Hybrid News

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, GM, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Green Daily, Automotive X-Prize

The Progressive Auto X Prize has gotten over 100 teams that have expressed an interest in competing in next year’s competition. While a lot of these teams are small groups with big dreams, the X Prize foundation has repeatedly said they’d like the OEMs to enter. Early this year, the X Prize approached major automakers but they declined to participate.

Now, with the Chevy Volt, we have a vehicle that might get a 100 mpg rating from the feds. While the government’s rating is not what the X Prize will be using to determine their MPGe numbers, we got to thinking: what if GM enters the Volt into the X Prize? It seems like a good publicity move, but would the General entering the competition be like Goliath crashing David’s birthday party? Would the Volt even have a shot at winning, in your view? Also, there is a risk here, a big risk: what if the Volt were to lose to a high school team, how would that make GM look?

So, that leave us with the original question. Whaddya think?

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Original post by mtberman

Filed under: Legislation and Policy, China

During and before this summer’s Olympic games, a significant amount of attention was given to the air quality that the world’s top athletes would be breathing in Beijing. As was widely reported, the city’s air was highly contaminated due to an abundance of people, manufacturing plants and automobiles. As you are likely aware, the city limited the number of cars that could be on its roads before and during the games and is set to continue the practice now that attention has turned away. The largest improvement is expected to come from limiting the number of new car sales in the city. Only 100,000 new license plates will be granted annually, which will have the undesirable effect of running half the city’s auto dealerships out of business. To help counter the expected problem, mass transit and bus routes will be upgraded.

As another measure, the city will take 30-percent of cars owned by its own government off the road as well, sealing them up “for safekeeping.” What’s more, the city vehicles that are left will be banned from the roads one out of every five days. Emergency and police vehicles won’t be included in that ban. These measures should help the city keep the clean air it fostered while the world was watching.

[Source: Gasgoo]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, USA

Although they have yet to show off a prototype of their electrical energy storage unit (EESU) to a very curious public, the mysterious EEStor company has inked yet another deal. This time the future beneficiary of the super-duper capacitor is the Light Electric Vehicles Company (LightEVs) headed by Carl Watkins, former president of the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Company (NEVCO), the company which brought the world the Gizmo EV. The world-wide “Exclusive Technology Agreement” grants LightEVs the rights to build and/or license two and three-wheeled electric vehicles powered by EEStor’s EESU. Of the agreement Mr. Watkins says, “We are extremely happy to reach an agreement with EEStor to provide its new battery technology to the bicycle, scooter and motorcycle markets of the world. We have watched EEStor continue to make progress in proving their ability to produce ultra-high performance multilayered barium titanate ceramic capacitors in production quantities. They have met or exceeded each of their technology milestones, as verified by outside laboratories, and the remaining steps all utilize well established industry techniques.”

In spite of their previously announced deals with Zenn Motor Company and Lockheed Martin, skepticism about the device seems to abound amongst those who frequent the website dedicated to eeverything EEStor, TheEEStory.com. The site, headed by an equally mysterious un-named blogger who answers only to the name of “B.”, still has some true believers but a contractual agreement with a company with no existing product is not likely to gain any new conversions. Still, it all makes for interesting reading and “B” even lands interviews with the head of EEStor, Dick Weir, as well as other key players in this slowly unfolding techno-drama.

[Source: TheEEStory.com]

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Further to my posts earlier today and last Friday, here’s an article from Dow Jones Newswires earlier today: “Specialists’ Moves Mon May Have Staved Off Bigger Mkt Fall.” Sorry, no link available, but I’ll keep an eye out for this being picked up in the Wall Street Journal or elsewhere. Excerpts:

Black Monday could have been even darker.

Proponents of open-outcry trading say that specialist market makers on the New York Stock Exchange, faced with a flood of selling orders late Monday, took the buy side or aggressively solicited for buyers on several large financial companies that were selling off. By assuming the role of buyers or soliciting them, these specialists may have helped limit losses at the bell. …

… “If this was purely electronic, it could have been down 1200 or 1300 on the Dow,” said Bernie McSherry, a senior vice president with Cuttone & Co., the largest independent floor operator at the NYSE. …

“[Specialists] created trades that otherwise would not have occurred…when someone alerts a broker and says look at this, you create an interest. That facilitates trading that doesn’t happen in other markets,” said Dave Humphreville, president of the Specialist Association, which represents market makers on the floor of the NYSE.

Original post by Tim Allik

Filed under: Fiat, European Union, UK

So, Fiat is set to show off a new range of eco-friendly cars in Paris under the PUR-02 moniker. That line will include its retro-fun 500, Bravo and Croma. Although it doesn’t seem to fall under the new low emissions branding, a new Panda will also make an appearance in short order. Called the Panda Eco, the new mini people-mover will be powered by either a 1.1-liter or 1.2-liter gasoline-burning engine. Fuel mileage should be over 50-mpg with carbon emissions of just 119g/km. To help make these low consumption figures possible, the Panda Eco will get low rolling-resistance tires and low viscosity oil. Pretty basic stuff, but the Panda was already a pretty small and efficient platform.

