New projected 2009 US fuel economy figures out from the EPA show that we have now reversed a long-term trend of gradually worsening fuel efficiency since 1987—that bottomed out in 2004 at 19.3 mpg.

While our international readers may find an industry average of 21.1 mpg and 422 grams CO2 per mile a laughable “achievement”—this does represent a real improvement over 2004 levels.

Industry wide, average model year 2009 light vehicles overall are projected to achieve the mileage they got back almost 20 years ago in 1991.

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Yamaha

Did it work? Maybe!

More about the seemingly production-ready HV-X hybrid concept—including video—after the jump…

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According to CEO Carlos Ghosn, unlike its other Japanese rivals, Nissan has made a strategic decision to cede the standalone hybrid wars to them and will not make hybrid-only models such as Toyota’s Prius or Honda’s Insight.

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I don’t normally get excited about hybrids. They’re pretty humdrum if you ask me, and I was into performance vehicles way before I was into alternative fuels. The Prius is boring, the Fusion is just a Fusion, and the Insight and downright ugly.

But Honda seems to have been listening, having announced that the aggressively styled CR-Z concept hatch will make it into production as a 2011 model for Japan and America. This is a hybrid car I could actually see myself driving.

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Take a look at the first picture of what Honda hopes will become the future of motorbikes. The Honda EV-Cub is an all-electric version of the company’s top selling Super-Cub, and could be on sale as early as next year.

Details are scant about the new machine, but sources say that the retro looking EV-Cub will be two-wheel drive to offer riders more stability and traction.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/10/15/honda-debuts-electric-version-of-worlds-best-selling-motorcycle/feed/ http://gas2.org/2009/10/06/hondas-new-electric-car-includes-a-robotic-unicycle/ http://gas2.org/2009/10/06/hondas-new-electric-car-includes-a-robotic-unicycle/#comments Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:29:55 +0000 Jerry James Stone http://gas2.org/2009/10/06/hondas-new-electric-car-includes-a-robotic-unicycle/

At the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, Honda will be unveiling a new electric car concept called the EV-N that comes with a segway-esque mobility unicycle device called the UX-3 — so you never have to walk again…ever!

Honda will showcase the model at its green-themed display called the HELLO! Zone which is devoted to electric cars.

The EV-N, which kinda looks like a Japanimation version of a Mini Cooper, shouldn’t be shrugged off as just some copycat car. Aside from the oddly-cool, and strangely intriguing, robotic unicycle, the EV-N also has swappable seat fabrics, a solar roof and some color-adjustable “communications system.”

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/10/06/hondas-new-electric-car-includes-a-robotic-unicycle/feed/ http://gas2.org/2009/09/08/americans-want-more-fuel-efficient-cars-us-hybrids-up-48/ http://gas2.org/2009/09/08/americans-want-more-fuel-efficient-cars-us-hybrids-up-48/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:12:59 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://gas2.org/2009/09/08/americans-want-more-fuel-efficient-cars-us-hybrids-up-48/
Total US hybrid sales jumped 48.6% in August from last August, buoyed up by Cash for Clunkers.

We Americans did the right patriotic thing with our clunker money last month, it turns out. We bought more American. And we bought more hybrid cars.  Ford was the big winner, making a big dent in Toyota’s hybrid sales.

Consumer reports tells us that 80% would rather buy US cars and 46% of us now prefer fuel efficient cars.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/09/08/americans-want-more-fuel-efficient-cars-us-hybrids-up-48/feed/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/27/clean-energy-patents-hit-record-high-in-the-us/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/27/clean-energy-patents-hit-record-high-in-the-us/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:14:00 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/27/clean-energy-patents-hit-record-high-in-the-us/
The economy is down, but here is another sign that green technology may be the way out of our economic dilemma. US clean energy patents hit a record high last quarter.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/08/27/clean-energy-patents-hit-record-high-in-the-us/feed/ http://gas2.org/2009/07/21/study-cars-have-grown-bigger-and-faster-but-not-as-efficient/ http://gas2.org/2009/07/21/study-cars-have-grown-bigger-and-faster-but-not-as-efficient/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:00:16 +0000 Christopher DeMorro http://gas2.org/2009/07/21/study-cars-have-grown-bigger-and-faster-but-not-as-efficient/ The first car my best friend ever drove was a early 80’s Honda Accord hatchback. It was little more than an oversized rollarskate with a tiny, 80 horsepower engine, but it beat the hell out of walking. The car itself was cramped and lacked all the amenities one would find standard on today’s cars, even cupholders. Today, the car serves as an immobile flower bed for a maple tree and wildflowers, but the memories will remain.

