Green Options » hybrids http://greenoptions.com/tag/hybrids Posts tagged 'hybrids' Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:45:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Electric Cars to Get Supercar Sounds http://gas2.org/2009/11/06/electric-cars-to-get-supercar-sounds/ http://gas2.org/2009/11/06/electric-cars-to-get-supercar-sounds/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:45:29 +0000 Andrew Williams http://gas2.org/2009/11/06/electric-cars-to-get-supercar-sounds/

Are you a petrohead with a conscience? Someone who likes the thought of owning an electric car but put off by the weedy sound of today’s offerings?

Well, for those of you who want to blend eco-cred with the engine roar of a Lamborghini, the wait may be finally over. New technology developed by Lotus and hi-fi whizz Harman Kardon will enable drivers of hybrid and electric cars to select the engine noise of their choice - from a beefy V8 to the swoosh! of the Enterprise at warp speed.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/11/06/electric-cars-to-get-supercar-sounds/feed/ Want a Plug-in Hybrid Now? Luscious Garage in San Francisco is Your New Best Friend http://gas2.org/2009/08/10/a-happy-home-for-hybrid-cars/ http://gas2.org/2009/08/10/a-happy-home-for-hybrid-cars/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:50:05 +0000 Steve Schaefer http://gas2.org/2009/08/10/a-happy-home-for-hybrid-cars/ Plant in tire is a good sign

“Take a used 2004-2009 Prius—maybe your own—and add the [Plug-in Conversions] kit,” says Carolyn. “For less than $30,000 you’ll have a car that’s better than the new 2010 Prius.”

Editor’s Note: If you’re interested in converting your own car or a buying a plug-in conversion through group discounts, you can join this email list for electric cars.

Luscious Garage works exclusively on hybrids. Founded in 2007, it sits amidst early-20th-century storefronts in a quiet, tree-lined section of downtown San Francisco. Outside, a tire hangs high with a plant inside it—just a hint of what’s within.

The ground-level work area is unlike any you’ve seen before. The left wall is filled with colorful artwork. Then, you notice there’s no smell of oil or gas—and no pounding of compressors.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/08/10/a-happy-home-for-hybrid-cars/feed/ ‘Clean energy headquarters’ will relocate to Asia while America … stalls http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/27/clean-energy-hq-will-relocate-to-asia-while-america-stalls/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/27/clean-energy-hq-will-relocate-to-asia-while-america-stalls/#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:06:58 +0000 Daniel Spitzberg http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/27/clean-energy-hq-will-relocate-to-asia-while-america-stalls/

American progress in energy education and research is getting ridiculous.

Watching the race to lead worldwide energy technology, an editorial in today’s San Francisco Chronicle details the recent gangbuster investments into clean energy technologies in China, Japan, and Korea. The piece doubles the point by mentioning the recent rejection of President Obama’s RE-ENERGYSE initiative (for ‘REgaining our ENERGY Science and Engineering Edge’).

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/07/27/clean-energy-hq-will-relocate-to-asia-while-america-stalls/feed/ Nissan to Launch Compact Hybrids http://gas2.org/2009/07/20/nissan-to-launch-compact-hybrids/ http://gas2.org/2009/07/20/nissan-to-launch-compact-hybrids/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:44:19 +0000 Andrew Williams http://gas2.org/2009/07/20/nissan-to-launch-compact-hybrids/

Nissan has announced plans to sell compact hybrid vehicles based on its own technology in Japan, starting from 2011.

The Japanese outfit intends to make a low-cost, compact powertrain featuring an integrated electric motor providing supplemental power to the main gasoline engine. Energy will be provided by high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

According to Nissan the hybrids should be more than twice as fuel efficient as the equivalent gas-powered offerings.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/07/20/nissan-to-launch-compact-hybrids/feed/ Chevrolet Volt Test Drive: Video of Driving GM’s Electric Car http://gas2.org/2009/07/09/chevrolet-volt-test-drive-video-of-driving-gms-electric-car/ http://gas2.org/2009/07/09/chevrolet-volt-test-drive-video-of-driving-gms-electric-car/#comments Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:44:43 +0000 Clayton B. Cornell http://gas2.org/2009/07/09/chevrolet-volt-test-drive-video-of-driving-gms-electric-car/ This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

Editor’s Note: This is a 4-part series covering my trip to Michigan to test-drive the Chevy Volt. See also: 1. LiveBlogging from the opening of GM’s New Battery Lab, 2. Chevy Volt Test Drive: How GM’s Electric Car Works 3. Tour of GM’s New Battery Lab. Disclaimer: GM flew me out for this event.

