The third generation Toyota Prius is a sleeker and more aggressive machine than its predecessor. The hybrid electric vehicle gets 50 MPG with an affordable price south of around $25K, bringing the fuel-efficient drive train closer to the reach of the masses. The hybrid is packed with futuristic technology like microwave radar transmitters hidden behind the new for 2010 Toyota badges. This forward thinking five seater also won’t make any sacrifices when it comes to creature comforts either.
The vehicle we were introduced to is officially a 2010 Prius prototype, however the vehicle did have a VIN, so maybe after the dealership changes out the wheels for a set of the slick 17’s being offered, this car could see some street action.
Fisker Automotive and Tesla Motors are very similar in their intent to mass-produce electric vehicles for a wide range of consumers, but how they are planning to get the public behind the wheel couldn’t be any more different.
Fisker plans on licensing their products to already established dealerships to sell their Karma Sedan and Karma Sunset convertible. This will streamline the process from the initial manufacturing to the final sale of the electric vehicles. Benefits of this approach include established logistics and knowledge of what it takes to sell to the local clientele.
On the other hand Tesla dealerships will be owned and operated by the environmentally friendly automotive manufacturer. This will give them more control over the sales and service aspect regarding the open air Roadster and Model S sedan. This approach is a risky one because at the moment Tesla only has outlets in California, but with an added cost are planning to open retail outlets in major population centers around the U.S. in places like Chicago, New York, Seattle and Washington D.C.; and across the pond in London.
You may be familiar with the musician Sheryl Crow; but did you know that she and a group of other celebrities are doing their part to conserve the Earth’s natural resources and lower their negative impact on the environment? With the help of her Mercedes Benz R320 BlueTEC the singer songwriter believes that “the newest clean diesel vehicles are eco-friendly and deserve as much attention as other gas alternatives like hybrids.”
These next generation diesel vehicles are extremely quiet, unlike the traditional clackers that you can hear from a mile away. These new diesels are cleaner and have an extremely efficient range of over 500 miles from a single fill up. The best part is that they qualify for similar IRS alternative power train tax credits just like their gas electric hybrid cousins.
What is most shocking is that the EPA estimates that the U.S. is capable of conserving 1.4 million barrels of oil per day, if only one third of the light duty automobiles on the road were state of the art clean diesels, utilizing technology like the Mercedes BlueTEC vehicles.
Not sure if electric cars will actually work in real life? Neither is the British government, so they have decided to offer free trials to citizens if they are willing to give up their gas powered car. The trials will begin in 2009 and involve up to 100 cars in several cities around the United Kingdom. The information will aide the government in it’s decision to embrace electric cars in the future. "A lot of people have a car for long-distance traveling and a small runabout for taking the kids to school. We need to find out whether electric cars are practical." said Geoff Hoon, transport secretary.
The cars used will be a mixture of electric vehicles as well as plug-in hybrids. The study will look at reliability as well as ease of use, such as whether it is practical for someone who keeps their car in a parking garage to recharge the EV. Hopefully the lessons learned will help the UK to build an EV friendly charging structure to raise demand.
A second study will include more than 150 electric vans that will be tested by local authorities in Liverpool, Newcastle and Gateshead, Coventry, Leeds and Glasgow.
UPS will be the first company to use delivery trucks powered by a new hydraulic hybrid power train. The trucks will not use the conventional battery system that is used in electric hybrid cars. A diesel engine will be used in conjunction with a hydraulic propulsion system that will replace the drivetrain and transmission. Hydraulic pumps and storage tanks will capture and store energy to be used later by the vehicle. The pressure from the hydraulic fluid is converted by the motor into rotating power sent to the wheels. The system will also recover 70 percent of the energy wasted during braking.
The technology was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at the fuel-emissions lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Engineers from Eaton Corp, who design hydraulics systems, also aided the EPA in the system.
Canada is currently not the friendliest place for electric car owners. Currently, due to crash test ratings, EV’s are restricted to a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) — placing the cars in league with farm tractors. This low top speed has made them illegal to drive on public roads, which makes owning one a little pointless.
