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Volvo Announces Plug-In Diesel-Electric Hybrid

June 11, 2009 in Consumer News, Future Cars, Hybrids, MPG, New Tech, PHEVs, diesel by kristen | No comments

I’ve long said that the future of the automobile won’t rest on any one new technology. Volvo apparently took this to heart and threw several of the latest alternative-fuel technologies into one model, which could appear on the market as soon as 2012.

There were few details released, but here’s what we know about the first model to embody Volvo’s “Drive towards Zero” mission:

It will use a diesel engine and lithium batteries
It can run on battery power alone for about 30 miles
Emissions would be below 50 grams of CO2 per km
The new technology will make the car really expensive, so Volvo is encouraging governments to offer subsidies and incentives

Photo of the concept Volvo hybrid courtesy of Volvo Cars.

CAFE Standards: What You Need to Know

May 26, 2009 in Biodiesel, Bioethanol, Consumer News, EVs, Hybrids, Hydrogen, MPG, PHEVs, diesel, small cars by kristen | 2 comments

Last week, President Barack Obama announced new CAFE standards. While these new numbers seem like a big leap to require auto manufacturers to make, they were a long time in coming. Fuel economy standards hadn’t been significantly revised in nearly a decade. The new standards have the benefit of being constructed with input from auto makers and states who wanted higher standards, so a bunch of potentially expensive and contentious lawsuits were dropped as a result. Whew.

Here’s how it all breaks down:

The average fuel economy of the manufacturers’ car and light truck fleets will increase by 5% every year beginning in 2012 and ending in 2016
Cars must average 39 mpg; light trucks and SUVs must average 30 mpg by 2016
Overall average will be 35.5; current overall average is 25 mpg
Will go hand-in-hand with EPA initiative to reduce tailpipe CO2 emissions by 40%

What’s not known is how extended-range electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt or hydrogen cars like the Honda Clarity will figure into the calculations. The feds say they’re working on it.

If you’d like this information in a live, five-minute video starring yours truly, check out Portland’s KGW NewsChannel 8.

Interstate 5 Gets Closer to Green Goal

May 13, 2009 in EVs, Future Cars, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

Several California counties, the state of Oregon, and now Seattle have hopped on the electric interstate idea by signing EV-charging infrastructure deals with Nissan. The car company plans to introduce its EV in limited numbers next year, and it wants to have recharging stations in place.

With San Diego and Seattle on board, the ends of Interstate 5 are pinned in place with EV charging agreements. Coverage along I-5’s length is spotty so far, though, so don’t plan a road trip in your Tesla just yet. Also, as John O’Dell reported on the Green Car Advisor blog, Seattle’s hydroelectric power source makes it the first utility in the world to be able to lay claim to the carbon-neutral crown.

Nissan’s EV has been making the rounds on the West Coast lately, with the technology tucked inside a Nissan Cube. The company won’t confirm that the final vehicle design will be based on the Cube, nor will it let journalists take a peek inside the battery pack. I assume details will be coming this fall as the first versions, suitable for real-world testing, become available.

Piaggio’s Plug-In Hybrid Scooter Coming to America

May 7, 2009 in Consumer News, Hybrids, PHEVs, Two Wheels by kristen | No comments

Italian scooter builder Piaggio is bringing a plug-in hybrid version of its Piaggio MP3 three-wheeled scooter to the U.S. by 2010. The model is burlier than a traditional two-wheeled scooter, thanks to the stability of two closely spaced front wheels, but otherwise it fits the profile of scooter commuter fun.

The New York Times Wheels blog gave the PHEV MP3’s specs:

125-cc gasoline engine
lithium-ion batteries
140 mpg estimate
$10,000 or so
available Q1 2010

No More Gasoline in Norway?

May 4, 2009 in Biodiesel, Bioethanol, EVs, Hybrids, Hydrogen, New Tech, PHEVs by kristen | 1 comment

Norwegian Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen has proposed to ban all gasoline-powered cars from Norway by 2015. Hybrid gasoline-electric cars would still be allowed, as would extended-range electric vehicles like the Opel Ampera (that’s Chevy Volt to us Americans). Biofuels would make the cut, too.

Halvorsen has no intention of busting down garage doors in the middle of the night to take away gasoline cars. The new rules, if enacted, would apply only to new cars sold in 2015 or after. Her idea is to push car companies to make cleaner-running cars, not to wreck the Norwegian economy–even though Norway is the sixth largest oil exporter in the world, according to Reuters. On the other hand, Norway is home to electric-car upstart Think.

Two New Lithium Battery Plants in Detroit

April 30, 2009 in Biz News, EVs, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

Two battery manufacturers with offices in Michigan have announced plans to build factories in the beleaguered state. LG Chem-Compact Power and A123 Systems will build two of the four expected lithium battery plants to come to Michigan in the near future. The other two waiting in the wings are Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions and KD Advanced Battery Group.

