Smaller start-up car companies, such as Th!nk, have plans for solar power augmented cars on the books too, but the incorporation of solar panels on the Prius would mark the first time a major car manufacturer has done such a thing with one of its models.
How would you like to drive an all-electric Mini? An EV Smart Car? A PT Cruiser? With the help of Hybrid Technologies, you can. They’ve taken many familiar vehicles, ripped out their engines, and replaced them with lithium batteries and electric motors.
On the surface it makes great sense and it seems there would be a huge demand for this sort of thing. Electric cars are nearly maintenance free. They don’t need oil changes and they have 90% fewer parts than gas cars. Plus, these EVs look like the normal cars that are already popular with many folks.
There are lots of reason to want to live in Japan, but being able to lease the new Toyota Fuel-Cell Hybrid sometime this year is now high on my list. Later in 2008, Toyota will release their new FCHV-adv model, which reportedly has a maximum cruising range is 516 miles (compared with 205 miles for Toyota’s previous fuel cell vehicle). This [...]
I can’t claim to be a car type person at all. I’m nearly 24, and in a country where the license to drive is provided at 18, let us just say that my friends have fun with my lack of desire to drive. However, I would like to think that, if I were a driver and had enough funds, I would spend my money wisely on Toyota’s new fuel cell hybrid.
Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that the Toyota FCHV-adv will be powered by a new fuel-cell hybrid system, which is powered by hydrogen and electricity. This improves the models cruising range to a maximum of 516 miles, or 830 kilometers for the rest of the world who decided to go metric. This compares favorably to the previous fuel cell model, which only provided for a 205 mile (330 km) range.
By John Addison (6/4/08). With oil prices rocketing past $130 per barrel, a growing number of vehicle makers are planning to offer electric vehicles by 2010. Zero gasoline will be used.
Over 40,000 electric vehicles (EV) are currently used in the United States. [...]
![00702[1]](http://ecoworldly.com/files/2008/05/007021.jpg)
It’s been suggested by some that the popularity of the Toyota Prius was brought about not by it’s technology, but by marketing - leading edge technology perception, and the gadget factor of that LCD display showing you how much energy you were regenerating made it a must have for many gadget nuts.
So could the same hold true for solar energy? There is a certain coolness factor to generating your own electricity, and just like the Prius you get a nifty display showing the amount of energy being produced by your solar installation.
However, there are few people in Europe who fully understand solar power, with many believing it to be too expensive or impractical in the less sunny parts of the continent. With this in mind, the European Photovoltaic Industry Association has organised ‘Solar Days’ this weekend in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and Britain.
Image source: Nordvik
According to AutoBlogGreen there is currently a bit of buzz surrounding the possibility that Toyota will enter a hybrid into the 2009 LeMans race. They’ve already missed the deadline if they wanted to enter a hybrid in 2008, but since they’re in it to win it, it appears that they will wait until 2009 in order to enter a vehicle with every chance of winning.
Last September, Google offered up the $10 million in a formal Request For Proposals (RFP), saying they wanted to invest in any company that would “accelerate the commercialization of alternative transportation that reduces vehicle fossil fuel use and climate emissions.” In other words, getting plug-in hybrids, fully electric vehicles, vehicle-to-grid capabilities, and batteries and other storage technologies on the market.
The Sahara desert is a truly vast environment - with sand dunes reaching 180 meters high, scorching temperatures and fierce sand storms it provides a real test for any method of transportation.
So how, does the eco-option for crossing this massive and barren landscape stack up against more modern technologies? This is a question posed regularly at EcoWorldly and I recently had the opportunity to put it to the test during a journey which took me from the ‘Gateway to the Sahara’ in Douz, Southern Tunisia, to Matmata, a desert village of cave dwellings famous for providing the location for Luke Skywalker’s home in the Star Wars movies.
(Note: the author only discovered this fact after arriving - this was not a pilgrimage.)
Our local guides presented us with two options: The camel - trusty ship of the desert, as used for centuries by desert dwellers, and the equally ubiquitous Toyota Land Cruiser 4×4 – the motor vehicle of choice for those needing to travel across challenging terrain.
We gave both modes of transport a thorough workout in an attempt to compare our eco camel against it’s more modern counterpart, making assessments on comfort, emissions, speed, reliability, off-road capability and fuel consumption. The testing process consisted of two days of travel across the desert by camel, camping overnight in the dunes, followed by a further day’s journey in the Land Cruiser.
Imagine if you could eke more mileage out of your Prius. If you’re like me, you’ve already tried. What if you could get a decadent 100mpg? More? A group of Prius owners in Japan are doing just that - by hacking their Priuses.
According to this CNN report, the record holder among an underground group called “Mileage Maniacs” (Japanese language only) has managed to travel 1500 miles on a single tank of gas. That’s about 116mpg; I’m green with envy! Fortunately there is a similar push in the USA and Canada to feed the demand for more efficient cars. Numerous easter eggs , and hacks are available so an enterprising Prius owner can get more mileage. There’s even a solar company and those who will modify your car into an hybrid plug-in. Some plug-ins are already on the road. Voided warranty aside, extensive green modifications require a lot of green from the owner, ranging from a $40 kit to thousands of dollars.
Editor’s note: This week, Celsias editor Craig Mackintosh takes a look at Toyota’s images as a "green" car company, and some issues that could undermine that perception. This post was originally published on October 3, 2007.
When people think of a ‘green’ car, the first that pops into most people’s minds is the Toyota Prius - the world’s most successful hybrid auto. Toyota has been riding a wave of consumer
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