Hybrid News

Original post by Anahymbrid

The tank I finished last week was a personal best of mine.

According to the display, it was 40.9 mpg over 711 miles. However, according to my odometer calculations, this is actually 735 miles. Using 735 miles and the amount of gas added, it calculated to 41.6 mpg. Over the course of all my fillups, my fuel economy using the calibration factor on the odometer is almost exactly the same as the lifetime display fuel economy. So, I believe 40.9 mpg is more accurate and my higher calculated number is just from first click variations.

Anyway, this tank was all suburban driving from August 1 to August 23. Weather was very nice and the driving was almost all mine. The only other driver on this tank was Chuck (Delta Flyer) for about 10 miles. I only drove the HiHy when my wife and I both needed vehicles, otherwise, I drove the HCH II.

One funny thing to note, now by best tank in the Highlander is better than my worst tank in my HCH II. On a tank in the HCH II driven from January 11 to February 1, 2007, we only managed 39.2 mpg over 393 miles. Of course, it is worth mentioning that it was one of the snowiest and coldest January’s in Denver’s recorded history.

Original post by Mr. Kite

Original post by gas guzzler

Research using hybrid embryos is likely to be given the go-ahead this week after warnings it would be a major blow to British science if the Government watchdog refused to allow it.

Original post by george_douglas@nrel.gov

• November 2006: Applications from King’s College London and Newcastle University for permission to create stem cells from hybrid embryos for research.

Original post by george_douglas@nrel.gov

Original post by billynjoanna

Toyota and EDF are teaming up to develop recharging points for plug-in hybrid electric cars in a key step forward for the emerging vehicle technology.

Original post by george_douglas@nrel.gov

Original post by AJR

Original post by Katz6768

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hydrogen, Transportation Alternatives, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Natural Gas, On Two Wheels

Modern Mechanix is a really great magazine that began in 1928. It’s a lot like Popular Mechanics and Popular Science but focused on the efforts of do-it-yourselfers. There are lots of ideas we may think are new like compressed air cars and small cars but were chronicled in the pages of this magazine. Looking through the archives, it became clear how much cool stuff has been around for a long time. Below the fold you will find our picks for the top 10 articles about green automotive inventions.

[Source: Modern Mechanix]

1. Low-Cost Homemade Car Runs 40 Miles Per Gallon (Jun, 1950). Former college professor builds a car with the frame and wheels of a 1934 Ford and scrap lumber and it gets 40 MPG.

2. Water Succeeds Gasoline As New Invention Is Perfected (Dec, 1935). G. H. Garrett’s split water into hydrogen and oxygen and ran a motor with little modification.

3. Three-Wheeled Auto Makes Speed with Low Fuel Cost (Oct, 1924). Flivver was designed in Germany and uses very little fuel. It can go 10 MPH, there were no taxes on it and you didn’t need a license to drive it.

4. Flier Designs Streamline “Push Button” Car (Nov, 1938). Built by a California airman, this car lowers fuel use through clever designs like a covered front wheel. I think car car companies should do that today.

5. Japanese Minicar (Dec, 1958). Subaru 360 gets 60 MPG and can go 50 MPH. 54 inches high, 51 inches wide and 117 inches long.

6. A New Switch for Electrics (Jul, 1973). “A NEW day is dawning for the electric vehicle” is the start of the article about the electric vehicles of the early seventies.

7. Motorcyclette Has Speed, Comfort (Feb, 1932). This little bike saves on weight by getting rid of the brakes and using the rider’s feet instead.

8.Motor Scooter Burns LPG (Dec, 1955). Ralph Carlton converted his scooter to run on clean propane, which is in a tank at the front. Is that “Green’s fuel” on that back?

9. Postman Goes Around on Motor Scooter (Jul, 1939). Take THAT Segway! Postman Henry R. Smith built this gas powered scooter for $150.

10. Auto Fuel From Cow Manure (Sep, 1949). What better place to end, than in the end? Cars that run on poop. The “bio-gas” generator is not a new idea, the 1949 article says, and mentions uses dating back to 1912.

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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: Etc., MPG, Legislation and Policy

Following a trip to Iraq, Nevada Republican Representative Jon Porter said this week that if American occupation forces were to be withdrawn from that country, U.S. gas prices could jump up to $9 a gallon for gasoline.

I’m not sure how Porter can make such a statement - and he did hedge his bets by telling Las Vegas Review-Journal writer Tony Batt that “can’t speculate directly” on the issue - but he claims that U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Iraqi Deputy President Tariq al-Hashimi and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh all said the same thing regarding prices.

