Car Blog Green » electric-cars

It’s Friday: one teeny, tiny question about the Watchmen movie

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:58:00 +0000

So, there’s this Watchmen movie coming out today in the U.S. Maybe you’ve seen the hype. Until a few weeks ago, I knew absolutely zero about the plot or the characters or anything. But, because I’d heard such good things about the original comic, I thought I should Car Blog Greenit through once before the movie comes out, otherwise if I ever do Car Blog Greenit, my experience will be tempered by the film’s visuals. Anyway, while I was reading it, two panels caught my AutoblogGreen-tuned eye. Back in the mid-1980s, when Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons were working on the book, they used a passing reference electric vehicles as a type of future technology that was bypassed by a new teleportation ability that one of the characters, Dr. Manhattan, finds himself able to perform. The Miami Herald says that director Zack Snyder has made a good movie “while still slavishly following its plot, practically panel by panel.” So, one thing I’ll be watching for is to see if this tiny little tidbit from the comic pages has made the leap. I’ll admit, sometimes this job affects my life in very odd ways. Enjoy. Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in , AutoblogGreen Exclusive It’s Friday: one teeny, tiny question about the Watchmen movie originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

Car Blog Greenmore here:
It’s Friday: one teeny, tiny question about the Watchmen movie

Report: 32.7 million electric cars by 2015

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:53:00 +0000

Sometimes it seems like we are constantly bringing you articles and studies that might be seen as somewhat pessimistic or even skeptical of our future highways being populated by many electric cars. We were at a loss ourselves to find more than five electric cars you can purchase in the U.S. this year . However, the report that we are able to bring you news of today does not err on the conservative side. Worldwide Nanotechnology Electric Vehicle Market Shares Strategies, and Forecasts by Wintergreen Research Inc. predicts that by 2015, 32.7 million electric autos will have been shipped. Not too shabby considering they count a total of 685 battery-powered vehicles sold last year. Unfortunately, we could only Car Blog Greenthe summary and the table of contents of the 452-page report (it’s $3,400 to Car Blog Greenthe rest) but it does seem the authors have a pretty thorough knowledge of the players in the industry today and seem to base their optimism on increasing volumes of lower cost lithium ion batteries leveraging the implementation of higher performance nanotechnology-derived thin film lithium cells. They also see the electric vehicle as a way of storing energy from renewable sources and foresee the rise of package financing for cars and solar panels. Now, if you’ll excuse us, our rose-colored glasses are getting misty. [Source: Nanovip.com ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Green Daily Report: 32.7 million electric cars by 2015 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

Continued here:
Report: 32.7 million electric cars by 2015

Ford gets incentives from Michigan for EV battery development

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Ford Transit Connect The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has granted Ford Motor Company a $55 million incentive in refundable tax credits. The incentive will come from the new Michigan Advanced Battery Credits initiative and is supposed to help Ford push forward with its plans to introduce four new electric vehicles to the American market by 2012 . Lithium ion battery packs are likely to account for the bulk of the costs associated with developing usable electric vehicles. The first vehicle we are expecting to see from the Blue Oval is an all-electric van based on the Transit Connect platform , which should be ready by 2010. Next up, and probably more exciting to most consumers, will likely be a new electric compact car based on the next-gen Ford Focus platform and built in collaboration with Magna International. Expect that car to hit the market in limited quantities in 2011. A year later, Ford’s first plug-in hybrid models should be ready for public consumption as well. Gallery: 2010 Ford Transit Connect [Source: Ford] Continue reading Ford gets incentives from Michigan for EV battery development Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Ford , Legislation and Policy Ford gets incentives from Michigan for EV battery development originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

Car Blog Greenthe original here:
Ford gets incentives from Michigan for EV battery development

