The Saturn Vue hybrid at the LA Auto Show Several years ago, as the Toyota Prius was making hybrid cars synonymous with green in America, GM and Chrsyler decided to act. Instead of challenging the Prius, however, these two US automakers decided to convert GM’s hybrid technology developed for buses into a hybrid powertrain that would [...] [...]
|
||||||
 
|
Killing American fuel economy Ethanol fans can’t talk enough about how ethanol has helped America. Yet, when Congress struck a deal in 1988 to promote ethanol, they devised a tax credit scheme enabling 16 mpg gas guzzlers to have a fuel economy rating of 24 mpg. Thus, through the ’90s, US automakers couldn’t roll out enough [...] [...] NiMH-only until fourth gen Prius? Due to costs and reliability concerns, Toyota has decided that the third generation Prius will never use lithium-ion batteries during its lifetime. Instead, the third generation of the Hybrid Synergy Drive will continue to use NiMH batteries – at least for the Prius – until at least the fourth generation Prius [...] [...] Build more hybrids? If there is one thing that has annoyed me with the US auto industry more than anything the last 5 years, it’s been the lack of hybrid cars, especially a Prius-fighter. Even GM’s Chevy Volt really isn’t a Prius-fighter. For many more years, there is going to be a need for both conventional [...] [...] Tiny electric car has big price Think is starting to sell the The City electric car in Norway. With a 112 miles per charge and a top speed of 62.5 miles per hour, the Think doesn’t pack a ton of WOW power. Still, it’s an environment-saving, oil-crushing electric vehicle. Nonetheless, the economics of Think’s City cause some [...] [...] The ,000 plug-in The Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid is a hot looking vehicle with an even hotter price tag. At ,000, the Karma is priced well above what the average consumer can afford, although a ,000 version is forthcoming. Nonetheless, it will offer the average driver at least 100 mpg according to the company. In fact, [...] [...] Insight: More realistic than plug-ins? When it comes to buying a car, sticker price is the most important issue for most consumers. Unfortunately, hybrid cars and plug-in vehicles cost more, which makes it harder for manufacturers to turn a profit on such vehicles. Thus, while GM has hung its green PR hat on the Chevy Volt plug-in [...] [...] Proof that BMW is a green automaker? I’ve now read a number of articles that discuss how green the LA Auto Show is, and how committed automakers are to green technology. Please. What show were these journalists attending? The Honda Insight hybrid, the Ford Fusion hybrid, the Mini E, the Toyota Camry Natural Gas hybrid and some [...] [...] |
Jobs by SimplyHired
|
||||
|
Copyright © 2012 Electric Car Blogging - All Rights Reserved |
||||||
Recent Comments