Geneva 2009: Fiat unveils new Multiair engine line
Fiat’s not planning to give up its title as the lowest CO 2 -producing line in Europe any time soon. While diesel engines remain the best choice when carbon emissions are the main concern, the Italian automaker has invested plenty of research and development into its Multiair technology for gasoline powerplants. The latest engines using this tech were unveiled earlier this week at the Geneva Motor Show , as e xpected . Nearly all automakers have some form of variable valve technology. Fiat’s system is unique in that it uses an electro-hydraulic system to actuate the valves as opposed to the more common electro-mechanical setup. This relatively simple system can alter the timing of the valve’s opening and closing in relation to how much power or efficiency is required at any specific moment. Fiat claims its Multiair technology allows for a 10 percent improvement in horsepower, a 15 percent improvement in low-rpm torque and a 10 percent improvement in fuel efficiency and carbon emissions. Since the powerplant can be made smaller for a given power requirement, further gains are possible over a conventional engine. For a more detailed explanation of how all of this works, click past the break. Thanks for the tip, Jules ! [Source: Fiat] Continue reading Geneva 2009: Fiat unveils new Multiair engine line Auto Blog: Emerging Technologies , MPG , Fiat , Geneva Motor Show Geneva 2009: Fiat unveils new Multiair engine line originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 07 Mar 2009 09:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva 2009: Peugeot 908 HY, hybrid LMP1 racer
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Peugeot 908 HY Prominently featured in the center of Peugeot’s stand at the Geneva Motor Show this week was the 908 HY. This experimental prototype was first unveiled last September as a test-bed for the next generation of Peugeot’s Le Mans racers. Based on the extremely fast 908 HDi LMP1 car, this one adds a hybrid electric drive to the mix. Peugeot hasn’t committed to a race debut for the car yet, but 2010 seems a likely time frame. On the other hand, if the new Audi R15 TDI proves to be a big jump ahead of the 908, the hybrid could appear sooner. Gallery: Geneva 2009: Peugeot 908 hy Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Auto Blog: Diesel , Hybrid , Peugeot , Geneva Motor Show , Racing Geneva 2009: Peugeot 908 HY, hybrid LMP1 racer originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva 2009: NV200 may come to America with electric drive
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Nissan NV200 Nissan is getting into the light commercial vehicle market in the U.S. next year with its new NV2500 and, possibly, with the NV200 that debuted in Geneva this week. The NV200 is a compact van based on Nissan’s European B-segment platform used for the Micra. It can be configured as a seven-passenger van or a cargo van with up to 145 cubic feet of cargo room. In Europe, it’s powered by gas or diesel engines of 1.5L or 1.6L capacities. However, if we get the NV200 here there is a distinct possibility that it could come with electric drive. While we were running around in Switzerland, our good friend Mike Levine from PickupTrucks.com was at the NTEA work truck show in Chicago. There he caught up with Joe Castelli, Nissan’s vice president of light commercial vehicles and fleet, and they discussed alternative drive possibilities. Castelli told Mike that, “dA hybrid or electric vehicle has to be considered for commercial vehicles.” Just as Ford has concluded with its upcoming Transit Connect EV , Castelli admits, “Electric vehicles aren’t going to work if you’re driving 300 miles a day on the road. But if I’m at a construction site all day or I’m a florist making lots of stops a quarter-mile apart than I can get away with an electric vehicle.” Given Nissan’s major emphasis on electric vehicles in the coming years, it makes perfect sense to electrify a vehicle like the NV200. Packaging a battery under the flat load floor would be relatively straightforward and the short range duty cycle for commercial applications would play to the electric’s strengths. Castelli even acknowledged that electric or hybrid drive is not out of the question for the larger NV2500. [Source: PickupTrucks.com ] Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Nissan , Geneva Motor Show Geneva 2009: NV200 may come to America with electric drive originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:59:00 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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Geneva 2009: Ford’s next Focus, the iosis Max now with EcoBoost!
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Ford iosis Max Concept Ford is preparing to make a major shift to smaller cars over the next few years, starting with the new Fiesta at the end of this year and the new European-based Focus next year. When that next-generation Focus lands in the U.S., it is expected to look a lot like the concept that Ford is showing in Geneva this week. The shape and styling details of the iosis Max give a preview of next years Focus five door hatch although the head-light clusters and doors will surely be more conventional. The sliding rear doors are unlikely to make it to production either. What will make it through is the drivetrain. This is the third Ford concept this year (along with the Lincoln Concept C and Volvo S60 concepts in Detroit) powered by the new 1.6L EcoBoost four cylinder along with the PowerShift dual clutch transmission. With the automatic start stop system, this combination is expected to top 40 mpg with ease when it arrives. Gallery: Geneva 2009: Ford Iosis Max Gallery: Ford Iosis-Max Concept Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading Geneva 2009: Ford’s next Focus, the iosis Max now with EcoBoost! Auto Blog: MPG , Ford , Geneva Motor Show Geneva 2009: Ford’s next Focus, the iosis Max now with EcoBoost! originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva 2009: Ford’s next Focus, the iosis Max now with EcoBoost!
