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What if there was a hybrid vehicle technology that could at least double the gas mileage of passenger cars, SUVs and light trucks? What if it could slash emissions by 50 percent or more? And what if it could challenge our usual mileage expectations by offering better fuel consumption in the city than on the highway? Even better from an engineering and manufacturing standpoint, what if this hybrid technology didn’t rely on expensive, heavy, bulky battery technologies that aren’t really ready for prime time and instead used a time-tested energy storage method? Well, there is just such a hybrid-vehicle technology,...

Font Size: Decrease Increase Print Page: Print Ewin Hannan | August 26, 2008 AUSTRALIA has no ability to environmentally dispose of the batteries from the Toyota Camry hybrids whose production has been championed by Kevin Rudd. Labor in Victoria, where the cars will be built, has conceded a "current hole" in the nation's recycling policies means there is no capacity to environmentally dispose of the nickel-metal hydride car batteries from the 10,000 hybrid cars to be produced by Toyota every year from the start of 2010. Victorian Environment Minister Gavin Jennings appeared to concede that the hybrid Camry batteries, which...

Electric and hybrid vehicles may be good for the environment, but a California lawmaker says they're bad news for the blind. State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, is pushing a bill aimed at ensuring that the vehicles make enough noise to be heard by the blind and visually impaired when they're about to cross a street. The state Senate approved the bill Tuesday on a 23-12 vote and sent it to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has not taken a position. It would establish a committee to study the issue and recommend ways the vehicles could make more noise....

The Hybrid vehicle: The diet cola of saving the world. So I drive a H3. Yes, I know I’m an evil, evil man who should be shunned (and if some had their way, stoned or attacked with organically feed dogs). As the price of gas increases so do the unabashed looks of disgust and sneers. Little do most know that my H3 get’s (and yes I checked it) 17 in city/hwy driving and 20 on the highway (at 65-70 mph), but I digress, this isn’t about the maligned Hummer. Now I have absolutely no problem with people wanting to conserve...

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) will switch gears and produce the Prius hybrid instead of the less fuel-efficient Highlander sport utility vehicle at its planned Mississippi factory, the Nikkei business daily reported on Thursday. The world's biggest automaker is also likely to suspend production at one of two assembly lines at its Indiana factory, where it builds the Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV, by year-end for at least six months, the paper said. Citing company sources, it said the move was in response to falling demand for those models and would amount to a production cut of 50,000...

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp is rushing to finish the production version of its Chevy Volt and plans to unveil a showroom-ready model of the heavily touted electric car in September, people familiar with the project say.

Top-end versions of the Toyota Prius hybrid are set to receive rooftop solar panels. News agency Reuters reports that the Japanese giant intends to install solar cells in order to power the air conditioning unit. Silicon prices are currently rising, pushing up the cost of solar panels. At this stage, it is unclear how much the solar-panelled versions would cost. The third generation of Toyota Prius with a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain is due to reach the market in 2009. Over 1 million Prius cars have been sold, with the strong demand for 'green' vehicles accelerating thanks to high oil...

Toyota to Add Solar Panels to Some Prius Hybrids Reuters TOKYO Toyota Motor Corp plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids in its next remodeling, responding to growing demand for "green" cars amid record-high oil prices, a source briefed on the matter said on Monday. The panels, supplied by Kyocera Corp would be able to power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the gasoline-electric Prius, the source said. "It's more of a symbolic gesture," said the source, who asked not to be identified. "It's very difficult to power much more than that with solar energy." Toyota...

BERLIN (AFP) - Sports car manufacturer Ferrari intends to cut its vehicles' greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half and is working on developing hybrid vehicles, the company president said Saturday. < > But he insisted that any future hybrid Ferrari would still be "fundamentally a Ferrari." < >

As U.S. gasoline prices hover above $4 per gallon and automakers race to make plug-in hybrids available in 2010, it’s no wonder that green-car enthusiasts have turned to after-market kits to convert their hybrids into plug-ins sooner. The kits include additional batteries and plugs that allow drivers to replace some fuel with electricity from a standard wall outlet, getting more than 100 miles per gallon. It’s an alluring proposition. But the road to plug-in hybrids hasn’t been easy, and now conversion companies may have run into another bump. Hybrids Plus this week said a converted Toyota Prius had caught fire,...