Depending on the engine, the new Panda Eco will get to sixty in a leisurely 14-15 seconds, but that’s not really the point now, is it? Anyway, the 93 mph top speed will allow you to get where you need to go and travel on any road to get there. The £7,105 asking price is just a £100 premium, and that will pay itself back in taxes alone in just over a year.

[Source: Channel 4]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Fourth quarter? Yes, it’s here tomorrow. Time flies when you′re having, er, um, …..fun?

Anyway, here are the new levels for the NYSE’s circuit-breakers, which are updated quarterly. Excerpt from the press release:

Circuit-breaker points represent the thresholds at which trading is halted marketwide for single-day declines in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). Circuit-breaker levels are set quarterly as 10, 20 and 30-percent of the DJIA average closing values of the previous month, rounded to the nearest 50 points.

In fourth-quarter 2008, the 10, 20 and 30-percent decline levels, respectively, in the DJIA will be as follows:

Level 1 Halt
A 1,100-point drop in the DJIA before 2 p.m. will halt trading for one hour; for 30 minutes if between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.; and have no effect if at 2:30 p.m. or later unless there is a level 2 halt.

Level 2 Halt
A 2,200-point drop in the DJIA before 1:00 p.m. will halt trading for two hours; for one hour if between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.; and for the remainder of the day if at 2:00 p.m. or later.

Level 3 Halt
A 3,350-point drop will halt trading for the remainder of the day regardless of when the decline occurs.

Background:
Circuit-breakers are calculated quarterly. The percentage levels were first implemented in April 1998 and are adjusted on the first trading day of each quarter. In 2008, those dates are Jan. 2, April 1, July 1 and Oct. 1.

And here’s a graphic that shows the levels in easier form.

Here’s hoping this is the only time you think about this until the end of the year, when we again do a quarterly adjustment, which again, I hope, will be forever a non-event.

Original post by Tim Allik

Filed under: Volvo, UK

We met Volvo’s good-looking new DRIVe eco-models (so named because they emit less than 120 grams of CO₂ per kilometer) earlier this monthy and they now have a “preliminary” price tag. The three diesel models - ᩊ SportsCoupe, S40 Saloon and V50 Sportswagon - will be shown for the first time at the Paris Motor Show and prices start at £15,410 on the road. That’s the price for the low-end Volvo ᩊ 1.6D DRIVe S, while the highest end V50 1.6D DRIVe SE Lux goes for £21,660. Full price breakdown is available after the jump. Production starts in mid-November and customers can expect deliveries starting January 2. More details on the vehicles are availabe here.

Continue reading Volvo prices the sub-120 g CO₂/km DRIVe models: £15,410-£21,660

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Yesterday, buyers basically went on strike. On NYSE, down volume dwarfed up volume, 1.8 billion (with a “b″) shares versus 45.7 million (yes, with an “m”) shares. At the close, sell imbalances were numerous and heavy. In some larger issues, the shares offered outnumbered the shares bid by a margin of millions.

Against that backdrop, NYSE specialists executed 141.5 million shares, or more than double their average participation of 63.4 million shares year-to-date. When everyone else was running for the exit, particularly at the close when risk was greatest (because who in their right mind wanted to go home long?) specialists stepped up their capital commitment, to counter plunging prices.

If you don’t think much of that, I ask you: who else was stepping up like that, especially at the close?

Before the close, specialists also were actively reaching out to the entire Street to try to attact buyers to help counter the imbalances.

Those are both value-added actions that don’t happen in purely electronic markets.

Those actions are to be expected, because specialists are accountable for maintaining fair and orderly markets, but I respectfully suggest it shouldn’t be taken for granted, particularly in times like these.

I posted here last week about how this kind of differentiation was demonstrated on Sept. 19. Yesterday was a good example as well.

Original post by Tim Allik

Did you know that it is possible to convert any car so that it runs partially on water? This is also known as hydrogen hybrid. You can get kits that will help you convert your car so that it uses …

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Mike Hepburn)

Filed under: Ethanol

Canadian cellulosic ethanol producer Iogen has shipped the first 26,000 gallons of an order for Royal Dutch Shell. Iogen recently announced a deal with Shell that would see them cooperate on commercializing cellulosic ethanol production. Iogen has a demonstration plant near the Canadian capitol and produced the biofuel from wheat straw feedstock. Iogen uses a “steam explosion” pre-treatment process that increases the surface area of the raw materials making the enzymes used to break down the cellulose more effective. Iogen produces its own enzymes that are then used in a hydrolysis process to produce glucose. The glucose is then fermented and distilled to produce the alcohol.