As Batt writes, Porter said, “To a person, they said there would be genocide, gas prices in the U.S. would rise to eight or nine dollars a gallon, al-Qaida would continue its expansion, and Iran would take over that portion of the world if we leave.” A spokesman later clarified that the price trebling “makes sense if Iran moves into Iraq.”

Wow.

I’m not sure where to start with this. Is it fear-mongering? Is it a reasonable prediction? Are low gas prices a good reason to occupy a country? So many questions. For now, I’ll just make the comment - before opening up the floor to you - that there must certainly be a contingent of people who would like U.S. troops out even quicker now that we have this new information. You mean we can bring the troops home and seriously encourage higher-mileage cars and gas conservation? That’s a win-win for a lot of people.

[Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal / Tony Batt]

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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

Filed under: Etc., Solar

This car will never run out of batteries. Why? It runs on light. You don’t have to worry about plastics in this toy. Why? It’s wood. Yes, it’s a solar-powered wooden car. All the right combinations in a toy car you have been waiting for.

This could be a great gift for a child or grown up that’s a child at heart. The clean, modern design has several, basic colors and shapes. Some assembly is required but it does not look too complicated to me.

[Source: Nigel’s Eco Store]

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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: Emerging Technologies, Etc.

digg_url =
‘http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Literal_horsepower_in_the_21st_century_a_horse_electric_hybrid_car’;
All the talk of lithium batteries and biofuels as environmentally-friendly power sources always seems to leave out the environment. A Dubai firm, however, has nature at the center of its hybrid powetrain concept. Fleethorse is proposing that their horse-powered vehicle supplemented by electric motors is the greenest transportation system available.

Called Naturcar, it’s not pulled by a horse like a modern-day apple cart, but powered by a horse. For now the concept is nothing but computer-generated video and renderings, but here’s how it seems to work:

With the horse in back standing on a conveyor belt, driver and passengers sit up front. Instead of whips to motivate the horse, Naturcar uses electricity to power motors on the belt that gets the horse moving. If the horse stops walking, the belt nudges it back into action. The same belt moves the horse’s “exhaust” into a holding area beneath the car.

Unlike its working ancestors, Naturcar’s horse would be air conditioned, continually fed and watered and its temperature constantly monitored. The aforementioned electric motors could even be used to pull the car up hills instead of overexerting the horse.

Perhaps if the horse were merely being used as a means to keep the car’s batteries charged this might make at least some sense. But horses take too much maintenance, upkeep and food to make much economic or ecological sense as mainstream automotive engines.

Check out our gallery of photos from Fleethorse or watch a CG video of the Naturcar.

[Source: Fleethorse]

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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 Chris Tutor

Filed under: Hybrid, GM, Podcasts, Frankfurt Motor Show, HCCI

As we head toward the Frankfurt Motor show, AutoblogGreen Podcast #11 is filled with talk about what we’ll see at the show. There’ve been lots of developments from European manufacturers, and we’re eager to see those cars up close. Sam also got the chance to attend a GM Powertrain event at their Milford proving grounds where he was able to drive some of the new engine technologies around, including HCCI. While there, he also snagged interviews with Paul Najt and Uwe Grebe talking about the work they’ve been doing developing new GM powertrains. It’s 36 minutes this week, and we’ve fixed the RSS and audio issues from the last couple episodes. Thanks for listening!

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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 Dan Roth

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Hydrogen

There are many stumbling blocks when it comes to the successful use of hydrogen as an energy carrier for automobiles. Among those stumbling blocks is figuring out how to extract hydrogen in an environmentally friendly and cost effective manner, how to transport that hydrogen and subsequently refill a car with it, and where to put it once you’ve successfully managed to get around the first two. General Motors is working on the issues, as Sam recently reported. Universities all over the world are also attacking the problems, including Cardiff University in the U.K. Professor Neil McKeown and others are working on a new polymer which needs to be porous enough to be lightweight, but also must be tight enough to keep the hydrogen inside. They have doubled the amount of hydrogen their polymer could store by weight and are still testing other variations. They are halfway to their goal of storing six percent hydrogen by weight.

It should be noted that the prospect of having hydrogen-fueled vehicles in the hands of real paying customers in large quantities is still likely a long way off. Modern technology is capable of creating electric vehicles using hydrogen as their fuel source, but not in the necessary quantities and not nearly at the efficiency level required to make them financially viable. But, the same could be said for most other high-tech items that we all use today, and with a few breakthroughs, there might come a day when your electric car uses a hydrogen-fueled range-extender. Or not. We’ll just have to wait and see. Let the comments start… now!

[Source: Cardiff University]

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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