Purchasers of hybrid vehicles, which are subsidized by the federal government and championed by environmental activists as a way to reduce gasoline consumption, are trading in their vehicles because of health fears concerning electromagnetic fields created by the hybrid batteries, says John Dale Dunn, a policy advisor for the American Council on Science and Health. As noted in an April 27 article in the New York Times: Some hybrid vehicle owners are complaining of a variety of health problems allegedly caused by strong electromagnetic currents from the cars' batteries. Reported ailments and concerns include rising blood pressure, drowsiness behind the...

A great many confuse hybrid cars with electric cars plugged in to the wall. Hybrids are a completely different animal. Confusing hybrids with electric cars, many raise objections that apply only to electric cars. Hybrids do not use any electricity from the power grid. They run exclusively on gasoline. Many people apparently think that “hybrid” means that a hybrid car is simultaneously a purely electric car and also a traditional car, requiring all the mechanisms of both. Comments reflect the incorrect idea that a hybrid switches between running like a normal car to running like an electric. Comments then suggest...

With gas at $4 a gallon, there's a lot of pain at the pumps. And a lot of people looking to trade in their gas-guzzling SUV for a fuel efficient hybrid. No wonder automakers report that sales of these vehicles are in freefall. GM just shuttered four plants that make them. But even in this economy, trading in your SUV for a hybrid may not make the best financial sense. You may be better off keeping the vehicle, taking the pain – and just driving less. Or looking for a cheaper alternative car. Look at the numbers. A Toyota Prius...

WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) - General Motors Corp said on Tuesday its all-electric Chevrolet Volt was on track for a launch in 2010 after the company's board approved funding for production of the high-profile plug-in vehicle. ...Unlike gas-electric hybrids such as the Prius, which run on a system that twins battery power and a combustion engine, the Volt will be powered entirely by an electric motor and have a battery that can be charged through an ordinary power socket. The Volt's on-board engine will be used only to power the battery on longer trips, GM has said. GM is designing the...

Just in case you needed another reason to care about the environment: It turns out girls dig guys who dig environmental technology. According to a study conducted by GM as part of this year's Challenge X competition: * Nearly 9 in 10 women (88 percent) say they'd rather chat up someone who owns the latest fuel-efficient car versus the latest sports car. * Eighty percent of American car buyers would find someone with the latest fuel-efficient car more interesting to talk to at a party than someone with the latest sports car. * More than 4 out of 10 (45...

(Demand picking up as price of gas soars and economic incentive rises) How's this for oil-shock value: Scott Olson of Brookfield went to his car dealership to get the oil changed on his sport utility vehicle and drove home in a new SUV that gets nearly twice the gas mileage. "I was filling it up every five days," he said of his old Ford Escape. "Now I'm only filling it up every eight or nine days." Olson, 43, now the proud owner of a blue Mercury Mariner hybrid SUV that gets nearly 40 mpg in city driving, is part of...

TOKYO - Toyota is building a $192 million plant in Japan to produce batteries for gas-electric hybrid vehicles, as it seeks to keep its lead in an intensifying race for green cars among the world's automakers. Toyota's joint venture with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which makes Panasonic brand products, is building the plant in Shizuoka prefecture, in central Japan, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said Friday. He declined to give more details. The plant will produce nickel-metal hydride batteries, now in the company's hit Prius hybrid. The Nikkei, Japan's top business daily, reported Friday that Toyota was building another plant in...