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Leave a commentGeneva 2009: Toyota iQ3 in Astral Black with new 1.33l engine
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Toyota iQ The Toyota iQ has been doing the show (and museum ) circuit for over a year now, but we’ve only seen the car in white. I mean, just look what happens in Google Image Search when you type in “Toyota iQ.” Therefore, as excited as one might be about the new 1.33l Dual VVT-i engine that Toyota has announced for the new iQ3 (iQ cubed) version in Geneva, I’m just glad to see the car in another color. The 1.33 iQ also gets Toyota’s Optimal Drive (aka stop-start) technology, which can reduce fuel consumption up to three percent, if you drive smart. Right now, Toyota is talking about mpg numbers of 49 mpg (U.S.) on the European combined cycle and CO 2 emissions of 113 grams per kilometer for the manual-drive iQ. The first production iQs went on sale in Japan last November . The 1.33-liter iQs will be available in the UK starting in late July. Oh, and you can get it in Pearl White, Astral Black (above) or Deep Amethyst. Gallery: Toyota iQ in black [Source: Toyota] Continue reading Geneva 2009: Toyota iQ3 in Astral Black with new 1.33l engine Auto Blog: MPG , Toyota , Geneva Motor Show Geneva 2009: Toyota iQ3 in Astral Black with new 1.33l engine originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva 2009: Toyota iQ3 in Astral Black with new 1.33l engine
Posted in Auto Green | astral black, deepamethyst, exige, fordiosismaxconcept, geneva 2009, geneva motor show, show, toyota iq | Leave a commentGeneva 2009: NLV Quant by Koenigsegg
Click above for a high-res gallery of the NLV Quant by Koenigsegg The cars created by Christian von Koenigsegg are not renowned for being environmentally friendly. The car unveiled by Koenigsegg today in Geneva is in many ways diametrically opposed to the CCX and its variants. Rather than burning fuel to produce prodigious quantities of horsepower, the Quant is designed to run silently on electrons. The Quant that was revealed on the show floor is a styling buck of a four passenger, gull-winged coupe with an electric motor driving each rear wheel. The combined output of the powertrain is expected to be 512 hp and 527 lb-ft of twist. Koenigsegg has partnered with NLV Solar AG for the energy storage system of this electric coupe. As the name implies NLV’s main line of business is solar panels and those have been incorporated into the hood and roof of the Quant. Christian von Koenigsegg and Nunzio La Vecchia of NLV acknowledged that the solar cells will only provide enough power for accessories such as the radio or ventilation and won’t be able to do any significant battery charging. That battery system is the big unknown for the Quant. Learn more about that after the jump. Gallery: Geneva 2009: NLV Quant by Koenigsegg Gallery: NLV Quant by Koenigsegg Live Photos Copyright (C)2009 Chris Paukert/Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading Geneva 2009: NLV Quant by Koenigsegg Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Geneva Motor Show Geneva 2009: NLV Quant by Koenigsegg originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Posted in Auto Green | a-friend-via, christian, energy, exige, geneva 2009, genevamotorshow, koenigsegg, koenigsessquant, nlv, quant-christian | Leave a commentConfirmed: Ferrari going hybrid
Click above for gallery of the Ferrari 599XX One of the stated reasons that automakers send prototype race cars around tracks at high rates of speed is to further the development of new technology for their road-going automobiles. There’s no higher form of automotive motorsport than Formula 1, so it stands to reason that fuel-saving advancements like the kinetic energy recovery hybrid systems that F1 is currently in the midst of implementing will someday make it into production cars. According to Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the Italian automaker is in fact testing its KERS system in a prototype based on the 599 chassis. There’s some speculation that the Dale Earnhardt edition 599XX at the Geneva Motor Show may have some form of the KERS system installed, but that’s not confirmed. With this technology, energy that would otherwise be lost to braking can be stored and reused the next time the vehicle accelerates, thereby boosting both performance and efficiency, and that’s something we can all get behind. Gallery: Geneva 2009: Ferrari 599xx [Source: Motor Authority ] Auto Blog: Hybrid , Ferrari , Geneva Motor Show , Racing Confirmed: Ferrari going hybrid originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:39:00 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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Geneva 2009: Ford Tourneo Connect BEV concept
