Archive for the Electric Vehicles Category
2011 Mustang Certified at 31 MPG, First 300+ HP Car To Do So
I love me a fast Ford.
The 2011 Mustang GT gets a new 5.0 liter, 412 horsepower V8 engine, 25 mpg, and a plethora of other improvements. It is a real Camaro killer.
But if I’m going to be honest, it is the 305 horsepower V6 Mustang that has caught my eye. Not only does it share [...]
CARB Approves Roush Propane-Powered F-250 and F-350 Pickups
Let’s just say I’m not exactly a fan of the California Air Resource Board, or CARB. For all their good intentions, they cause a lot of headaches with unintended consequences of sometimes poorly conceived ideas–especially for those of us who enjoy performance cars.
But every now and then they get something right. And while Roush is [...]
Hybrid Subaru Impreza On The Horizon?
I remember when Subaru first introduced the WRX version of their Impreza sedan. I vowed to one day own one.
Alas, to this day I’ve yet to get my hands on one, but that vow remains. There have been murmurs of an impending Subaru hybrid vehicle for about a year now, although the company is certainly [...]
2010 Zero Motorcycles Models Add Options, Colors, and Power
We all want more choices, right?
Zero Motorcycles, maker of electric motorcycles, has heard the call and for 2010 they are giving customers more options to play with. They have also made improvements to acceleration, power, and their battery technology. It’s a good thing too, because competition in the electric motorcycle market is already starting to heat [...]
Three Electric Ice Machines Fail At Olympics
The surprise US victory over Team Canada in the mens’ ice hockey game brought back many memories of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” at the Lake Placid games. It also happened to be the 30th anniversary of that game. As a hockey fan and devout goalie (yes, I let people shoot pucks at my head) [...]
GM Lifts Veil On Volt-Based Opel Flextreme GT/E Concept
The Chevy Volt is costing GM a pretty penny to produce, and GM execs like Bob Lutz think the company will continue to lose money on hybrids for years to come. But one way of offsetting those costs is to delegate the Voltec technology across brands to other markets. We already know GM is planning [...]
Honda, Struggling to Carve Out Hybrid Niche, Focuses on Minivans and SUVs
Most of us remember the original Honda Insight as that tiny, quirky car that got 70 mpg long before phrases like “peak oil” and “smart grids” had really entered our collective vocabulary. At the time it was introduced, major debates on climate change hadn’t even started. In that sense, the original Insight was far ahead [...]
Rejoice! Honda Reportedly Working On High Performance CR-Z Type-R
If you’re like me, you were more than a little disappointed in Honda’s CR-Z hybrid coupe. The sharp looking hybrid two-seater, a spiritual successor to the CRX of the late 80’s/early 90’s, lacked both sportiness and the fuel efficiency of its predecessor. With just 122 horsepower on tap, a 3,900 pound curb weight, and MPG ratings 31 [...]
Hybrids, Mostly Built for Speed, Slated for Geneva
European carmakers are preparing their latest cool hybrid concepts for the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, which runs March 4 to 14. The dominant theme is green speed. Here’s a sneak peak at a few vehicle unveilings, which show some restraint on fuel economy, but hold nothing back on horsepower.
Mercedes F800 Style
Mercedes F800 [...]
Branson Report Warns of Peak Oil as Early as 2015
Richard Branson has invested $400 million in alternative energy technology and says he’s moving his business empire away [...]
Honda’s Hybrid Comeback: Hybrid Minivans and SUVs
Honda unveiled a sleeker more stylish Odyssey minivan concept at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. New design elements could appear in the 2011 Odyssey. Within three years, Honda could produce a hybrid gas-electric version of the minivan.
Honda is developing a hybrid system suitable for larger cars such as the Odyssey minivan the Pilot [...]
3 Tesla Employees Reported Dead in Palo Alto Plane Crash
A private plane carrying three employees of electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc., crashed this morning in a residential East Palo Alto neighborhood, killing all those aboard and damaging several local homes. Shortly after taking off from Palo Alto Airport at 7:55 am PT, the twin-engine plane went down in thick fog, hitting a PG&E [...]
Jaguar Builds Extended Range Electric XJ
Well Jag has taken the plunge—making yet another luxury auto maker to jump on the electric bandwagon. It really makes you wonder… what were all these knuckleheads doing five years ago?