[Source: Iogen]

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Aptera, USA

The latest newsletter from Aptera has arrived and we can now inform you of their most recent interesting updates. As expected, the company is about to begin the process of moving much of their current crowded facility to their new, close-by Vista, CA location. The new shop will contain some offices, the R&D lab and, of course, space to begin series production of the all-new Mk-1. I say “all-new” because, as you may have noticed in the above renderings, there have been some “refinements” made to the super efficient three-wheeler which they say make it safer and even more efficient. Holding their cards close to their chest, the company would not elaborate about which or how many of these changes would appear on the final production version but they should be making those revelations in their next newsletter.

The latest rendering seems to stretch and lower our wingless friend which might allow them to give it a slightly narrower track. This version also adds side-view mirrors to an otherwise sleek exterior but we don’t know if they are permanent since the side-view cameras are maintained. Interestingly, the rear-view camera gets its own little dorsal-fin enclosure that has been spotted on some pre-production Mk-1 out there in the wild. The other noticable change is the addition of another window behind the door. We’re not sure if this is one of the permanent changes though perhaps it could be if the company gets enough positive feedback from its fans. Though seemingly brief, the newsletter does contain a nice chat between founder Steve Fambro and the company’s new CEO, Paul Wilbur and hints about an all-new website coming soon.

[Source: Aptera]

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Original post by Domenick Yoney

Filed under: Hybrid, Honda, On Two Wheels

Honda is one of those companies with its hands in nearly everything. Not that this is a bad thing, mind you, as Honda always seems to be able to add something unique to the design of any given product, incrementally improving it along the way. Big Red’s next pet-project may well be hybrid motorcycles. Anybody following these pages is well aware that Honda helped kick off the whole hybrid car thing with its Insight two-seater, and the brand is set to reintroduce that nameplate as an aerodynamic and inexpensive people-mover.

Reports now indicate that Honda believes it can inject some of that hybrid technology to its motorcycles. This wouldn′t be the first time that Honda infused its bikes with automotive DNA, as the the manufacturer once used an automatic transmission for some of its two-wheelers with technology straight from its then-new Civic. Will Honda do it again? Fuel mileage could truly be astronomical with a machine like this, so we look forward to finding out if these early rumors are accurate. Thanks for the tip, yash!

[Source: The Earth Times]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, GM, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, At Witz End

People are most critical of the things they least understand. - Paul W. Spoor, Bits & Pieces, September 2008.

Why is it so important to some to cast GM as a villain? To believe that the only reason we don′t have affordable, practical pure-electric vehicles today is that GM doesn′t want us to?

Why is it so difficult to believe that General Motors is not the same sadly mismanaged company it was in the 1970s and ’80s? That it’s a completely different enterprise run by completely different leaders with completely different values and priorities?

Why so difficult to accept that if GM - or anyone else - could make a buck building and selling the EVs of your dreams, they would be thrilled to do so? And will the minute they can?

As GM (and others) have learned from past, very expensive failed attempts, volume road-worthy EVs require a huge financial investment, and risk. But whoever gets there first with practical, affordable ones will make a killing. Why would any automaker not want to?

And why accuse me of lying or spinning, as some will, for explaining and defending - based on my knowledge and experience - GM, Ford, Chrysler, anyone else who deserves it?

I worked for GM two different times, the first (1965-’73) when it led the global industry and was as proud and arrogant as the day was long. The second (1987-’02) when it teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, learned humility and appointed different kinds of leaders to fix it. In between, as a widely published auto writer, I was as harsh a critic as anyone. I hammered GM’s leadership and its products relentlessly, because both were shamefully bad.
But that began to change when Bob Stempel replaced Roger Smith as CEO in 1989 and gained momentum in 1992 when new CEO Jack Smith (no relation to Roger) effectively started to right the still-sinking ship. It’s been rough and rocky sailing since, but - contrary to what many believe - GM leadership under current CEO Rick Wagoner has been outstanding.

Like other U.S. makers, they still can’t make a living in North America due to high costs, our business-unfriendly government and other conditions beyond their control. But there have been no bad new GM products this decade, and most are world-class competitive, or better. As an employee, I had no great love for GM. As a journalist (again), I’m professionally neutral and objective. But as a former insider, I gained perspective on GM and the industry as a whole that no one who hasn’t been there could understand. Also enormous appreciation for the smart, talented, dedicated, hard-working individuals who toil there 10-14 hours every day.

That said, I′ve responded to some of your questions about my previous columns after the jump.

Continue reading At Witz’ End: GM EV1 - The Real Story, Q&A

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Original post by Gary Witzenburg

The fallout from the recent financial market turmoil and the looming presidential election have created a “perfect storm” for a regulatory impact to hit by year-end. After a decade of false s…

Original post by default@goarticles.com (Len Driscoll)