“Remarkably Unremarkable” has been the phrase of choice when describing how the Chevy Volt prototype drives.

And that’s really a compliment, since the car was engineered for consumers who won’t accept compromise, even for a an electric car.

I got a chance to drive the Chevy Volt prototype on June 8th, and although the test model was still housed under a Chevrolet Cruze skin, it gave me a good feeling for what the final version will be like.

Chevy Volt Test Drive

The interior of the Cruze doesn’t do the car justice, at least in terms of space and aesthetics. The center divider seemed poorly fitted for the Volt’s T-shaped battery pack that runs the length of the car (which also precludes a 5th seat in the prototype and final versions). Frank Weber, who accompanied me on the the 45-minute drive, said that everything about the interior would change for production.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/07/09/chevrolet-volt-test-drive-video-of-driving-gms-electric-car/feed/ Daimler’s First Electric Car http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/30/daimlers-first-electric-car/ http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/30/daimlers-first-electric-car/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:09:55 +0000 Lisa Wojnovich http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/30/daimlers-first-electric-car/ The New Mercedes Benz S ClassMost odd stories relating to the environment tend to revolve around researchers and scientists and their slightly off the wall discoveries. But not so today. Today, in news of the weird — or at least slightly surreal — I bring you Daimler, the German automaker, who announced last week their very first hybrid car, the Mercedes Benz S Class. It’s a limousine.

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]]> http://inspiredeconomist.com/2009/06/30/daimlers-first-electric-car/feed/ Hybrid on the Hill Features Diesel-Electric Hybrid Techology http://gas2.org/2009/06/15/hybrid-on-the-hill-features-diesel-electric-hybrid-techology/ http://gas2.org/2009/06/15/hybrid-on-the-hill-features-diesel-electric-hybrid-techology/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:42:38 +0000 Joanna Schroeder http://gas2.org/2009/06/15/hybrid-on-the-hill-features-diesel-electric-hybrid-techology/ Hybrid Mack Truck

Last week, the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) of CALSTART hosted a “Hybrid on the Hill” day where they showcased new truck technologies. Mack Trucks, Inc. participated in the event and gave federal legislators and policymakers a first-hand look at its parallel diesel-electric hybrid technology, known as the MACK® TerraPro™ Cabover, for heavy-duty trucks. Mack is initially introducing these technology in refuse trucks, aka garbage trucks, where hybrid technology seems to have the greatest impact due to the stop-and-go nature of the trash pick-up system.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/06/15/hybrid-on-the-hill-features-diesel-electric-hybrid-techology/feed/ Obama’s Auto Emissions Plan Dependent on Hesitant U.S. Consumers http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/20/obamas-auto-emissions-plan-dependent-on-hesitant-us-consumers/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/20/obamas-auto-emissions-plan-dependent-on-hesitant-us-consumers/#comments Wed, 20 May 2009 17:04:01 +0000 Amanda Peterka http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/20/obamas-auto-emissions-plan-dependent-on-hesitant-us-consumers/ President Barack Obama’s new fuel emissions standards are a step in the right direction, most people seem to agree. The carbon emissions saved under the plan could equal a 30-percent reduction in auto emissions in the United States, say estimates. The plan, which requires automakers to improve fuel-efficiency by the year 2016, is one that 10 automakers have signed onto - even Ford, which reportedly got cold feet at the last moment.

For American car buyers, though, the landmark agreement will mean an average $1,300 increase in the price of a new car by 2016. And to a car-buying public that hasn’t yet latched onto the idea of a hybrid vehicle, that price increase might be a tough one to swallow.

