Better Place announces 19 "Vision Partners" (aka early buyers) in Israel
Click on the image above for a gallery of Better Place images “Vision Partner” sure has a nice ring to it. So positive, so optimistic, and so perfect a name for Better Place’s new partners in Israel. Better Place announced this week that it has agreements with 19 companies who want to support Better Place’s plug-in vehicle/infrastructure project by being the first to buy the cars when they become commercially available in 2011. Better Place founder and CEO says that these agreements prove “that there is a real demand for electric cars powered by the Better Place network.” The Jerusalem Post lists 13 of the companies : Israel Corporation, Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries, Partner Communications, Pelephone Communications, Orange Communications, Matrix IT, Direct Insurance, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Netafim, Keter Plastics, Orbotech, Manpower Israel, and Glasshouse Technologies. Globes also names Jafora Tabori, SQlink, and Nike Israel as partners. We’re trying to find the names of the other three. Gallery: Better Place [Source: Better Place , Globes , Jerusalem Post ] Continue reading Better Place announces 19 “Vision Partners” (aka early buyers) in Israel Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Green Daily , Middle East , Better Place Better Place announces 19 “Vision Partners” (aka early buyers) in Israel originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Better Place announces 19 "Vision Partners" (aka early buyers) in Israel
Mitsubishi i MiEV hopes to hang out in Hong Kong
As Mitsubishi prepares for its electric car, the i MiEV , to go on sale this summer in Japan and the UK, more territories wishing to try it out on their own streets are coming forward. We can now add the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, known to most of us simply as “Hong Kong,” to a list that includes Finland , New Zealand and the U.S . Universal Cars Ltd, the Hong Kong distributor for MiMoCo, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) with the Environment Bureau today that could see the little electric jellybean rolling down Hong Kong Streets by May. The trial is seen as a precursor to the vehicle being offered for sale there and will examine such issues as market acceptability and the “suitability of the charging infrastructure.” China is also home to several automakers with their own electric car ambitions. BYD is supposed to begin selling its all-electric e6 later this year and Chery just revealed a prototype of their S18 . Press release after the break. Gallery: Mitsubishi i MiEV – LIVE [Source: Mitsubishi ] Continue reading Mitsubishi i MiEV hopes to hang out in Hong Kong Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Mitsubishi , China Mitsubishi i MiEV hopes to hang out in Hong Kong originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Leave a commentTata to launch Nano on March 23, begin taking orders April first week in April
Click on the image above for a gallery of the Tata Nano The Tata Nano has endured more than its fair share of delays , having originally carried a planned sale date of October, 2008. Needless to say, that time frame came and went with zero Nanos rolling down the assembly line, due to a wide range of issues, not the least of which was a great deal of civil unrest at the first site where production was planned in West Bengal. The Nano’s assembly plant was relocated to Gurajat. All that bad news seems to be over today as Tata has announced that its little city car will finally be launched on March 23 and the Indian automaker will begin accepting orders just a few short weeks later. The price being thrown around is 100,000 rupees, which translates to just under $2,000 in U.S. dollars at current exchange rates. That would make the Nano, which comes equipped with a 625cc twin cylinder gasoline engine, the world’s cheapest automobile. Gallery: Tata Nano: The People’s Car [Source: Tata Motors] Continue reading Tata to launch Nano on March 23, begin taking orders April first week in April Auto Blog: Manufacturing/Plants , India , Tata Tata to launch Nano on March 23, begin taking orders April first week in April originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Tata to launch Nano on March 23, begin taking orders April first week in April
Posted in Auto Green | a-friend-via, a-has-announced, april, green-daily, imiev, india, people, tata, tata nano production date, tatamotors, tatananoproduction | Leave a commentGreg Blencoe finds 20 great hydrogen news items
Click above for a gallery of the FCX Clarity One of hydrogen vehicles’ strongest supporters online is Greg Blencoe. His Hydrogen Discoveries site (and the “For Hydrogen Advocates Only” blog) continuously puts out the message that H 2 cars are the right answer for a cleaner transportation future. Blencoe is not alone – the old boss over at Honda, to cite just one example, is pro-hydrogen fuel cell vehicles – but he does want more people on his side. To that end, he recently came up with a list of 20 things that writer Joe Romm “could have written about in his recent Grist blog post instead of the article by Dan Neil in the L.A. Times.” (We, too, mentioned Neil’s article ). The list includes all sorts of pro-hydrogen quotes from automotive CEOs and questions about the viability of EVs, all collected from 2009 and 2008 sources. If you think that a challenge between Blencoe and Romm, the author of ” The Hype About Hydrogen: Fact And Fiction In The Race To Save The Climate ,” is somehow familiar, you’re right. Take a trip down memory lane here and here . [Source: Hydrogen Discoveries ] Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in , Hydrogen Greg Blencoe finds 20 great hydrogen news items originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Greenlings: What is biodiesel?
