Hybrids

A number of Europe’s major carmakers used this week’s Geneva Motor Show to unveil new concepts combining the frugalness of a compact diesel engine with the fuel-saving capability of a hybrid electric drivetrain. Some of the concepts, such as Volkswagen’s new TDI Hybrid, return...

By now most of us are well aware of the benefits that lithium-ion batteries are purported to bring to hybrids: lighter weight, longer range and better power. We've also heard the downsides of lithium-ion batteries: unexpected fires and explosions, heat, and high costs. Toyota, already slow to join...

Think Global is a Norwegian based manufacturer of electric vehicles and is the company behind the original ‘Th!nk’ electric car that went on sale in the U.S. during the late ‘90s. Back then, Think was owned by Ford, which sold it in 2003 to Swiss company Kamkorp Microelectronics...

General Motors has announced plans for a new hybrid system that’s set to debut in North America in 2010. The new system will feature lithium-ion batteries sourced from Hitachi and will be significantly cheaper than current hybrid systems while also improving fuel economy by up to 20%. Some of...

Virgin Atlantic and GM have announced today a new partnership to launch a hydrogen fuel-cell limo service for international passengers in the Los Angeles area, with plans to launch similar services in other cities in the new future. The vehicles GM has provided are zero-emissions Chevrolet Equinox...

Honda wants to reassert itself as a technology leader and a green company by launching several different hybrid models over the next couple of years and setting itself a goal of selling 400,000 hybrids per year in five years’ time. This would be quite an achievement for Honda, which sold just...

A few days ago, Mitsubishi Motors released a mid-term business plan entitled "Step up 2010", which gave an outline of the carmaker's intended direction from 2008 to 2010. The plan includes details on several new models that Mitsubishi is interested in developing, with a focus on creating 'global...

Updated: Pininfarina has released the final set of images of the upcoming Sintesi concept before its unveiling at Geneva. These newest tidbits highlight the capability of the concept, which Pininfarina is using as a model for cutting edge technology and design. The focus is on designing every...

When Chrysler rolled out its trio of hybrid concepts (ZEO, EcoVoyager, Renegade) at last month’s Detroit Auto Show, no one envisaged it would be a sign the carmaker was serious about offering a full hybrid lineup one day. Latest comments from Chrysler’s new President Jim Press reaffirm...

Despite their position as technology leaders, hybrid cars have spent the last decade in relative torpor. Battery, motor and design technology are all fundamentally the same as they were when the first Prius debuted over a decade ago. Many car makers have been working on new hybrid technologies, but...

We brought you the latest details and renderings of Morgan's heavily-hyped hyrdogen fuel cell prototype several weeks ago. And while the pictures are inspiring, the details were a bit fuzzy - but Morgan is sharpening things up in anticipation of the Geneva reveal of its LIFEcar concept. Hydrogen...

Official images of the new Scirocco have been leaked, which you can view by clicking here. Volkswagen has a number of new models set to be unveiled at next week’s Geneva Motor Show, namely the production Scirocco hatch (pictured above is the Iroc concept) and Golf TDI Hybrid concept, but it...

Independent vehicle manufacturer Magna Steyr will present a new hybrid compact off-roader concept at next week’s Geneva Motor Show as the latest iteration of the longstanding MILA innovation family. This is in fact the third MILA concept, which goes by the name Alpin, and it features a unique...

Ford has been named in the 'Toxic Ten' list of corporate polluters, compiled by Conde Naste's Portfolio magazine. As the list itself states, the Toxic Ten is a look at companies that may not be the worst polluters, but companies that have the resources and ability to do better at increasing their...

Only a couple of years ago a hydrogen future was all the rage with both car companies and lawmakers alike but in more recent times we’ve seen many of the same supporters back away from the clean fuel. We saw dozens of hydrogen powered fuel-cell concept cars rolled out at car shows around the...

Some think hybrids are little more than status symbols of the new eco-conscious pop culture, while others see them as valid means of improving the planet. Whatever your stance on the value of hybrids culturally or ecologically, however, it's almost universally agreed that they are anything but...

BMW is about to debut a new diesel-hybrid version of the X5 SUV at next month’s Geneva Motor Show and previously it unveiled a hybrid version of its new X6 crossover, but both of these vehicles are strictly concept vehicles. The first BMW vehicle with a hybrid powertrain to on sale will...

Yet another carmaker has revealed plans for a diesel-electric hybrid concept car for next month’s Geneva Motor Show, the latest being Volkswagen and its ultra-efficient hybrid Golf. We’ve already reported about BMW’s new X5 ActiveHybrid concept and before that the Peugeot‘s...

As reported earlier BMW will be presenting a new eco-friendly concept touting the latest in EfficientDynamics technology at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. BMW has given us a preview of the upcoming concept, a twin-turbo diesel X5 with a hybrid system. As has been the trend in Europe of late...

We've brought you news of the French-designed MDI compressed air-powered car in the past, and we've followed Tata's movements in the small car segment, and its desire to get into the European and American markets. Now there's news of Tata's move to back the MDI's release of its new OneCat and...