tagged w/ electric vehicles
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"Electric vehicle sales have been slow out of the box, despite marketing hype, government incentives and the hopes of green car advocates.
Total sales last year were 17,425, which is less than 0.1 percent of the U.S. car and light truck market.
Nonetheless, automakers show no signs of pulling back their multibillion-dollar bets: They need electric cars to meet tough new fuel-efficiency standards. About a dozen new plug-ins and fully electric cars will go on sale in the next year.
Auto executives point optimistically to March, when electric cars had their best-ever sales month: Nearly 4,000 vehicles sold in the United States. Still, three in every 1,000 cars drove off dealer lots under battery power.
News in recent months has done little to reassure skeptical buyers: General Motors Co. slowed production of its plug-in Chevrolet Volt. Two crash-test Volts caught fire; a government investigation ultimately found no safety problems. Politicians ridiculed electric cars and called for an end to government assistance. Battery companies and suppliers laid off hundreds of employees, while several electric vehicle startups went out of business or struggle to survive.""Electric vehicle sales have been slow out of the box, despite marketing hype,... more
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YG
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2 months ago
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Amazingly, at 86, Barris still works every day at his auto design studio, Barris Kustom Industries, in North Hollywood, California, and when he’s in the grip of inspiration, the sturdy senior of Greek extraction has been known to work as late as nine or 10 o’clock at night. Nearly as surprising is that Barris, a man whose many classic designs are almost Valentines to the power and promise of the internal combustion engine, is quite enamored with electric and hybrid vehicles, and has been for years.Amazingly, at 86, Barris still works every day at his auto design studio, Barris... more
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Great article about cities that allow golf carts as a form of transportation
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SCION’s innovative, micro-premium auto, the iQ, brings the big ideas featured in Urban Mobility and concentrates them into a sleek, new vehicle that’s big on style, sophistication and comfort but compact enough to blend easily into the urban lifestyle.
The iQ’s style is captured by innovative artists from across the country in this short film which captures the true essence behind this smartly designed car. The iQ brings a whole new set of rules to the auto-design table and will change the way you think about Urban Mobility.
As the iQ changes the way we imagine innovative vehicle design, what are some new concepts you can imagine for the future of Urban Mobility?
SCION’s innovative, micro-premium auto, the iQ, brings the big ideas featured in... more
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Renewable Energy Magazine http://bit.ly/orF3mu
European automotive executives surveyed by global financial consultancy Ernst & Young this past summer said they don’t believe the market for electric vehicles (EV) will reach critical mass until 2022, according to a just released report.Renewable Energy Magazine http://bit.ly/orF3mu
European automotive executives... more
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YG
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11 months ago
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12 months ago
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When you operate over 70,000 delivery vehicles worldwide, as UPS does, increasing the miles per gallon of your vehicles is an economically motivated endeavor with some welcome environmental side benefits. Over the years, UPS has tested various vehicle propulsion technologies, including natural gas, hydrogen fuel cells, electric vehicles, and hybrids, to squeeze out ever greater fuel efficiency. However, the announcement that they have started testing a plastic prototype truck, shows that significant improvements can be made without the use of new or elaborate drive train technologies – instead, worthwhile gains can be achieved merely by saving weight.
In fact, 1,000 lbs of weight has been saved by UPS – in collaboration with Utilimaster – on it’s prototype CV-23 truck, which uses lighter ABS plastic, instead of sheet aluminum for it’s body panels. The reduced heft allows a smaller Isuzu 4-cylinder diesel engine to be used, together resulting in a vehicle which achieves 40% better fuel economy as compared with one of their regular package delivery trucks.
This fact sheet from UPS details the particulars of the new CV-23 prototype vehicle, which could possibly replace the current P70 package truck if testing through the remainder of this year is successful. Assuming it stands up to the rigors of the real world, 40% improved fuel efficiency sounds like something worth taking advantage of. So let’s, put it into perspective.
