Geneva 2009: Ampera comes branded with Opel and Vauxhaull badges
Click above for image gallery of the Vauxhall Ampera Holden. Chevy. Opel. Vauxhall. These are the brands that we so far know will get a version of the plug-in Volt. Granted, the Europeans will call it the Ampera, but under all those models will be the Voltec technology that gives the sedan a 60-km (37-mile) electric-only range and a 500-km (310 mile) total range when the gas tank is filled up. At the Geneva Motor Show this week, GM announced that British Volt fans will be able to get a right-hand drive version of the Vauxhall Ampera some time after the Ampera’s production start in late 2011. In Europe, GM is testing vehicle plug-in infrastructure with utility company Iberdrola of Spain, among others. One difference between the Ampera and Volt is that most European outlets feature higher voltage, between 220v and 240v, instead of the 110v plugs commonly seen in the U.S. How this affects the car’s charging time remains to be seen. See new pictures of the Opel- and Vauxhall-branded Amperas in the galleries below. If you only have time to look at one image, check out what they’ve done to the interior . Wow. Video and more after the jump. Gallery: Vauxhall Ampera Gallery: Opel Ampera [Source: GM] Continue reading Geneva 2009: Ampera comes branded with Opel and Vauxhaull badges Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , GM , Geneva Motor Show , Opel , Green Daily Geneva 2009: Ampera comes branded with Opel and Vauxhaull badges originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva 2009: Ampera comes branded with Opel and Vauxhaull badges
Geneva Preview: Volkswagen unleashes the goods on new Polo
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Volkwagen Polo Volkswagen is trotting out its new fifth-generation Polo at the Geneva Motor Show tomorrow, but we’ve got a slew of details and images of the new model to share today. Looking very much like a shrunken Golf, it may take a trained eye to tell the difference between the VW’s latest hatchbacks at first glance (see the new VW MK VI Golf here ). Volkswagen’s keen to point out that the new Polo is a full 7.5 percent lighter than the outgoing model despite growing in every meaningful dimension and it’s still expected to score a perfect 5-star safety rating in Euro NCAP crash testing. In Germany, the Polo will come with the buyers choice of four gasoline and three diesel engines, many equipped with turbochargers and direct injection. VeeDub’s latest 7-speed DSG transmission will also be available on select models. The most frugal trim will carry the BlueMotion badge and attain 62 mpg U.S. in European combined testing with just 96 grams CO 2 per kilometer, making it the most fuel efficient diesel-burning 5-seater in the world. Sales are slated to begin in Germany by the end of June with the rest of Europe coming just two weeks later. In case you missed it earlier, the subcompact car is finally coming to America , possibly as early as 2010, so VW definitely has our interest piqued. Check out our image gallery below and see the official press release after the break. Gallery: 2010 Volkswagen Polo [Source: Volkswagen] Continue reading Geneva Preview: Volkswagen unleashes the goods on new Polo Auto Blog: Diesel , Volkswagen , Geneva Motor Show Geneva Preview: Volkswagen unleashes the goods on new Polo originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva Preview: Volkswagen unleashes the goods on new Polo
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2009 vw polo, america, geneva, gives-the-sedan, spain, vauxhallampera, volkswagen, volkswagen polo, volkswagenpolo, volt-granted, vw polo | 
Leave a commentPiaggio MP3 Hybrid set for sale this summer
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Piaggio MP3 Hybrid Piaggio has said that a new hybrid version of its MP3 three-wheeled scooter will debut in Italy and Spain later this summer. We’d wager a guess that the €150 million in low-interest loans from the European Investment Bank to Piaggio late last year spurred on the vehicle’s development somewhat. The new hybrid scooter will reportedly be capable of about 12 miles using nothing but electricity, but the MP3′s single cylinder, 250cc gas-powered engine will be able to kick in and provide extended range when necessary. Regenerative braking is also included in the package. The MP3′s electric motor should also provide a usable boost in performance, especially at low speeds, all the while promoting fuel mileage that could be as high as 140 miles per gallon . A lithium ion battery pack will be used by the MP3 Hybrid, which will take up to 4 hours to recharge and likely accounts for a large portion of the scooter’s expected price range of €8,000 to €10,000 when it goes on sale later this year in Europe. Gallery: Piaggio MP3 hybrid scooter [Source: Visordown ] Auto Blog: Hybrid , On Two Wheels , Europe/EU Piaggio MP3 Hybrid set for sale this summer originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:48:00 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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Piaggio MP3 Hybrid set for sale this summer
