Green Car News
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Ener1 and Think have teamed up to provide an integrated electric drive system for the Japan Post. The vehicles will undergo full electric conversions at the Japanese based company Zero Sports. Ener1 supplies the lithium-ion batteries required for the vehicle while Think is responsible for the powertrain components. The combined package is then installed in current Japan Post vehicles converting the gasoline and diesel powered vehicles to electric. Zero Sports was chosen by the Japanese government as the main company responsible for converting the entire postal fleet of 22,000...
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Hybrid Sighting: BMW X6If there was an award for the "Most Badass Hybrid Debut In 2010," the new BMW X6 ActiveHybrid would win. BMW won't call it a sport utility vehicle, and for good reason. There's not much utility left in it. Oh, but there's plenty of sport. The so-called "sports activity coupe," was spotted near the...
Robert Scardino -
Amsterdam Idiots Evolve: From Cow-Tipping to Smart-DunkingWe've said before that Amsterdam is a city of many and remarkably diverse joys and entertainments. Take, for instance, the beer bike, which was almost banned over concerns about drunk pedaling through the city streets. But beer bikes and other forms of guzzled and inhaled entertainment sometimes...
John Voelcker -
Velozzi Launches Minicar with Turbine Battery ChargerIt's hard to describe the Velozzi SOLO in one sentence, because my words keep getting jumbled up. They just don't seem to jive: this minicar is a lightweight lithium-ion battery electric hybrid multi-fuel vehicle with an onboard turbine to charge its battery. It gets hazy after "hybrid," doesn't...
Jennifer Knightstep -
Want That 50-MPG 2010 Toyota Prius For $21K? Keep WaitingOften we get our best topics for posts from AllAboutPrius.com readers. Yesterday, Steven Ileras sent us a note asking about the status of the mysterious Prius I trim level. When we ran down the 2010 Toyota Prius equipment levels and packages (numbered II, III, IV and V) right after introduction, it...
John Voelcker -
France Punishes Peasants (And Entrepreneurs) For Saving EnergyAs the saying goes, if the French didn't exit, we'd have to invent them: A nation that reveres Jerry Lewis, builds cars with single-spoke steering wheels or names like Kangoo BeBop ZE, and threatens to blow up factories if strike demands aren't met (and then changes its mind). The latest evidence...
John Voelcker -
Japan's Asahi newspaper is reporting that Toyota is likely to add a compact hybrid to its line-up in Japan by late 2011. The hybrid-only model, which may also be produced in France for sale in Europe, will use the platform and engine of a re-modeled Yaris, and is expected to compete with Honda's compact Fit/Jazz hybrid. According to Asahi, the Yaris-based hybrid would sell in Japan for approximately 1.5 million yen, and would feature a hybrid system that's more fuel-efficient than the system currently used in that other Toyota hybrid, the Prius. Source: Asahi, Automotive News
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Nissan Denies it Will Unveil Three EVs, Just OneThe drumbeat of anticipation is getting louder ahead of the unveiling of the new Nissan EV this coming weekend. In the midst of all this electric excitement some articles were published claiming Nissan wont be unveiling one, but three EVs. This derived from a report in Japan's Best Car Magazine...
Lyle Dennis -
Demand for Fisker Karma on the RiseThe Fisker Karma extended range electric vehicle is nearing production with a scheduled introduction next year, but the orders are already adding up. According to the company, they have received 1,400 orders for this unique, sporty, plug-in. The first orders should go out either in May or June of...
Eric Loveday -
Nissan Working on Proprietary Hybrid System for Smaller CarsNissan is currently developing a hybrid system that could be utilized in some of the companies smaller vehicles before full electric vehicles take over the roadways. Though Nissan remains committed to EV technology and will continue development of several electric vehicles, they also realize that...
Eric Loveday -
Prius Earns Four Stars in Motor Trend's 2010-2011 New Cars EditionThough not quite as premature as Christmas decorations in stores on Labor Day, Motor Trend's September 2009 issue hit the shelves just in time for August. The new edition includes capsule reviews of 168 cars for sale in 2010 and 2011. The Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight, the Fisker Karma and the...
Robert Scardino -
Element Lexington Hotel To Offer Charging StationsIf your vehicle requires a plug and you find yourself near Boston, you might consider staying at the Element Lexington hotel. The hotel's parent company, Starwood, has partnered with CarbonDay Automotive to offer a ChargePoint Networked Charging Station to guests and other area travelers. The...
