Electric Car Blogging

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in

There are changes in EnerDel/Ener1 land. Yesterday, Ener1 said it would be moving its headquarters to New York City. Today, in a more important announcement, Ener1 said that it has taken complete control of EnerDel, Ener1’s li-ion battery subsidiary, by buying some equity interest away from former joint venture partner Delphi. Delphi let its 19.5 percent equity interest in EnerDel go as part of its work to get out of bankruptcy. Ener1 gave Delphi 2.8m shares of Ener1 Restricted Common Stock and a cool eight million bucks. Even with the cash outlay, Ener1 says it remains debt free and “fully funded at present levels of activity through the end of 2009.” Not a bad place to be in the current economic and automotive climate. Check out Ener1’s press release for more details

[Source: Ener1]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, European Union, USA, Vectrix

It seems the sales of the Vectrix electric maxi-scooter have finally caught on fire. At the beginning of the year we were somewhat saddened to report that they had only sold a disappointing 123 of their innovative machines. Since then, the price has been chopped from just under ,000 to a much more reasonable ,795 for the 2007 model, and ,395 for the slightly improved 2008 version. The skyrocketing price of gas may be playing a role as well, as people have been buying up scooters with a vengeance this year. The simplicity and ease of use that a Vectrix offers seems to be attractive to many newcomers to the scooter market. Of course, the company has also pursued a relentless marketing campaign to coincide with a strong effort to grow its distribution chain.

The result? Over 1,000 bikes sold and an exponential increase in dealerships. Since late spring they have gone from five retailers to 50 in the United States and are now listing another 75 dealers in other countries. They have a strong presence in Europe and can be found as far away as South Africa. They are even available in Andorra, where wookies come from wherever that is. With over 1,000 bikes shipped to date, the company expects the strong demand to continue and as the company grows they hope to offer more models. Though the company teased us with a superbike concept at the Milan motor show, they hope to launch a more modest ,000 bike in 2009 featuring a “next-gen” NiMH battery that should boost the range by ten miles for a total of 70. We think moves like that could ensure “scootin’ sales” for years to come.

[Source: Boston.com / Business First

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, UK

People who insist that cruising the streets of London should be done in an electric vehicle like the G-Wiz (pictured) can’t really complain that the city isn’t supporting them them with ways to power their rides (see also here and here). The latest addition to the EV charging infrastructure in London will be in the southern and western parts of the city - in the buroughs of Wandsworth, Richmond Upon Thames, Sutton and Hammersmith & Fulham - and is made up of nine new charging stations. The devices go online tomorrow and will be open to unlimited used for anyone willing to drop a £100 annual fee. The exact locations of the charging stations is listed here. The chargers, called Elektrobays (others are known as Juice Points), are a joint project of SWELTRAC, Transport for London, the Energy Saving Trust, EDF Energy and Elektromotive. Thanks to Adam V.

[Source: Smart Planet]

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Filed under: SEMA, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Supercars

Click above for high-res gallery of the Scorpion

We’ve already alerted you to the existence of Ronn Motor Company’s new supercar, the Scorpion. Aside from its exotic looks, the Scorpion makes headlines for its innovative engine: a mid-mounted twin-turbo 3.5L VTEC V6 from Acura that’s augmented by a hydrogen fuel injection fuel system. Ronn developed a system that’s somehow able to fracture water molecules from a small onboard water tank and then insert the resulting hydrogen into the air intake manifold where it’s blended with the car’s gasoline at a ratio of 30-40%. We suspect black magic is involved, but they claim science. Since adding hydrogen means less gas is used, Ronn claims the Scorpion can achieve 40 mpg. Plus, there’s no need to fill up at a hydrogen refueling station since the car makes it own on board. These bold claims will see the light of day in early November when the Scorpion makes its first public appearance at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. We’ll be on hand to ask questions and hopefully smash some water molecules ourselves.

[Source: SEMA]

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green

click to visit AutoblogGreen

Different people need different vehicles. If you’ve got to tow a lot of stuff, but don’t like to waste gas, you might be interested in the 2009 Chevy Silverado Hybrid or Silverado XFE. If you’re two years old and are already a Suzuki kid, try out the Kiddiemoto GSX-R. If you’re somewhere in between these two extremes, I’m sure we can find something suitable for you, too.

