Geneva 2009: Brabus smart ed revealed
Click above for a gallery of the Brabus smart ed The Brabus Tesla Roadster is no longer the only electric car that the tuning company will make for you. In Geneva today, Daimler unveiled the Brabus smart ed. The tricked out door frame and interior are just two of the ways that Brabus has made this lime green smart ed their own. The car also offers LED daytime driving lights and a white soft top. Daimler makes a point of saying that the Brabus smart ed’s “fine natural materials demonstrate harmony with the environment” but doesn’t exactly explain how that works. There is harmony between the ed logo on the outside and on the headrests , though. If you like the idea of Brabus tuning up a smart fortwo, but want a gasoline engine to go in it, Daimler’s got you covered . Gallery: Brabus smart ed [Source: Daimler] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , SMART , Geneva Motor Show , Green Daily Geneva 2009: Brabus smart ed revealed originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva 2009: Brabus smart ed revealed
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Leave a commentGeneva 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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Geneva preview: smart limited edition three
Small and safe: Toyota iQ scores 5 stars at Euro NCAP crash test
With an overall score of 79 percent, the Toyota iQ got the 5 stars that mark it as one of the safest vehicles European roads. The car could’ve had a better score, but pedestrian protection was rated a poor 54 percent. However, the iQ scored top marks in driver’s seat protection, partly thanks to its 9 (!) standard airbags distributed around the car. The iQ also includes ABS, Electronic Brake Distribution, Vehicle Stability Control and Traction Control. You can’t compare the iQ’s rest results against its main competitor, the Smart Fortwo, because Euro NCAP now uses a different ratings calculation, but the fortwo got 4 stars back in 2007. [Source: Euro NCAP ] Auto Blog: Toyota , Europe/EU Small and safe: Toyota iQ scores 5 stars at Euro NCAP crash test originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:40:00 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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Small and safe: Toyota iQ scores 5 stars at Euro NCAP crash test
Ze EV? Valeo, Michelin team up for French electric car champion
It’s not a new idea , but Valeo and Michelin want France to be known for electric cars. The two companies have announced they will partner up to develop and build pure EVs and plug-in hybrids. One of the more important partners, an automaker, is still missing. The two companies hope that Michelin’s Active Wheel technology, which uses two built-in electric motors in each wheel, will entice one to climb aboard. According to Automotive News Europe , Michelin says that Active Wheel technology eliminates the need for a gearbox, clutch, transmission shift, universal joint or anti-roll bar. There’s a lot of efficiency gained right there. If everything goes as planned, the resulting vehicle will be a “French champion,” sort of a new EV icon with a strong French connection. Last fall, Valeo won the Automechanika Innovation Award for its StARS Micro-Hybrid System . The system, also known as Stop & Start, can be found in the smart fortwo micro hybrid . [Source: Automotive News Europe (subs req'd)] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Europe/EU Ze EV? Valeo, Michelin team up for French electric car champion originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 14 Feb 2009 15:53:00 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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Oh, if only the beautiful FCX Clarity came with a plug
Click above for a gallery of the FCX Clarity The LA Times’ Dan Neil loves electric cars . He also loves just how beautiful the Honda FCX Clarity is. What he doesn’t like is that the Clarity uses a hydrogen fuel cell. Plug In America’s Paul Scott, writing as an individual, not on behalf of PIA, I hasten to add, says that Neil’s recent article , “pounds the final nail in the coffin of fuel cell vehicles.” I doubt this is true, but Neil certainly doesn’t mince words. He calls the Clarity, “the most expensive, advanced and impractical car ever built” and adds: Hydrogen fuel-cell technology won’t work in cars. It’s a tragic cul-de-sac in the search for sustainable mobility, being used to game the California Air Resources Board’s rules requiring carmakers to build zero-emission vehicles. Any way you look at it, hydrogen is a lousy way to move cars . Not exactly subtle, is it? It is totally true that the automakers have gotten hydrogen vehicles on the road way before the infrastructure builders figured out a way to effectively get hydrogen to market. As Scott writes in a recent email, “While Dan’s words should smother this foolish idea [hydrogen cars], its heart will keep beating until Schwarzenegger and Obama finally pull the plug and deny them any more of our money.” Neil ends his article this way: “Behold, the grand and lovely futility of the FCX Clarity. It’s hard to scold something so wonderful, so I won’t. Just bring me one that I can plug in.” For more of Neil’s always-interesting pontifications, listen to this . Gallery: 2009 Honda FCX Clarity First drive [Source: LA Times ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hydrogen , Green Daily Oh, if only the beautiful FCX Clarity came with a plug originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 14 Feb 2009 13:21:00 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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Oh, if only the beautiful FCX Clarity came with a plug
England beats Germany in smart fortwo football soccer match
Click on image for high resolution gallery of the two teams Car football soccer is one of these silly things some people love to do with their wheels, and it’s most assuredly quite a show. Add in the excitement of watching a match between two of the best national teams in Europe, England and Germany, and you might get this: a soccer game being “played” by people in smart fortwos painted in the country colors of England’s St. George’s cross and Germany’s Bundesflagge. England’s team was led by Top Gear’s Richard Hammond and Germany’s five-car team by James May. The result? Well, England won 4-3 at Earl’s Court. Top Gear Live executive producer Rowland French said, “We’ve got through our first few games and they [the fortwos] have proven to be incredibly tough.” Find match summary and making of videos, as well as press release after the jump. Hat-tip to Zoe! Gallery: Smart ForTwo Football Continue reading England beats Germany in smart fortwo football soccer match Auto Blog: Etc. , SMART , Green Daily , UK England beats Germany in smart fortwo football soccer match originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:23:00 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-maple-leaf, cars, carsoccer, country, daily, england, football, fortwo, priusspares, smart, smart car football, smartcarfootball | Leave a commentLondon-to-Edinburgh smart fortwo ad misleading