The Times of London May 19, 2008 MPs back creation of human-animal embryos The amendment to ban all admixed embryos was defeated by 336 votes to 176. The prohibition on true hybrids was defeated by 286 votes to 223 Mark Henderson and Francis Elliott British scientists will be allowed to research devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s using human-animal embryos, after the House of Commons tonight rejected a ban. An amendment to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill that would have outlawed the creation of “human admixed embryos” for medical research was defeated in a free vote by a...

Duke Energy and smart grid company GridPoint said on Thursday that they have found a way for people to charge plug-in hybrid cars in a way that won't bring the power grid to its knees. "If suddenly you have 20,000 or 30,000 rechargeable cars--with maybe 50,000 in a few years--plugging into the grid at night, utilities have to react to that or you'll have serious problems," Lewis said in an October interview. "You see plug-in hybrids becoming a big issue; it's a tidal wave coming at utilities."

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California regulators have drastically cut the number of zero-emission vehicles required to be sold in the state by 2014, a decision that frustrated environmentalists but came as a relief to auto manufacturers. The rules adopted Thursday put the number of electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles that automakers sell in California by 2014 at 7,500 — a 70 percent reduction from the 2003 target.(snip) Auto manufacturers said they could not meet the California standard and needed more time to make affordable hydrogen and battery-powered cars.(snip) The decision is expected to affect 12 other states that had adopted California's...

Not making a hybrid car like the Prius was a "mistake," outspoken General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz told a room of Chevy Volt "fan boys" at the New York Auto Show this week. "We had the technology to come out with a hybrid at the same time as Toyota," Lutz said Tuesday. "In hindsight, it was a mistake. ... We made the mistake and we won't make it again." "I think the whole company has learned when you step out and do bold things, you win and when you're cautious and let other people do the bold things, you...

If the public ever stopped to think for themselves, the 'eco-friendly' hybrid would be banned from our highways. They are not 'green.' They are, in fact, blacker than Hitler's bastard heart. Do any of these bunny-hugging, sign-waving morons stop to think about what it takes to make just one of those big-assed batteries? Come to think of it, do any of these idiots stop to think about what it takes to recycle one- which is necessary every five years!? Of course not. And you can bet your sweet ass that none of the proponents of these toxic deathtraps is about...

Mahindra, the Indian automaker, is planning to introduce a 2.2-liter 4 cylinder diesel pickup in the USA in the summer of 2009. The engine numbers are not yet final but it is expected to produce 150 horsepower and 300 foot pounds of torque for 28 to 35 miles per gallon plus it will have a standard six-speed automatic transmission, a floor mounted console shifter, and steering wheel mounted paddles to manually shift the gearbox. It will be available in 2 and 4 wheel drive versions, plus have a U.S. exclusive interior that’s been designed to American tastes (and sizes)...

The Golf TDI Hybrid concept (earlier post) introduced by Volkswagen at the Geneva Motor Show combines an advanced diesel engine with an electric motor and the latest generation of VW’s seven-speed DSG gearbox. The hybrid concept vehicle is capable of achieving 3.4 L/100km (69 mpg US) of fuel consumption. At the core of the new Golf TDI Hybrid is a 1.2-liter three-cylinder common rail TDI diesel engine developing 55 kW (74 hp) and 179 Nm (132 lb-ft) of torque. Working either in tandem with the diesel engine or, if required, on its own in all-electric mode, is an electric...

Emergency Responders At Risk. hybrids may also hold a hidden danger if they are involved in a serious accident... a risk of electrocution. "If you don't know what you're doing you can be hurt seriously, if not killed by the voltage," said hybrid-certified mechanic Kevin Klein."There's 330 volts of electricity running through the lines," ... It only takes 50 to 100 volts to kill a person. "My coworkers know when I set these up, nobody's allowed in here but me," said Klein as he set up orange cones around his work area. "We have to wear face protection in case...