Flash forward to today, and a new study finds that since the early ’80’s the Honda Accord has packed on over 1,000 lbs, doubled its standard horsepower, and fuel economy has steadily dipped. The study seems to suggest that if vehicle weight, horsepower, and torque were held at their 1980’s levels, then fuel efficiency could have increased by at least 50%, rather than the 15% increase that actually occured. But is it really that simple?

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/07/21/study-cars-have-grown-bigger-and-faster-but-not-as-efficient/feed/ http://gas2.org/2009/07/06/consumer-reports-insight-is-most-disappointing-honda-in-a-long-time/ http://gas2.org/2009/07/06/consumer-reports-insight-is-most-disappointing-honda-in-a-long-time/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:00:23 +0000 Nick Chambers http://gas2.org/2009/07/06/consumer-reports-insight-is-most-disappointing-honda-in-a-long-time/ It seems that in the quest to sell the cheapest hybrid they possibly could — a “hybrid for everyone” as Honda’s tagline goes — Honda has majorly skimped on some truly essential bits. Have they made a critical strategic error?

As detailed in the just released August issue of Consumer Reports magazine, out of a crop of 22 small hatchbacks and wagons, the Insight — Honda’s much-touted all new Hybrid — came in 21st on the road test with one of the worst performances CR has seen from Honda in longer than many of the editors at the venerable publication can remember. The only car in that group to fare worse on the road test was the Dodge Caliber.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/07/06/consumer-reports-insight-is-most-disappointing-honda-in-a-long-time/feed/ http://gas2.org/2009/05/18/back-to-basics-aerocivic-gets-website/ http://gas2.org/2009/05/18/back-to-basics-aerocivic-gets-website/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 22:36:06 +0000 Christopher DeMorro http://gas2.org/2009/05/18/back-to-basics-aerocivic-gets-website/

Jeremy Clarkson, the outspoken host of Britain’s Top Gear auto show, made a spectacle of racing a Prius vs. a BMW M3, in which the latter recieved better gas mileage. His point was that is isn’t what you drive, but how you drive. Nothing emphasizes this idea more than the Aerocivic, a simple yet highly publicized Civic whose owner, Mike Turner, utilized basic hypermilling techniques such as coasting down hills and shutting off his engine at stop lights to maximize fuel usage. He then took his very basic car a step further by applying an aerodynamic body kit to reduce drag at high speeds, and now he is using the power of the Interweb to give further insight into the how and why of his car, the Aerocivic.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/05/18/back-to-basics-aerocivic-gets-website/feed/ http://gas2.org/2009/05/02/honda-hydrogen-cb750-motorcycle-concept/ http://gas2.org/2009/05/02/honda-hydrogen-cb750-motorcycle-concept/#comments Sat, 02 May 2009 06:25:53 +0000 Jerry James Stone http://gas2.org/2009/05/02/honda-hydrogen-cb750-motorcycle-concept/ Powered By A Four-Cylinder Liquid Hydrogen Engine, This CB750 Is Controlled By An OLED Touch Screen With Wifi, GPS And 3G!

If Honda wishes to bring back the CB750, look no further than Igor Chak’s Hydrogen concept.

The bike — which ran in production from 1969 to 2003 — was an unprecedented piece of machinery. It was the first to offer a front disc brake and an straight-4 engine with an overhead camshaft all on one affordable, production bike.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/05/02/honda-hydrogen-cb750-motorcycle-concept/feed/ http://gas2.org/2009/04/14/holy-honda-mod-batman-hawk-3-wheeler-looks-like-batmobile-meets-rocket/ http://gas2.org/2009/04/14/holy-honda-mod-batman-hawk-3-wheeler-looks-like-batmobile-meets-rocket/#comments Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:38:36 +0000 Jerry James Stone http://gas2.org/2009/04/14/holy-honda-mod-batman-hawk-3-wheeler-looks-like-batmobile-meets-rocket/

There are quite a few three-wheelers these days: Aptera, Myers Motors and ZAP! Motors. And while those companies seem to be blocked from government funding, it isn’t stopping designers like 22-year-old Alex Hodge from New Zealand from churning out kickass mods like the Hawk.

