Hybrids
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General Motors recently gave us a preview of a new plug-in hybrid vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt that the company plans to sell in Europe under its Opel division. The car is the new Opel Ampera and it is set to make its world debut at March’s Geneva Motor Show. GM has now released a short video of Frank Weber, the vehicle line executive for the Volt and Ampera, explaining the technology behind the cars’ E-Flex plug-in hybrid system. This previous official teaser image of the Ampera reveals that the Opel vehicle will be very similar to the Volt plug-in hybrid, with the only...
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PSA Peugeot Citroen planning 2011 launch for first diesel-hybridPSA Peugeot Citroen plans to enter the hybrid market in Europe in coming years with new diesel hybrid technology, but the current economic downturn is starting to take its toll on the French carmaker and could see further development of the efficient powertrains delayed. The technology has already...
Alex Kaufmann -
GM working with U.S. cities to develop plug-in hybrid infrastructureGeneral Motors today outlined a comprehensive plan of action at the Washington Auto Show to help communities get ready for plug-in hybrid vehicles such as its upcoming Chevrolet Volt. The carmaker revealed that it plans to collaborate with communities such as San Francisco and Washington, D.C...
Jeremy Weber -
Full Aptera 2e production specifications revealedIn March of last year, Aptera announced it had done all the development necessary to head to production, and that all it needed was to move into acquiring the right equipment and workforce to do so. Soon after the company revealed that a new infusion of $24 million in cash had been acquired, and...
James Martinez -
More details emerge on Ford’s upcoming electric compactFord confirmed at last month’s Detroit Auto Show that it would launch an all-electric compact car in 2011, co-developed with automotive parts supplier and independent vehicle manufacturer Magna International. Today new details on Ford's efforts to but electric wheels on the ground have...
James Martinez -
Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids averaging 65mpg in initial testingMajor carmakers are rushing to develop a new generation of plug-in hybrid vehicles including industry giants Toyota and GM, which hope to have the technology ready for sale by the end of the decade. GM appears to have the lead at the moment, forming a partnership with LG Chem to develop and...
James Martinez -
Volkswagen, looking to improve the efficiency of its fleets, has released today details about a number of new and upcoming technologies that it has grouped under its BlueMotion environmental tag. These technologies include engine start-stop systems, regenerative braking, electric propulsion, hybrid systems, and dual-fuel powertrains. Most of the technologies have already been launched in several VW BlueMotion models over the past couple of years, but one new area for the German carmaker is the introduction of hybrid vehicles. Using the Touareg as its entry platform for the technology, VW has...
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Britain’s Bee Automobiles reveals plans for BRM 700hp electric race carLate last year Britain’s Bee Automobiles announced plans to revive the BRM brand after 60 years with the launch of a new all-electric race car. The BRM Bee Four was born, a four wheel race car with an electric motor in each wheel hub designed to compete in the Speed Hill Climbing...
Kenneth Hall -
Texas considering $5,000 tax credit for plug-in hybrids on top of federal incentivesWith all the talk of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reconsidering allowing states to implement their own fuel-economy emissions and regulations, and the negative flow on effects this would have on carmakers that would be forced to tailor cars to meet varying standards across the country...
James Martinez -
Ford Fusion Hybrid qualifies for maximum tax credit of $3,400Tax credits designed to give buyers incentives to buy more efficient cars are anything but new - the Toyota Prius has benefited from similar schemes for several years. Now Ford's Fusion Hybrid, as well as the Mercury Milan Hybrid, qualify for the maximum tax credit as well, giving buyers a $3,400...
Ralph Hanson -
Tesla announces Model S Concept, explains price hikes in town hall meetingThe burgeoning electric car field was just hitting its stride when the bottom fell out of the market last year, and the tough position that has left carmakers like Tesla in has forced some changes to be made. But that's not stopping the company from moving ahead with its product development plans...
Ralph Hanson -
Financial crisis hits electric car company Think GlobalThink Global is a Norwegian based manufacturer of electric vehicles and is the same company behind the original ‘Th!nk’ electric car that went on sale in the U.S. during the late 1990s. Back then, Think was owned by Ford, which sold it in 2003 to Swiss company Kamkorp Microelectronics...
