Hybrids
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It may not be fast and it may not even be pretty, but the Urbee car is important for other reasons. The potential for 166 mpg is clearly a number to raise eyebrows. Using a combination of electric motors and a small, single cylinder, 8 horsepower engine running on ethanol, high economy was never going to be a problem. The aerodynamic, low profile shape and narrow wheels see to that. At between 60 and 70 mph flat out it certainly isn't quick but an electric motor and batteries that take their energy from solar panels mean that it's quite green. The most unique aspect of the Urbee though is the...
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Ferrari 458 Spider, 2012 Porsche 911, Mazda RX-8 Dies: Today's Car News
Porsche unveils the new 2012 911. [MotorAuthority] Ferrari makes the 458 Spider official, retractable hard-top and all. [MotorAuthority] The rear-wheel drive Subaru version of the Toyota FT-86 will be called BRZ. [MotorAuthority] We drive the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. [GreenCarReports] Jaguar is...
Joel Feder -
Solar Tech Could Be Improved Thanks To 13-Year Old Student
Solar panel technology has, thus far, not been of much use for automobiles. You may be able to specify a small solar panel on the 2011 Nissan Leaf or 2012 Toyota Prius, but it's mainly used to top up the energy needed to power accessories such as your air conditioning or in-car entertainment. As a...
Antony Ingram -
EcoVelocity's Modern Tech Transforms Classics (Virtually...)
We may spend the day writing about modern car technology, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the classic cars that helped form the industry we know today. Some might even suggest "they don't make 'em like they used to", and they'd be right. Unfortunately, they also lack all the safety...
Antony Ingram -
Volvo V60 Gasoline Plug-in Hybrid Confirmed For U.S.
Speaking at a conference in Washington, D.C. today, Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby confirmed the U.S. will receive a plug-in hybrid version of the V60, but it won't be quite the same as the European model. There, they'll get a diesel-hybrid V60. Here, we get gasoline. The diesel V60 plug-in won't be...
Nelson Ireson -
Jeans Staining Your Car Seats? Lexus, Chrysler Fight Stains
You might not think your jeans have the capacity for causing much damage unless you're one of the unlucky souls to have once caught part of their anatomy in the zipper, but they can actually be responsible for undue wear to your car seats. A light-colored leather interior can look absolutely...
Antony Ingram -
Nearly a year ago, buzz about a plug-in hybrid Cadillac SRX stirred the automotive Web, and early this year GM CEO Dan Akerson said a plug-in SRX was "likely." Then this week Cadillac, seemingly out of the blue, reportedly killed the program. Why? According to Nick Saporito at GM Inside News, the answer is efficiency, or rather, a lack of it. The SRX plug-in hybrid was to use a variation on the jointly developed Two Mode hybrid drivetrain, equipped with a lithium ion battery pack in place of the standard nickel metal hydride pack. But the efficiency gains from the battery change weren't as...
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Mazda RX-9 Use Toyota Hybrid Drive?
Rumors and insinuations about Mazda's next-gen rotary-powered sports car have been brewing since somewhere around the midpoint of the RX-8's life cycle. Some of those rumors were quite juicy. This one isn't. Instead, it's dry as cardboard crumbled into a cupful of soygurt. The gist of it: the RX-9...
Nelson Ireson -
Red Bull Racing To Use Nissan Battery Tech In Formula 1 KERS?
The much-publicized deal between Nissan's luxury Infiniti brand and Red Bull Racing's Formula 1 effort has spawned rumors about future products, how the collaboration might impact Infiniti's range. But the speculation hasn't gone in the other direction until now. The latest has Nissan/Infiniti's...
Nelson Ireson -
McCAR With Free Happy Wheels: Geely Car And Scooter Combo
If your idea of a vehicle with another attatched to the back is a Winnebago with a Smart ForTwo strapped behind it, you need to start thinking about downsizing. Chinese automaker Geely (owners of Volvo) has just the combo for you. It's known as the McCAR, and although its appearance might make you...
Antony Ingram -
Honda Dreaming Up New Plans For Hyrbid NSX: Report
The Honda (or Acura) NSX, once hailed as the $40,000 Ferrari of its day, lived a long, if largely changeless life. When it was finally axed in 2005, many were sad to learn of it, but few had their buying plans squished. Now, the NSX may yet return (again), though it will be a very different car...
Nelson Ireson -
Buick Envision Plug-In Hybrid Concept: 2011 Shanghai Auto Show
As the U.S. preps for the 2011 New York Auto Show, the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show is already getting underway. One of the first concepts revealed at the show: the Buick Envision plug-in hybrid crossover concept. Though the press-release doesn't explicitly say the Envision is running on Volt...