Robert Scardino -
This Sunday, August 2, Nissan will unveil the first of several electric cars it plans to offer globally at a ceremony held at its Yokohama plant. Meanwhile, it is now teasing expectant EV fans with ghostly glimpses of the car on a new website: Nissan-ZeroEmission.com. The 2012 Nissan EV will be a five-seat, five-door hatchback. It will be a dedicated design, meaning it won't share body panels with any gasoline vehicles. Like the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range EV, it will be highly aerodynamic for maximum battery range. The lithium-ion battery pack uses cells from Automotive Electric...
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Keep It Green: Add A Little PZEV To That Subaru!Like CVT, which stands for continuously-variable transmission, PZEV is one of those acronyms floating around the auto world that mean nothing to most car buyers. It stands for Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle, one of a number of arcane emissions brackets created by the very aggressive California Air...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Teases Picture of New EV and Opens Dedicated WebsiteNissan is gearing up for the global unveiling of its new pure electric car on August 2nd. They just released some more details about the car and demonstrated its drivetrain in a C-class sedan mule based on the Tiida/Versa. The car will be a 5 seat hatchback powered by an 80 KW motor and 24 kwh...
Lyle Dennis -
Nissan’s iPhone App to Remotely Monitor Battery and A/C Levels in New Upcoming EVIt seems like there’s an iPhone application for everything, from the very useful (restaurant reviews and menus) to the ridiculous (iSteam, which fogs your screen when you blow into the microphone). The prototype app created by Nissan falls into the “useful” category, at least for Nissan EV...
Jennifer Knightstep -
Toyota Rumored to be Working on Prius Based Sport Coupe HybridRecently we reported that Toyota had little intent on producing an EV in the near future, they instead intend to focus solely on hybrids. Therefore, it's not surprising that rumors are swirling around about a possible Prius based sporty hybrid coupe. Toyota may build this coupe as a direct...
Eric Loveday -
GM Still On Track to Release Plug-In SUV By 2011According to GM's product development chief, the company is on track to release a plug-in SUV by 2011. There has been some doubt surrounding GM's future in regards to plug-in vehicles since the company announced bankruptcy and sold off the Saturn brand that was expected to be the first brand to...
Eric Loveday -
Lithium-ion technology has seen use in laptops and cell phones as well as numerous other devices for over a decade. People have grown accustomed to the expectations of these batteries. Cell phones lose their charge-holding capacity after a few years, and laptops with strenuous use can see batteries last less than a year. But car manufacturers claim 10 or more years of dependable service life from their batteries. What makes an automotive lithium-ion battery more durable and longer lasting than its counterparts in use in other devices? The real difference does not lie in battery...
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Nissan To Unveil Three EVs Next Month, One a Compact SUV Another a Competitor to the i-MiEVOn August 2nd, Nissan is expected to unveil three new electric cars. Out of the group of three, one is expected to be a compact SUV EV, slightly smaller in size than the companies Rogue SUV. The unveiling is highly anticipated as the other two vehicles will likely include a competitor to the...
Eric Loveday -
Guess Who's Building a Hybrid Motor-HomeIf you had to guess which manufacturer was putting components of their electric powertrain into creating a hybrid-powered motor-home, chances are, you wouldn’t say Shelby SuperCars. But in an agreement formalized July 24th between SSC and Jones & Son Chassis, that’s exactly what they plan...
Jennifer Knightstep -
Toyota Claims it Has No Plans For EVs Anytime SoonToyota has stuck to their game plan of introducing some of the best hybrid vehicles in the world. Their Prius has topped hybrid sales charts for years now and they have consistently come out with new hybrids and improved upon existing models. They have also shown little to no interest in EVs...
Eric Loveday -
CARS Guidelines Finalized Program Starts July 27th, Previously Called Cash For ClunkersThe NHTSA announced the final guidelines of the CARS program. For months now, this program has been commonly referred to as the Cash For Clunkers program, but now after finalization it is officially called CARS short for Car Allowance Rebate System. The document containing all of the information...
Eric Loveday -
EEStor Founder Dick Weir Confirms ESUs Presently Being Built, and Once Delivered to ZENN by the Fourth Quarter,EEStor Inc is a Texas based startup that has been working in stealth mode for years to develop a disruptive breakthrough battery technology which would be extremely useful in electric cars. The material they use is called Barium Titanate (composition modified) and has already been demonstrated to...
Lyle Dennis