The A123 plant will be the bigger of the two, with $600 million in seed money and more than 5,000 positions expected to be filled. Compact Power’s plant gets a $200 million investment to create about 300 jobs. Both companies will recieve $125-million tax credits from the state as a thank-you.

Oregon and Mitsubishi Partners in Charging

April 27, 2009 in Biz News, EVs, New Tech, PHEVs, small cars by kristen | 1 comment

Kulongoske and i MiEV

Ted Kulongoski, Governor of Oregon, John Koenig of Mistubishi Motors North America, and Jim Piro, head of electric utility PGE all took the podium on Earth Day to announce Oregon’s partnership with Mistubishi to establish a statewide network of charging stations. Presumably, these stations will be used by Mitsubishi’s i MiEV fleet when they come to Oregon for testing later this year.

Piro and Kulongoski both interated that Oregon is moving away from fossil fuel power, with the idea of emissions-free driving at the source and from the tailpipe (metaphorically, of course. EVs don’t have tailpipes). The region PGE serves is already number one in purchasing renewable power, so it seems hearts and minds of its customers have already been won over.

Kulongoski also said he was working with the federal Department of Transportation on greening the interstates. He’d like to see quick chargers at rest stops along Interstates 5 and 84 in Oregon, and apparently the U.S. government hasn’t shut down the idea completely.

Image of Gov. Kulongoski with i MiEV and charger by Kristen Hall-Geisler.

Jaguar’s Big Cat Goes Green

April 21, 2009 in Biz News, EVs, Future Cars, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

There’s a rumor that Jaguar, which is owned now by Indian motor company Tata, will debut a plug-in hybrid version of its next-generation XJ four-door sedan. According to Autocar, a British magazine, the technology will be similar to the Chevy Volt (or Opel Ampera, if you’re in the European Union), with batteries that can be recharged by either plugging in or by a small, on-board, gasoline-powered engine.

Jaguar was granted a loan of more than 300 million pounds for developing green technology by the European Union. It’s worked with outside engineers on the PHEV project, including Lotus Engineering, to put the car into production by 2011. This dovetails with Jaguar’s plan to reduce its emissions by 25% by 2012.

Fisker Gets Funding, Heads for Green Conference

April 20, 2009 in Biz News, Future Cars, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

In its latest round of investments, Fisker Automotive managed to get $85 million in venture capital for the development and manufacture of its plug-in hybrid vehicles. The company’s first production car, the 2010 Fisker Karma, is expected to roll out of the factory and onto the street in late 2009 with a price tag near $90,000 — before tax credits.

The wads and wads of cash come from Eco-Drive (Capital) Partners of New York, which is an investment consortium with members from the U.S. and Europe, and from early Fisker investor Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.

Company founder and CEO Henrik Fisker will take part in the Fortune Brainstorm Green Conference in Laguna Niguel, California, this week. The symposium will include keynote speaker President Bill Clinton and the “Future of Cars” panel, which is where Fisker will share his ideas on the autos to come, along with Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. and Ford CEO Alan Mulally.

Oregon Charges Ahead in Standardizing Plug-In Parking

April 6, 2009 in EVs, New Tech, PHEVs by kristen | 2 comments

The state of Oregon issued an RFP (request for proposals) last week asking for companies that make public electric-car charging stations to submit their systems for consideration in the state’s green transportation plans. The state already has a bunch of stations, mostly in the Portland metro area, but it wants to increase that number to hundreds and spread the EV love as far and wide as possible.

The Oregon Department of Transportation was authorized to ramp up the curbside charging program last November, including standardizing the look, performance, and safety of the chargers. Also, they’d like to buy in bulk to make things easy, so charging stations built by hand in the family garage likely aren’t going to cut it.

The chargers won’t be limited to curbside parking. ODOT envisions them at park-and-ride locations, retail parking lots, and motor pools, among others. Of course, Good Green Cars already covered the unveiling of a curbside charger in Oregon City last fall.

Opel Ampara to Be Volt’s European Sister

March 9, 2009 in Consumer News, EVs, Future Cars, MPG, PHEVs by kristen | 1 comment

Opel Ampera Chevy Volt

GM unveiled the European version of the Chevy Volt at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show — the Opel Ampera. The two cars are identical where it counts: they use the same chassis and Voltec extended-range electric vehicle drive system. But the skin they wear is quite different, and not surprisingly, the Euro version has more style.

Following the GM press release’s Euro style, the car can travel on electricity only for 60 km. After that, a small on-board engine acts as a generator to recharge the batteries and give the Ampera another 500 km of driving range. (That’s 37 miles on battery power, and about 300 miles of generator-extended driving on this side of the pond.)

GM says the Ampera will debut in dealerships in 2011, as the Continent’s first EREV. The Chevy Volt will be in U.S. showrooms at about the same time; its production is scheduled to begin in late 2010 at the company’s plant in Flint, Michigan.