Nelson Ireson -
Turning heads and changing minds has not been Buick's strong suit until recently, but with cars like the LaCrosse and Regal on the road, credibility as a legitimate option for those not yet part of the golf-and-managed-care-facility set is growing. The newest concept from the company may push Buick even farther toward the limelight: a plug-in hybrid SUV/crossover called Envision. Today, new images of the concept have leaked onto the Web. The Envision will be shown at the Shanghai Auto Show, which overlaps the New York Auto Show this year--a problem the planners of each show are already...
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Lexus LF-Gh Hybrid Concept Revealed Ahead Of New York Auto Show
The future of design at Lexus is before your eyes. The core concept behind the LF-Gh Hybrid Concept: balancing style and funcitonality, with an eye to performance, efficiency, and "environmental compatibility." These design themes and cues will "migrate" into future Lexus vehicles, says the...
Nelson Ireson -
Range Rover Hybrid Coming In 2013, Plug-In Hybrid Version In 2014
Land Rover is ensuring its range of luxury SUVs has a safe future despite high fuel prices, with the aid of hybrid and more advanced plug-in hybrid technologies. The automaker has already built several electrified prototypes and concept vehicles in the recent past, which we have reported on in...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Lexus LF-Gh Concept Teaser: 2011 New York Auto Show Preview
We called it: the Lexus LF-Gh hybrid is not, in fact, a GX hybrid SUV, as some would have had you believe. It's a look at the future styling direction of a GS-sized hybrid sedan. These are the first teaser images of the car. We may get some more glimpses at the car before its official unveiling...
Nelson Ireson -
Audi Shows Off A5 e-tron quattro Plug-In Hybrid Prototype
Sophisticated hybrid systems that utilize an internal combustion engine to power one axle and an electric motor spinning the opposing one seems to be all the rage these days and could potentially form the next wave of green car technology to sweep the auto industry. By powering two axles instead of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Supercharged Lexus CT 200h By Fox Marketing: 2011 New York Auto Show Preview
Back at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show Lexus unveiled a modified version of its new CT 200h that was prepared by the guys at tuning firm Five Axis. Now, just a few weeks out from the 2011 New York Auto Show, Lexus has announced that another, more highly modified version of the luxury hybrid hatchback...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
As much as Lotus may be straying from the straight and narrow path of simplicity and lightness, the rest of the automotive world may be becoming a little more Lotus-like--or at least a few manufacturers may be. At the Geneva Motor Show this year, Lotus Engineering unveiled the production version of its supercharged range-extender EV powertrain, and interest among OEMs has apparently taken off. The company says there is "significant" interest among automakers for its 1.3-liter, 67-horsepower supercharged range-extender (47 horsepower in naturally aspirated form). The whole package weighs just...
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Spy Shots: 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML-Class
As the world's automakers go back to the drawing board on what they need to compete in today's market, both structurally and in terms of product, parts sharing and efficiency are increasingly becoming key concepts. The next-generation of the Mercedes-Benz ML-Class SUV could embrace both concepts...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: Infiniti, Corvette Go On The Offensive With Ads, But Does It Work?
The long-running ad wars between Audi and BMW are just one example of taking the fight to the competition in the effort to sell more cars, and this week both Corvette and Infiniti have thrown down their gloves at respective rivals. But does this sort of advertising pay off in the end? We're not...
Nelson Ireson -
Lexus LF-Gh Hybrid Concept Coming To New York Auto Show
The Shanghai Auto Show may be stealing much of the hybrid limelight, but Lexus won't be letting the concurrent New York Auto Show go to waste: a new hybrid concept car, the LF-Gh, will be on display. We don't know yet exactly what the LF-Gh might be, however. Some are speculating that it'll be a...
Nelson Ireson -
BMW CEO Reithofer Teases 5-Series New Energy Vehicle For China
Next month's Shanghai Motor Show will host the debut of a new BMW: the 5-Series "New Energy Vehicle," a plug-in hybrid that BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer is "from China for China." Early word of the New Energy Vehicle first emerged from unofficial channels in January, but Reithofer confirmed the car in...
Nelson Ireson -
Is Toyota Planning A Hybrid FT-86?
Rumors are as rumors do, and they're flying as wildly as ever around the Toyota FT-86 after the second version, the uninventively-named FT-86 II, was revealed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show last week. This time, the rumors aren't about delays or cancelation, but about a hybrid powertrain. The rumors...
Nelson Ireson