Posted in Auto Green | a-friend-via, a-new-hybrid, entry, european, greenwheel, italy, piaggio-mp3, piaggiomp3, spain, summer | Leave a commentBarcelona tests the Tempus, its first hybrid bus
Believe it or not, European cities are a little behind in incorporating hybrid powertrains to their fleets. Not long ago we mentioned a Spanish-made bus by Castrosua . This bus began tests on the streets of Barcelona this week. The Tempus , as it’s called, mates an electric powertrain to Iveco’s smallest diesel engine. It measures 9.5 meters long and 2.55 meters wide, perfect for old city centers. According to TMB, Barcelona’s public transport operator, the bus is saving at least 20 percent of the diesel fuel it would use if it were a regular mid-size bus. The bus will be tested on three different routes: One that avoids high slopes, a neighborhood route with more frequent stops and a “standard” one. Barcelona also did some hydrogen-powered bus tests back in 2003, with a generator that used solar energy. [Source: TMB ] Auto Blog: Hybrid , Transportation Alternatives , Europe/EU Barcelona tests the Tempus, its first hybrid bus originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:12:00 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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Barcelona tests the Tempus, its first hybrid bus
Posted in Auto Green | a-also-did, a-little-behind, and-aerodynamic, barcelona, engine, entry, european-union, spain, tempus, tested-on-three, three-different | Leave a commentSpain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Seat Ibiza Ecomotive The United States , the United Kingdom and France have already announced plans to stimulate the ailing automakers and suppliers that do business in their countries, so it’s not too surprising to hear that Spain has joined in the ranks as well. Like those other bailout packages, the Spanish government is highlighting the need to invest in eco-friendly automotive technologies. According to data provided by the Spanish government, 350,000 people are employed in auto-related industries in Spain and 6 percent of the country’s GDP is related to the automotive market. Last year, new car sales in Spain dropped by about 28 percent, which seems to be about the average slump worldwide. The European Union has requested additional information from Spain regarding the plan before it will sign off on the aid package. Some European countries have complained that France’s plan amounts to illegal protectionism. Gallery: 2009 Seat Ibiza Ecomotive [Source: International Herald Tribune ] Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , Europe/EU , SEAT Spain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:51:00 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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Spain announces $5.3 billion in aid for domestic auto industry
Posted in Auto Green | a-few-places, a-friend-via, a-wide-range, automotive, bmw, country, entry, european-union, geneva-motor, herald-tribune, ibiza, ibiza-ecomotive, spain | Leave a commentKTM used KERS system on 125 GP bike last year
Auto Blog: Hybrid , On Two Wheels , Racing Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM seems to have beaten Formula 1 teams to the hybrid punch. Last year, at the 125 Grand Prix race in Valencia, Spain, KTM rider Tommy Koyama’s race bike was fitted with a kinetic energy recovery system, better known as KERS . Apparently, KERS only added about 3 horsepower to the small displacement machine’s peak, but we’d need to see a real dyno graph to know its true performance enhancing (or robbing) capabilities. Koyoma finished the race in seventh position, well back from the winning Aprilia that did not feature any hybrid drivetrain components. Formula 1 teams are currently grappling with the KERS hybrid systems and many have yet to decide whether or not to use the technology at the start of the season. There are currently two types of KERS systems under development, one based on a flywheel and another, like the system used by KTM, that uses batteries or capacitors to store the captured energy. [Source: Faster and Faster ] KTM used KERS system on 125 GP bike last year originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:28:00 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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KTM used KERS system on 125 GP bike last year