Images above courtesy of GM. The Ampere is on the left, at its debut with Opel VP Alain Visser, and the Volt is on the right.

2011 Dodge Circuit Rumored to Be a Roadster

February 23, 2009 in EVs, Future Cars, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

Dodge Circuit

At the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in January, Chrysler showcased its ENVI-program EVs, including the electric-orange Dodge Circuit. No definite dates were set for any of the range-extended electric vehicles, but buzz was high and Chrysler seemed close to ready to put at least one of them into production.

Last week, Chrysler and GM were required to file their restructuring plans with the government to receive the next round of cash. GreenCarReports.com found buried on page 135 a mention of an “EV roadster” to be produced in 2010 for the 2011 model year. The site extrapolates from this one word that the first EV from the embattled company won’t be the Lotus-bodied number they’ve parading all over town, but instead an open-topped car based on the 2007 Dodge Demon concept.

Of course, the “roadster” thing could have been a mistake, or just a typo. Really, though, if they can bring in an EV sports car at a decent price, would you care if it was a hard-top Lotus-derived body or a drop-top Miata-style mini monster?

2007 Dodge Demon Concept

Demon image courtesy of Chrysler. Circuit image by Kristen Hall-Geisler.

BYD Builds Hybrid Dreams

January 28, 2009 in Biz News, Consumer News, EVs, Future Cars, Hybrids, MPG, New Tech, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

BYD F3DM

Thanks to Nissan’s pulling out of the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, Chinese auto manufacturer BYD (”Build Your Dreams”) got its chance to shine. Last year, BYD was relegated to the basement of the Cobo Center; this year, they were upstairs, between Subaru and fellow Chinese auto maker Brilliance, where the overhead lights could gleam off the company’s hybrid cars.

With a blast of music from the loudspeakers and a substantial investment from Warren Buffet, BYD is setting itself up to take on Toyota, Honda, Ford, and everyone else with a horse in the hybrid race. BYD began in 1995 as a battery producer, so building the car around the power system was a cinch. Like most other manufacturers with a new technology to sell, BYD brought a cutaway car to showcase its dual-mode hybrid system.

BYD’s first car, the F3DM, went on sale in China in December 2008. The company plans to bring its cars to the U.S. by 2011, and eventually to build them here, too. The next BYD car to reach showrooms will be a “family-sized” sedan, also dual-mode, called the F6DM. Both dual-mode cars have a 1-liter gasoline engine, an EV range of 68 miles, and a not-too-shabby 0-60 time of 10.5 seconds.

The BYD e6 is an all-electric vehicle with a 250-mile range and a 0-60 time of 8 seconds. It also features a “quick-charge” capacity that can restore 50% of its power in 10 minutes.

quick charge port

In all its cars, BYD promises safety, quality, affordability, and environmental responsibility. It’ll be interesting to see how they fare against the IIHS crash tests and EPA mileage machines.

Detroit Day One: What’s New

January 11, 2009 in Bioethanol, Biz News, Consumer News, EVs, Future Cars, Hybrids, MPG, New Tech, PHEVs, small cars by kristen | No comments

I’ve attended about a half-dozen press conference at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit today — enough to give you an idea of what’s to come. I’ll have pictures and in-depth information on the models mentioned here in the next day or two.

GM: To emphasize the company’s commitment to greener powertrain technology, the Volt led the GM parade. The much-hyped range-extended electric vehicle should be market-ready by the end of 2010. The Chevy Beat microcar concept will be produced worldwide as the Chevy Spark in 2011. The surprise of the conference was the all-electric Cadillac Converj concept (nice spelling, eh?) It’s based on the Voltech system, as the company is calling it, and should have a 40-mile range.

Lexus: Toyota’s luxury arm debuted a dedicated hybrid, the HS 250 h. The “entry-level luxury vehicle” has plant-based eco-plastics, according to Lexus, throughout the interior, which is 30% recyclable. The car overall is 85% recyclable, including the batteries. It’ll be on sale in late summer 2009, but no price was announced yet.

Ford: Ford was all about its new EcoBoost engine, which is an option for the Flex right now and will be available on 90% of Ford vehicles by 2013. Bill Ford Jr. announced plans to bring four new high-mileage battery vehicles to the market by 2012, declaring it “not a test program,” but a business strategy.

Chrysler: Chrysler execs were grateful for the government bailout and weren’t afraid to show it. They brought their GEM low-power electric vehicles, plus the three ENVI electric prototypes they debuted in 2008. They also brought the new Patriot EV (the second Jeep to get the EV treatment) and the Chrysler 200c EV concept, which is packed with more hi-tech bits than an iPhone.

Bentley: The high-luxury car maker made available its corporate plans to move to flex fuels in its massive sedans and convertibles. It also announced a new biofuel car that would debut in Geneva this March. Oh, and they brought champagne. Yum.

Mini: Mini brought its E electric car and talked about its program to get a fleet of 500 test cars in Los Angeles and New York City, and it debuted a new convertible that is more fuel efficient and emits less carbon dioxide than the previous model.

