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Geneva 2009: Opel goes Voltec, Ampera coming in late 2011

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:11:00 +0000

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Opel Ampera concept General Motors Europe boss Carl-Peter Forster began this morning’s press conference in Geneva with an acknowledgment of the dire financial straights that the entire industry is experiencing right now. Forster also candidly admitted that GM is currently investigating all options when it comes to changing its relationship with Opel , including outside equity investments. Once he got past all the bad news, however, he introduced the production-intent version of the Opel Ampera. If it looks familiar, it should. If it doesn’t, well, what rock have you been hiding under for the last two years? The Ampera is the Opel badged variant of the Chevrolet Volt . It uses the same Voltec powertrain as the Volt, as well as most of its body. The main differences are the markedly more aggressive front and rear fascias and the black (rather than white) interior. Like the Volt, most of the front fascia is closed off to optimize aerodynamics. The styling of the nose is a mix of the 2007 GTC and Flextreme concepts, and we rather like the bold new look, particularly the chevron-like forms that grow downward from the headlamps. The Ampera is planned for production in late 2011, about one year after the Volt. A right-hand drive Vauxhall version is scheduled to launch a year after that. Gallery: Geneva 2009: Opel Ampera reveal Gallery: Opel Ampera Continue reading Geneva 2009: Opel goes Voltec, Ampera coming in late 2011 Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Chevrolet , GM , Geneva Motor Show , Opel Geneva 2009: Opel goes Voltec, Ampera coming in late 2011 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 06:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Geneva 2009: Opel goes Voltec, Ampera coming in late 2011

Geneva 2009: Bentley goes flex-fuel, new powertrain in 2012

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:19:00 +0000

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Bentley Continental Supersports Bentley CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen promised an all-new more efficient powertrain for his lineup in 2012 but declined to give details. In the meantime, he acknowledged that bio-ethanol is an important stepping stone to a greener future as is lighter weight. To that end Bentley introduced its latest model today in Geneva, a project that started 24 months ago as an exercise in mass reduction. That part of the effort yielded savings of 242 lbs off the portly Continental coupe. Under the hood the usual flex-fuel bits have been added to the twin turbo W12 bringing the output up to a massive 621 hp. That’s enough to push the Continental Supersports to 204 mph. Although Paefgen didn’t say what the new 2012 powerplant would be he did mention that he didn’t feel that plug-in hybrids would make a significant impact on the market for at least 5-10 years. Plug-in hybrid technology is being developed elsewhere in the Volkswagen group and it would make sense to apply it to luxury vehicles like Bentleys allowing them to silently cruise around town, while still having massive performance when desired. Gallery: Geneva 2009: Bentley Continental Supersports Continue reading Geneva 2009: Bentley goes flex-fuel, new powertrain in 2012 Auto Blog: Ethanol , Flex-Fuel , Hybrid , Bentley , Geneva Motor Show Geneva 2009: Bentley goes flex-fuel, new powertrain in 2012 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Geneva 2009: Bentley goes flex-fuel, new powertrain in 2012

Geneva 2009: Rinspeed iChange in the flesh

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 03:50:00 +0000

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Rinspeed iChange With automakers pouring into Geneva from around the world, it’s largely up to Rinspeed to hold down the home fort here in Switzerland, and the quirkiest of niche automakers never disappoints. So this year we made sure to swing by Rinspeed’s show stand right away to take in its latest concoction. Called the iChange , we’ve already brought you the details and factory photos of this innovative electric vehicle, and it looks no less unique in person. Its low-slung body is punctuated by a forward-hinged canopy, which can be expanded to accommodate a third passenger as needed. Stay tuned as well for live shots of the E2, a split-personality Fiat 500 that joined the iChange on Rinspeed’s show stand here at the Geneva Palexpo. Geneva 2009: Rinspeed iChange in the flesh originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Geneva 2009: Rinspeed iChange in the flesh

Opel releases official photo of new Ampera ER-EV

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:51:00 +0000

Click to enlarge Last week, Opel staffers foolishly left the new Ampera parked outside its Russelsheim, Germany headquarters in plain view of a photographer. There were of course no real surprises in the resulting shots, sincee the Ampera is essentially a Chevy Volt with new front and rear fascias. Opel has now released the first official image of the Ampera ahead of its reveal at the Geneva Motor Show this week. It’s clearly visible that the Ampera gets a face inspired by the GTC concept of a couple years back along with a different wheel design from its American sibling. GM sources tell us that the Ampera will have a somewhat more upscale interior as well. Under the skin, though, the hardware remains the same with a 40-mile plug-in range, 300-mile total range and a 1.4L range extender. Gallery: Opel Ampera [Source: Opel] Continue reading Opel releases official photo of new Ampera ER-EV Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Geneva Motor Show Opel releases official photo of new Ampera ER-EV originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Opel releases official photo of new Ampera ER-EV

Miller industries debuts hybrid recovery truck at Daytona 500

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:30:00 +0000

The racers competing on the track in NASCAR events may still be the cars of yesteryear when it comes to technology, but there was one bit of green on the track for the season opener at Daytona last week. Miller Industries provided a flat-bed race recovery truck with a hybrid drivertrain. The International DuraStar 4300 chassis was equipped with Eaton’s heavy duty diesel electric drive system. This is the same system that’s been installed on a variety of trucks and buses around the country in the last couple of years. The engine has an automated clutch that feeds into the electric motor/generator and then into the automated transmission. This was the first application of the Eaton hybrid system on a towing and recovery vehicle. The short distance, low speed duty cycle of this application makes it well suited to the hybrid system. Miller will be adding the hybrid truck to its fleet of vehicles that support NASCAR races around the United States. [Source: Eaton] Continue reading Miller industries debuts hybrid recovery truck at Daytona 500 Auto Blog: Hybrid Miller industries debuts hybrid recovery truck at Daytona 500 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Next gen GM hybrid pickups to get 50% better towing, Voltec possible

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:52:00 +0000

click for a high res gallery of GM’s hybrid pickups General Motors is currently in the midst of launching its hybrid full-size pickup trucks and our man Jeremy is in San Antonio this week to try them out. One thing about the auto industry is that as soon as you get one product out the door, you’re already working on the next generation. Such is the case with GM’s two-mode hybrids which are due for a second generation in about 4 years. Mike Levine over at PickupTrucks.com has been talking to GM about where they are going for the next generation models. While the trucks launching right now have pretty decent towing power at 6,100 lbs for the RWD version (5,900 for the 4WD), big truck buyers want more. GM’s truck vehicle line executive, Gary White, told Mike that the next-gen models would have 50 percent better towing power in addition to greater efficiency. Perhaps more interesting is where GM is going with the hybrid architecture itself. While a next generation two-mode system will definitely be developed, White told Levine that something like the Volt’s Voltec (formerly E-flex ) system is on the table for the trucks. The trucks certainly have room between the frame rails for plenty of batteries, and electric motors that provide enough torque for 9,000 lbs of towing capacity are pretty straightforward. Such a system would also eliminate the limiting factor with the current two-mode, which is the planetary gear-sets. However, a truck would need a very large range extender to maintain that towing capacity beyond the plug-in battery range when the vehicle gets into charge sustaining mode. It’s certainly an interesting idea. We’ll be watching to see what happens. Gallery: 2009 GM hybrid pickups Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. [Source: PickupTrucks .com] Auto Blog: Hybrid , Chevrolet , GM , GMC Next gen GM hybrid pickups to get 50% better towing, Voltec possible originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:52:00 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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Next gen GM hybrid pickups to get 50% better towing, Voltec possible