has now revealed, however, that the Green Racer is heading to the top-tier World Touring Car Championship. The event will be a one-off demonstration for the time being, as the Volvo won’t be eligible for points and will only compete in the one race, next weekend at Brands Hatch. For both Volvo and the WTCC, however, it should be an interesting exercise. Check out the press release after the jump and the images in the gallery below.

[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Volvo Green Racer takes on the World

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Original post by Noah Joseph