Chrysler studying Fiat’s 6-speed gearbox

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:20:00 +0000

One of the first consequences of the Chrysler-Fiat alliance could be the arrival of Fiat’s new six-speed transmission in Chrysler models . Chrysler lost its dual-clutch partner Getrag , which was developing a next-gen dual clutch transmission, so Fiat’s unit, still under development, is likely to arrive statewide. At least this is what Frank Klegon, Chrysler LLC’s executive vice president of product development, speculated about during the recent Chicago Auto Show . Called G365, Fiat’s new transmission comes in three flavors: manual, automated manual and dual-clutch. The manual version will debut in Europe next June, the dual-clutch version at year’s end and the automated manual in the first half of 2010. [Source: Automotive News ( subs. req'd )] Auto Blog: Emerging Technologies , Chrysler , Fiat Chrysler studying Fiat’s 6-speed gearbox originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

See the original post:
Chrysler studying Fiat’s 6-speed gearbox

Zerocarbonista releases last latest video on wind-powered sports car

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:33:00 +0000

The wind-powered, Exige-based electric sports car is coming along. Dale Vince, the man with the plan, has just posted the sixth in what was supposed to be a series of six videos (there will be more, though) that describes the updates to the car and other news from the Norfolk, UK idea lab. Vince doesn’t like the original Exige front end so that is being changed. As for the naming issue , it looks like Ecotricity Mojo is the current top contender, but Vince isn’t ready to commit quite yet. What he and the other guys are willing to say (as they have before ) is that electricity beats hydrogen cars, no way around it. They call the recent Top Gear program on hydrogen cars “a little misleading,” and Vince adds: “Just because it’s on Top Gear, some people might think that makes it real. But that doesn’t make it real. Hydrogen suffers from so many drawbacks that it just can’t be made to work. It’s in a race it can’t win. The fundamental problem is one of efficiency, so for any unit of energy that you put in you can do three times as many miles in the electric system than you can using the hydrogen system.” I guess if you’re done baiting Tesla , you have to say something to get attention, right? [Source: Zero Carbonista ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Green Daily Zerocarbonista releases last latest video on wind-powered sports car originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

Car Blog Greenthe original post:
Zerocarbonista releases last latest video on wind-powered sports car

Volkswagen and Toshiba to collaborate on electric drive systems

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:19:00 +0000

Click the VW up! for a high res gallery It’s been a busy day in Wolfsburg as VW followed up the release of a sketch of its upcoming mid-sized sedan with an announcement about new electric drive systems. VW and Toshiba have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on electric drive systems and power electronics. These electric drive systems will be used in battery-powered versions of the New Small Family (NSF) cars. The NSF lineup is made up of the production versions of the up! series of concepts first seen in 2007. VW is planning to build small cars based on this new platform under a number of its different brands around the world. In the press release, CEO Dr. Martin Winterkorn, indicated that VW wants to be the first to mass produce affordable electric vehicles on a large scale. In order to get there, VW is working with a number of partners in addition to Toshiba on elements such as lithium ion batteries. VW has not given an indication of when these electric cars may debut, but if they intend to be first, they will have to move fast. Gallery: Volkswagen up! concept [Source: Volkswagen] Continue reading Volkswagen and Toshiba to collaborate on electric drive systems Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Volkswagen Volkswagen and Toshiba to collaborate on electric drive systems originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

More here:
Volkswagen and Toshiba to collaborate on electric drive systems

Chicago 2009: TriFun debuts 42 mpg 3-wheel auto cycle

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:33:00 +0000

Click above for a gallery of theTriFun 1/4 Ton EXT Almost a year ago, we took a brief look at the new line of 3-wheeled “auto cycles” from TriFun, and the 1/4 Ton EXT model made its debut here at the Chicago Auto Show . Because it features not quite four wheels, the TriFun is considered a motorcycle, despite the fact that it’s got a fully enclosed passenger compartment. The powertrain consists of a fuel injected, 4 cylinder, 970 cc engine from Wuling that’s hooked up to a standard 5-speed manual transmission driving the dual rear wheels. This engine should prove to be good and reliable, and TriFun claims it returns an average of 42 miles per gallon. Standard equipment includes air conditioning and heat and an FM stereo that can play CDs and DVDs. Future plans call for a 4-door sedan, a convertible people mover and even a fully electric version all set to debut in 2010. Gallery: Chicago 2009: TriFun 3-wheelers Live photos copyright (C)2009 Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc. Auto Blog: MPG , Chicago Auto Show , On Two Wheels Chicago 2009: TriFun debuts 42 mpg 3-wheel auto cycle originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