What exactly does an existing P70 truck achieve by way of fuel efficiency? Green Car Congress reported in 2009, that a 12 month test of a P70 hybrid, conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), achieved 29% greater fuel efficiency as compared with the non-hybrid P70 diesel. The diesel averaged 10.2 mpg, so it seems reasonable to use this figure to extrapolate the 40% increase in fuel efficiency of the CV-23. A quick calculation suggests the new vehicle should get something like 14.28 mpg (in excess of a 4 mpg improvement) and it’s worth noting that this betters the efficiency of the hybrid, which was rated at 13.1 mpg in the study. These aren’t UPS’s figures, but any error should be small.
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/ups-prototype-plastic-delivery-vehicles-40-fuel-efficient/When you operate over 70,000 delivery vehicles worldwide, as UPS does, increasing the... more
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1 year ago
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It looks like a sports car, handles like a sports car and performs like one too. Using technology pioneered in the award-winning Nissan LEAF, the EV concept shows that driving can still be as much fun tomorrow as it is today.
See stunning pics and video of the ESFLOW in action! http://ow.ly/3TXWrIt looks like a sports car, handles like a sports car and performs like one too. Using... more
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The American company, The Inventist is specialized in the development of means of transportation and innovative vehicles, they just unofficially released the SoloWheel.
For the moment the product is not visible on their site, the information is limited to the specification sheet available the website TechnologicVehicles (link), and to this video.
This mono-wheel electric vehicle will be launched in the United States this March and later in Europe…
The American price is $1500, a little more than 1000€, for an announced range of 2hours and a max speed of 20kph.
http://www.technologicvehicles.com/en/details/1234/inventist-solowheel-prix-et-fiche-techniqueThe American company, The Inventist is specialized in the development of means of... more
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1 year ago
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Not just electric cars but manufacturers are coming with long range fuel efficient motorcycles. Brammo Enertia Plus, an electric motorcycle ...
http://bit.ly/bp5HplNot just electric cars but manufacturers are coming with long range fuel efficient... more
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You've seen Dan Gray's Nissan LEAF video on PlanetForward.org, now tune in to PBS's Nightly Business Report Thursday, October 21st to see host Frank Sesno test drive the electric vehicle and find out how this car will fit into consumers' lives.You've seen Dan Gray's Nissan LEAF video on PlanetForward.org, now tune in... more
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From the article: "It's official: The Chevrolet Volt, the new plug-in electric hybrid car from General Motors, will cost $41,000—that's a four-seat hatchback for about the base price of a BMW 335i. To be sure, a $7,500 federal tax credit cuts that to $33,500, and electricity is cheaper per mile than gas. But barring some huge oil price spike or stiff new gas tax, it would take more than a decade to offset the higher purchase price. Some will pay a premium for the frisson of going green or being the first "early adopter" on the block. Still, this little runabout is a rich man's ride. "
Are we ever going to be free to choose in the USA?From the article: "It's official: The Chevrolet Volt, the new plug-in... more
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This is the 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc, a race bike built by a tiny Oregonian company focused on pushing the limits of electric performance to the absolute max. It packs 10 times the battery capacity of a Toyota Prius and 2.5 times the torque of a Ducati 1198 into a package that looks like something out of a 24th-century Thunderdome.
Tomorrow it will race in the Isle of Man TT, the toughest motorcycle race in the world. The technology at work is so advanced, so unprecedented, that we may be looking not just at the future of motorcycles, but of all electric vehicles.
The reason the all-electric race bike is here, 4,600 miles from its home in Portland, Oregon, is to prove itself. Ever since 1907, the Isle of Man TT has been the race for bike manufacturers and riders to show their mettle to the public. The thinking goes that if you can lap its 37.7 miles of tiny, twisty back roads with an average speed in excess of 100 MPH, you or your bike become indisputably proven. Well over 200 riders and a handful of spectator’s have been killed trying to do just that.
But as recently as two days ago, the future of motorcycles was missing its body panels (stuck in customs). Before this week, the finished bike has never even seen the light of day. But even in its unproven, incomplete state, it's been putting in laps that have the competition quaking in their leather.