The Best Global Warming Videos on the Internet Some people have asked me for copies of, or links to videos that provide an alternative view to Gore’s “consensus” on anthropogenic (i.e., man caused) global warming (AGW). A few of these videos have been broadcast in the United States (e.g., Glenn Beck, John Stossel), but most have not and probably will not be seen. Fortunately, we have the Internet to make these available. Part I: Documentaries is available herePart II: Lectures is available herePart III: Debates is available here Part IV: Short Videos is available here Part V: Humor Penn &...

DETROIT - General Motors Corp. will introduce a new hybrid full-size pickup and a concept hybrid truck this week at the Chicago Auto Show, betting that pickup drivers have been itching to jump on the hybrid bandwagon. GM says the 2009 GMC Sierra hybrid gets a 25 percent improvement in fuel economy without compromising performance, while its GMC Denali XT concept — a low-slung, muscular utility vehicle — gets 50 percent better fuel economy than a comparable small pickup. The Sierra is the next large GM vehicle to get the company's new two-mode hybrid system, which has also been introduced...

If you haven't done so already, meet the Nano, possibly the most significant new car of the decade. Small, cute, and snub-nosed, it fits four people and a duffel bag, has a single windshield wiper, travels at 60 mph, and it's all yours for the princely sum of $2,500, roughly the same price as the DVD system in your neighbor's Lexus and about half the price of the cheapest cars on the market today. Even better, at least for the philosophically minded, the Nano comes with its own moral conundrum: What happens when the laudable, currently fashionable movement to improve...

DETROIT -- BYD Auto Co., a Chinese upstart auto maker with only five years of experience in auto manufacturing, wants to start selling cars in the U.S. auto market in a couple of years, but it plans to do so not just with gasoline-powered vehicles but more environmentally friendly electric vehicles, a senior company manager told The Wall Street Journal here this week. Paul Lin, auto export manager of BYD Auto, admitted the company anticipates a rough time in making inroads into the U.S. market. While the company already sells cars in China and other developing countries, it recognizes meeting...

The Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is as provocative and political a vehicle as you'll see this year. Why, it's practically a polemic. And those are just the "P's." By way of a fantastic exertion of technology and human capital -- which I hereby honor and praise even as I question them as misallocated -- GM has managed to give one of its behemoth SUVs marginally better fuel economy. Here are the relevant data points: The two-mode hybrid Tahoe returns an EPA estimated fuel economy of 21 miles per gallon in the city, 22 mpg highway; the 4x4 version gets an even...

Russia's Sevmash shipyard at the Arctic city of Severodvinsk has completed a hybrid submarine powered by a diesel-electric plant and a small nuclear reactor. Designated B-90 and named Sarov, the submarine was completed on 17 December. a "teakettle" -- to keep a charge on the battery, providing essentially unlimited underwater endurance on relatively quiet electric propulsion. In effect, this is an Air-Indpendent Propulsion (AIP) system. There is no available information on the size of the B-90 program... Today several navies are operating AIP submarines, with the U.S. Navy having "borrowed" the Swedish AIP submarine Gotland in 2005-2007 to serve as...

Japanese-built Prius carries energy bill18 minutes ago WASHINGTON - When Congress sent an energy bill to President Bush for his signature, it arrived in a Japanese-built Toyota Prius hybrid — a move that rubbed two Michigan Republicans the wrong way. "It is a huge slap in the face, calculated I believe, just to demonstrate their complete disregard for the domestic auto industry," said Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich. To Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., it was a "slap in the face of every American auto worker." They said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., could have provided the same symbolism by sending the...

I am always impressed by the insight provided by members of Freerepublic. With respect to the new Fuel standards imposed by the recent Energy Bill, some serious advances appear on the horizon with this two mode hybrid technology. Some of the claims include improving the Yukon from 12 to 25 mpg. Any comments....? http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/05/01/abg-first-impressions-two-mode-hybrid-chevy-tahoe-and-gmc-yukon/

Being broke need not mean social death in Sweden - as long as you are well-educated. But for Americans and Russians having a good all-round education is no substitute for having cash, according to a new survey on status symbols in the three countries. The international survey by analysts United Minds asked 1,000 people in each country what values confer status. 'Bling' items such as expensive jewellery and designer clothes come well down the list for Swedes, while featuring more highly for Americans and, particularly, Russians. "Sweden is the only country where you can be penniless but well-read and still...