Auto Blog: Etc. , MPG , SMART Click above for a high-res gallery of the smart fortwo Recently, Daimler hyped up the smart fortwo’s high-mpg ability by claiming in a television ad that you can go from London to Edinburgh, a distance of over 400 miles, on one tank of petrol fuel. This caused some – well, five – complaints that the ad was full of it. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA, whose website features a big “How to complain” button) investigated and decided that the ad’s claim that, “on one tiny 33 litre tank, a smart car can do 433 miles,” was not misleading. Mercedes said that the smart fortwo 71 bhp petrol coup used in the ad was capable of “73 mpg [Imperial] at an average speed of around 40 mph.” So, you might be able to make the drive, but not very fast. While on the ASA site, I found these other recent decisions: ” There is probably no God ” bus ads are OK and cookies are not a health food . Gallery: 2008 smart fortwo [Source: Daimler] London-to-Edinburgh smart fortwo ad not misleading originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:56:00 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-health-food, asa, entry, i30blue, petrol-version, smart, smartcar, smartfortwo | Leave a commentChevy and Clean Diesels Hit Greenest Car List
The Honda Civic GX, a vehicle that runs on compressed natural gas , was named last week as the greenest car of the year by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid claimed spots two and three in ACEEE’s annual environmental rankings—the Green Book Online —followed by the Smart ForTwo, Toyota Yaris and Nissan Altima Hybrid. Top: Honda Civic GX Bottom: Drivers of the Civic GX fuel up with compressed natural gas rather than gasoline. This is the twelfth year that ACEEE produced the Green Book Online, which assigns vehicles a single “green” score based on tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, greenhouse-gas emissions, and a cradle-to-grave lifecycle analysis. The most dramatic trend this year was the emergence of two Chevy cars on the top ten list—and the introduction of clean diesel vehicles. We spoke with Shruti Vaidynanathan, primary analyst for Green Book Online, about these trends. HybridCars.com: The Honda Civic GX was once again named greenest car of the year. Yet, the vehicle sells in very low quantities and most consumers don’t have access to CNG. Do sales numbers matter in the overall green car equation? read more
Posted in Hybrids | civic, energy, environment, green, green-book, honda, honda-civic, most-consumers, online, primary-analyst, quantities-and, smart, toyota-prius, toyota-yaris, year | Leave a commentComing: Cheap Chinese Cars at Costco?
Chinese cars have been displayed at the Detroit Auto Show for the past several years. Many industry critics ridiculed them for design or quality flaws. But others see these first Chinese vehicles and remember how Japanese and Korean cars were once laughed off—only to become mainstream products in America. Kathleen Ligocki, CEO of GS Motors and formerly president of Ford of Mexico, expects Chinese-designed cars to begin production in Mexico in 2010—and make their way to the US about five years after first testing the waters in Latin America and Canada. GS Motors, a Mexican company, already imports three models from China’s First Auto Works (FAW) and sold 4,000 of them in Mexico last year. Here’s the zinger: Ligocki believes Chinese cars will be sold in the US through big-box stores like Costco or Wal-Mart, which is how GS Motors is retailing them in Mexico. GS is building an assembly plant in Michoacan, Mexico with FAW. The plan is for vehicles to roll off the line beginning in 2010. GS Motors will launch the FAW brand in Mexico this year with the F1 Hatchback, an entry-level car sold for under $5,500. FAW, one of the largest Chinese automakers, is allied in China with Volkswagen. FAW also produces the Miles ZX40, a small van-style neighborhood electric vehicle, developed by Miles Electric Vehicles , based on Santa Monica, Calif. GS Motors is racing to bring the first Chinese cars to America via Mexico—but they are not alone. BYD (Build Your Dreams) showed plug-in hybrid and electric model in Detroit last month and promised to bring them to the US as early as next year. In fact, many of China’s 80 or so auto companies have made similar gestures, with varying degrees of seriousness. read more
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Coming: Cheap Chinese Cars at Costco?
Posted in Hybrids | bring-the-first, china, environment, green, japanese, latin-america, mexico, most-consumers, online, primary-analyst, smart, year | Leave a commentECE delivers first electric VW Golf, 199 more to go
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Volkswagen , Europe/EU The guys over at Electric Cars Europe (ECE) have finished the gas-to-electric conversion of the first of 200 Volkswagen Golfs they’ve been tasked to prepare for the Dutch energy supplier, ENEXIS (formerly known as Essent). The fleet, once it’s built converted, is to be used in the testing of the Euro version of vehicle-to-grid ( V2G ) dubbed the “Mobile Smart Grid” ( PDF ). Information about the electro-Golf is scant, though it is said to be stuffed with enough lithium ion batteries to take it 300 Km (186 miles). That would make it one of the longest range conversions we’ve ever seen. The ECE team has plenty of experience converting cars and has more recently been doing gas-bypass surgery on Lotus Elises as well as a Proton Savvy on behalf of Detroit Electric . Thanks to Matthijs for the tip! [Source: ZERAuto ] ECE delivers first electric VW Golf, 199 more to go originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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ECE delivers first electric VW Golf, 199 more to go
Posted in Auto Green | a-midsize-car, detroitelectric, enexis, europe, fordfusionhybrid, mobilesmartgrid, smart, volkswagen | Leave a commentGet Approved!
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