The Hawk concept is part fighter jet, part sports car, and looks like it’s balls-out fun! The concept is built around the 999cc Honda RC51 V-twin engine has 10,000 rpm, 120 hp and a top speed of 144 mph.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/14/holy-honda-mod-batman-hawk-3-wheeler-looks-like-batmobile-meets-rocket/feed/ http://gas2.org/2009/02/17/in-japan-insight-sales-far-outpace-hondas-expectations/ http://gas2.org/2009/02/17/in-japan-insight-sales-far-outpace-hondas-expectations/#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:44:50 +0000 Nick Chambers http://gas2.org/2009/02/17/in-japan-insight-sales-far-outpace-hondas-expectations/

Seems that Honda may have vastly underestimated the appeal of their new hybrid — twice as many Honda Insights were ordered by the time the car had been on sale for ten days than Honda expected to sell in its first two months on the Japanese market.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/02/17/in-japan-insight-sales-far-outpace-hondas-expectations/feed/ http://gas2.org/2009/02/10/hybrid-sales-plunge-in-january/ http://gas2.org/2009/02/10/hybrid-sales-plunge-in-january/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:01:03 +0000 Anthony Cefali http://gas2.org/2009/02/10/hybrid-sales-plunge-in-january/ We all know the economy is broken. Nobody is spending money on anything (especially if no one gets bonuses). According to UK auto statistics firm, Autodata, even hybrids have taken a sales plunge in January.

Looking at the Autodata compilation, there was a purchase surge beginning in February of 2008 which lasted until April before hybrid sales began to decline. They saw another quick increase over the summer when gas price caused a panic, and then began to teeter off as gas prices came down.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/02/10/hybrid-sales-plunge-in-january/feed/ http://gas2.org/2009/01/30/exclusive-interview-with-honda-chief-engineer-part-3-manual-transmission-on-hybrids-and-the-cr-z/ http://gas2.org/2009/01/30/exclusive-interview-with-honda-chief-engineer-part-3-manual-transmission-on-hybrids-and-the-cr-z/#comments Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:46:28 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2009/01/30/exclusive-interview-with-honda-chief-engineer-part-3-manual-transmission-on-hybrids-and-the-cr-z/ Editor’s Note: This is part three of an interview Tetsuya Yokoyama recently had the opportunity to conduct with Honda R&D Chief Engineer, Mr. Yamamoto, at Eco-Products 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Mr. Yamamoto is greatly involved in the development of Honda’s hybrid technology including the upcoming 2009 Insight. Read part one here and part two here.

Honda CR-Z lightweight hybrid sports car. Photo: Honda

After talking with Mr. Yamamoto about supercapacitors, I moved on to discuss the possibility of a manual transmission on future hybrid vehicles. He said that it would not be difficult to put a manual transmission into an Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) Hybrid system.

Even though the current Civic hybrids have no option for a manual transmission, a manual transmission was offered on the first generation of that car. The reason the current Civic Hybrid has a continuously variable transmission (CVT) is to increase overall fuel efficiency by automatically letting the system choose the most efficient drive ratio.

While you could potentially get a much better fuel efficiency with a manual transmission if you practice “Ecodriving,” the efficiency would go down significantly if you choose lower gears more often or drove more aggressively.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/01/30/exclusive-interview-with-honda-chief-engineer-part-3-manual-transmission-on-hybrids-and-the-cr-z/feed/ http://gas2.org/2009/01/01/exclusive-interview-with-honda%e2%80%99s-chief-engineer-part-2-more-on-the-ultra-capacitor/ http://gas2.org/2009/01/01/exclusive-interview-with-honda%e2%80%99s-chief-engineer-part-2-more-on-the-ultra-capacitor/#comments Thu, 01 Jan 2009 17:24:49 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2009/01/01/exclusive-interview-with-honda%e2%80%99s-chief-engineer-part-2-more-on-the-ultra-capacitor/ Editor’s Note: This is part two of an interview Tetsuya Yokoyama recently had the opportunity to conduct with Honda R&D Chief Engineer, Mr. Yamamoto, at Eco-Products 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. You can read part one here. Mr. Yamamoto is greatly involved in the development of Honda’s hybrid technology including the upcoming 2009 Insight.