Maybe it needs a longer extension cord. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak made headlines this fall when he converted his city car, a Toyota Prius, to plug-in electric hybrid technology. It's the shape of things to come, he's been saying of his new ride. But he found out this weekend that it's still a work in progress: It ran out of juice, apparently as he was scheduled to help headline a St. Paul fundraiser for former state Sen. Becky Lourey at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center on the West Side.

The last time the three-wheeled Aptera was featured on our site, we promised to keep you abreast of any new information that we found. Thanks to a tip from a reader named Matthew, we are pleased to let you know that Aptera is now accepting orders. Aptera has a Web site here, but there is not a great deal of information or raw-data to be found there. A better source of information is at their MySpace page, which is here. According to this article, Aptera is looking at around 300 miles per gallon along with acceptable performance numbers of about...

Cadillac announced the world premiere of the Escalade Hybrid, the world’s first hybrid applied to a large luxury SUV. Powered by the GM 2-Mode Hybrid system (earlier post), Escalade Hybrid will deliver more than a 50% improvement in fuel economy in city driving. GM’s patented 2-Mode Hybrid system consists of an advanced electrically variable transmission (EVT) and 300-volt nickel-metal hydride Energy Storage System (ESS). These systems work in concert with the standard 6.0L V-8 Gen IV gasoline engine with Active Fuel Management (AFM) and late-intake valve closing (LIVC) technology. AFM enables the V-8 engine to seamlessly shut off half of...

RAND PAPER FINDS DIESEL- AND HYBRID-POWERED VEHICLES CAN PROVIDE MORE SOCIETAL BENEFITS THAN GAS-POWERED AUTOS Cars and light trucks powered by advanced diesel technology or hybrid technology can provide larger societal benefits than traditional gasoline-powered automobiles, according to a RAND Corporation working paper presented today. The research by RAND, a non-profit research organization, also found that light trucks and cars continuously fueled by a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline – known as E85 – compare unfavorably with the other two alternatives. “Rising oil prices coupled with concerns about global climate change are driving debate about which...

“I’d like to give them a big thanks,” Delany said. “Nobody knew the dangers of these types of vehicles before we had this class.”

General Motors Corp. is struggling to halt declining U.S. sales, but it has a bright spot in the three large crossover vehicles it launched in the past year. The Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook each have three rows of seats and look like big sport-utility vehicles, but they are lighter, have a smoother ride and get better gas mileage than SUVs. Made from many of the same parts, all three are selling briskly and have a GM plant in Lansing, Mich., running at full capacity, a key to profitable auto production. More importantly, the trio is doing something...

The diesel 308 Hybrid HDi. Peugeot will use the Frankfurt Motor Show for the world premiere of its new 308 Hybrid HDi, a diesel hybrid which emits 80g/km of CO2 and reduces fuel consumption by 58% in the NEDC Urban Drive Cycle compared to a standard 308 HDi. The new 308 Hybrid HDi demonstrator represents another step on the path towards the planned commercialization of the technology in 2010. Further evaluation of the original Peugeot 307 Hybrid HDi demonstrator in 2006 (earlier post) has confirmed the choice of a diesel engine, instead of a gasoline engine, as the best...

All right Al Gore III, you're still the tops when it comes to speeding in a Prius - but not by much. Steve Wozniak is right behind you. And when I say speeding, man o' man, do I mean speeding. You probably remember when the son of the former vice president was caught going 105 mph in Southern California last month. Well, a mention of that in a recent Roadshow column led a buddy of Wozniak's to check in, claiming that the co-founder of Apple Computer was ticketed for going 105 mph on Interstate 5 earlier this year. Whoa. Mr....

