By Jo Borras •
November 5, 2009
Yesterday, Chrysler/Fiat’s new CEO Sergio Marchionne presented the 5-year business plan he hopes will save Chrysler, and bring Fiat back to the US market for the first time in nearly 30 years. The company presented its plan during a live, seven-hour-long marathon webcast, which was notable for two things: first, a virtually unprecedented willingness to discuss future product, and, second, the conspicuous absence of New Chrysler’s much-ballyhooed ENVI electric-vehicle division.
What happened to the Dodge EV? Can we expect some innovative green tech from Marchionne’s new Dodge product future? The depressing reality, after the jump.
By Andrew Williams •
March 12, 2009
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed battery cells capable of charging in under a minute, an astonishing 100 times faster than a regular rechargable battery.
The breakthrough could revolutionize electric car battery technology and pave the way for ultra-fast charging electric vehicles in as little as two years.
The discovery came when MIT researchers Byoungwoo Kang and Gerbrand Ceder found out how to get a common lithium compound to release and take up lithium ions in a matter of seconds. According to Ceder, the compound, known as lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), has a crystal structure that creates “perfectly sized tunnels for lithium to move through,” allowing the team to reach “ridiculously fast charging rates.”
By Jo Borras •
February 3, 2009
Last week, the New York Daily News published a story about Ms. Sheila Bolar, 49, who was so upset that the NY city bus picking her up was not a hybrid that SHE BIT THE BUS DRIVER.
Really.
According to MTA bus driver Peter Williams, Ms. Bolar was visibly upset when he picked her up on New York’s upper West Side. “She came on the bus, and she said she waited more than an hour for a hybrid,” he explained. I told her “I’m not in control of what bus is assigned to me.”
More evidence that we’ve been bought out by the Weekly World News after the jump.
By Jo Borras •
January 29, 2009
Bentley will be using the upcoming Geneva show as a launchpad for a biofuel powered GT that Bentley’s PR reps promise will be the fastest and most powerful production car in the company’s history.
Details of the new Continental variant are limited, and the company has only released a single teaser image (above) while promising the moon and the stars above for it’s coming eco-missile. Without further details, we can only guess at the new Conti-green’s powertrain… sounds like fun!
Some educated guesses after the jump.
By Andrew Williams •
January 22, 2009
In one of his first moves upon taking office, President Obama has ordered a freeze on all new or pending regulations from the Bush administration.
By Jo Borras •
January 12, 2009
This has been a Lotus/Chrysler-heavy blog in the past few days, but let’s face it: if you’re talking advanced automotive technology and lightweight engineering, you’re talking about Lotus Cars - and if you’re talking highly-anticipated new electric vehicles at Detroit’s 2009 NAIAS auto show, you’re talking about Chrysler’s ENVI electric-vehicle program.
The car shown above is the Dodge Circuit, which Chrysler promised would be a real step forward from the concept Dodge EV they showed last summer (a UK-only Lotus Europa powered by a 200 kW electric motor that Dodge painted yellow and decorated with cheap vinyl stickers). I won’t keep you in suspense: it ain’t.
More - including Chrysler’s official press release and some official photography - after the jump.
By Jo Borras •
January 9, 2009
Automotive News is reporting that Chrysler is readying an updated version of its Dodge EV concept for the Geneva auto show later this year.
Despite a solid PR launch of Chrysler’s ENVI electric vehicle group, the current Dodge EV is little more than UK-only Lotus Europa with Dodge badges and fly-yellow paint. This new concept, however, promises to be something more.
From Automotive News:
The Dodge EV shown in September was a Lotus-derived electric sports car. Look for the show version to have more Dodge styling cues and possibly be a four-passenger coupe.
Reading between the lines a bit, then, what can we expect from Chrysler?