What is biodiesel? In short, biodiesel is a fuel that’s suitable for use in diesel engines that is not based on petroleum. Biodiesel is often made from plant sources. It’s also possible to mix biodiesel with petroleum-based diesel fuel in any ratio. Since most any engine designed to run on diesel fuel can use biodiesel, it would seem that this biofuel could displace a great deal of fuel pumped from the ground. In some cases, it is possible to run diesel engines on straight vegetable oil (often referred to as SVO or WVO), but SVO isn’t the same as biodiesel. There is a bunch of complex chemistry that goes into producing biodiesel from many different sources, and it all has to do with the transesterification of fats and oils. Excuse me? Transester-huh? Yeah, it’s about as complicated as it sounds, but the really short version of the story is that alcohol (methanol, ethanol etc.) is used to modify the chemical makeup of the original oil. Now that we’ve identified what biodiesel is and isn’t, let’s discuss why you should care and whether you can use it in your own vehicle. Car Blog Greenon. Gallery: Austin Alt Car: Biofuel Hummer Continue reading Greenlings: What is biodiesel? Auto Blog: Biodiesel , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily Greenlings: What is biodiesel? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Greenlings: What is biodiesel?
Design and engineering complete on Gordon Murray’s T25 city car
According to a report on Autocar , Gordon Murray has received interest from over a dozen international companies that are interested in setting up franchises to sell the innovative T25 city car . Interestingly, very few of the interested parties are actual established automakers. That’s a good thing according to Murray, who says, “Our theories and processes are ideal for investors with a clean slate who are getting into cars for the first time.” Design and engineering work on the T25 is apparently now finished. Selected companies will create iStream factories that are set up to assemble the little cars and are supposed to be one-fifth the size of conventional auto factories. The same basic platform, complete with a gas-powered three-cylinder powerplant driving the rear wheels, will be able to accommodate such diverse vehicles as a passenger car, a pickup truck and an MPV. Click here to see a few shots of the T25 shrouded in a black cloak. See more shots of the T25 after the jump. Gallery: Gordon Murray T.25 teaser shots [Source: Autocar ] Continue reading Design and engineering complete on Gordon Murray’s T25 city car Auto Blog: Manufacturing/Plants , Lightweight , UK Design and engineering complete on Gordon Murray’s T25 city car originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Design and engineering complete on Gordon Murray’s T25 city car
2009 Jetta TDI Cup to run on B5 biodiesel
Click the Jettas for a high res gallery from VIRginia International Raceway Volkswagen’s Jetta TDI Cup series will be returning to the racetracks of North America at the end of April with 30 diesel-powered sedans in the hands of young up and coming drivers. For this year’s sophomore season Volkswagen will be filling the tanks of the Jettas with B5 biodiesel. Houston, Texas-based Hyperfuels will be supplying the 5 percent biofuel blend for the cars which will consume about two tankfuls of fuel over the course of 10 races. The Syndiesel supplied by Hyperfuels has a 10 year shelf life addressing one of the biggest issues with some biodiesels, the tendency to go rancid after a period of time in storage. Volkswagen has approved B5 for use in all regular production diesel VW and Audi models. Just as it did last year, the Jetta TDI cup kicks off at VIRginia International Raceway April 24-26. Gallery: First Jetta TDI Cup race [Source: Volkswagen] Continue reading 2009 Jetta TDI Cup to run on B5 biodiesel Auto Blog: Biodiesel , Diesel , Volkswagen , Racing 2009 Jetta TDI Cup to run on B5 biodiesel originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Carlos Ghosn: We’re testing the EV this year