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/05/20/obamas-auto-emissions-plan-dependent-on-hesitant-us-consumers/feed/ Should Saab get a version of the Volt? http://gas2.org/2009/05/01/should-saab-get-a-version-of-the-volt/ http://gas2.org/2009/05/01/should-saab-get-a-version-of-the-volt/#comments Fri, 01 May 2009 19:44:59 +0000 Christopher DeMorro http://gas2.org/2009/05/01/should-saab-get-a-version-of-the-volt/

The world is a bit out of funk for GM right now, and the reality is no pundit or politican or executive really knows where the world’s former manufacturing heavyweight will be even a year from now. The General has some interesting projects in the works, not least among them the plug-in electric Volt which could be a pariah or prophet (pun!) for the ailing automaker.

Earlier this year GM unvieled the Cadillac Converj concept which would be a luxury version of the Volt, and that apparently got some people thinking; what else could be built on the Volt platform? Why not a Saab for instance?

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/05/01/should-saab-get-a-version-of-the-volt/feed/ Chicago Gets First Solar Powered EV Charging Station http://gas2.org/2009/04/09/chicago-gets-first-solar-powered-ev-charging-station/ http://gas2.org/2009/04/09/chicago-gets-first-solar-powered-ev-charging-station/#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:31:38 +0000 Jerry James Stone http://gas2.org/2009/04/09/chicago-gets-first-solar-powered-ev-charging-station/

San Francisco and Portland might be engaged in some electric vehicle pissing contest, but I think both cities just got seriously spanked by Chicago!

Yes…Chicago!

The Windy City just unveiled the first solar-powered electric vehicle charging station during the IOC tour. The Solar Plug-In Stations will be used daily by the City of Chicago Department of Fleet Management to power the city’s electric cars.

“Carbon Day and the City of Chicago are demonstrating true innovation, ingenuity and initiative,” said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. “Solar energy and electric vehicles are an inevitable partnership that is one more step to reducing our dependence on foreign oil.”

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/09/chicago-gets-first-solar-powered-ev-charging-station/feed/ San Francisco Mayor Takes Detroit to Task For Electric Car Failures http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/07/san-francisco-mayor-takes-detroit-to-task-for-electric-car-failures/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/07/san-francisco-mayor-takes-detroit-to-task-for-electric-car-failures/#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:49:14 +0000 Nick Chambers http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/07/san-francisco-mayor-takes-detroit-to-task-for-electric-car-failures/

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is in it to win it today. After earlier defending San Francisco from Oregon’s plan to overtake the Bay Area as the EV capital of the world, news hit the wire that Mayor Newsom struck hard at Detroit for killing their electric vehicle programs and lacking the vision to move beyond hybrids.

At conference on the future of the auto industry sponsored by Newsweek, Mayor Newsom remarked:

“With respect to Detroit, it is not good enough to advance by 2012 an ambitious strategy of having 14 different models at GM of hybrids — when hybrids are yesterday’s technology. Hybrids have been on the market since 1999. The car industry must be reinvented and automakers must move quicker to plug-in hybrids.”

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]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2009/04/07/san-francisco-mayor-takes-detroit-to-task-for-electric-car-failures/feed/ Lightning Hybrids Unveils Prototype Hydraulic Hybrid at Denver Auto Show [+pics/video] http://gas2.org/2009/04/02/lightning-hybrids-unveils-prototype-hydraulic-hybrid-at-denver-auto-show-pics/ http://gas2.org/2009/04/02/lightning-hybrids-unveils-prototype-hydraulic-hybrid-at-denver-auto-show-pics/#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:02:37 +0000 Clayton B. Cornell http://gas2.org/2009/04/02/lightning-hybrids-unveils-prototype-hydraulic-hybrid-at-denver-auto-show-pics/ Lightning Hybrids

On Monday at the Denver Auto Show, Lightning Hybrids unveiled their concept 100-MPG hydraulic-hybrid that will vie for the Automotive X Prize.