That’s all for now. More press conferences tomorrow, including a new plug-in hybrid sports car concept from Fisker.

Speed EVs: Battery Beach Burnout ‘09

December 8, 2008 in EVs, Hybrids, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

Battery Beach Burnout 2009

Electric vehicles have a reputation for being the pokey little puppies of the automotive world, and not without reason. The neighborhood electric vehicles that are available today generally go 35 mph for about 30 miles. Hardly fast enough to muss your hair. That’s where events like the 2009 Battery Beach Burnout in Jupiter, Florida, come in.

The EVs, plug-in EVs, and hybrids that meet at Florida Atlantic University February 21 and 22, 2009, will blow past the slow stereotype. Organizers have acceleration testing, autocross, and more on the docket for participants, plus a ride-and-drive event to give the public a chance to try out what may be an unfamiliar powerplant.

The addition of plug-in EVs and hybrids is new this year, as is a separate vendor area near the event field. The Florida Electric Auto Association is hosting the burnout, and will of course include a show-n-shine for EV owners. There’s no reason for the long-standing tradition of spiffing up your car to impress the ladies to die with the combustion engine.

What: Battery Beach Burnout 2009
Who: Florida Electric Auto Association
Where: Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL
When: February 21-22

Future of the Auto Industry: EVs, Biodiesel, Bikes

December 1, 2008 in Biodiesel, Consumer News, EVs, Future Cars, Hybrids, Hydrogen, MPG, New Tech, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

Oregon Public Broadcasting’s call-in show, “Think Out Loud,” was about the future of the automotive industry this morning. The program focused on the state of Oregon, and most of the guests and callers were from the state, but the show had a lot to say about where personal transportation is headed in the next decade for the entire U.S.

The show, which aired Monday, December 1, was called “A Sustainable Auto Industry.” Guests included John Viera, Director of Ford Sustainable Business Strategies; Mark Perry, Director of Product Planning for Nissan North America; a representative from Governor Kulongoski’s office; and an assistant professor at Oregon State University’s College of Business. So they had their bases covered.

Highlights of the show (though you should listen to the whole thing):

Viera says Ford will not go back to making so many trucks, no matter what the price of gas is. The company apparently is trying to learn its lesson and produce for the tomorrow instead of yesterday.
Perry says Oregon will be one of the first launch markets for its new EVs in 2010. Yay!
He also said Nissan wants to have 10% of its sales to be EVs by 2020 — that’s about 100,000 vehicles in the U.S.
My favorite phrase came from Chris Warner, Kulongoski’s transportation adviser. He says there is no silver bullet, only “silver buckshot,” which includes alternative fuel cars, bikes, walking, public transportation, and whatever else the future holds.

A lot of basic alternative-fuel questions were answered, like shifting emissions from the tailpipe to the smokestack, and the recyclability of electric-vehicle batteries. It’s a good listen for newbies and alt-vehicle veterans alike.

A Sustainable Auto Industry

Shorepower Converts Priuses to Plug-Ins

November 16, 2008 in Consumer News, Hybrids, MPG, PHEVs by kristen | 1 comment

Shorepower Technologies Portland, Oregon, location is the latest in a recent line-up of companies that will convert hybrid cars like the Prius to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs. The company itself isn’t new, but the conversion side of the business is. They’ve just completed and delivered their first conversion — a Prius, of course.

Shorepower uses the Plug-In Supply kit to add 20 lead-acid batteries to the stock battery pack that comes with the car. The extra batteries fit in the rear cargo compartment under the carpet, with a metal lid between batteries and cargo.

A converted car can go up to 50 mph on EV-only power, as opposed to about 42 mph for an unconverted Prius.
Car can go an estimated 8-12 miles in EV-only mode
Fuel economy can be as high as 80 mpg, according to Shorepower’s tests
$6,700 includes parts, labor, and shipping the kit to Shorepower’s HQ for the conversion

The company also does EV conversions and uses the Hybrids Plus kit to swap out the factory lead-acid batteries for lithium-ion packs in the Ford Escape. Shorepower is also responsible for the new curbside charging stations popping up in the Portland metro area.

This isn’t an endorsement, and I’ve never used a Shorepower product, but it’s good to know who the reputable businesses are as the U.S. switches from a gas-dependent model to having choices in alternative fuels.

Images of the conversion to come.

All the President’s EVs

November 10, 2008 in Consumer News, EVs, New Tech, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

Baker Electric Though motor vehicles had been around for some 20 years, the White House didn’t make the switch from horse-drawn carriages to horseless carriages until William Taft took office in 1909. According to the L.A. Times, Taft chose an electric vehicle built by the now-defunct Baker company for the first Presidential conveyance.