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. will begin road testing its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid in the spring of next year and remains on track to produce the rechargeable car by late 2010, a senior executive said on Thursday. As the race to bring a mass-market, rechargeable electric vehicle to the market heats up, GM's global product chief Bob Lutz said he expects to have next-generation lithium-ion battery packs ready for the vehicles by October this year. "We should have the battery packs by October," he said, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an industry conference. "We'll...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Toyota Prius remained America's most popular gasoline/electric vehicle even as sales of hybrids rose 35 percent in the first quarter of 2007 compared to last year, according to a new report from J.D. Power and Associates. Sales of diesel-powered vehicles, already a larger portion of the market than hybrids, are expected to grow even faster. A total of 187,000 hybrid vehicles were sold in the United States in the first six months of 2007, according to J.D. Power. Sales of hybrid vehicles are expected to decline slightly in the second half of the year but,...

The Roman Catholic Church has called for women to be allowed to give birth to human-animal hybrids created in the laboratory. Embryos injected with animal cells, or chimeras, should be treated as human beings where they have a preponderance of human genes, the bishops say in a sumbission to a Government committee. And there should be no ban on implanting such hybrid embryos in the womb of the woman who supplied the original egg, they say in their submission on the Draft Tissue and Embryos Bill. “Such a woman is the genetic mother, or partial mother, of the embryo; should...

"Absolutely, they're buying the car for the statement it makes," Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing, told reporters. The firm concluded that more customers pick the Prius because the Prius is identifiably a hybrid. While just 36 percent cited fuel economy for buying a Prius, 57 percent said their main reason was that "it makes a statement about me." In focus groups, many Prius buyers admit expecting acclaim from friends and co-workers for making such a socially responsible, planet-saving purchase. But the satisfaction of some eco-drivers risks swelling to self-righteousness -- like the Prius driver with the bumper sticker: "How...

Rumblings in the automotive world suggest that Honda killing its Accord hybrid may have been just the canary in the over-hyped hybrid coal mine. Honda’s decision raises the question: Are hybrids just a fad -- a short-term solution to a long-term problem? Until now, the big reason why people bought hybrids was the dual promise of frugal fuel consumption and zero emissions — save your money, save the Earth. Trouble is, the media has generated enough hybrid hype that dealers are reluctant to negotiate on the purchase price. Beyond the current get-‘em-while-you-can government rebates, zero per cent financing or cash-back...

July 8, 2007 Tesla Roadster The most fun you can have without fuel Jay Leno People think that if you’re a car enthusiast you have something against electric cars. Not in the least. To me the nice thing about electric vehicles is, if nothing else, they free up the gasoline for our other cars. I think many car enthusiasts see the future as one where they will use some kind of electric car or hydrogen car during the week and will save their sports cars for the weekend, just as you would play golf or football at the weekend. What...

(CBS 5) -- Hybrid cars may not be the wave of the future after all. A new breed of diesel-powered cars could soon give hybrids some competition in the United States, eventually outselling them in just five years, according to one study. A new joint report by UBS Limited and Ricardo Co. found clean-diesel cars, trucks, and SUVs will out-pace hybrids in the next five years. By 2012, diesels will out-pace hybrids by selling 1.5 million vehicles compared to 1.2 hybrids. Dodge, Ford, and General Motors are among the growing group of manufacturers planning to roll out clean-diesel vehicles in...

An article in the Wall Street Journal last week points out what happens when public officials depend upon the continued bad behavior of Americans to fund their projects. Under the headline: "Fuel-Efficient Cars Dent States' Road Budgets," reporter Robert Guy Matthews writes that drivers, answering the call to conserve energy, are driving cars which use less gas. Less gas used means less gas purchased. Less gas purchased means fewer tax dollars collected. Way fewer. According to Matthews: The Federal Highway Administration estimates that by 2009 the tax receipts that make up most of the federal highway trust fund will be...