• ABG First Drive: 2009 Chevy Silverado Hybrid and Silverado XFE
• Tokyo to get 200 quick-charge EV stations with plans for more
• Better World Club aims to out-green the AAA
• Carz4Girlz on how to get your parents to buy you an Escape hybrid
• Daimler brings ten hybrid trucks to London
• Honda getting 3 more hybrids and 3 diesels in the next few years
• Ener1 takes full control of EnerDel
• Ford’s Fields to explain plan for making money on small cars
• CNG-powered Standard Taxi to be built by AM General
• Allied Minds and UW partner up in algae biofuel company AXI
• Ultra Motor 2 bring A2B 2 USA
• Lexus smiles as sales of the RX 400h jump 28%
• The Kiddiemoto GSX-R, Suzuki’s greenest two-wheeler ever?

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Paris Motor Show, Honda

Click above for high-res gallery of Honda Hybrid spy shots

Hybrids are hot and Honda is anxious to get in on the action that Toyota’s been unable to fully quench with its Prius hybrid sedan. We expect to see the production version of Honda’s new hybrid, which will apparently not be called the Insight, to debut in October at the Paris Motor Show. Fortunately, Honda won’t make us wait too long to buy its new hybrid, as the five-door hatchback is rumored to show up in dealer lots by April of 2009. Toyota also plans on showing off its new third-gen Prius at the Detroit Auto Show in January, so it will be very interesting to watch these to tangle in the marketplace. Honda plans to undercut its rival in the pricing wars with its hybrid coming in at a base price of less than ,000, a few thousand less than the larger Prius. Both models will use nickel metal hydride batteries (for now) as opposed to the latest lithium ion units in an effort to keep their costs down. Both should also score fuel mileage numbers somewhere in the 50-60 mpg range. For its part, Honda is planning to build 200,000 units of its new hybrid annually, with 100,000 earmarked for the U.S. Let the (fuel-saving) games begin!

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Etc., Green, Chevrolet, GM, Lifestyle

Shortly after the Volt Concept was shown, a Volt adherent started a website called GM-Volt.com to show General Motors that it was on to something. After the Volt was approved for production, the site added a feature to allow people to “raise their hands” to show interest in the Volt, much like what was done for the smart fortwo before its arrival on our shores.

A little more than a year later, there are almost 34,000 hand raisers in 50 states and 56 countries. While the list is unofficial and doesn’t mean that any of these hand raisers are in line ahead of you to purchase a Volt, the site claims that GM is aware of the list and considering making it official in some capacity.

California, no surprise, accounts for the greatest interest in the Volt, but even the folks in the dirty dirty — that’s the South — have put in a strong showing. Alabama’s got 86 Volters on the list, as opposed to Vermont, one of the states suing the EPA over emissions regulations, which has just ten.

As far as countries interested in the Volt, number three on the chart is Turkey (among those who identified their nationalities). Who knew? And tiny Vanuatu has double the number of hand raisers than all of Russia — two to one. What could be most interesting is the average price people say they are willing to pay for the Volt: ,298.27. That’s about ,000 short of Lutz’s number, but hey, there’s still time to negotiate. Thanks for the tip, iOrange!

[Source: GM-Volt]

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green

click to visit AutoblogGreen

Mainstream hip-hop videos are often dominated by excessive luxury, especially when it comes to the four-wheeled monsters in the background. Not every rapper is swayed by the lure of a big ride full of chrome, though, as Redman shows by using a smart fortwo in a short music video. Too cool. Meanwhile, Chrysler is thinking that the work week might be one day too long.

• Dude! Better bicycle seat yields better sex
• Rapper chooses smart fortwo for music video
• GM to add XFE models to full-size pickup and SUV, 15 mpg city/21 mpg hwy
• Chrysler considers 4-day work weeks to save energy costs
• Amtrak ridership up along with gas prices
• HHO generation/injection redux: It’s not a fuel cell, fails in testing!
• Hybrid drivers most brand-loyal
• Vectrix sales get their scoot on, more affordable model coming next year
• There’s more than algae for non-food biofuels
• Nine new EV charging stations - Elektrobays - opening in London tomorrow
• Next-gen Saab 9-5 to get 1.6L base engine
• Project Driveway particpant blogs about the experience
• National Hydrogen Road Tour kicks off in Portland ME
• Lotus to create OMINVORE research engine for next gen biofuels
• Madrid installing nitrogen-oxide capturing asphalt

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