Go here to Car Blog Greenthe rest:
Chicago 2009: TriFun debuts 42 mpg 3-wheel auto cycle

A little sunlight on the Nissan DOE loan: it’s for EVs

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:22:00 +0000

Automotive News has answered the question why Nissan applied for that DOE loan program: electric cars and advanced batteries, despite the lack of plans for development in the mid-term . Nissan hasn’t confirmed the amount of money it wants to borrow even though the application was sent in in December. It wasn’t unveiled until this week. Nissan said that this money would be used to upgrade its Smyrna, Tenn., assembly plant and build a new facility for battery production. Since the Tennessee plant was built in 1983, it is eligible for the DOE’s loans – which are meant to upgrade facilities more than 20 years old. [Source: Automotive News (subs. req'd)] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Nissan , USA A little sunlight on the Nissan DOE loan: it’s for EVs originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

Here is the original post:
A little sunlight on the Nissan DOE loan: it’s for EVs

Darryl Siry prognosticates on the coming year in EVs

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:01:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in Ex-SVP of Tesla Darryl Siry is speaking out again, this time with his assessment of where he thinks the EV industry will be going in the next 12 months. 2009 will undoubtedly be an important year for manufacturers participating in the segment. With a new administration now ensconced in Washington, the atmosphere is likely to be far more biased towards environmentally-friendly rules and regulations. At the same time, the economic environment and political reality will also mean a bias toward preservation of existing jobs and creation of new ones. The first batch of loans from the $25 billion fund being administered by the Department of Energy will be awarded soon and Siry expects the bulk of the cash to go to established automakers to help preserve both jobs and their viability. Another trend that Siry expects to accelerate this year is equity investments by automakers into battery makers. Companies like Ford that don’t have such partnerships have already seen their existing hybrid capacity constrained by limited battery supplies. Check out the rest of Siry’s predictions at his own blog [Source: Darryl Siry ] Darryl Siry prognosticates on the coming year in EVs originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

More:
Darryl Siry prognosticates on the coming year in EVs

Will it be your Destiny to live in a Florida eco-village?

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:10:00 +0000

Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in , Green Culture , Hybrid , Green Daily , USA Photo by Felipe Venâncio . Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0. While Newark moves to implement V2G technology and Austin makes solar panels a good deal , one community is trying to be the “first eco-sustainable city” in America. Reading about the new intentional community called Destiny, Florida makes me think it’s a greenwashed version of Celebration (that creepy Disney town). For now, we’ll give Rubenstein Public Relations (RPR), the PR firm tasked with helping to launch “this innovative community and spark interest among ‘green’ technology companies, developers and researchers,” the benefit of the doubt. We’ll just remind everyone about BioTown, USA . Some details about Destiny: it’s a 65-square mile city an hour south of Orlando; it will have the first E-Station in Florida, and it will be a hub for green businesses scurrying around to develop alt fuels and other clean technologies. What’s an E-Station, you ask? It’s “a 6,000-square-foot refueling station that will include electric automobile charging stations, along with a solar and geo-thermal ‘green-mart’ convenience store.” It’s used to be a gas station known as Key Stop . RPR may be willing to send eco-fans to Florida, but in the rest of the world, it’s still promoting the luxury lifestyle , representing Dezer Properties, which holds interests in things like the Trump Grande Ocean Resort and Residences. Don’t see many EV charging stations there. [Source: Rubenstein Public Relations] Continue reading Will it be your Destiny to live in a Florida eco-village? Will it be your Destiny to live in a Florida eco-village? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

See the rest here:
Will it be your Destiny to live in a Florida eco-village?