British Touring Car Championship to begin testing CO2 emissions
Motorsports of all kinds are feeling the pressure to reduce their environmental footprint, and the British Touring Car Championship is no different. In an effort to demonstrate their commitment to green racing (a contradiction in terms?), the BTCC has started testing the race cars of its various contenders at Land Rover’s lab in Solihull to be sure that their carbon emissions are in line with the road cars on which they are based. Alan Gow, BTCC series director, says, “To my mind, it’s a far more meaningful demonstration of our credentials to motor manufacturers, environmental groups, sponsors, the government, motorists and the BTCC’s many millions of fans than us taking less convincing (or demanding) steps.” That may be true, but we should all remember that a vehicle’s carbon emissions are directly related to how much fuel it is burning. This being the case, cars that are being driven as hard as possible in an effort to win races are never really going to be environmentally friendly. Still, it’s an appreciated step in the right direction. [Source: BTCC , Channel 4 ] Auto Blog: Green Daily , UK , Racing British Touring Car Championship to begin testing CO 2 emissions originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:46:00 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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Leave a commentTokyo Preview: Mitsubishi plans to debut plug-in hybrid concept
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Mitsubishi Concept-cX Back in 2007, Mitsubishi showed off a new vehicle called the Concept cX at the Frankfurt Motor Show . At the time, the small crossover was powered by Mitsu’s latest clean diesel technology. A small 1.8-liter diesel engine featuring a variable geometry turbocharger was mated to a dual clutch SST transmission and the all-wheel-drive system lifted from the latest Lancer Evolution. Sounds pretty cool, right? Perhaps the Japanese automaker has something even better up its sleeve. According to Autocar , Mitsubishi will introduce a new concept vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show in October that will be based on the Concept cX design but feature plug-in hybrid technology. Called the Concept zC, the new PHEV will reportedly have styling inspired by the firm’s Racing Lancer with a hatchback bodystyle and raised ground clearance and will use the GS platform from the Lancer and Outlander. Should this new concept make it to production, it’ll take at least three years to get here. [Source: Autocar ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Mitsubishi , Tokyo Motor Show Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi plans to debut plug-in hybrid concept originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:16:00 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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Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi plans to debut plug-in hybrid concept
Posted in Auto Green | entry, from-the-latest, japanese, Mitsubishi, mitsubishi concept-cx, mitsubishiphev, racing, racing-lancer, time, tokyo, tokyo2009 | Leave a commentCalifornia may soon require smog checks for motorcycles
Back on February 26th, California State Senator Fran Pavley introduced legislation that would “amend Section 44011 of, and to add Section 44012.5 to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to air pollution.” All right, what’s that mean? Basically, this legislation would require motorcycle owners in California to get smog checks for their motorcycles once every two years. The law would cover all motorcycles model year 2000 or newer and, if passed, would go into effect on January 1st, 2012. As of today, motorcycles are exempt from smog checks in California. As with other motorcycles in that state, all motorcycles with current registration as road vehicles would need to be checked by the Department of Consumer Affairs and any transfer of ownership would also require an updated certificate of compliance. A majority vote will be required to pass this new legislation into law, which could take place any time after March 28th. See the complete bill at this link . [Source: California Legislature via The Kneeslider | Photo: steven.buss ] Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , On Two Wheels , Green Daily , USA California may soon require smog checks for motorcycles originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:30:00 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: Mitsubishi Global i MiEV prototype
Debuting at the 79th Geneva Motor Show alongside the Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport Air concept was an i MiEV prototype that may have been the most relevant electric car of the show. Although quite similar to the i MiEV design we’ve been showing you for the past couple years, this is the global version of the Japanese automaker’s electric car. As expected, it has a wider stance than the original and the front and rear overhangs have been extended and should offer more protection for passengers as well as any errant (heaven forbid) pedestrians. Also, the steering wheel is on the side you would expect to find it in most parts of the planet, the left. The company calls this i MiEV iteration the precursor to the car that will go on sale in Europe next year where it will carry the Mitsubishi badge as well as that of Peugeot . Although a timetable for American sales hasn’t yet been announced, we expect that it will happen eventually and something very close to this slightly enlarged prototype will one day be available here. Hit the jump for the official Geneva unveiling of the i MiEVs and as well as a bonus video of the global version posing for the camera in a studio and its designer giving some of his thoughts (in Japanese). Gallery: Mitsubishi Global i MiEV prototype [Source: Mitsubishi / YouTube ] Continue reading Geneva 2009: Mitsubishi Global i MiEV prototype Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Mitsubishi , Geneva Motor Show , Europe/EU Geneva 2009: Mitsubishi Global i MiEV prototype originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Neil Young’s eco-car album, Fork in the Road, now ready for pre-order
We still have a month to wait until Neil Young’s new “Fork in the Road” album (aka, his eco-car concept record ), but Reprise Records is ready to take your money now . Unlike some deals in the green car business, if you pre-order the record, you won’t need to wait all that long to get what you paid for. The record drops on April 7 and includes a paean to Johnathan Goodwin, Young’s LincVolt mechanic, called “Johnny Magic.” Other song titles, according to Pitchfork , are “Cough Up the Bucks,” “Hit the Road,” and “Get Around.” The pre-order price for the CD/DVD set is $21.98, plus an additional $6.49 or $16.49 shipping (those are the costs to Michigan, anyway). Young recorded the album with his touring band between shows last year . You can watch Neil Young’s earphones-stuck-in-an-apple video for “Fork in the Road” here . Reuters says that work on the LincVolt is now finished and that a documentary film about driving the car gasoline-free across America is planned. Gallery: Neil Young [Source: Reuters , Neil Young] Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in , Green Daily Neil Young’s eco-car album, Fork in the Road , now ready for pre-order originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Confirmed: 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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MIT unveils "Eleanor" 2009 World Solar Challenge competitor
