Electric Car Blogging

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Solar, Volkswagen, Green Daily

Utah is a state that gets a lot of sun but not a lot of attention on these pages for their green transportation moves. Still, it does seem that the DIY crowd is strong there. Remember the homemade Ariel Atom? That’s not the only homemade vehicle taking to the street in the state.

Kyle Dansie and Michael Mielke run ZEVUtah (Zero Emission Vehicles of Utah) and are two strong proponents of taking control of your transportation energy sources. The Salt Lake Tribune ran a story recently about the 1994 VW Golf that the two converted to all-electric drive with solar panels on the roof. They draw extra power from the solar panels deployed on the roof. This isn’t an EV for everyone, but the 65 mph top speed and 40 mile range should be enough for most people to use on a daily basis - at least, people who can swallow the ,000 price tag for the electric components on top of whatever it costs to buy the Golf. There’s a multimedia slideshow of the converted car here and ZEVUtah contains detailed descriptions on what happened during the conversion and explains why decisions were made as they were. Very helpful if you’re thinking of tinkering yourself.

[Source: Salt Lake Tribune]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Manufacturing/Plants, Germany

As our faithful readers are already aware, the Quicc! DiVa by DuraCar has just been introduced to the world and is currently on display at the Paris Motor Show. And while its great that the public can now see the electric city van made of plastic, it would be even better if they could buy it, so we are happy to inform you that Wilhelm Karmann GmbH has stepped into the DuraCar picture and, beginning in June 2009, will be building some of the Quicc! DiVas. The famed company, located in Osnabrück, has an agreement to supply vehicles bound for the German market though there may be other collaborative efforts between the two companies in the future. Perhaps better known today for its convertible-making operations, Karmann has a long history of building entire cars and has produced over three million of them in their 100+ year history including the Chrysler Crossfire, the Ford Merkur XR4Ti and, of course, the legendary Karmann Ghia.

As part of their overall strategy, DuraCar is seeking to have several production lines in close geographical proximity to where the cars will be sold thus keeping their carbon foot print to a minimum. The Dutch company is currently in talks with other potential constructors in different markets. Hitting the jump will give you bonus videos of the Quicc! DiVa in action as well as the official press release.

[Source: DuraCar]

Continue reading Karmann to build DuraCar Quicc! DiVa for German market

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Daily

There are two things that are really easy to understand about electric vehicles - aside from the don’t-need-no-gasoline part. One, they have all their torque available from zero RPM. Two, they’re quiet. Number one means that EVs are fast off the line (see: Tesla Roadster) and that could mean that, once electric motors and batteries are the powertrain of choice in the racing industry, everything we think we know about what a race sounds like could change. CNN describes the possible future this way:

Imagine a sun-swept Texas afternoon in 2015. After the roar of a ceremonial flyover, a Texas Motor Speedway crowd of 200,000 rises to its feet in anticipation of NASCAR’s signature moment.

As the fans join in a full-throated cheer, 43 of the world’s best drivers reach down and press a button. What follows is unprecedented: pin-dropping silence, save for 43 small clicks.

If NASCAR goes electric, CNN wonders, will fans stick around? Do they love the roar or the engines or the speed at which the cars move? Will they be satisfied with one but not the other? NASCAR isn’t exactly at the forefront of automotive greenery (although it is thinking about it), but a U.S.-built Volt might be good enough to change some hearts and minds, no?

[Source: CNN]

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Toyota

Toyota’s marketing team has released the first image of the next-gen Prius, and it’s not what you think. The shot shows what appears to be the welcome screen that will appear on the car’s in-dash screen upon startup, and the font looks curiously like the same one used by the new Knight Rider series on NBC. We doubt this means Prius v3.0 will have Turbo Boost built in, but it will have a larger four-cylinder gas engine and more powerful electric motor. Unfortunately, the new Prius is expected to carry over its nickel-metal hydride batteries rather than going with new lithium-ions, at least for now. The 2010 Toyota Prius will be making its first public appearance at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in January, and we’ll be there to greet the new green king in person. Thanks for the tip, Danny!

[Source: PriusChat.com]

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Volvo

Diesels and hybrids are currently fighting it out on sales floors across the world, with diesels taking claiming early victory in Europe, while hybrids hold their own in America. Volvo plans to combine the two fuel-saving technologies by 2012 in both the U.S. and across the pond. According to early reports, the system used by the Swedish automaker will be an advanced full-hybrid, with either the electric motors or an oil-burning engine capable of moving the vehicle independently. All-wheel drive will also be part of the package, as the front wheels would be powered by the diesel engine while the rears would be electrically motivated. Shortly thereafter, the automaker would release a plug-in version of its hybrid.

Before any of this takes place, Volvo will take a few hybrid baby-steps in the form of stop/start technology on its smaller models before spreading across the line. In contrast, the diesel hybrids will begin at the top, equipped in larger sedans and SUVs. Considering that Volvo’s been able to get up to 76 mpg from its non-hybrid diesel DRIVe models, we will have high expectations for its diesel hybrids.

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

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