PriusChat Forums - Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News

TTAC: First Quarter 2012 Top 20 best-selling models worldwide (spoiler: Prius is #2)

cwerdna — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:10:43 GMT

Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: The 100 Models That Sell The Most Worldwide In Q1 2012 | The Truth About Cars

Quote:

I know how much you like big rankings� Last week, I gave you the Top 265 best-selling models in China in April, but you also enjoyed the Top 265 best-selling models in the USA over Q1 2012 and the Top 318 best-selling models in Europe in 2011...

Overhead Electric Lines for Trucks Are Coming to California

SlowTurd — Tue, 22 May 2012 23:28:44 GMT

Overhead Electric Lines for Trucks Are Coming to California

Quote:

Systems of overhead electric cables are a common sight on trams and trains�but a new system designed to power road-going trucks is landing in the US. Developed by Siemens, the overhead lines will soon be rolled out for testing in California.

2012 Siemens - eHighway Test track - YouTube

Worldwide Sales of TMC Hybrids Top 4 Million Units

ken1784 — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:48:26 GMT

Toyota City, Japan, May 22, 2012

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces that global cumulative sales of its hybrid vehicles have topped the 4 million mark as of April 30.

read more

Ken@Japan

What Happens When Your Volt or Ampera Battery Gets Old?

massparanoia — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:25:03 GMT

The Chevrolet Volt and Opel/Vauxhall Ampera represent a new kind of powertrain for General Motors which the company has covered with an 8-year/100,000 mile warranty, but what happens to that expensive battery should it cause issues, or after its usable service life?

But according to GM�s Manager, Electric Vehicle and Hybrid Communications, Kevin Kelly, what GM has fully disclosed already is it does not quite know all the potential scenarios that could play out for aging Volt and Ampera batteries � but �we�re working diligently on it every day� he said of potential re-use scenarios and related questions.

What Happens When Your Volt or Ampera Battery Gets Old? | Hybrid Cars

Mercedes-Benz Readying Fuel Cell Sedan for 2017 Launch

massparanoia — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:46:01 GMT

Green Car Congress: Mercedes-Benz eyeing introducing a sedan model hydrogen fuel cell vehicle around MY 2017

Mercedes-Benz, which has begun leasing of the limited production B-Class F-Cell hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in California, is on track to roll out a MY 2015 next-generation B-Class F-Cell in much larger quantities for sale, and is considering introducing a regular sedan-class fuel cell vehicle in around MY 2017, Sascha Simon, Head of Advanced Product Planning at Mercedes-Benz USA, said in an interview with Green Car Congress�perhaps an E-Class version, he suggested.

Has anybody had any experience with one of these? What is the infrastructure like that is in place to support them?

Mileage tax on hybrids/ev's?

massparanoia — Sat, 19 May 2012 01:54:06 GMT

Weaning from oil, and fuel taxes | Baker City Herald | Baker County Oregon's News Leader

"There can be no doubt that Oregon, and every other state, will have to devise a method other than fuel taxes to pay to maintain and build roads and bridges. The taxation system that states, and the federal government, have relied on for decades works so long as the vast majority of vehicles plying our roads burn petroleum products taxed at the pump. Today that still accurately describes the nation’s vehicle fleet. But a decade from now it might not."

Decreased fuel use, means decreased revenue. What would be a good way to fill the gap?

New hybrid "payback" website

massparanoia — Sat, 19 May 2012 01:47:51 GMT

Feds Debut Hybrid Payback Web Site

"Green" vehicles hurt government revenue.

massparanoia — Sat, 19 May 2012 01:46:06 GMT

Green cars will lead to fall in motoring revenue for Treasury, says study | UK news | guardian.co.uk

"The drive to promote greener, more efficient motoring will blow a �13bn hole in the public finances as revenue from fuel and road taxes dries up, leading thinktanks have warned.
Tax breaks for electric cars and lower fuel consumption from efficient vehicles will mean a collapse in income even as road traffic increases, the Institute for Fiscal studies has found.
According to IFS research commissioned by the RAC Foundation and released on Tuesday, fuel duty collected by the exchequer will drop from 1.7% of GDP now to 1.1% of GDP by 2029, while vehicle excise duty will fall from 0.4% of GDP to 0.1% � a �13bn shortfall in revenue."

Bollocks?

No more gas pump vapor recovery

massparanoia — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:38:08 GMT

Gas Pumps Go Naked As Vapor-Recovery Requirement Ends

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/10/po...-pump-handles/

Good or bad? Did it ever really do anything?

Green Car Reports: Reliability Of Electric-Car Charging Networks Varies Wildly, Study Says

cwerdna — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:57:30 GMT

Reliability Of Electric-Car Charging Networks Varies Wildly, Study Says

Quote:

Remember the early days of mobile phones, when lots of small carriers competed and roaming was just a far-distant dream?

Welcome to the wild world of electric-car charging, folks...

Fuel Prices Fall

eheath — Tue, 15 May 2012 01:51:10 GMT

Good news, even for those with fuel-sipping vehicles.

Fuel Prices Drop, Diesel Down 3%, Gasoline 4%

Quote:

If you�ve filled your car�s tank recently, you almost certainly noticed you were paying less. In the last month, diesel fuel prices have dropped by almost 3% while gasoline prices fell more than 4%.
Monday�s report �

Read the full story �

Anti-hybrid conspiracy in 1970's

friendly_jacek — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:17:21 GMT

Wow,
I just learned how USA hybrid research was supressed by EPA in 1974.

Full story here: Hybrids and the EPA Fuel Economy Controversy | Hybrid Cars

Quote:

�The government program I was on to develop hybrids was more secret than Los Alamos and the atom bomb,� Wouk said in an oral history interview with the CalTech Archives one year before his passing on May 19, 2005.

Wouk contacted several people he knew at the EPA, who encouraged him to propose his hybrid car ideas as part of the Federal Clean Car Incentive Program, which promised government support for emission-reducing auto technology. Initially, Erik Stork, head of the Environmental Protection Agency�s Mobile Source Air Pollution Control Program from 1970-78, refused to test the vehicle. When he relented, the hybrid passed the required EPA tests. A month later, Stork sent a report citing 75 reasons why the hybrid would not go into the next phase of support.

Now retired from the EPA, Stork, 78, recalled in an interview for HybridCars.com, �Hybrids are just not a very practical technology for automotive. That�s why it�s going nowhere. It certainly wasn�t going anywhere then. Even today, it�s marginal.�

It's interesting how even now, hybrid bashing uses the same arguments. It's more than conspiracy, it's a close minded mindset IMHO.

Aptera electric car saved by Chinese-American partnership

massparanoia — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:58:54 GMT

200 MPGe Aptera electric car saved by Chinese-American partnership | Fox News

Chinese auto and motorcycle manufacturer breath new life into company.

Rumor is 200mpg-e for $30k. But it looks like an airplane without wings.

Landlord won't let tenant charge EV

massparanoia — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:56:26 GMT

San Francisco landlord won't let tenant charge electric car | abc7news.com

His reason? "No comment". The only semi logical reason I can think of is if he pays for the electricity for the outdoor outlets in the apt complex, but even that would be a stretch I think.

The tenant owns a volt, maybe it has to do with the house fire hoopla from before?

Return of the RAV4-EV: Thumbs Down says the Media

hill — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:13:35 GMT

. duplicate thread ... sorry