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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Is the Saturn Vue Two-Mode hybrid DOA? Not yet
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Leave a commentGeneva Preview: Rinspeed E2 features fuel-saving switch
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Rinspeed E2 Wouldn’t it be great if modern cars had a button that magically adds 100 horsepower for those instances when a little extra oomph is required? That’s exactly what Rinspeed has added to the little Fiat 500 Abarth for its new E2 concept, though it actually works the other way around. The new car is bound for the Geneva Motor Show and features a switch that allows the engine to enter a “Commuting” mode that lowers horsepower to 60 and saves a bunch of fuel. When more power is needed, hit the button to switch to “Highway” mode, which unleashes the full stable of 160 horses. “We need an intelligent use of our fossil resources, especially of our energy,” says Rinspeed boss Frank Rinderknecht. In the power-saving mode, the Rinspeed E2 is able to achieve 58 miles per U.S. gallon; in full-power mode it manages just 33 mpg. See the full press release after the break. Gallery: Geneva Preview: Rinspeed E2 [Source: Rinspeed] Continue reading Geneva Preview: Rinspeed E2 features fuel-saving switch Auto Blog: MPG , Fiat , Geneva Motor Show Geneva Preview: Rinspeed E2 features fuel-saving switch originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva Preview: Rinspeed E2 features fuel-saving switch
Posted in Auto Green | entry, fiat500abarth, full, full-power-mode, geneva-motor, geneva2009, genevamotorshow, power, preview, rinspeed e2, rinspeedfiat500, which-unleashes | Leave a commentGeneva Preview: Protoscar teases new LAMPO electric sportscar
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Protoscar LAMPOS concept Back in January, Swiss design company Protoscar revealed that it would debut a new electric sportscar called the LAMPO at the Geneva Motor Show . With that date right around the corner, the firm has released a bunch of new photos and details about the concept. The all-wheel drive vehicles uses twin electric motors that offer up 268 horsepower and 325 pound-feet (440 Nm) of torque. These motors get their juice from a lithium ion battery that stores 32 kilowatt-hours of energy, which is enough to allow a range of over 120 miles (200 kilometers). Perhaps the most interesting part of the LAMPO equation isn’t directly related to the car itself but from where it gets its electrons. Apparently, there’s a solar power facility in Seggiano, Tuscany, that feeds power into the grid. So, in theory, when the LAMPO is plugged in to recharge, it’s powered by the sun… sort of. That same principle would hold true to any electric car that is sold with an accompanying remote solar installation, regardless of where those sun-drenched panels happen to be. A unique vehicle charger is programmable to allow the operator to choose when the car charges and how much electricity to accept. Protoscar also points to the 600 “Park & Charge” charging points in Switzerland that are run by ECS as an effective way to top off the batteries when on the road. See the full and awkwardly-worded press release after the break. Gallery: Protoscar Lampo [Source: Protoscar] Continue reading Geneva Preview: Protoscar teases new LAMPO electric sportscar Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Solar , Geneva Motor Show Geneva Preview: Protoscar teases new LAMPO electric sportscar originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva Preview: Lotus to unveil Omnivore concept engine
Next week at the Geneva Motor Show , Lotus Engineering will unveil its Omnivore concept engine. As the name implies, the Omnivore is designed to consume whatever is fed to it. The Omnivore is a flex fuel engine that is designed to extract the maximum amount of work regardless of what type of fuel is used. One of the main issues with flex-fuel engines is that the various fuels have different combustion characteristics (burn rates, octane ratings combustion temperatures) and it’s difficult to get a single engine to run at optimal efficiency with different fuels due to the physical limitations of the engine. Turbocharged engines have an advantage because the maximum boost pressure can be varied to take advantage of higher octane alcohol fuels. The Omnivore is specifically designed to take advantage of varying fuels and modern electronic control capabilities. Like most research engines, this is a single cylinder design that allows the Lotus engineers to more quickly make changes and study the effects. This is also a two-stroke design with an air assisted direct injection system provided by Orbital Corporation of Australia. Those interested in two-strokes may remember Orbital from the early nineties when a number of manufacturers were investigating two-stroke engines. The concept engine uses a mono-block layout with a single hunk of metal comprising the cylinder block and head and no poppet valves. Instead the ports are exposed by the piston’s motion. Variations in timing between intake and exhaust are achieved by valve in the exhaust port that traps the