Fast forward 100 years to president-elect Barack Obama, who made the following promises in his “New Energy for America” speech in August:

Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars — cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon — on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America

Within one year of becoming President, the entire White House fleet will be converted to
plug‐ins as security permits

Half of all cars purchased by the federal government will be plug‐in hybrids or all‐electric
by 2012

Obama also wants to provide a $7,000 tax credit for consumers who purchase advanced-technology vehicles and unspecified tax credits for folks who go the DIY route (or hire a firm to do it for them) and convert their car to a PHEV or EV.

Image by Jim O’Clair, Hemmings.com.

Find Your Alternative Fuel Station

November 7, 2008 in Biodiesel, Bioethanol, Consumer News, EVs, Future Cars, Hydrogen, New Tech, PHEVs by kristen | 1 comment

If you’ve been considering an alternative-fuel vehicle for your next car but were wondering where on earth to fill up, look no further than the U.S. Department of Energ y. That’s right — the DoE has put together a handy web site where you can search for refueling stations for just about any kind of fuel except regular, ol’ gasoline:

Biodiesel (B20 and above)
Compressed Natural Gas
Electric
Ethanol (E85)
Hydrogen
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Propane)

It should surprise no one that California leads the way in most types of alternative fuel stations. E85 is huge in the Midwest, which is another no-brainer, but biodiesel is big in Georgia and the Carolinas, which I did not know. Texas has hundreds of propane filling stations, as anyone who watches “King of the Hill” would probably guess.

There is a ton of information on the Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center, and it will be a valuable resource as more alternative-fueled cars come to market in the next four years or so. Bookmark it now, folks, and tell all your friends who love green cars.

2009 Plug-In Prius Benefit Auction

November 3, 2008 in Consumer News, MPG, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

2009 Plug-In Prius

Good gas mileage, good cause–yup, it’s a good green car! The Green Car Company, which is based in Seattle, is auctioning off a 2009 Prius they’ve converted to be a plug-in using A123’s Hymotion plug-in kit. Proceeds from the eBay sale, which ends November 9, 2008, benefit Plug In America, a group working to shift consumers from gasoline- to electric-powered cars.

The Hymotion kit used in this particular Prius includes state-of-the-tech lithium-ion batteries and has been installed by certified technicians, so Toyota’s warranty is still in effect, according to Plug In America. The new battery pack has its own three-year warranty.

The dark blue car is on display all this week at the Seattle Auto Show for those who want to see it for themselves. The auction site says the new owner will be able to get 100-150 mpg and run on solely on electricity for up to 40 miles. The Prius is fully loaded, and the Green Car Company is throwing in a bunch of extras on top, including classes, shock upgrades, and heavy-duty extension cords for recharges.

EV Charging Stations Go Online

October 29, 2008 in EVs, Future Cars, New Tech, PHEVs by kristen | 1 comment

$Oregon City\'s new EV charging station$

Portland, Oregon, gets a lot of credit for sustainability and forward thinking, but it’s not the only place looking to an EV-powered future. Oregon City, a suburb south of Portland, unveiled its new curbside charging station October 28 by plugging in a converted electric Fiat owned by resident Mark Mongillo. The idea is to get a jump start, if you will, on the infrastructure required for the EVs and plug-in hybrids that manufacturers are promising for the near-ish future.

The charging station, which was built by Shorepower Technologies of Portland, is one of four that have been installed in the region by Portland General Electric. It can charge up to four electric cars at once using 120-volt plugs, like what we have in our homes. At that rate, it would take about four hours for a full battery charge. Most people parking curbside would likely “top off” their batteries while shopping or sipping coffee.

After the unveiling of the seven-foot-tall station, Mongillo plugged in his Fiamp to charge. Nothing happened. Nothing noticeable, anyway. The crowd seemed to expect noise or a light to turn on or something, but plugging in an EV isn’t that showy. Mongillo said, “That’s it. It’s working,” and the small crowd applauded.

Details on the Shorepower stations:

7 feet, 8 inches tall; stainless steel
Powered by 100% renewable energy from PGE
$2,500 for the four-outlet unit, not including installation
Four 120-volt outlets; full charge in about 4 hours
Charging is free (so far)

Volvo Hybrids on the Way

October 15, 2008 in Consumer News, Future Cars, Hybrids, MPG, PHEVs, diesel by kristen | No comments

If you love the safe feeling of driving a Volvo but not the around-town gas mileage (16 mpg in an S80!), do the Swedes have good news for you. Volvo announced at the Paris auto show, where green was king, that it would introduce start-stop technology in some of its 2009 models, with diesel hybrids to appear in 2012 and plug-in hybrids to come sometime soon after that.

The smaller C30, S40, and V50 will get the start-stop treatment first. This relatively uncomplicated technology shuts off the engine when it’s not under load, at stop lights, say, and starts it back up when you’re ready to get moving. Start-stop will make its way into the rest of Volvo’s lineup in the future.

Diesel hybrid systems will be used in the company’s larger vehicles, like SUVs, wagons, and the big sedans. The Volvo setup will have a 5-cylinder turbodiesel engine to drive the front wheels and an electric motor to power the rear wheels. At low speeds, the electric motor will be able to do all the necessary work.