Since we first covered this ‘biodiesel hydraulic-hybrid,’ the team at Lightning Motors has been working around the clock to finish in time for this debut.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/04/02/lightning-hybrids-unveils-prototype-hydraulic-hybrid-at-denver-auto-show-pics/feed/ Chinese Electric Cars Coming To Costco, Wal-Mart http://gas2.org/2009/03/31/chinese-electric-cars-coming-to-costco-wal-mart/ http://gas2.org/2009/03/31/chinese-electric-cars-coming-to-costco-wal-mart/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:36:55 +0000 Jerry James Stone http://gas2.org/2009/03/31/chinese-electric-cars-coming-to-costco-wal-mart/

While seeing Chinese cars on display at the Detroit Auto Show has become somewhat common these past few years, there is one place they were hardly expected: Costco!

Yes, the big-box discount store Costco could be selling the Chinese-designed and Mexican-built vehicles says one auto exec. The CEO of GS Motors — Kathleen Ligocki — told the Hybrid Cars website that she thinks the US will follow in Mexico’s footsteps. GS Motors sold 4,000 China-made vehicles in Mexico last year at…Costco and Wal-Mart.

My first thought: If they are sold at Costco, will they come individually wrapped and in a pack of ten?

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/03/31/chinese-electric-cars-coming-to-costco-wal-mart/feed/ Anything You Can Do…China Takes on US With $2.2 Billion Funding for Electric Cars http://gas2.org/2009/03/25/anything-you-can-dochina-takes-on-us-with-22-billion-funding-for-electric-cars/ http://gas2.org/2009/03/25/anything-you-can-dochina-takes-on-us-with-22-billion-funding-for-electric-cars/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:23:00 +0000 Andrew Williams http://gas2.org/2009/03/25/anything-you-can-dochina-takes-on-us-with-22-billion-funding-for-electric-cars/

China has announced plans to take on the US head-to-head in the race to develop low emission vehicles, with a massive $2.2 billion investment in electric cars over the next three years.

The news comes hot on the heels of President Obama’s announcement of a whopping $2.4 billion investment in electric vehicles in the United States.

The Chinese government hopes that the investment will help the country to make 500,000 all-electric and hybrid vehicles a year by 2011 - and encourage organizations like city governments and airport taxi firms to enjoy subsidies of more than $70,000 on fleets of new vehicles.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/03/25/anything-you-can-dochina-takes-on-us-with-22-billion-funding-for-electric-cars/feed/ President Obama Announces $2.4 Billion in Funding for Electric Vehicles http://gas2.org/2009/03/19/president-obama-announces-24-billion-in-funding-for-electric-vehicles-and-plug-in-hybrids/ http://gas2.org/2009/03/19/president-obama-announces-24-billion-in-funding-for-electric-vehicles-and-plug-in-hybrids/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:24:02 +0000 Clayton B. Cornell http://gas2.org/2009/03/19/president-obama-announces-24-billion-in-funding-for-electric-vehicles-and-plug-in-hybrids/

President Obama announced today that $2.4 billion will be made available for the US-based development of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.

The fund is intended to spur growth in research and manufacturing of next-generation plug-in hybrid vehicles and advanced battery componenents for electric cars, while creating tens of thousands of US jobs and reducing US petroleum dependence. It should also help meet the President’s goal of putting one million plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road by 2015.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/03/19/president-obama-announces-24-billion-in-funding-for-electric-vehicles-and-plug-in-hybrids/feed/ AT&T to Spend $565 Million on Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles / Hybrids Next 10 Years http://gas2.org/2009/03/11/att-to-spend-565-million-on-compressed-natural-gas-vehicles-hybrids-next-10-years/ http://gas2.org/2009/03/11/att-to-spend-565-million-on-compressed-natural-gas-vehicles-hybrids-next-10-years/#comments Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:35:35 +0000 Clayton B. Cornell http://gas2.org/2009/03/11/att-to-spend-565-million-on-compressed-natural-gas-vehicles-hybrids-next-10-years/ AT&T

AT&T just announced that it will spend over half a billion dollars over the next 10 years in an attempt to reduce fuel usage and ostensibly, stimulate the economy. CEO Randall Stephenson stated that companies like AT&T have an “obligation to make investments that will drive the nation’s economic growth and productivity.”

