Electric Cars

Last week, I test drove a fossil fuel-powered Camry so that last night, when I test-drove the Camry hybrid, I would have a baseline for comparison. I ought to have used the Ford Fusion hybrid for that. Outside, the hybrid looks much the same as the standard Camry, except for the hybrid badging. The...

In recent testing conducted by an independent research company, hybrid vehicles gained top marks in fuel economy in several categories. Most manufacturers have been focsuing on fuel efficiency over the past several years.  New technologies such as direct injection gasoline engines, improved...

Stefan Jacoby is the CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. He told Automotive News it is his view that it will take electric cars 35 year to gain a significant share of the global automotive market. The obstacle? Infrastructure. Jacoby argues "What would happen if 50 million new electric customers...

German composite plane maker, Flight Design, will introduce a hybrid engine for light planes at the Aero Show in Friedrichshafen, Germany next month. The concept uses a Rotax engine in combination with an electric booster designed with the help of Franz Aircraft Engines. The booster provides an...

Most current plug in hybrids on the market today have at least one downside. They are only capable of carrying four people. Mainstream midsize sedans usually have sufficient seating for five. Why do plug in hybrids lack the extra seat? Until now, most plug in hybrids could only provide seating for...

Willet Kempton of Philadelphia currently has the only vehicle in portions of 13 states that has the ability to take electricity in to charge its batteries, and when needed, give electricity back to the electric company to supply power for homes and other uses. Kempton completed his conversion of a...

According to R.L. Polk & Co.'s director of industry analysis Lonnie Miller, when he asked a group of over 300 people in Detroit a question about how many of those present drove hybrid vehicles, only three hands went up.  On average, throughout the U.S. 2.5% of people own hybrid vehicles.  If...

Physicists at the University of Miami and Tokyo and Tohoku have invented a radical new type of battery in the laboratory. The profound findings were published in the journal Nature. The battery uses special nanomagnets inside devices called magnetic tunnel junctions. By applying a large magnetic...

Nissan's redheaded stepchild of the Scion xB, called the Cube, will be at the test ride section of the Kanagawa Electric Vehicle Festa this weekend, in EV prototype form.  This will give the general public an opportunity to experience the car first hand for the first time. The prototype is front...

Johnson Controls and Saft Advanced Power Solutions LLC signed a deal with Azure Dyamics to supply them with lithium ion batteries to convert commercial vehicles to hybrid vehicles.  Azure Dynamics is believed to be the world leader in converting commercial trucks, vans, and passenger vehicles to...

With recent pricing announced on the new Honda Insight starting at around $19,800, Toyota has decided to offer a lower priced hybrid to compete directly with the Insight. Rather than only offering the higher priced $22,000 new Toyota Prius, Toyota has decided to develop a new model to compete with...

California style, Canadian power?

In December they were begging the Norwegian government for moola. Fast forward a couple months and Th!nk representatives are meeting with eight states in the U.S to discuss plans for an American manufacturing facility and technical center. Th!nk says the manufacturing plant will provide 300 jobs...

Yesterday, March 11th, AT&T announced plans to purchase a large amount of hybrid vehicles in the near future.  According to AT&T, they will spend up to $565 million during the next decade to purchase more than 15,000 hybrid and natural gas powered vehicles.  According to AT&T, Ford...

According to Hyundai, their first hybrid vehicle is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in October 2010.  This hybrid, based on the Sonata platform and shown at auto shows as the part of the Blue Drive concept will have its own distinctive styling that sets it apart from a standard Sonata...

What does an iconic SUV maker need to survive the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression? $37 million according to the U.K. government. That's how much Land Rover will receive to develop a 'green' SUV. With sales down 22% last month in the U.K., the government is standing behind it's car...

Toyota announced today that they have exceeded one million total hybrid sales of Toyota and Lexus vehicles in the U.S. Toyota accomplished this feat with a fleet of six total hybrid vehicles from Toyota and Lexus, including the automotive industry's first gas electric hybrid, the Toyota Prius. The...

Chinese car company BYD still promises EVs will be sold in the U.S. by 2011. BYD has made bold statements before regarding when their vehicles would go on sale in the U.S., but this time they seem to stand behind their release stating that they will bring electric vehicles to the U.S. by 2011. BYD...

Ford Motor Company celebrated the production of their 100,000th hybrid at their Kansas City Assembly Plant today. The company, which plans to increase hybrid car production this year with the incoming Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan models, used the day as an opportunity to plug their gas-electric...

The second generation Honda Insight is a highly anticipated vehicle. It has a distinctive hybrid design and now sports 4 doors and 4 seats. Using a new generation integrated motor assist drivetrain including a 1.3 L VTEC engine, the car is able to achieve 40 MPG city | 43 MPG highway. It has...