October 3rd, 2008 by
Filed under: Transportation
We’ve been hearing about vehicle-to-grid (V2G) for quite a while, and now a team at the University of Michigan is conducting an extensive study on the technology as part of a national sustainable energy solution. While current electric plants are good at generating power, they often fall short when it comes to storage — which can be a problem when there’s a power surge or when demand increases. V2G will let hybrid-electric owners sell the power their car generates to the electrical power grid whenever the car is not in use. The research team envisions a time when millions of hybrid vehicle owners will come together to create one large battery, allowing us all to play a small part in building our nation’s energy independence. And sure, this all sounds good in theory. But wouldn’t that mean relying on the neighbors to provide a key piece of the nation’s infrastructure? Have you met the neighbors? Doesn’t that seem a little… iffy?
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Posted in hybrid, electric car, ElectricCar, university of michigan, UniversityOfMichigan, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, hybrid cars, HybridCars, PlugInHybrid, Jeff Stein, JeffStein, v2g, vehicle to grid, VehicleToGrid | No Comments »
September 8th, 2008 by
Filed under: Transportation
It’s official public debut may still only be coming next week, but it looks like GM has finally decided to give up on the carefully-chosen teaser shots and let the hotly-anticipated Volt out in the open for all the internet to see. No doubt to the dismay of some, the would-be next Prius sure looks a good deal different than the far more angular prototype we’ve all come to know over the past little while, although we can’t say we’re exactly surprised given GM’s mass-market hopes for the car. Still, it is quite the milestone for the auto industry, and hopefully only the start of things to come. Be sure to hit up Autoblog for a gallery full of more pics of your favorite GM execs — and the Volt, too.
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Posted in hybrid, gm, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, chevy, volt | No Comments »
August 31st, 2008 by
Filed under: Transportation
Toyota hasn’t made a huge secret of its plans to develop and sell a plug-in version of the Prius, and it the wheels are turning a little faster than we’ve heard — fleet testing of plug-in models has been pushed up to early 2009, with the goal of having “several hundred” on the road by the end of the year. Still no timetable for actual retail sales, so you’ll have to be a wheelman for a government or commercial fleet to get your hands on one — good thing all those modders have the rest of us covered.
[Via Autoblog Green]
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Posted in toyota, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, Prius, hybrid vehicles, HybridVehicles, plug in hybrid, plug in prius, plug-in prius, Plug-inPrius, PlugInHybrid, PlugInPrius | No Comments »
July 22nd, 2008 by
Filed under: Transportation
General Motors has already gotten a bit of cash from the US Department of Energy to further the development of plug-in hybrids, and it now looks like it’s taking things one step further on another initiative, with it teaming up with the Electric Power Research Institute and 30 utilities in 37 states to produce a charging infrastructure for electric cars. Among other things, they’ll be working to develop an affordable, reliable electricity source that’s weather-proof and child-proof, which they say could be installed in places like public garages, curbside meters, or workplace parking lots. The utility companies, in particular, will also apparently be working to ensure that the grid doesn’t get overwhelmed during peak hours. All that, GM says, will be done by 2010, which just happens to coincide with the launch of its much-touted Volt hybrid.
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Posted in electric car, ElectricCar, gm, electric vehicle, ElectricVehicle, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, volt | No Comments »
July 8th, 2008 by
Filed under: Transportation
As the big auto manufacturers scramble to come up with fuel-efficient alternatives for us gas addicts, smaller companies are swooping in with both concepts and production models. In the latter category, we have Mindset AG with the solar electric Six50 concept you see here. The 2+2 seater is designed to weigh just 1,764 pounds and measures about 13 feet long with a slab of solar panels over its haunches. Designer Mura Güntak expects the Six50 to run just about 62 miles per charge (although an optional generator can be added to extend this), do 0-60 in 7 seconds, and plans to roll out 10,000 of these bad boys by 2009 at the cost of $78,000 each.
[Via Inhabitat]
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Posted in plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, hybrid car, HybridCar, PlugIn, hybrid cars, HybridCars, mindset, mindset six50, MindsetSix50 | No Comments »
June 27th, 2008 by
Filed under: Transportation
You know how we love plug-in hybrids around these parts, particularly if they’re actually going to get built — crazy, we know. Now it looks like Volkswagen is going to get into the game, with a “Twin Drive” Golf powered by a 122 horsepower diesel engine and 82 horsies of electric motor. The car should debut around 2010, and VW plans on spending $769 million on the project, helped along by a $23.5 million program put in place by the German government to help along such development. The car, which uses the electric motor for primary power, supplemented by the diesel motor and regenerative braking for extra juice, should be able to squeeze about 31 miles out of its Sanyo-developed lithium-ion batteries in all-electric mode.
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Posted in Diesel, hybrid, golf, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, volkswagen | No Comments »
June 13th, 2008 by
Filed under: Transportation
While some automakers are already promising to have plug-in hybrids on the road by 2010, the US Department of Energy is now pouring some cash into a slightly less ambitious joint effort with Ford, General Motors, and General Electric, which would see plug-ins capable of driving 40 miles on a single charge roll out by 2014. Under the new effort, General Motors will be tasked with improving lithium-Ion battery packs and charging systems, and integrating them into its own research with a test fleet by 2011, while Ford will be aiming to speed up the mass-production of plug-in hybrids, as well as improve its batteries and build prototype vehicles. Rounding things out, General Electric will be partnering with Chrysler to develop a dual-battery system, which promises to let vehicles travel 40 miles on a charge. All of that is still subject to appropriations by Congress, however, and the aforementioned companies would obviously be pouring in a good chunk of change themselves, as a mere $30 million isn’t exactly quite enough to shake up the auto sector these days.
