Archive for October 31st, 2008
High-profile electric car company Tesla Motors has a bit of a money problem, but CEO Elon Musk says he has a plan.
In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Musk said he expects to raise more than million in the next week to bolster its cash reserves and make …
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The headlong rush to create electric cars for green-minded consumers may come with a significant economic and environmental cost.
Lithium ion batteries–the same used in electronic gadgets and laptops–have become the preferred battery type for plug-in hybrids and electric cars now starting to come to market.
That swelling demand has …
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How to best recycle electronics is a problem I’ve had to deal with more than a few times at CNET. I have to be honest, during busy work cycles, the garbage bin has looked very appealing as an easy out when an obsolete laptop or graphics card needs discarding. …
Originally posted at Crave
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Ford's SmartGauge lets you view a variety of fuel economy information.
(Credit: Ford)
Earlier we reported on the 2010 Ford Fusion, with photos of the model update. Today we have news of the hybrid version of the Fusion and the 2010 Mercury Milan, due to hit dealers in the first quarter of 2009. Both cars get a new generation of the full hybrid system currently used in the Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. Ford isn’t giving out many details about this new hybrid system beyond the fact that it will get 5 mpg more than the Toyota Camry Hybrid. However, Ford has shown off the instrument cluster for the cars, a new concept in helping driver’s learn about their cars and achieve maximum fuel economy.
We’ve long been fascinated by the power flow animations in current hybrid cars, which show when power is coming from the electric motor of gas engine. Ford takes this idea a step further, placing LCDs on either side of the speedometer. Similar to concept cars we’ve seen at many car shows, the LCDs can be configured to show different kinds of information. Ford breaks the different standard displays down like this:
- Inform: Fuel level and battery charge status
- Enlighten: Adds electric vehicle mode indicator and tachometer
- Engage: Adds engine output power and battery output power
- Empower: Adds power to wheels, engine pull-up threshold and accessory power consumption
…
Originally posted at The Car Tech blog
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Filed under: Economy, Hybrids/Alternative, Green
 The microcar concept has been around for a long time, but Daimler kick-started its redevelopment with the original smart fortwo. Now, that model’s success in the marketplace (if not financially) has prompted such big name players as Toyota and Volkswagen to step up to the plate with innovative new city cars of their own. Toyota’s iQ is set to take on the fortwo in Europe any day now and will likely hit the States next year. The next player is coming from engineering icon Gordon Murray and his Design team in the form of the unique T25.
Expected to measure in at just over 94-inches long (2.4-meters) and weigh just 1,200-pounds, this is one seriously small car. Many different body styles, primarily made of plastic, are expected to fit on the same basic chassis, including a mini-MPV, pickup truck and convertible. A small, three-cylinder engine is expected to deliver downright amazing fuel economy and low emissions. Murray currently expects the T25 to go on sale in Europe in 2012, with U.S. sales following in as little as two more years. Even if you care nothing of small city cars, you may want to mark that date. And Murray’s next project will be an “everyday supercar” that will be sold at a very low price. We can’t wait.
[Source: CAR]
Gordon Murray’s T25 could come to the U.S. in 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green
Whatever it looks like on the outside (like it?) the hybrid versions of the new 2010 Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan should get 38 mpg, and that’s always attractive. Speaking of which, how ’bout that Hilary Swank and her BMW Hydrogen 7? If you’re curious about how a fuel cell vehicle drives, we can tell you all about it.
AutoblogGreen for 10.31.08 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Economy, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Toyota, Rumormill
Click above for more images of the 2010 Toyota Prius
An “insider” at LLN has it on good authority that the oft-rumored Prius brand is, in their words, “a go.” According to their source, the goal of the spin-off is to create cheaper hybrid models that would command a marginal premium over their standard, hybrid-free counterparts.
The rumormill pot gets stirred a bit more with the claim that the 2010 Prius could achieve up to 80 mpg. Combine that with the rumblings about a Prius price cut and it’s starting to look like the Volt will have it’s work cut out for it. Informed speculation also says that the reworked Prius may be joined by an upscale five-door Prius model in the -30,000 range and that Toyota could be planning a four-door “Baby Prius” expected to sell in the mid-teens, utilizing a nickel metal hydride battery pack and coming to market in 2013.
[Source: LLN]
Prius rumors abound: Separate brand, 80 mpg, 3 different models originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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