As I mentioned in part one of my interview, Honda first introduced the ultracapacitor with the J-VX concept. The J-VX ultimately led to the original production Insight, without the ultracapacitor. Honda also used the ultracapacitor technology on the FCX models (pre-Clarity) for years.

Honda developed their original ultracapacitors, and improved them during the period of FCX development and explains more about it on their web site.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/01/01/exclusive-interview-with-honda%e2%80%99s-chief-engineer-part-2-more-on-the-ultra-capacitor/feed/ http://ecoscraps.com/2008/12/31/mazda-concept-car-aims-for-green-racing-future/ http://ecoscraps.com/2008/12/31/mazda-concept-car-aims-for-green-racing-future/#comments Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:11:38 +0000 Adam Williams http://ecoscraps.com/2008/12/31/mazda-concept-car-aims-for-green-racing-future/

Nine finalists in the Design LA Motorsports 2025 Design Challenge are set to revolutionize the auto sports world of the future. The Mazda Kaan (above) is kept company by designs from GM, Honda, Audi, BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi and Toyota. The designs are drawn with a future of greener technologies in mind.

For example, Mazda says of the Kaan:

California freeways have been resurfaced with a sub-level electro-conductive polymer that powers the electric cars of the modern world. MAZDA’s patented electronic tire system uses this technology to power the KAAN to reach 250 mph with no harmful emissions!

Source: CrispGreen.com and Mazda

While states are free to make their own rules in the US, the lawyers at the Department of Energy don’t want to part with the government’s $25 billion loan program for advanced vehicles because of their three-wheeledness. Lame if you ask me, oh and also if you ask Republican representative Brian Bilbray. Not often I can say that!

Mr. Bilbray has introduced the “Innovative Vehicle Act” to Congress to get formal recognition for three-wheelers, and fuel-efficient two-wheelers. The bill is a bit taylored for the Aptera, which is slated to start production at the end of this year, I am sure designers like Alex Hodge don’t mind.

Source [AutoBlog Green]

]]> http://ecoscraps.com/2008/12/31/mazda-concept-car-aims-for-green-racing-future/feed/ http://gas2.org/2008/12/29/nissan-and-honda-will-mass-produce-lithium-ion-batteries-soon/ http://gas2.org/2008/12/29/nissan-and-honda-will-mass-produce-lithium-ion-batteries-soon/#comments Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:19:05 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2008/12/29/nissan-and-honda-will-mass-produce-lithium-ion-batteries-soon/ The Nikkei newspaper has reported that Nissan is planning to invest a total of ¥100 billion (about $1.1 billion US) or more to manufacture lithium ion batteries.

Nissan has accelerated its plan to produce large-capacity lithium ion batteries for around 200,000 vehicles. The company is working with NEC group and plans to set up factories in Japan, Europe, and the United States. Honda is also planning on producing up to 500,000 lithium ion batteries for hybrid vehicles by mid-2010.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2008/12/29/nissan-and-honda-will-mass-produce-lithium-ion-batteries-soon/feed/ http://gas2.org/2008/12/23/interview-honda-chief-engineer-mr-yamamoto-part-1/ http://gas2.org/2008/12/23/interview-honda-chief-engineer-mr-yamamoto-part-1/#comments Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:29:03 +0000 Tetsuya Yokoyama http://gas2.org/2008/12/23/interview-honda-chief-engineer-mr-yamamoto-part-1/ Editor’s Note: This is the part one of an interview Tetsuya Yokoyama recently had the opportunity to conduct with Honda R&D Chief Engineer, Mr. Yamamoto at Eco-Products 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. Mr. Yamamoto is greatly involved in the development of Honda’s hybrid technology including the upcoming 2009 Insight.

I’d like to thank all the readers who responded to my previous article with questions I could pose to Mr. Yamamoto. I’d also like to thank InsightCentral.net members for responding to that article too! I really appreciate your input, and apologize for taking so long to write this article.

After talking a bit about Green Options Media, Gas 2.0 and Insight Central, the very first question I asked him was about the possibility of using an ultracapacitor in a future Honda hybrid. More than ten years ago, the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) power train was first introduced with the J-VX concept and was originally developed with an ultracapacitor instead of NiMH batteries.

Mr. Yamamoto explained that Honda engineers have researched ultracapacitor technology in the past but that the technology, although promising, is still too new and has several challenges to overcome. In the end, Honda decided to go with NiMH batteries on the first generation of Insight in consideration of mass production and quality control.

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