Automotive News mentioned that electric motors and diesel engines have the same shortcoming, namely a lack of horsepower at high rpm. Volvo execs say that they’re more interested in reducing CO2 emissions, and this is the best way for them to do that. I doubt many people were buying Volvo wagons for their sportiness, anyway.

Bailout Bill Tax Credits: Who Qualifies?

October 8, 2008 in Biz News, Consumer News, EVs, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

After I posted a synopsis of the alternative fuel tax credits here on GoodGreenCars Monday, astute reader Emily wondered if electric-only vehicles could get the credit, or if this particular sweetener only applied to PHEVs like the Volt.

Here’s the straight dope from the bill, as translated into English from Congress-ese by yours truly.

A New, Qualified, Plug-In Electric Drive Motor Vehicle, according to the recently passed bailout bill, means a vehicle that:

Has a battery with at least a 4 kwh capacity (your tax credit will go up with the size of your battery)
Uses an off-board source of energy to recharge the battery (an outlet or generator would do)
Is certified under the Clean Air Act and meets California’s low emissions vehicle standard
Will be put on the road for the first time by the taxpayer
Was bought for use by the taxpayer, not for resale
Was made by a manufacturer — home conversions do not get this credit

So your 6-year-old daughter’s battery-powered Barbie car doesn’t get the credit, nor does my friend Tim’s Porsche 914 conversion. You have to buy the car brand-new and use it yourself, no dealers or used cars allowed. And any plug-in vehicle should meet the emissions standards with flying colors.

If you have further questions, read the text of the bill here (look for Section 205 on page 186 of the PDF).

PHEVs Get a Tax Break

October 6, 2008 in Biz News, Consumer News, EVs, PHEVs, racing by kristen | 2 comments

The bailout bill passed by Congress last week included “sweeteners,” as anyone with a radio, TV, Internet connection, or newspaper subscription has learned by now. What didn’t make the top of the news was the fact that a couple of these provisions to sweeten the Wall Street bailout bill directly affect alternative fuels — in a good way, for once.

Buyers of plug-in hybrid vehicles will receive a $2500 tax credit, plus $417 per kilowatt hour for batteries greater than 4 kwh. This makes the Chevy Volt $7500 cheaper, as GM’s Volt blog was happy to point out. The credit will apply fully to the first 250,000 PHEVs sold, then will be phased out over the next year’s worth of sales after than landmark number is reached. (See Section 205 on page 186 of the bill.)

The bill also extends the 30% clean-burning fuel property tax credit to electricity, and moves the deadline for taking the credit out a year to December 2010. (See Section 207 on page 197 of the bill.)

Since that information, while useful, was dry as sand, here’s video of a souped up Smart ForTwo beating the pants off a Ferrari in the quarter-mile (38 seconds):

GM’s Bob Lutz on the Colbert Report

September 22, 2008 in Future Cars, MPG, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

A little humor for your Monday — GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, who’s been touring the country touting the Volt for what seems like decades, was a guest on a recent episode of the Colbert Report (winner of several Emmys last night, by the way).

Host Stephen Colbert grilled Lutz on global warming, man-talk, and 40-mile extension cords, and Lutz mostly held his own. Except, that is, on the global warming question. This is the man who declared global warming to be a “crock of sh*t” in February, but he’s also the man charged with convincing people that GM is looking forward and the Volt is a good idea. Colbert left Lutz hanging a bit when he asked why GM didn’t just call the car the Chevy Gore.

Lutz made his appearance the day after GM’s 100th birthday celebration and the official unveiling of the probable production design of the Volt, and a week after the images of the Volt design leaked to the web. Lutz himself is a speed and power man, and the “adequate” performance of the Volt seems to pain him a bit. He was a good sport about the whole thing, but what would you expect from, as Colbert calls him, a master of the universe?

GM at the Century Mark

September 16, 2008 in Biz News, Future Cars, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

Today, September 16, 2008, is GM’s 100th birthday, and they’re celebrating over at GMnext with videos, events, podcasts, and more. At 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the site will host a Future of Transportation Roundtable that should be intriguing, as speakers include members of industry, media, academia, and government. I’m betting (or hoping) they talk about the death spiral of the oil industry and the opportunities for new fuels and clean energy sources.

GM Next Day, as the company is calling it, will also have a global broadcast at 8 a.m. Eastern (I will not be getting up at five out here on the West Coast to listen in, so you’ll have to fill me in using the comments), followed by a series of live chats with executives, including Vice Chairman of Global Product Development, and leader of his own automotive cult of personality, Bob Lutz.

Oh, and don’t forget — today is the official unveiling of the production Volt design, though you’ve probably already seen the slew of photos leaked to the web last week.

Unofficial official image of Lutz and the Volt from Autobloggreen.com.