To meet this obligation, AT&T will expand its alternative-fuel vehicle fleet from 100 to 8,000 vehicles by 2020. These vehicles will be U.S.-made compressed natural gas vehicles, amounting to $350 million worth of the total $565 million. Another 7,100 vehicles in AT&T’s passenger fleet will swapped out for electric-hybrids.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/03/11/att-to-spend-565-million-on-compressed-natural-gas-vehicles-hybrids-next-10-years/feed/ 100 MPG Hydraulic-Hybrid vies for X Prize, Runs on Biodiesel http://gas2.org/2009/03/11/100-mpg-hydraulic-hybrid-vies-for-x-prize-runs-on-biodiesel/ http://gas2.org/2009/03/11/100-mpg-hydraulic-hybrid-vies-for-x-prize-runs-on-biodiesel/#comments Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:40:38 +0000 Clayton B. Cornell http://gas2.org/2009/03/11/100-mpg-hydraulic-hybrid-vies-for-x-prize-runs-on-biodiesel/ Lightning Hybrids

The automotive research and manufacturing company Lightning Hybrids says they’ve designed a 100 MPG hydraulic-hybrid with sports sedan performance (0-60 mph in 5.9s). The company hopes to score the $10 million purse from the Automotive X Prize.

You may be asking yourself ‘What, exactly, is a ‘hydraulic-biodiesel hybrid’? Since there isn’t a great deal of information available on the Lightning Hybrids’ website or ABG, I decided to give the company a phone call.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/03/11/100-mpg-hydraulic-hybrid-vies-for-x-prize-runs-on-biodiesel/feed/ GM Boss: F1’s New Rules are Greenwash http://gas2.org/2009/03/05/gm-boss-f1s-new-rules-are-greenwash/ http://gas2.org/2009/03/05/gm-boss-f1s-new-rules-are-greenwash/#comments Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:00:08 +0000 Mark Seall http://gas2.org/2009/03/05/gm-boss-f1s-new-rules-are-greenwash/ 145 “Racing is one of the few things that can foster innovation faster than war”, said GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz during a bloggers round-table discussion on the eve of this year’s Geneva motor show.

Describing some of the future challenges that will be faced by global manufacturers such as General Motors, Bob lamented the fact that auto racing – a sport with the potential to inspire significant innovation through competition – has become so tightly regulated in order to prevent teams from gaining significant advantages, that from a manufacturer’s perspective it provides little benefit beyond pure marketing.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/03/05/gm-boss-f1s-new-rules-are-greenwash/feed/ Opel Unveils New Ampera – And it Looks Really Good http://gas2.org/2009/03/04/opel-unveil-new-ampera-and-it-looks-really-good/ http://gas2.org/2009/03/04/opel-unveil-new-ampera-and-it-looks-really-good/#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:45:52 +0000 Mark Seall http://gas2.org/2009/03/04/opel-unveil-new-ampera-and-it-looks-really-good/

I wasn’t expecting to be impressed with the new Opel Ampera (the Chevy Volt’s European cousin). In fact, I was convinced I would find something dull, unimaginative and lacking in technical innovation.

But instead, I believe that I’ve actually found the only serious contender to replace the Audi A3 TDI that’s sitting on my driveway right now.

This week GM invited Gas 2.0 to witness the unveiling of the Opel Ampera, to go on sale in Europe in 2011.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/03/04/opel-unveil-new-ampera-and-it-looks-really-good/feed/ The 2010 Toyota Prius is the New Black at the Oscars http://gas2.org/2009/02/20/trading-limos-for-hybrids-at-the-oscars/ http://gas2.org/2009/02/20/trading-limos-for-hybrids-at-the-oscars/#comments Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:39:39 +0000 Sean Sullivan http://gas2.org/2009/02/20/trading-limos-for-hybrids-at-the-oscars/ Four statues from Academy AwardsThe iconic image of celebrities emerging onto red carpets from stretch limos may become Hollywood history, and while flickering flashbulbs and expensive outfits may endure, ever more Hollywood elites are favoring a green carpet rolled out instead.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/02/20/trading-limos-for-hybrids-at-the-oscars/feed/