German car sales rise 21 percent; UK to launch vehicle scrappage plan?
Vehicle scrapping plans are likely to get lots of attention now that Germany’s program has proven so effective. Last month, sales in Germany, Europe’s largest new car market, surged by 21 percent, which is an amazing figure considering the current state of the global economy. Much of this uptick in sales can be attributed to a new program that Germany introduced that pays new car buyers 2,500 euros to trade in and scrap their old cars, just so long as the displaced vehicle is at least nine years old. Officials from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders in the United Kingdom are now urging their government to adopt a program similar to the one introduced in Germany. UK car sales were down by nearly 22 percent last month and almost a third so far for the year. It’s logically assumed that the fleet of vehicles on the road would be cleaner and more efficient if older models were replaced with new vehicles that meet the latest environmental requirements. [Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd | Photo: Patrick Dockens ] Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , Green Daily , Europe/EU , UK , Germany German car sales rise 21 percent; UK to launch vehicle scrappage plan? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:02:00 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 car sales rise 21 percent; UK to launch vehicle scrappage plan?
Lexus moves the IS 220d’s CO emission levels down a notch
Auto Blog: Diesel , Lexus , UK From 163 g/km last year to 148g/km now, Lexus has upgraded the green credentials of the IS 220d. This vehicle is now more fuel efficient, which makes it all the more interesting for fleet purchasers in the United Kingdom. First of all, the VED (Vehicle Excise Duty) for the car drops to band C, which only saves you £25 per year, but can save more money thanks to lower Benefit-in-Kind company car tax rates and the allowance companies can write down against the Corporation Tax. The IS 220d’s fuel economy goes from 46.3 to 50.4 mpg Imperial (38.5 mpg U.S. or 6.1 l/km to 42 mpg U.S. or 5.6 l/100 km). How? Well, IS isn’t a simple econobox; it comes with a diesel 2.2-liter I4 that, mated to a manual 6-speed manual, produces 175hp at 3,600rpm and 400Nm of torque (295 lb/ft), going to 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 8.9 seconds. Prices starts at £22,015. Full press release after the jump. [Source: Lexus UK] Continue reading Lexus moves the IS 220d’s CO 2 emission levels down a notch Lexus moves the IS 220d’s CO 2 emission levels down a notch originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Lexus moves the IS 220d’s CO emission levels down a notch
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Leave a commentPlug In America’s Inaugural Parade West: 74 plug-in vehicles, lots of pictures
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Green Culture , Green Daily Click on the image above for a gallery of images from the parade With today’s inauguration of President Obama now in the history books, here’s how over seventy electric vehicles were used to celebrate the event with a short parade through Santa Monica , California over the weekend. Plug In America organized the event and sent us these pictures of the vehicles and people who came together to promote a plug-in vehicle focus in the next administration. 74 vehicles ( more than expected ) were part of the parade, and plug-in proponents Chris Paine, the director of “Who Killed the Electric Car?”; Ed Kjaer, the director of electric transportation for SoCal Edison; and California State Senator Fran Pavley were among the speakers who kicked off the event. There is a complete list of EVs, PHEVs, and converted vehicles that took part in the parade after the jump, but the workhorses of the movement were the 40 (!) Toyota RAV4 EVs that participated. Imagine how many EV1s could have been there if GM hadn’t crushed them. There are two first-hand accounts of the event here and here . Gallery: Plug In America’s Inauguration Parade West [Source: Plug In America ] Continue reading Plug In America’s Inaugural Parade West: 74 plug-in vehicles, lots of pictures Plug In America’s Inaugural Parade West: 74 plug-in vehicles, lots of pictures originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:21:00 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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Plug In America’s Inaugural Parade West: 74 plug-in vehicles, lots of pictures
Posted in Auto Green | 220 d, 220d, down-against, entry, green-culture, history, lexus is 220d, pia, pluginamerica, simple-econobox, united, united-kingdom, vehicle | Leave a commentReva Plans to Launch L-Ion Battery-Powered Car in Europe
The carmaker plans to launch its L-ion in Europe, with a lithium-ion battery upgrade that improves on its lead-acid predecessor, which sells for about $9,000. Could a lithium-ion upgrade come close to meeting that price point? India-based electric car maker Reva announced Monday that it plans a 2009 European launch of a lithium-ion battery-powered version of its long-selling electric car, along with a fast-charging station that can charge it in an hour. Since 2001, Reva has been making a lead-acid battery-powered car with a range of about 50 miles per charge. Reva has sold about 2,200 of those cars for about $9,000 apiece, according to the New York Times. The new lithium-ion battery-powered car, called the L-ion, will have a range of about 75 miles and a top speed of about 50 miles per hour, Reva said in a Monday press release. Reva also intends to market a fast-charge station that can charge the new car’s lithium-ion batteries in about an hour, compared to about six hours without the charging station. Reva’s lead-acid battery-powered car takes about eight hours to charge, the company said. Reva plans to have the cars and charging stations available for pre-order in February and start delivering them in May. The cars will be available through distributors in Norway, the United Kingdom, France, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Belgium and Ireland, and Reva will seek to expand its network throughout Europe in the coming year, the company said. The company will also sell upgrade kits to convert lead-acid battery-powered Reva cars to lithium-ion batteries, the company said. Pricing for the L-ion and charging station – available for lease or purchase – won’t be announced until later this month, the company said. But if the L-ion’s price is anywhere close to the $9,000 for its lead-acid battery-powered predecessor, it could find itself in strong competition amongst carmakers seeking to supply urban dwellers with low-cost electric-powered transportation for shorter drives.
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Reva Plans to Launch L-Ion Battery-Powered Car in Europe
Posted in Car Blog | a-top-speed, auto industry news, belgium, greece, improves-on-its, ireland, united-kingdom, upcoming cars | Leave a commentToyota Unveils Prius Hybrid Electric Cars
The 2010 Toyota Prius includes a new revised Hybrid Synergy Drive system which vows to be one of the top electric cars. The electric vehicle delivers improved fuel economy. Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc will premiere its new 2010 Prius Hybrid electric car at the upcoming 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The vehicle offers a revised Hybrid Synergy Drive system and promises to deliver improved fuel economy. “As the world’s leading hybrid vehicle, the Toyota Prius offers anything but an ordinary driving experience,” Toyota said in a statement on its Web site. Hybrid electric cars run quiet, at least most of them do. What’s unique about the Primus is that drivers will experience nothing more than a whisper when starting the new Hybrid ignition system. “You’ll start the car to hear just a whisper – and be taken aback to discover that despite its apparent meekness, the Toyota Prius pulls off like a dream and powerfully overtakes its competitors,” Toyota said. One of the things striking about the vehicle are the many features it has. It has no ignition key and uses Prius’ Smart Key System. Drivers start the car by hitting a power button while pressing on the brake pedal. “The Toyota Prius hybrid car does not have a traditional ignition and key, but instead features an advanced keyless start-up,” The car maker said. Electric cars are the goal for every auto maker and the race is on to see who can build the better vehicle. Next year will be filled with battery powered cars and low fuel capacity. General Motors, Ford, Nissan and Chrysler have already developed similar Hybrid vehicles to display next month.
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Toyota Unveils Prius Hybrid Electric Cars
Posted in Car Blog | a-dream-and, a-top-speed, auto industry news, belgium, greece, improves-on-its, pulls-off-like, race, start-the-car, united-kingdom, upcoming cars, usa | Leave a commentGet Approved!
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