GM to Unveil Volt This Month

September 11, 2008 in Consumer News, EVs, Future Cars, Hybrids, MPG, New Tech, PHEVs by kristen | 2 comments

After giving us coy pictures of front corners and rear decks of the design concept, GM says they will unveil the Chevy Volt in all its production-trim glory at the company’s 100th birthday party September 16. Preproduction models will be built in 2009, with sales of the real deal expected to begin in 2010.

GM chair Bob Lutz told Automotive News Europe that the production Volt will be the “next generation global compact architecture.” For those who don’t speak Auto Industry as a first language, that means the U.S. version of the Volt will use many of the same underpinnings as GM’s upcoming world-market offerings. For examples of this design, keep an eye out for the Opel Astra and Chevy Cruze at the Paris auto show this year.

Meanwhile, according to Motor Trend, GM and the EPA are debating whether the Volt is a hybrid or an electric vehicle. The outcome will decide how fuel-economy numbers will be calculated. The car has an electric motor with a combustion engine that acts as a range extender when the batteries run out.

GM wants the car to pass the EPA’s tests using the electric motor 85% of the time, which would give it a rating of 100 mpg or more. The EPA wants the Volt to pass the tests with its batteries near full charge at the end, which would require the gasoline-powered engine to run most of the time. This calculation would drop the fuel economy to about 48 mpg. When fuel economy is your sales tool, a Prius-like 48 mpg might hurt sales of the $40,000-plus Volt.

Alt Car Expo 2008 — Two Shows, Two Cities

August 28, 2008 in Biodiesel, Bioethanol, Consumer News, EVs, Hybrids, Hydrogen, New Tech, PHEVs, diesel by kristen | No comments

The Alternative Energy and Transportation Expo will roll into Santa Monica for the third straight year September 26-27, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. For the first time ever, the show will also set up camp in Texas, at the Austin Energy Alt Car Expo inside the Palmer Events Center October 17-18. Both events are free, free, free.

If you’re new to alternative-energy-powered vehicles, these events would be a good place to start. More than 150 exhibits will detail different fuels, such as hydrogen, hybrids, ethanol, electricity — both AC and DC — and even natural gas and propane. Experts will be on hand to answer any questions you may have, whether you’re an SUV driver thinking about driving greener or an engineer who converted his Porsche 914 to an AC motor.

Perhaps the most useful part of the expo is the Ride and Drive lot, where visitors can experience alternative fuels first-hand and evaluate their pluses and minuses from the driver’s (or passenger’s) seat. Seminars and panel discussions will be held during both weekends, featuring authors who’ve analyzed the future of the auto industry and movers and shakers from within the industry itself.

Ford to Double Number of Hybrids

August 25, 2008 in Biodiesel, Biz News, Consumer News, EVs, Future Cars, Hybrids, Hydrogen, MPG, New Tech, PHEVs, diesel by kristen | No comments

At a press event in Portland, Oregon, Dan Kapp, Ford’s director of powertrain research, said that the company has plans to become the number-one hybrid producer in the country next year. By adding hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan to the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids already on the market, Ford will double the number of its hybrids on the road.

Kapp laid out Ford’s long-term strategy, from today to 2050. The company plans to migrate its advanced fuel-saving technologies, like hybrid systems and the new EcoBoost engine, across the product line by 2012, so at least a few Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles will get a little better gas mileage. By 2020, Kapp said Ford will fully implement current technology and begin to delve into more gasoline-electric hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and more. After that, the plan is to roll out hydrogen fuel-cell cars, biofuel-powered vehicles, and whatever other new technologies have developed by then.

Kapp was eager to point out the advantages of Ford’s new EcoBoost engine, which uses gasoline direct injection and turbocharging to raise fuel efficiency by as much as 20% and lower tailpipe emissions by as much as 15%. The physically smaller engine will be able to deliver the same or greater power as traditional Ford engines, and will be available first in the 2009 Lincoln MKS sedan.

Kapp pointed out that while Ford was not pursuing hydrogen-powered cars as quickly as Honda, nor was it chasing Chevy’s PHEV Volt with any conviction, it does have the first driveable hydrogen fuel-cell PHEV in the Edge HySeries. The fleet of 30 cars is still very much in the test stage, and Kapp noted that hydrogen fuel has “monumental infrastructure problems.”

When fielding questions about bringing clean diesel cars from Europe (answer: not any time soon), a fellow journalist mentioned that he ran his diesel-powered Ford truck on B99 every summer. Kapp nearly choked on his coffee when he heard that one of his trucks was being powered by 99% biodiesel a few months out of the year. I was surprised that he was surprised — he was in eco-conscious Portland, after all.

New Images of the Volt

August 15, 2008 in Future Cars, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

This right here is the front driver’s side corner of the production Volt. Are you excited yet? Have you added your name to the unofficial list of 30,000-plus who are interested in buying the car for less than Chevy wants to sell it?