Alex Kaufmann -
Early last year Nissan product boss Carlos Tavares revealed that he would like to see Infiniti’s lineup expand to “10 or so” nameplates in the next couple of years, and soon after this speculation about a new Q flagship sedan and super-sports car based on the Nissan GT-R platform quickly emerged. The word on the street however is that Infiniti’s future lineup will include new versions of the M sedan, QX SUV, and a petrol-electric hybrid model. Speaking with Automotive News, John Capps, the chairman of Infiniti’s National Dealer Advisory Board, revealed that he...
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ZAP presents Alias electric three-wheeler to dealersElectric car company ZAP and its Chinese partner Youngman Auto have taken a step closer to getting its Alias electric three-wheeler onto driveways across the country, with the production version of the electric vehicle being displayed to dealers for the first time. The event took place at this past...
Jeremy Weber -
Report: Fiat and Chrysler alliance will see seven new models sold in U.S.The proposed alliance between Chrysler and Fiat Group will reportedly see seven new vehicles introduced to the U.S. market, with most of the cars expected to be produced at idle Chrysler plants across North America. According to sources that have seen the product-sharing agreement, several of the...
Ralph Hanson -
Hybrid sales down nearly 10% in 2008The crumbling U.S. economy and the plummeting price of fuel are two of the major factors behind a sudden drop-off in sales of hybrid vehicles in the U.S. market, and the falling popularity of hybrids has auto industry executives worried once more. Data from 2008 now shows the segment fell 9.9% for...
Jeremy Weber -
Ex-McLaren designer reveals plans for P1-E electric roadsterAlmost a year ago we first reported about a new lightweight British sports car designed by former McLaren Cars employee Jim Dowle. The car was codenamed ‘Project 001’ and it was to be the first development of Dowle’s new engineering outfit, JJAD. Not much has been heard about JJAD...
Alex Kaufmann -
Next hybrid for Mercedes Benz will be a diesel-electric M-ClassMercedes Benz will launch its first ever hybrid model with the introduction of the all-new S400 BlueHYBRID, a petrol-electric hybrid based on the S-Class sedan, later this year. Its next hybrid, however, will reportedly be a more advanced diesel-electric model based on the M-Class SUV. According to...
Jeremy Weber -
Tesla has delivered 150 all-electric Roadsters to its first lucky customers and still has another 400 or so eagerly awaiting their chance to hop behind the wheel of the ground-breaking sports cars. Unfortunately for those waiting individuals, Tesla has decided to increase the price of its Roadster and even those who have already paid deposits of up to $50,000 will have to fork up the extra cash. Citing its own survival as the reason behind the decision, Tesla has bumped prices on all its Roadsters by at least $6,700. The electric car company is essentially charging customers for features that...
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What does the Fiat-Chrysler partnership mean to you?Today’s news of Fiat's decision to acquire up to 35% of Chrysler has taken the automotive world by storm. What might such an alliance portend for Chrysler? What could Fiat possibly derive from the union? And how might you, the car enthusiast, feel about the whole thing? History is always a...
Nelson Ireson -
Honda releases details for European-spec Insight hybridThe production Honda Insight hybrid vehicle made its world debut last week at the Detroit Auto Show but the car on display was the version designed specifically for sale in North America. Honda has now released full details and images for its European-spec Insight hybrid, revealing that its average...
Alex Kaufmann -
Toyota confirms 2012 U.S. launch for electric vehiclesToyota used last week’s Detroit Auto Show to unveil its new FT-EV concept, a compact urban runabout based on the iQ minicar and powered by an all-electric drivetrain. The carmaker also used the Detroit event to announce plans to launch an urban commuter ‘battery-electric vehicle’...
Alex Kaufmann -
GM money woes kill hopes of production ConverjOne of the most exciting cars from last week’s Detroit Auto Show was the Cadillac Converj concept car, which General Motors used to showcase its plug-in hybrid technology in a luxury platform. Despite the concept featuring one of the most striking designs we’ve seen in a while, GM vice...
James Martinez -
Report: Audi working on five new ecological modelsAudi currently has a range of models that carry a lower case ‘e’ as part of their title to denote their fuel-efficiency prowess, but a new report has revealed the carmaker is planning a new family of eco-friendly vehicles, codenamed E1 to E5 and spanning everything from minicars to...
Kenneth Hall