Posted in Auto Green | a-friend-via, a-real-dyno, daily, entry, hybrid, hydrogenmotorcycle, ktm kers, race, racing, spain, tommykoyama, tomoyoshi koyama, tomoyoshikoyama | Leave a commentPSA considering manufacturing a hybrid for Spain
Auto Blog: Diesel , EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Manufacturing/Plants , PSA , European Union PSA has one of its largest manufacturing plants in the NW of Spain, near the city of Vigo. Since Spain is one of the countries that insists it will put a million EV and/or plug-in hybrids on roads by 2014 and is also Europe’s 5th largest market, automakers are already introducing plug-in projects – projects that might be able to get €800 million from Spanish taxpayers for their development. Renault and Seat each have one, but PSA, which is always announcing what should be the first diesel hybrid, has announced an investment of €250 million in its Vigo factory to manufacture hybrid components. There is no word yet about a hybrid HDI , but we know PSA is installing Stop&Start systems across its complete range starting in 2010. [Source: EP via Econoticias ] PSA considering manufacturing a hybrid for Spain originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:01:00 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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PSA considering manufacturing a hybrid for Spain
Posted in Auto Green, Hybrids | a-hybrid-for, city, countries, plug in hybrids, PSA, spain, vigo, vigo-since | Leave a commentGerman CNG fan tours 800 filling stations
Auto Blog: Volkswagen , Natural Gas , Germany Despite some recent problems with the natural gas supply from Russia , Germans have an ever-increasing number of CNG options. Rainer Zietlow, a German citizen who just might be the world’s biggest CNG fan, started a nationwide tour of Germany’s 800 compressed natural gas (CNG) service stations on the 7th of January. He’ll be at the wheel of a VW Passat TSI EcoFuel with a direct injection bi-fuel turbo engine and expects to complete the tour in 80 days, just before the AMI 2009 (Auto Mobile International) show in Leipzig on March 28. Zietlow is already a CNG expert, having completed two CNG rallies, one from Germany to Bangkok, Thailand and a tour around the world on a VW Caddy . [Source: NGV] German CNG fan tours 800 filling stations originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:22:00 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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German CNG fan tours 800 filling stations
Posted in Auto Green | bangkok, before-the-ami, caddy, countries, entry, natural-gas, plug in hybrids, PSA, spain, stations-on-the, tour, vigo, world | Leave a commentCatalonia officials lowering speed limits drastically to reduce pollution
Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , European Union The transit authorities in Catalonia, Spain have decided to take the drastic speed limit on the accesses to the city of Barcelona to the next level. Similar to plans in other cities, like Rotterdam in the Netherlands, highways in Barcelona will now have variable speed limits. A smart system with light panel indicators will regulate speed on the C31 and C32 highways: the higher the pollution levels, the lower the speed limit will be. The system also applies a dynamic approach depending on congestion: speed limits will be reduced to avoid traffic jams at bottlenecks, sometimes all the way down to 40 km/h (25 mph). Some groups have asked for the speed limit to be raised when the conditions improve, but so far, the maximum speed will be kept at the current 80 km/h (50 mph). On a normal highway in Spain, the maximum speed limit is 120 km/h (75 mph). Up to 40 percent of the pollution in Barcelona is a direct consequence of traffic. [Source: El Periódico ] Catalonia officials lowering speed limits drastically to reduce pollution originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:21:00 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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Catalonia officials lowering speed limits drastically to reduce pollution
Posted in Auto Green | barcelona, conditions, entry, lower-the-speed, netherlands, normal-highway, pollution, spain, speed limit, speed-on-the, speedlimit, the-pollution | Leave a commentGet Approved!
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