The customs snafu (and the mad dash to even finish the bike in time for the race) is not the first time Michael Czysz, MotoCzysz’s founder, CEO and the driving force behind the E1pc, had suffered a set back on this tiny rock in the middle of the Irish Sea. Last year, the Isle of Man TT hosted the first ever all-electric motorcycle road race, and MotoCzysz was there with the E1pc's predecessor. But while the machines that entered were technically impressive, their performance wasn’t. The race-winning team only averaged 87 MPH, well short of the 100 MPH watershed that defines a serious lap and way behind the 131.5 MPH lap record set by the fastest gas-powered superbikes. MotoCzysz didn’t even complete a full lap, suffering an electric spike from their experimental kinetic energy recovery system that fried the bike’s electronic control unit (ECU).
That was a major blow for Czysz (pronounced "sizz"). Five months of whirlwind effort from the former motorcycle racer and architect and his small team in Portland saw them abruptly transition away from developing a 200 HP, gasoline-powered MotoGP bike to produce an electric bike that blew the zero emissions competition away standing still. The E1pc looks like an X-Wing crossed with an iPod to the other electric racer’s cobbled-together adaptations of existing internal combustion engine bikes.
We overreached and it bit us in the ass,” says Czysz of last year’s race. “We’re trying to do too much with too little, we’re effectively building a Formula One level machine with one engineer, two machinists, one CAD guy, me and a body dude.”
But the E1pc was out in front when it broke down. Way out front.This is the 2010 MotoCzysz E1pc, a race bike built by a tiny Oregonian company focused... more
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diode
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1 year ago
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Although electric vehicles are often the highlight of auto shows these days, work on advanced biofuels continues with at least some companies making progress on industry goals.
link : http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20007072-54.htmlAlthough electric vehicles are often the highlight of auto shows these days, work on... more
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suzane
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1 year ago
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Including the $7,500 federal tax credit for which the Nissan LEAF electric vehicle will be fully eligible, the consumer's after-tax net value of the vehicle will be $25,280.Including the $7,500 federal tax credit for which the Nissan LEAF electric vehicle... more
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Is EV=TMC+Tesla a New Formula?
mikecentrella | June 2nd, 2010
Tesla Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation Intend to Work Jointly on EV Development, TMC to Invest in Tesla
TESLA MOTORS, INC. (Tesla) and TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) recently announced that they intend to cooperate on the development of electric vehicles, parts, and production system and engineering support.
The two companies intend to form a specialist team to further those efforts. TMC has agreed to purchase $50 million of Tesla’s common stock issued in a private placement to close immediately subsequent to the closing of Tesla’s currently planned initial public offering.
“I’ve felt an infinite possibility about Tesla’s technology and its dedication to monozukuri (Toyota’s approach to manufacturing),” said TMC President Akio Toyoda.” he went on to say, ”Decades ago, Toyota was also born as a venture business. By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all Toyota employees will recall that ‘venture business spirit,’ and take on the challenges of the future.”
“Toyota is a company founded on innovation, quality, and commitment to sustainable mobility. It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of our technology that Toyota would choose to invest in and partner with Tesla,” said Tesla CEO and cofounder Elon Musk. “We look forward to learning and benefiting from Toyota’s legendary engineering, manufacturing, and production expertise.”
TMC introduced the first-generation Prius hybrid vehicle in 1997, and produced approximately 2.5 million hybrids in the twelve years since. Late last year, TMC started lease of Prius Plug-in Hybrids, which can be charged using an external power source such as a household electric outlet. The company also plans to introduce EVs into the market by 2012.
Tesla’s goal is to produce increasingly affordable electric cars to mainstream buyers – relentlessly driving down the cost of EVs. Palo Alto, CA-based Tesla has delivered more than 1000 Roadsters to customers in North America, Europe and Asia. Tesla designs and manufactures EVs and EV powertrain components. It is currently the only automaker in the U.S. that builds and sells highway-capable EVs in serial production. The Tesla Roadster accelerates faster than most sports cars yet produces no emissions. Tesla service rangers currently make house calls to service its Roadsters.
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http://tinycomb.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/tesla-model-s-lights1.jpgIs EV=TMC+Tesla a New Formula?
mikecentrella | June 2nd, 2010
Tesla Motors and... more
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hack26
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1 year ago
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