Click the Tourneo Connect BEV for a high res gallery When Ford announced at last month’s Chicago Auto show that it would collaborating with Smith Electric Vehicles to bring an electric version of the Transit connect van to the U.S. market in 2010, they didn’t actually bring a sample along. Here in Geneva the automaker did have a vehicle much like the one we will get. The Tourneo BEV is the low roof passenger version of the Transit Connect but the important bits of this concept are what will appear in the TC EV. The wheels get drive torque supplied by an AC induction motor and the electrons are stored in a lithium iron phosphate battery pack. Dan Jenkins from Smith declined to reveal who the cell supplier is or will be. A similar Transit Connect EV will be sold by Smith in Europe beginning this fall. Gallery: Geneva 2009: Ford Tourneo Connect BEV Continue reading Geneva 2009: Ford Tourneo Connect BEV concept Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Ford , Geneva Motor Show Geneva 2009: Ford Tourneo Connect BEV concept originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Toyota announces 150 plug-in Prius hybrids are coming to Europe in 2009
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Toyota Prius Toyota Motor Europe CEO Tadashi Arashima has announced that Europe will get 150 plug-in Priuses this year, followed by another 350 in 2010. These PHEV units will be used for testing purposes and will not be available for the masses. Even better news from ToMoCo: 2012 will see the introduction of an all-electric vehicle. Toyota could use the plug-in help to meet its self-set goal of average corporate CO 2 emissions of 140 g/km, including Lexus offerings, this year and drop to between 120 and 130 g/km before the mandatory limit comes dues in 2015 . Arashima also said that, since the price of diesel cars will climb significantly with the introduction of the Euro V and VI anti-pollution rules, diesel vehicles won’t be as attractive to buyers who might also consider a hybrid vehicle. He did acknowledge that diesels will continue to be significant in European markets. [Source: Automotive News (subs. req'd)] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Toyota , Europe/EU Toyota announces 150 plug-in Prius hybrids are coming to Europe in 2009 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:17:00 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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Toyota announces 150 plug-in Prius hybrids are coming to Europe in 2009
Posted in Auto Green, Hybrids | a-sample-along-, cars, data, entry, europe, fordtransitconnectev, geneva 2009, introduction, market, median car age, plug-in toyota, transit-connect, year | Leave a commentGeneva 2009: Seat Leon Ecomotive with 99 g/km of CO2 and 62 mpg U.S.
Click above for a high res gallery of the SEAT Leon Ecomotive Concept Amid all of the fanciful green concept cars debuting in Geneva like the Rinspeed iChange and the Magna Steyr Mila EV comes something a little more standard looking: the SEAT Leon Ecomotive concept. As you can see from the large lettering all over the car, this concept seats four while emitting just 99 grams of CO 2 per kilometer. The low emissions come from a 105 PS 1.6-litre TDI common rail engine with a particulate filter paired with automatic stop-start technology. But the “automatic” part of that requires a little bit of work: Among the new features debuting on the Leon is an Auto Start/Stop function. When the car comes to a halt – for instance at a traffic light – and the driver selects neutral and takes his foot off the clutch, the Start/Stop function automatically switches off the engine. As he prepares to move off again and depresses the clutch, the engine is re-started and the car can be driven as normal. The concept also uses “a form of brake energy recovery.” SEAT says that this concept car is the next step in building range-extended electric vehicles. See more details after the jump. The SEAT Leon Ecomotive concept gets a combined fuel economy rating of 74.3 mpg (62 mpg U.S.) on the European cycle. We’ll have live pics from Geneva up soon. Gallery: SEAT Leon Ecomotive Concept [Source: SEAT] Continue reading Geneva 2009: Seat Leon Ecomotive with 99 g/km of CO 2 and 62 mpg U.S. Auto Blog: MPG , Geneva Motor Show , SEAT Geneva 2009: Seat Leon Ecomotive with 99 g/km of CO 2 and 62 mpg U.S. originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva 2009: Seat Leon Ecomotive with 99 g/km of CO2 and 62 mpg U.S.
Posted in Auto Green | bluezero, concept, driver, ecomotive, entry, geneva 2009, geneva motor show, geneva2009, genevamotorshow, seat, seat leon ecomotive, seatleon, toyota | Leave a commentGet Approved!
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