GM has flooded the Internet with so many images and baby steps during the development process that it feels like we’re entering “Snakes on a Plane” territory. By the time the Volt actually appears in driveable, saleable form, we’ll all be over it.

But in case you’re not over it yet, here’s the tail end of the car:

33,000 Unofficial Buyers for GM’s Volt

August 14, 2008 in Consumer News, Future Cars, Hybrids, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

Fan site GM-Volt.com has a waiting list for the Chevy Volt with more than 33,000 names on it. (Actually, as of the moment I’m writing this post, there are 34,179.) This number is the kind of encouragement GM engineers need to get the Volt to the market on time in late 2010.

The problem with the list is that its about as unofficial as unofficial can be. The Web site is not in any way affiliated with GM, and there are no deposits being taken by the company yet. The “Wait List” on GM-Volt.com asks for name, address, enthusiasm level, and the price you’d be willing to pay for the plug-in hybrid.

California led the pack of Wait Listers by far, with Texas, Florida, Michigan, and New York rounding out the top five most interested states. On a scale of 1 to 10, enthusiasm was just over 9, but people aren’t so excited about parting with the cash. The average Wait Listers were willing to pay for the PHEV was just over $31,000, about $9,000 short of what GM expects MSRP to be. Nearly 8,000 responders were willing to put their money where their keyboard is, though, with the average deposit they were willing to plunk down for the Volt being $2,500.

Obama: 1 Million Plug-in Hybrids by 2015

August 5, 2008 in EVs, Hybrids, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

Presidential candidate Barack Obama released a plan this week that aims to change U.S. energy policies and usage. Part of that plan is to get 1 million American-built plug-in hybrid cars — “cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon,” according to the senator’s PDF — to market by 2015.

In the 8-page speech, he mentions an emergency energy rebate of $500 per individual and $1000 for a couple to help with the cost of fuel and food. Where will this money come from? Big Oil’s very own pockets. That seems difficult, to say the least. He also wants to increase fuel economy standards by 4% each year, convert all White House vehicles to PHEVs in his first year, and make at least half of the federal government’s auto purchases PHEVs or EVs by 2012.

As part of his desire to increase “green collar” jobs, Obama wants all new vehicles to be flex-fuel capable, and he would work toward creating the next generation of sustainable biofuels. He also says he would work to keep American auto jobs in the country and encourage automakers to focus on fuel-efficient cars.

He also backs smart-grid technology of the kind Boulder, Colorado, is experimenting with. His plan goes much further than just car-related points, including mentions of controversial subjects like safer nuclear power and clean coal. But some of his other points are more common-sense, like assisting in weatherizing a million homes annually.

It’s not the most invigorating reading, that plan, but it’s important to know what ideas these guys have for our future. To see Republican candidate John McCain’s energy speech from June, click here.

Portland Plugs Into Curbside Chargers

July 31, 2008 in EVs, Future Cars, PHEVs by kristen | 1 comment

Us Portlanders who follow these things knew this was coming, but it’s still exciting when it actually happens. Portland General Electric officially unveiled its first shiny, new curbside charging station, one of several to be installed over the next couple of months in Portland and Salem.

PGE partnered with local company Shorepower Technologies to build the charging stations, which for now offer free fill-ups to EVs and plug-in hybrids, like the Toyota Prius that happened to be in town this week for a green conference at the art museum.

The chargers have a 220-volt plug tucked inside a nozzle like you’d find at a gasoline filling station, earning the designers points for cleverness. Though there are fewer than 300 electric vehicles registered in Oregon, there are nearly 30,000 regular Priuses. PGE and its partners take Portland’s Prius love to mean that we’re likely to see a surge in EVs and PHEVs in the next decade, and they want to be ready with the infrastructure when it happens.

We were, after all, ranked third in a national listing of “greenest” drivers, after Seattle and Burlington, Vermont. Not to rub it in or anything.

New 100 MPG Prius Conversion for under $5K

July 30, 2008 in MPG, PHEVs, small cars by kristen | No comments

Plug-In Supply in Petaluma, California, is selling plug-in conversion kits for the Toyota Prius for the low, low price of $4,995. How can they sell it so cheap? First, that’s the price of the kit only, no shipping or installation included; second, they’re using CalCars Open Source Prius+ Technology as the basis of the conversion.

For you do-it-yourselfers and engineers out there, the kit includes lead-acid batteries and the box to hold them, charger, and wire harness. There’s also a switch you can flip to operate your Prius on battery power up to 52 mph — 10 mph higher than an unmodfied Prius. The converted PHEV can then run 10-15 miles on electricity before the gasoline engine kicks in, giving you 100+ mpg. Plug-In Supply even designed the kit to be upgraded to lithium-iron-phosphate batteries for longer range, when they become available.

There are currently only a handful of dealers where you can buy the kit and lug it home, but Plug-In Supply is looking for more. Those nine dealers already on board stretch from California to Florida and New Jersey, though, so you might be able to find one not too far from home.