The World Solar Challenge is back for its tenth outing across the wilds of Australia this October. Students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are the only ones to have competed in every single running and Eleanor is their tenth such effort. This Eleanor is nothing like the 1968 Mustang in the movie Gone in 60 Seconds . This sleek single seater is designed to slip through the atmosphere with absolute minimum of resistance and extract the maximum amount of work from every photon absorbed by the solar panels on its carbon fiber and kevlar body. Such tech doesn’t come cheap: Eleanor cost $243,000 to build. The solar racer spent many hours in the Ford wind tunnel and it paid off with a drag coefficient of just 0.11. The 6 sq meters of solar panels can generate up to 1,200 W to propel the 500 lb car. Come October, the MIT team will be trying for their first victory with Eleanor. [Source: Wired ] Auto Blog: Solar , Racing MIT unveils “Eleanor” 2009 World Solar Challenge competitor originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 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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Posted in Auto Green | a-friend-via, daily, entry, mit, racing, summary, technology, world solar challenge | Leave a commentGeneva 2009: Dacia introduces its first concept, the 44.4 mpg Duster
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Dacia Duster concept Renault’s low-cost Romanian-based brand Dacia is unveiling its first concept vehicle here at the Geneva Motor Show this week. The Duster is a 14-foot long crossover with some seriously aggressive looks. Like most concept vehicles, the rear doors are also rear hinged allowing unimpeded visual access to the interior. For a crossover, the Duster has an unusually low drag coefficient of just 0.30 and a weight of under 2,900 lbs. Tractive effort comes courtesy of Renault’s 1.5L dCi four-cylinder diesel engine putting out 105 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough to push the Duster to 62 mph in 9.6 seconds and average 44.4 mpg (U.S.) with CO 2 emissions of just 139 g/km. Now, if only Carlos Ghosn would be so kind as to send this machine stateside as the next generation Nissan Rogue, we’d have something to cheer about. Gallery: Dacia Duster Concept [Source: Renault] Continue reading Geneva 2009: Dacia introduces its first concept, the 44.4 mpg Duster Auto Blog: Diesel , Renault , Geneva Motor Show Geneva 2009: Dacia introduces its first concept, the 44.4 mpg Duster originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:09:00 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-14-foot-long, dacia duster, daily, entry, first-concept, geneva2009, genevamotorshow, mit, nissan-rogue, putting-out-105, racing | Leave a commentPlug-In Motors makes Mustang electric [w/video]
Click above and scroll down to watch the video The wait for a battery-powered Ford may have just gotten shorter now that Plug-In Motors in Denver, Colorado is planning to turn Ford Mustangs into electric Plug-In Panthers. One of the co-founders behind the company, Kurt Neugens, has some familiarity with Fords having worked for the Detroit automaker for 17 years as an engineer. The other co-founder, Travis Winkelman, knows a thing or two about hands-on tweaking as well, with a resume that prominently features the Roush NASCAR Racing Team where he worked as a development engineer. Although the company will convert other selected models, the Mustang is the vehicle they’re starting with and if you’re in the vicinity of Lakewood Ford on the 27th and 28th, you can go for a ride yourself to see if you like their handiwork. Using lithium iron phosphate ( LiFePo 4 ) batteries, an AC induction motor and adjustable regenerative braking, they claim to have a package that offers quickness (0 to 60 under 6 seconds) and a low-carbon impact. They seem to have several different configurations, each with their own strengths. The quickest car can only hit 85 mph at the top end or you can opt for a slower start and a 105 mph top speed. Range is also option-dependent. The more affordable version travels 85 miles on a charge or you can opt for more batteries that they say can carry you 200 miles. you can check it out for yourself in the video after the jump. [Source: Plug-In Motors / YouTube / Examiner ] Continue reading Plug-In Motors makes Mustang electric [w/video] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Ford , USA Plug-In Motors makes Mustang electric [w/video] originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:53:00 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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CMU study indicates the Chevy Volt may be too expensive to be effective
Click above for a high res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Volt Electric vehicle proponents never like to hear news like this, but another study has indicated that plug-in vehicles with longer battery ranges are going to be too expensive to be cost-effective, even though they will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The problem is that the cost of the batteries required to support a 40-mile electric-only range far outweighs the incremental benefit compared to a shorter range plug-in or non-plug hybrid. The cost of a battery pack for a car like the Chevy Volt is estimated to be as much as $15,000, although no one at General Motors is talking about the specific number publicly yet. While there are certainly people who are willing to go plug-in regardless of the cost, the reality is that most people simply cannot afford to do so no matter how much they might like the idea of helping the environment. Beyond the up-front cost of batteries there also remains the issue of durability. Tesla Motors, for example, is offering a $12,000 battery replacement plan for the Roadster – which has a battery pack that costs around $30,000. General Motors officials have repeatedly expressed confidence that the battery management systems they have developed for the Volt will allow them to meet the 10-year/150,000-mile durability target for the battery. However, accelerated testing in the lab can only tell so much about battery life. Until these vehicles are in the field and exposed to the wide range of conditions that occur over a number of years, no one can be certain. Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt [Source: Bloomberg , Carnegie-Mellon University ] Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in CMU study indicates the Chevy Volt may be too expensive to be effective originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:04:00 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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CMU study indicates the Chevy Volt may be too expensive to be effective
Posted in Auto Green | battery, chevy, entry, erev, extended range vehicle, plug-inhybrid, racing, roadster, study, video | Leave a commentGet Approved!
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