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Posted in ford, general motors, GeneralMotors, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, department of energy, DepartmentOfEnergy, general electric, GeneralElectric | No Comments »
June 11th, 2008 by
Filed under: Transportation
Toyota continues to lead the silent race to efficient cars with plans to introduce a plug-in hybrid in 2010 that will use lithium-ion batteries. Meanwhile, Toyota has been working with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co to develop batteries that will outperform lithium-ion batteries for its plans to introduce hybrid versions of every single car in its lineup between 2020 and 2029. If that seems too far away, the next generation Prius, due next year, will use NiMH batteries. Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe told reporters in Tokyo that it’s time to move past oil and get serious about electric power. “Our view is that oil production will peak in the near future. We need to develop power train(s) for alternative energy sources.”
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Posted in toyota, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, fuel economy, FuelEconomy, nimh, plug-in-hybrid, plug-in-hybrids | No Comments »
April 24th, 2008 by
Filed under: Transportation
We’re surprised this hasn’t been though up before, which means it probably isn’t as simple as it sounds. MIRA’s got a new plug-in hybrid in the works that skips the whole plug aspect. Instead of plugging the whole car into an outlet, you can pull out any of the three battery packs in the trunk and hook ‘em into the wall. That means the car doesn’t have to have direct access to a plug to be able to juice up, you just take the batteries to where the power’s at and commence charging. They’re calling the system H4V, and are powering the unit on lithium ion phosphate batteries. MIRA expects the retrofit to an existing car to cost about £2000 (around $3950 US).
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Posted in hybrid, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, h4v | No Comments »
March 14th, 2008 by
Filed under: Transportation
We were totally digging Volvo’s ReCharge plug-in hybrid concept when they were showing it off last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but unfortunately it wasn’t much more than a cutaway demonstration model at that point. Lucky for us, Volvo decided to take it legit, and built a full-on working concept model of the Volvo C30-based car. The company is teamed up with Saab in a five-year plan to develop plug-in hybrids, and they’re currently planning a fleet of 10 cars to be tested in Sweden. Volvo plans to announce a hybrid version of one or more existing models within the next five years, but they’re certainly playing it safe — though the lithium-polymer batteries and in-wheel electric motors might prove them otherwise.
[Via Crave]
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Posted in recharge, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, concept car, ConceptCar, volvo, hybird | No Comments »
January 14th, 2008 by
Filed under: Transportation
Just as Toyota saw fit to pimp its own forthcoming plug-in hybrid, General Motors is hitting back with “hopes” to produce a similarly equipped Saturn Vue Green Line in 2010 as well. We know, GM doesn’t have the greatest track record when it comes to delivering on time, but you say what you have to in order to keep up, right? Nevertheless, this vehicle is slated to house a “modified version of GM’s two-mode hybrid system and plug-in technology” along with an obligatory Li-ion, and current testing has shown it able to traverse ten miles at “low speeds” when running on battery power alone. It’s also stated that the SUV can be fully recharged in just under five hours, but alas, GM isn’t opening its mouth even a little to address pricing expectations. Hit the read link for a gallery of photos — who knows when you’ll see it in the flesh.
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Posted in hybrid, general motors, GeneralMotors, gm, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, plug-in, vehicle, automobile, saturn, vue green, VueGreen | No Comments »
December 5th, 2007 by
Filed under: Transportation
Sure, plug-in hybrid tech has been around for a while, but no major manufacturer has stepped up and actually delivered on all the concepts and vague plans we’ve seen so far — until yesterday, when Ford delivered the first of 20 plug-in hybrid Escapes to Southern California Edison to begin testing. The handoff, which happened with great fanfare at the EVS23 conference, is the start of a two-year pilot program between Ford and Edison that will eventually have consumers testing the vehicles. For now, the first off the line is being dubbed a “research vehicle,” and features a 30-mile electric-only range on a full battery charge. When the battery is depleted, the system switches over to a traditional gas / electric hybrid scheme, which, under ideal conditions, can apparently achieve up to 120mpg. There’s a full gallery of the unveiling and the interior over at AutoBlog Green, hit the read link for some eco-friendly love.
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Posted in ford, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid, escape, phev, southern california edison, SouthernCaliforniaEdison | No Comments »
October 10th, 2007 by
Filed under: Transportation
Aptera certainly managed managed to attract a fair bit of attention for itself earlier this year, when its concept car turned as many heads for its space age looks as it did for its promised 200 MPG range. Now the company looks to be taking the next step on the long road to availability, with it accepting pre-orders for the car, which apparently now boasts a range of 300 MPG in typical driving conditions. What’s more, the company says its also readying an all-electric version of the vehicle in addition to the plug-in hybrid model, with promising to last for around 120 miles before needing a recharge. Both models will also apparently come packed with features, include driver and passenger side airbags, interior and exterior LED lighting, a “solar assisted” climate control system, and an “advanced drive computer” that includes GPS, a rear-view camera, and a complete vehicle diagnostic system. All that apparently comes at a bit of a premium over the initially-estimated $20,000 price, however, with the electric and plug-in hybrid models now set to run $26,900 and $29,900, respectively. If that’s still in your ballpark, you can reserve yours now for a mere $500, with the first vehicles promised to be in drivers hands in 12 months or so.
[Via Digg]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Posted in electric car, ElectricCar, aptera, electric vehicle, ElectricVehicle, plug-in hybrid, Plug-inHybrid | No Comments »