Vancouver is now thinking differently. As part of the cities green campaign, Vancouver became the first major Canadian city to pass a bylaw to allow city electric cars. The car are allowed on all streets with a posted speed limit of 50 km/h or lower. This allows the owners of electric vehicles to utilize any street in Vancouver. The major glitch is that all major bridges are posted at 60 km/h, meaning no one can get into, or out of, downtown Vancouver. Don Chandler, president of the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association, has proposed an idea of allowing electric cars in the right lane of multi-lane bridges. Even the idea of building a special lane on highways is being kicked around.
Vancouver has also passed another bylaw that requires provision for EV plugs in all new single family homes. They are also looking to retrofit old buildings to accommodate current home owners, as well as place charging stations in parking garages around the city.
Hopefully Vancouver has created a path that other cities will soon follow.
With the trend in auto technology moving towards creating more powerful albeit more fuel efficient engines, Charles Greenwood and his company have chosen to take a different path. His company, HumanCar, Inc., produces human-powered vehicles. If that concept brings images of Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble in their prehistoric car, with feet sticking out underneath to make it go, well hold that thought because this is something else.
The Human Car prototype is the FM-4 Troublemaker, so-called because it goes against some basic automobile principles – there is no motor and, therefore, no oil-based fuel required. The FM-4 is a street-legal, low mass vehicle or LMV. It is designed to accommodate a maximum of 4 people who provide the car’s power via a “biometric human-power interface”. Pushing and pulling on a series of interconnected levers creates the necessary power to drive the car’s rear wheels via a 6-speed “human trans-axle”.
For its monocoque chassis, tubular steel and carbon fiber is used so as to make the vehicle lightweight and durable.
The FM-4 Troublemaker in action is quite an awesome sight because of the way it translates human power into motion.
HumanCar, Inc. is already working on the next generation production model called the “Imagine” which will sell at around $15,000 – $20,000. The company claims that this new human-powered vehicle will have a top speed of 60 mph.
The AirPod is the latest green car that will be launched on the market. The new vehicle is powered using compressed air system which uses the electricity in order to force the air to power the pistons of the engine.
The AirPod will have a top speed of 40 mph and a range of approximately 130 miles. The car can be refilled using a regular air compressor. AirPod will be available in U.S. by 2010 while the Europeans and India will get it sooner (and yet we’re not jealous.) No word about the price yet.
Or maybe the race is a dash of genius mixed with a whole bunch of crazy. Escape from Berkeley is a madcap alternative fuel race from Berkeley, Ca to Las Vegas. The rules are simple, no petroleum allowed, and fuel must be scavenged along the way. So while the rules are simple the task is anything but. "The basic premise is build a vehicle out of junk, we’ll give you the equivalent of one gallon of gas and you have to drive 600 miles to Las Vegas. Oh, and you can’t buy any fuel along the way," says Jim Mason, the artist and inventor behind the race. "That’s a pretty heavy stone to carry."
The old Dodge pickup, pictured above, was made by Wayne Keith and runs on wood. He gets about 1.6 mpp (miles per pound) so he needs about 1,000 pounds to get there. He’s carrying a chainsaw and a list of lumberyards (He has a whole new way of dealing with fallen trees blocking a road). There are ten teams total running everything from a veggie-oil Lotus 7 to a steam-powered three-wheeler that looks like it rolled right out of the 19th century. While many aren’t terribly practical, including the the solar trike and fully faired tandem bicycle with an ethanol motor, they do prove that the alternatives are there.
The racers are not waiting for any of the automakers to lead us beyond oil. They’ve created an impressive fleet of street-legal and roadworthy cars, proving automakers aren’t the only ones who can make autos. "I think energy will be our next hacking culture," Mason says. "If there’s any goal here, it’s to see how we can move energy from a commodity culture to a hacker culture."
Toyota is now showing up to the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle party. In Japan, the company will start leasing its FCHV-adv to Japan’s Ministry of the Environment and other governmental agencies. The leases, which will start in September, will cost a little over $7,500 per month.
While it may seem like a Japan-only hydrogen vehicle is a few steps behind Toyota’s rival Honda (Honda’s FCX Clarity sedan has been leased internationally since earlier this month,) Toyota seems to bring something new to the fuel cell car world. The FCX Clarity is only leased to Southern California not only because it is the only place with any kind of hydrogen refueling infrastructure, but also most likely because most hydrogen fuel cell cars do not work in cold temperatures. Toyota’s FCHV-adv has the ability to work in 22 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.
So why is a Japan-only fuel cell making news? Because just like the Prius, Toyota tests its products at home before it releases them to the world.
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