exhaust. The lack of poppet valves allows for the installation of a movable puck in the top of the cylinder that allows for a variable compression ratio. Sensors that detect the fuel composition are tied into the engine management and the compression ratio is varied to get the most out of the fuel under various driving conditions. The goal of the project is to allow engines to go as far as possible on every gallon fuel regardless of the fuel type. Ultimately this design should even be able to accommodate diesel-like HCCI combustion . [Source: Lotus] Continue reading Geneva Preview: Lotus to unveil Omnivore concept engine Auto Blog: Flex-Fuel , MPG , Lotus , Geneva Motor Show Geneva Preview: Lotus to unveil Omnivore concept engine originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Carl’s Corner biodiesel truck stop finally reopens; Willie Nelson is on hand
It’s been a long time coming, but the Carl’s Corner Biodiesel Truck Stop is finally up and running. We heard about the plans to add serious biodiesel infrastructure, a hotel and a golf course (all for a cool $5 million) to the iconic Texas refueling station back in 2006 . The station already sold some biodiesel (even made their own ) and the plan was to open the expanded experience time for New Year’s 2007. Well, that didn’t happen. But, following a soft launch back in December, Willie’s Place at Carl’s Corner Truck Stop is now ready for business. The hotel and golf course are not mentioned in the press release announcing the grand opening this week, but 12 diesel/biodiesel fueling lanes for tractor-trailers (including a wide load island) and other cool additions like a saloon and a theater are now open. Performing at the 500-seat venue tonight will be Willie Nelson, a strong biodiesel advocate and friend of Carl. The truck stop is 50 percent owned by Earth Biofuels . [Source: Earth Biofuels via Domestic Fuel ] Image by Bob Jagendorf . Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0. Auto Blog: Biodiesel Carl’s Corner biodiesel truck stop finally reopens; Willie Nelson is on hand originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:19:00 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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Carl’s Corner biodiesel truck stop finally reopens; Willie Nelson is on hand
Posted in Auto Green, Biodiesel | a-golf-course, a-soft-launch, carlscorner, design, electric car, entry, texas, truck stop, truckstop, willienelson | Leave a commentProject Get Ready gets ready to get plug-in cars going
Want to help the country meet or beat President Obama’s goal of 1 million plug-in cars by 2015? Perhaps, by working with like-minded folks at the community level to knock down barriers and help set up infrastructure, you can. Project Get Ready is a non-profit initiative that has emerged from the Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) Smart Garage Summit to help accomplish just that. They’ve already signed up three cities and are looking for more. To help guide interested individuals, their freshly launched website not only offers a menu of strategic actions that should be taken to speed plug-in adoption but also a database of readiness activities presently underway. Although brand new, there is already a wealth of information that could keep one reading (and thinking) for many hours. But don’t just think about it, get involved and help make a greener tomorrow a reality. Press release after the break. [Source: Project Get Ready ] Continue reading Project Get Ready gets ready to get plug-in cars going Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in , Legislation and Policy , Green Daily , USA Project Get Ready gets ready to get plug-in cars going originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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New lithium battery from Axeon nearly doubles Modec range
How do you make your stock price jump by two-thirds in today’s economic atmosphere? If you are Axeon , Europe’s largest independent supplier of lithium ion battery packs, you announce your new battery nearly doubles the range of your customer’s trucks. After completing a Department of Transport-funded two year program, the Dundee, Scotland-based company says the new power supply it developed allowed a 3.5 ton delivery vehicle to almost double its range, from 123 km (76 miles) to 241 km (150 miles). The vehicle in question should be look familiar to our faithful readers as the purpose-built electric truck by Modec has made many appearances on ABG . The company’s result contrasts with those obtained by an independent test which indicated a 25 per cent improvement over an urban delivery cycle on a single charge. Axeon not only supplies Allied Vehicles and powered that electric Ruf Porsche , but apparently is also working with Daimler to put its lithium in the smart ed . Modec is so pleased with the results it plans to offer the new pack by the second half of the year. If it works that well, then we’re pleased too. Full press release after the break. [Source: The Scotsman / Axeon ] <a href=”http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/jump/thescotsman.scotsman.jp/business;channel=editorial;pos=mpu;sectionid=6982;sz=300×250;mtfIFPath=/template/expandables/;ord=123456789?” target=”_blank”> <img src=”http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/ad/thescotsman.scotsman.jp/business;channel=editorial;pos=mpu;sectionid=6982;sz=300×250;mtfIFPath=/template/expandables/;ord=123456789?” width=”300px” height=”250px” border=”0″ alt=”Click Here” title=”Click Here” /> </a> Continue reading New lithium battery from Axeon nearly doubles Modec range Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , UK New lithium battery from Axeon nearly doubles Modec range originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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As Formula 1 prepares to launch KERS, safety concerns mount
