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White House proposes Alternative Fuel Tax Credit increase to $10,000

Meme — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:25:52 +0000

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Test Ride Electric Cars For Free

Meme — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:30:19 +0000

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An overview of the brilliant, breakthrough 2012 Toyota Prius c

Meme — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:27:55 +0000

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Evolve Motorcycles Rolls Out Lineup of Electric Scooters

Meme — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:12:24 +0000

Evolve Motorcycles is rolling out their new lineup of electric scooters. They start at $ 2,900 and go up in price according to style, features and range and are aimed at a young, hip, urban-dwelling audience. Specifically those interested in quiet, low-cost, non-polluting ways to get through traffic (splitting lanes) and with machines that are easily parked.

The company has thought of everything. Most of its vehicles are plug-in scooters, but one model, the Neon, is aimed towards apartment dwellers who may not have an outdoor outlet for charging. It’s battery can be removed easily and charged independently in the person’s home. The battery pack weighs about 22 pounds and is made to be easily totable as well as plug-and-play with the scooter and its charger.

In the works are future models that will have on-board small engines for recharging on the go (sort of a Volt-style range-extended hybrid).

The company is doing a lot to make scooters “cool” and useful. For a certain market of people, that’s definitely a good thing.

About Alternative Cars » Electric Car Companies

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Infinit Names Its Concept: Emerg-E

Meme — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:22:26 +0000

For a year now, Infiniti has been teasing a new range-extended electric concept, which up to now they’ve left unnamed. Now, building up more hype for the concept’s debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, the company has released a name for the elusive hybrid: the Emerg-E.

Not much is known about the car, but much can be inferred from the car brand’s other offerings as well as those at parent company Nissan’s workshop.

The Emerg-E has been identified as an electric car with a range extender, meaning it’s a hybrid idea similar to the Chevrolet Volt in which the electric motor is the primary propulsion with a small battery pack and a gasoline or diesel engine operating as a generator for longer distances.

Since they’ve teased that the engine is a tiny 1.2-liter block, though, we can guess that the car will feature the propulsion system of the Nissan Leaf coupled with, most likely, a small gasoline engine from the carmaker’s line of four-cylinder turbos.

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Hyundai, Kia sued in patent battle over alleged hybrid technology theft

Meme — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:32:04 +0000

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Hybrid Pickup Trucks

Meme — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:23:42 +0000

When you ask any greenling what epitomizes Ameircan automotive culture and its gas-guzzling paradigm the most and you’ll get one of two answers: SUVs and pickup trucks.

Well, did you know that General Motors has two pickup truck models that are hybrids? They’re both the same truck, though one is under the GMC nameplate while the other is a Chevrolet. They are 1500-series trucks, the Sierra and Silverado (GMC and Chevy respectively).

These are available as 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive (2WD/4WD) options in either extended or crew cab configuration. Both are short-box trucks made mostly for carrying gear and workers or pulling medium and lightweight trailers. Both two and four wheel drive options get 20mpg city, 23mpg highway with a 26 gallon fuel tank capacity. The fuel efficiency numbers assume no payload, of course, with the highway mileage suffering the most under load.

Both the Silverado and Sierra come in two trim levels starting at about $ 40,000 in 2WD and $ 43,000 for 4WD. They come standard with a 3.08 rear axle ratio, heavy-duty trailer-ready suspension package and hitch equipment, 2-stage multi-leaf springs on the rear, and use the Chevrolet Vortec 6.0-liter V8 SFI with variable valve timing (VVT) and a 4-speed automatic transmission. This means 332hp at peak RPMs. Maximum payload is half a ton (1,527lb), giving these trucks a GVWR of 7,100 pounds and a maximum trailer pull of 6,100lbs (12,000 GCWR). These numbers change slightly with the 4WD option, going to a GVWR of 7,300, a max trailering of 5,900, but retaining the GCWR of 12,000 due to the extra equipment installed (transfer case, etc.) for four wheel operation.

The cargo box is 69.3×62.5 inches length-width. Wheel housings take up some of that space, of course, giving a total cargo volume area of 53.2 cubic feet. The wheelbase of the 1500 series is 143.5 inches with a 9 inch frontal ground clearance and a 12.1 inch clearance at rear. Load floor height is a standard pickup measurement of 32.7 inches off the ground.

For hybrid electric pickup trucks for the work truck user, General Motors is the only option in the U.S. right now. Other companies, including Ford, have not made any suggestion that they’ll be entering the market. Ford, of course, has the electric and compressed natural gas (CNG) option Transit Connect, and both Chevrolet and Ford offer Flex-fuel (E85 ethanol) trucks. Chrysler has hinted at a Dodge Ram Hybrid for 2015, which would likely have roughly the same capabilities as the above-listed 1500-series GM products, though Chrysler plans to make the Ram a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). This is all mostly because of a pre-bailout agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy and their 10-truck road test which is currently underway, as Chrysler otherwise dropped the Ram hybrid project after restructuring.

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Ford tells Toyota: ‘Our hybrids are better than yours’

Meme — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:29:11 +0000

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MIT’s Folding Concept Car, the Hiriko

Meme — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:08:41 +0000

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have designed a new urban commuter car that “folds” up for storage, making it much easier to park out of the way, taking up about the same horizontal space as a bicycle. The car, called the Hiriko, has a chance of actually getting built and tested in Spain.

The way the little commuter, which seats two, works is to remove the doors and instead have the car hinged at the center so that it rises upwards while folding the wheels inwards:

This means the car can park three to a normal car’s parking space, all in a line. The same design allows passengers to get into the car through the hinged top, which opens without folding the car. The car can fold with passengers inside, however, allowing it to be parked in its super-compact form.

The Hiriko is electric with a small motor in each wheel hub. Steering, braking, and suspension are independent on each wheel, giving it the ability to be modular for repairs and replacements.

If the cars are built and successfully tested, they will go to market, MIT researchers hope, with a price tag at or under $ 12,500 USD.

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Fisker Automotive Renegotiates DOE Loan, Lays Off Workers

Meme — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:23:45 +0000

Fisker Automotive has announced layoffs of about 25% of its work force, mostly at the company’s California headquarters, but also at its in-progress Delaware manufacturing facility, after failing to meet benchmarks for Department of Energy low-interest loans.

Fisker has made marks with its Karma luxury range-extended hybrid, currently in production, but delayed progress in Delaware due to problems with the Karma’s time frame and a small recall it voluntarily conducted.

Of the $ 529 million earmarked for Fisker by the DOE, the company has drawn $ 193 million, mostly for work on the Karma.

Delays were for various reasons, including a longer-than-expected compliance wait for the Karma to be tested by the EPA and given a mileage rating. That delayed American release. Further problems with the Karma’s battery pack, further delaying release, were resolved with a voluntary recall that affected about 50 vehicles already sold at that point.

The Delaware plant, which saw 26 employees laid off, is home of the upcoming vehicle codenamed Nina. That car, which is expected to be more affordable than the Karma, will be built at the former General Motors plant in Wilmington. Production was to begin later this year, but may be delayed if a new loan agreement is not secured with the DOE. Fisker was planning to use the bulk of that money for Nina development and production costs.

Fisker is not relying entirely on the DOE for money, however, going forward with another private equity round of about $ 260 million late last year and is likely to attempt another next quarter.

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