Renault is betting big on electric cars, or at least that’s the image they’re out peddling everywhere. During a press conference this week in Paris, Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn announced that the French marque will begin testing pure electric cars this year. Specifically, he said that (translated from the French), “the conditions for electric cars to exist have finally been met,” and added: “We’re testing an EV model this year. It’s able to run for 160 km (100 miles), even with the A/C and the radio at full blast.” No further details were given. Is this the model for Renault’s partnership with Better Place ? Is it the model they promised to build for France ? Once pure electric vehicles are available, Renault predicts domestic French demand for them could reach about 400,000 cars in 2016; that’s roughly 20 percent of the market. [Source: Le Blog Auto ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Nissan , Renault , Better Place Carlos Ghosn: We’re testing the EV this year originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Carlos Ghosn: We’re testing the EV this year
Next gen GM hybrid pickups to get 50% better towing, Voltec possible
click for a high res gallery of GM’s hybrid pickups General Motors is currently in the midst of launching its hybrid full-size pickup trucks and our man Jeremy is in San Antonio this week to try them out. One thing about the auto industry is that as soon as you get one product out the door, you’re already working on the next generation. Such is the case with GM’s two-mode hybrids which are due for a second generation in about 4 years. Mike Levine over at PickupTrucks.com has been talking to GM about where they are going for the next generation models. While the trucks launching right now have pretty decent towing power at 6,100 lbs for the RWD version (5,900 for the 4WD), big truck buyers want more. GM’s truck vehicle line executive, Gary White, told Mike that the next-gen models would have 50 percent better towing power in addition to greater efficiency. Perhaps more interesting is where GM is going with the hybrid architecture itself. While a next generation two-mode system will definitely be developed, White told Levine that something like the Volt’s Voltec (formerly E-flex ) system is on the table for the trucks. The trucks certainly have room between the frame rails for plenty of batteries, and electric motors that provide enough torque for 9,000 lbs of towing capacity are pretty straightforward. Such a system would also eliminate the limiting factor with the current two-mode, which is the planetary gear-sets. However, a truck would need a very large range extender to maintain that towing capacity beyond the plug-in battery range when the vehicle gets into charge sustaining mode. It’s certainly an interesting idea. We’ll be watching to see what happens. Gallery: 2009 GM hybrid pickups Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. [Source: PickupTrucks .com] Auto Blog: Hybrid , Chevrolet , GM , GMC Next gen GM hybrid pickups to get 50% better towing, Voltec possible originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Is the Saturn Vue Two-Mode hybrid DOA? Not yet
Click above to view high-res gallery of the Saturn VUE 2 Mode Hybrid We got a comment from a reader the other day on a post we published back in December indicating that the Saturn Vue 2-mode hybrid had been canceled. Our reader had placed an order for one of the new hybrid crossovers last summer but received a call from his dealer this week. The aspiring Vue driver was informed that the vehicles would not be built. Since Saturn had not made any official announcements about the fate of the Vue, we contacted spokesman Brian Corbett. It turns out that what the dealer said was only partly true. According to Corbett, “due to a variety of factors including decreases in consumer spending, demand for vehicles and demand for hybrid vehicles in particular, the decision has been made to begin production of the Vue 2-Mode for the 2010 model year. It will hit the market this summer. ” So there won’t be any 2009 Saturn Vue 2-mode hybrids built. At this point of course, it’s impossible to predict what will happen between now and summer. All of GM’s product plans remain in flux, as does the future of Saturn. If things continue to get worse for GM, it’s possible this vehicle will never be produced. The most likely scenario may in fact be that GM will simply install the Vue’s hybrid system in the new Chevy Equinox instead and call it a day. Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Saturn VUE 2 Mode Hybrid All Photos Copyright (C) 2008 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc. [Source: General Motors] Auto Blog: Hybrid , Saturn Is the Saturn Vue Two-Mode hybrid DOA? Not yet originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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