Anyway, Jaguar has supposedly come up with an electric version of its new XJ sedan. The rumor mill seems pretty specific as far as rumors [...]
Breaking Down the Obama Biofuel Plan
A cornfield at dusk on the Great Plains (Photo: James Jordan/flickr)
Last year the U.S. produced 11.1 billion gallons of biofuel. Obama’s new plan states that by 2022, 21 billion gallons of renewable fuels will need to come from so-called advanced biofuels.
[Ed. Note: Yesterday, Tim Hurst over at Ecopolitology asked me to break down the recently [...]
Utah Law Would Make Natural Gas Conversions $8,000 Cheaper
Phill—Honda's home CNG refueling station
If a bill currently working its way through the Utah legislature becomes law, the installation cost of compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion retrofit kits in gas-powered vehicles would drop by about 57% in the state—from a current average of $14,000 to a much more reasonable $6,000.
CNG powered cars hold a ton [...]
Jaguar Working on Turbine-Powered Hybrid Car
Turbine cars have long been a pipe dream since the dawn of the jet age that first spurred imaginations all over the world some sixty years ago. But practically speaking, turbine cars have never really taken off. They were either incredibly dangerous or prohibitively expensive (or both, like the Chrysler Patriot). They have also been beset by [...]
Ford Will Update Software on Fusion Hybrid Brakes
A day after Toyota admitted to a software problem with its hybrid braking system, Ford Motor Co. says that it will update the brake-related software on the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrid.
“We have received reports that some drivers have experienced a different brake feel when the hybrid’s unique regenerative brakes switch to [...]
Hybrid Owners Question Toyota Acceleration Explanation
When Toyota announced last week that it was halting sales and production of models associated with unintended acceleration, owners of the Toyota Prius, Camry Hybrid, and Highlander Hybrid, as well as Lexus hybrid owners, were somewhat relieved. That’s because the hybrid models were not included in the list of affected models.
Toyota said the problematic [...]
Toyota Admits Brake Design Problems with 2010 Prius
2010 Prius
Toyota acknowledged Thursday that it found software design problems with the antilock brake system on the 2010 model year Prius. The company corrected the problem in Prius models sold since late January. The company said it was still investigating how to inform people who had bought the 2010 model prior to January. [...]
BMW Plug-in Hybrid Sports Car Coming in 2013
A senior BMW executive last week told Edmunds.com that its 356-horsepower plug-in hybrid 2+2 concept sports car is headed for production in 2013. Only time will [...]
Toyota Answers Honda CR-Z With Sport Hybrid Concept: 392 HP, 0-60 4.5 sec, City EV Mode
Today at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota, in conjunction with its Gazoo Racing development team, launched the GRMN Sports Hybrid concept car (that last link is to a Japanese page that is translated with Google translate… some of the translation is a really good laugh).
Reportedly, the car is based on the outgoing MR2 platform [...]
DOT Signals Major Shift On Public Transportation Policy
More and more people are finding they need to use public transportation in the U.S. Of course, unless you live in a big city, chances are your public transportation options are limited… and probably very crappy. Public transportation has always faced an uphill battle in this country though, because hey, its a huge freakin’ country, [...]
Ford Unveils New Focus, Plans Electric Model For 2011
There were surprisingly few unveils at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and even fewer thrills. The AWD turbocharged Buick GS concept and electric Fiat 500 not withstanding though, perhaps the best looking car to come out of Detroit is the 2012 Ford Focus.
Based on the Blue Oval’s “One Ford” global platform [...]
From Stagecoach to Electric T3s and CitiVans: U.S. Postal Service Delivering Green
If you’re going to deliver half the world’s mail, you might as well do it with fuel-efficient vehicles, and, of course, deliver it on foot in as many communities around the country as you can.
While stymied by financial losses ($3.8 billion in 2008), the US Postal Service continues to commit resources and practice innovation [...]
Pickens Stirs Terrorism Fears to Push Natural Gas Vehicles
If it seems like a while since T. Boone Pickens has graced your television screen pushing his “Pickens Plan” for energy independence, it isn’t because he’s given up. The most recent Pickens Plan spot began airing yesterday, the first of three ads highlighting the appeal of domestically produced natural gas to power American vehicles.
Pickens [...]