The opening of the 2009 Formula one season is only a month away in Melbourne, Austraiia and, for the first time, teams will be able to compete with KERS hybrid drive systems aboard. It’s not clear yet how many of the teams are actually ready to run their systems, but there is one big concern: safety. Most of the teams are believed to be working with some sort of electric hybrid rather than a mechanical flywheel system. Drivers and pit and safety crews are working on procedures for handling the cars in the pits or in the event of a crash. Pit crews have been wearing heavy rubber gloves during winter tests and drivers are taking two footed jumps out of cars instead of stepping out to prevent contacting the car and ground at the same time. Puma is also developing special racing shoes for the drivers to try and prevent them from being shocked. So far, shock hazards haven’t proved to be much of a problem with production hybrids. However, the environment in race cars is very different. Race cars are designed to dissipate energy by shedding parts in the event of a crash in order to protect the driver. Everyone will have to be much more careful in F1 this year. [Source: F1-Live ] Auto Blog: Hybrid , Racing As Formula 1 prepares to launch KERS, safety concerns mount originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:57:00 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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As Formula 1 prepares to launch KERS, safety concerns mount
Geneva preview: smart limited edition three
Click above for a gallery of the edition limited three The original smart car was designed to be easily customizable, to give each owner a car that looked just how they wanted it to look. But, why bother with your own Batmobile wings when Daimler is constantly churning out new variations of the fortwo model? The latest version is the “edition limited three,” which will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in short order. The idea behind the edition limited three is to make eco driving a bit more chic (well, as chic as a fortwo gets). The green metallic paint and 15 inch alloy wheels on the outside work with the brown and leather interior for something Daimler says is both spring-like and fresh. The trim level is close to the “passion” version of the non-limited smart fortwo and you can get the edition limited three in either coupé or cabriolet styles. Green credentials come from the standard micro-hybrid (mhd) start and stop system that reduces fuel consumption by about eight percent compared to a fortwo without mhd. CO 2 emissions are a solid 104 grams/km with the €15,470 coupé and 106 for the €18,510 cabrio. Gallery: smart limited edition three [Source: Daimler] Auto Blog: MPG , SMART , Geneva Motor Show , Green Daily Geneva preview: smart limited edition three originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Family takes "The Electric Vehicle Initiative" on the road in Florida
A Tallahassee family is so excited about driving on electricity that they have hit the road in their plug-in Prius for a planned 2,000-mile road trip to share their enthusiasm and inform their fellow Floridians about the benefits of hybrids and electric cars. The Electric Vehicle Initiative, as they’re calling it, kicked off at last weekend’s Battery Beach Burnout in Jupiter and is scheduled to roll along until the end of March, stopping in every major city in the Sunshine State as well as many towns. Their car is a 2005 Prius which was converted to a plug-in last year and, unlike some others , say they can get 100 mpg with it. At least for the first freshly-juiced 40 miles. Yesterday had them appearing at the Palm Beach Community College, where they talked with students and had a screening of ” Who Killed the Electric Car .” If you would like them to stop by your town or if you just want to offer some encouragement, hit them up on their blog . We wish them happy motoring and hope they enjoy a successful trip. [Source: Florida Electric Auto Association ] Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in , Toyota , Green Daily , USA Family takes “The Electric Vehicle Initiative” on the road in Florida originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:21:00 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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Family takes "The Electric Vehicle Initiative" on the road in Florida
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