Eric Loveday, Author
Articles
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The world debut of the highly efficient Volvo Hybrid Double Decker bus took place in London yesterday. In total, 6 such buses recently took to the roads in London and will service passengers along...
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2010 Toyota Prius Available For Immediate Delivery in U.S., 8 Month Waiting List in JapanAn email went out from a local Toyota dealership stating that several of the new 2010 Toyota Priuses are coming in soon and are available for immediate delivery, no waiting list, no deposit, they are there for the taking. 6 Priuses are coming in calling my name. In fact, this dealership...
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Dutch Company Uses Old American Company Name to Entice BuyersMore than 70 years ago, during the first electric car boom in the U.S., a well known company emerged from the city of Detroit. The company, called Detroit Electric went out of business near the onset of the Great Depression, but their name live on today. The name, now owned by a Dutch company has...
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Tesla Sticking With Laptop Battery Cells For NowLarge format battery cells will slowly gain a foothold on the automotive EV market in the coming years. Companies such as LG Chem, A123 Systems, and EnerDel have been hard at work developing the large format automotive specific batteries, but Tesla still insists that the laptop format, as used in...
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First US Built All Electric Truck Sold to City of Santa MonicaThe city of Santa Monica has purchased the first 2009 model all electric truck built in the United States. Named the ZeroTruck, its the only electric truck in production in the U.S. in 2009. The truck will see use by city workers and is thus equipped for duty with a Scelzi utility body. The...
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Toyota's Hybrid Patents May Hamper CompetitorsA decade ago when Toyota introduced its first hybrid Prius, buyers were not too accepting of the funky looking vehicle. It slowly won over the hearts of environmentally conscious buyers, but took years to gain widespread acceptance. Toyota was alright with that, they saw a bright future ahead...
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The city of Hillsboro, Oregon recently signed onto a deal to install 16 ChargePoint charging stations made by Coulomb Technologies.
Hillsboro is the 5th largest city in Oregon, but will become the...
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Hybrid Buick LaCrosse ExpectedThe redesigned 2010 Buick LaCrosse will add a fuel efficient 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder engine to the lineup. But of even more interest, according to GM execs, a hybrid model is also expected in the near future. GM's global vehicle line executive James Frederico appears to confirm this but did not...
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Obama Says US is Making Enormous Progress on Climate ChangeAccording to Reuters, President Obama made a statement just over a week ago declaring that the U.S. has made "enormous progress" on climate change. With a climate change bill going through congress right now, tied in with the Cash for Clunkers program and numerous other programs, the president...
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Mitsubishi Encourages EV Chargers Throughout Japan Parking Lots and Public SpacesMitsubishi is planning to begin collaboration with local governments and businesses throughout Japan in order to establish a widespread charging network in public areas. The goal for the company is to provide ample charging locations for its i-MiEV electric car before it goes into mass production...
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French Research Organization IFP Says EVs Not Ready Yet, Still Too CostlyRecently we brought you an article from the French research group IFP in which they point out that plug-in hybrids make economic sense for buyers, but what about full electric vehicles? Well, IFP has done the research on that too and the results are not as promising. According to Philippe...
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Widespread Adoption of EVs Would Lead to Negative Impact on Environment Due To Dependency on CoalWhat is the environmental impact of widespread use of EVs? Well that all depends on where you live. For example, an EV driven in France emits only 15 g/km of CO2, but the same vehicle driven in India would emit a staggering 160 g/km of CO2. Why such a difference? France provides most of their...
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The International Electrotechnical Commission, abbreviated as the IEC, is working hard to establish a standard for the smart electrical grid with the capability of communicating with other vehicles.
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BMW Receives Criticism Over Exploiting CARB Loophole by Leasing Mini-E PrototypesBMW recently began leasing the electric MINI to consumers in select areas of the US. The program entailed an application period of nearly 8 months and a detailed selection process that lands the electric car in the hands of a few select individuals. At nearly $850 a month, it's far from cheap. But...
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IEC Trying To Standardize EV and Plug-in Charging CablesOver in Europe, utility companies, automakers, and countless others are working diligently to come up with a global standard for EV charging plugs. The discussions have been ongoing for nearly a decade now, but a final decision is expected within the next year. Automakers, charging system...
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French Research Organization IFP Says Plug-In Hybrids Make Economic Sense Right NowAccording to the French research organization IFP, making lithium-ion powered hybrids makes economic sense right now for both the carmaker and the buyer. The research company came to this conclusion after extensively researching a true cost of ownership over the lifetime of a vehicle. Their...
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Ford Expects 10 to 25 Percent of its Fleet to be Electric by 2020The future of plug-in electric cars boils down to their adoption by drivers. As we have reported, car buyers are leery about EVs and concerned about charging their vehicles in public areas. A public charging infrastructure is virtually non-existent in the U.S. at this point. Automakers are...
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Tesla CEO Musk is at it Again, Now Taking Shots at GM, Ford, Chrysler, and UnionsTesla CEO Elon Musk is at it again, causing yet another stir with some comments he recently made. This time the focus in on the fall of GM and Chrysler, and you can throw Ford in the mix too. According to Musk, "Great companies are built on great products, when those products take a turn for the...
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As automotive manufacturing continues to move from the Motor City to California, another company has joined in and now calls Orange County their home.
AVL, and Austrian company specializing in...
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Video: Tesla Model S Electric Car
The Tesla Model S is not in production yet, but this new YouTube video shows a car that certainly looks ready to go. Showcasing the interior space and the striking beauty of the vehicle, the video shows all aspects of the sleek all-electric sedan. Though much of the information in the video...
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Mercedes Hybrid Bus Combines Fuel Cell and Diesel Electric TechnologyThe Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCell Hybrid city bus was presented by Daimler at a conference of public transport authorities recently in Vienna. The bus is unique in that it employs Daimler's hydrogen powered fuel cell along with their diesel electric hybrid powertrain called Citaro G Blue Tec...
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XR3 Motors 3 Wheel Trike Delivers 225 mpg, May Go Into Production SoonXR3 Motors believes that their three wheeled trike that achieves a claimed 225 mpg could be headed to production soon. XR3 Motors, led by alternative vehicle veteran of 30 years Robert Q. Riley, has created the XR3, a plug-in hybrid that combines low weight with a diesel engine and a lithium-ion...
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Madison Gas and Electric Purchases Six Coulomb Charging Stations For Chicago Area
Madison Gas and Electric has purchased six Couloumb ChargePoint charging stations from Carbon Day Automotive for us in the Chicago area. The chargers will be available for use by drivers of electric and plug-in vehicles. The project will provide energy and in return, all vehicles charged through...
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Elon Musk Says Prius Not a True Hybrid: Calls it 2% ElectricElon Musk doesnt pull any punches, and has made many remarks that draw attention, and well he's at it again. He now questions the idea that a Prius is a true hybrid. Musk has snuffed at the high tech Prius in the past, and in most automotive circles, the Prius is synonymous with environmentally...
Eric Loveday