A big factor holding up the push for alternative-energy vehicles is cost. Bringing alt-fuel to the masses means making it easy and cheap to reproduce. But until then, one sure way to get around the cost factor is to appeal to people for whom money is no object. Ferarri and Lamborghini are now underway developing hybrid/alt-fuel cars of their own, and Tesla’s roadster costs north of $100k.
Another contender, in the works for years and with a road-worthy prototype now complete, hails from the Ronn Motor Company. Called the Scorpion, this hydrogen-injected supercar hopes to turn the exotic world on its head.
British Manufacturer of electric vehicles (EVs), Modec, has announced a joint venture with U.S. based Navistar International Corporation, a $15 billion per year truck manufacturer. The announcement comes at an ideal time as earlier this month, President Barack Obama announced the largest grant ever to develop and bring to market electric vehicles. Obama made the announcement at the Navistar premises in Elkhart County, Indiana. As part of this funding, Navistar was awarded a grant of $39 million, which will be used to accelerate EV production.
“The all-electric delivery vehicle is a concrete example of what business and government can do when we work together,” said Daniel C. Ustian, Navistar Chairman, President and CEO. “The future is now with this electric vehicle. In fact, we already have interested customers, including some of the most respected names in the industry.” Read the rest of this entry »
The hydrogen-car camp seems to have been quiet as of late…or maybe I am just looking in the wrong places. But at least one major car manufacturer, Toyota, is still pushing hard to make hydrogen cars a feasible alternative.
Toyota has been hard at work on their Highlander FCV, and the latest version of the hydrogen-powered SUV (called the FCV-adv) achieved an estimated 431 miles on a single tank of compressed hydrogen.
A lot of electric vehicles suffer from performance anxiety. That is to say, they are green and clean, but not very mean, the Tesla Roadster being a notable exception. Sometimes though, you just want to go fast. I had my first hybrid experience the other day, and while the Honda Insight I drove wasn’t the worst ride I’ve ever had, I could see myself getting very bored, very quickly with such an underpowered car (in my opinion, of course).
But I doubt I would get bored with the Zero DS, the latest electric motorcycle to be unveiled by Zero Motorcycles. Built from the ground up and utilizing the latest techniques and technology, this durable dirtbike promises off-road performance with streetwise manners. And it had better for the asking price $9,950.
The new kit was debuted on a Tiida-based prototype, which features an in-house developed electric motor capable of delivering 107bhp and 206lb ft of torque. Power is supplied by a 24kWh laminated compact li-ion battery situated beneath the car’s floor so it doesn’t interefere with cabin or cargo space.
For all of us, “Going Green” means something different. Whether it is just changing the light bulbs in your house or going completely off the grid, every little bit helps. But for some people, changing the world is a full time job, and a full time job requires a company car.
It was an interesting week to say the least. By the time the Lexus pick-up team arrived to retrieve their prototype, I was clear that I would likely measure all hybrid vehicle test drives by this first one. This was not my first hybrid test ride, nor do I hope it is my last, but I found myself more attached than I wanted to be as I saw its sleek yet short silver body reflect brilliantly for the last time. Yes, I am waxing (or waning perhaps) poetic for a car . . .
I come by it naturally as my father had a love for cool cars and gadgets - the Lexus HS 250h hybrid presented a satisfying blend of both.
A few of the ergonomic and gadget-type features that I loved had little to do with the hybrid or eco-factor. However, a couple of things in particular stuck with me and I suspect will be incorporated to some degree in most hybrid cars - or they should be for at least one model generation: Read the rest of this entry »
The Geely Panda, a tiny Chinese gas-powered car with a 1.3 liter engine that gets 48 mpg, is going to have an electric version available sometime this year. The electric Panda will have an LC-E lithium-ion battery, 340V charge system, max. speed of 40 mph, and a range of 50 miles.
Sorry about the blue tint . . . even photoshop couldn’t fix this one! Anyway . . .
Day 2 was Sunday. It was a gorgeous day - a good day to have the sunroof open as I found more reasons to drive around and play with this new shiny eco-toy. While cruising on a major interstate bouncing in our seats to the rather good sound system, my daughter noted with alarm we were going 80 mph. Yikes. We gently applied the breaks and discussed how smooth a ride the vehicle was. We also noted that when the music was off or very low, there was not much exterior road noise. You are kind of cocooned in your own little peaceful, sci-fi environment.
Who doesn’t want to find a way to save on gas and also find an excuse to purchase an iPhone? Well now you have one. MaxQData, LLC announced today the availability of a new application called Bliss Trek, which the company is hailing as the first “eco-driving” application for the iPhone.
At first glance, you’d think that it would direct you the the gas station with the cheapest gas. But alas, you are wrong. It actually works by utilizing speed and acceleration information in real time to provide immediate feedback to drivers about the efficiency of their driving. Drivers earn points for efficient driving behavior such as driving the speed limit on the highway and for smooth acceleration and braking and lose points for less efficient behavior such as driving 100 mph or sitting idle. A friendly animated interface displays the current score along with speed and other information. Read the rest of this entry »
Over the holiday weekend, Japanese news daily Nikkei reported that Toyota will start mass producing plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012.
The plug-in Prius will have a reported all-electric range of 12.4-18.6 miles after a full charge, and will cost $48,000—roughly twice the price of the regular gasoline-hybrid Prius.
Considering that a used Prius can be converted into a plug-in hybrid today for less than $15,000—giving the car the same or better statistics and driving range—I’d have to ask: what the hell is Toyota thinking? Read the rest of this entry »
There’s an electric car revolution underway in sleepy Browntown, Wisconsin, population 252.
More than six Sebring-Vanguard CitiCars, many zipping down the country roads in southwestern Wisconsin, are registered to owners in this small town – most to Phil Welty and one to myself. They come in red, yellow and several other colors and look like a wedge of cheese, but they’re all completely powered by electric motors. It’s estimated that as few as 600 CitiCars are still on the road in the U.S. with less than 3,000 manufactured by Sebring-Vanguard between 1974 and 1976 during the last energy crisis.
“When I first saw the CitiCars back in the 1970s, it was the only all-electric car on the market,” recalls Phil Welty, “The same problem exists today as in the 1970s, like high fuel prices and our marriage to foreign oil. I’ve always wanted to bring one back from the junkyard and restore it to fully operable condition.” Not content with just one, he has two CitiCars on the road, using his other cars for parts.
Late Friday, the House passed the first legislation solely dedicated to reversing global warming. Now the fate of the Climate Change Bill is in the hands of the Senate, and political pundits are predicting the bill won’t pass. This exact bill might not pass but sooner than later one will and until then they will have several things in common. A climate bill will change how we produce and use electricity. It will change how you travel from point A to point B. It will change how every business operates and how every American lives. Our lives will never be the same. Dramatic? Yes. True. Yes.
The passage of this bill will change your life in three ways:
It would affect what type of car you can drive - smaller.
It would affect how much you pay for energy - more.
It would affect what type of job you have - green job.
Energy affects every facet of our lives. When energy prices go up, food prices go up, clothing prices go up..the price for everything we buy gets more expensive. Why? Because our society is intricately intertwined with energy, and energy is intertwined with our economy.
Gas 2.0 digs into the viscous world of biofuels and the fast-paced transit arena, exploring the technologies and substances that are the future of transportation.
