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17 Electric Cars You Must Know About
Since it's 'death' the electric car seems to be under a race for revival.
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Solar panel'd Prius in 2009
Toyota plans to install solar panels on its next-generation Prius hybrid cars, becoming the first major automaker to use solar power for a vehicle. Toyota would equip solar panels on the roof of the high-end version of the Prius when it redesigns the gasoline-electric hybrid car early next year, and the power generated by the system would be used for the air conditioning.
Hopefully they plan on expanding the solar panels to power the whole car. Its a start, right? Toyota plans to install solar panels on its next-generation Prius hybrid cars, becoming the first major automaker to use solar power f... more -
Labour MPs rebel over Brown's 'green' road tax
More than 30 Labour MPs are demanding that Gordon Brown repeal his £200 tax increase on environmentally unfriendly cars purchased in the last seven years. There's sentiment that it's an unacceptable 'retrospective' tax that discredits green taxes moving forward. They argue that this tax could negatively affect millions of people, including many medium-sized family car owners, because of decisions they made a long time ago, and propose that instead a tax that changes people's behaviours in future decisions.
Meanwhile, today lorry drivers will stage a go-slow protest on London's A40 to demand a rebate on fuel duties. Hauliers say fuel for an average articulated lorry now costs £1,000 a week. More than 30 Labour MPs are demanding that Gordon Brown repeal his £200 tax increase on environmentally unfriendly cars purchased in t... more -
Toyota building $192M green-car battery plant
Toyota is building a $192 million plant in Japan to produce batteries for gas-electric hybrid vehicles, as it seeks to keep its lead in an intensifying race for green cars among the world's automakers.
Toyota's joint venture with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which makes Panasonic brand products, is building the plant in Shizuoka prefecture, in central Japan, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said Friday. He declined to give more details.
The plant will produce nickel-metal hydride batteries, now in the company's hit Prius hybrid.
The Nikkei, Japan's top business daily, reported Friday that Toyota was building another plant in Japan to make lithium-ion batteries, set to be running by 2010, for future ecological cars. Nolasco said no decision has been made on such a plant.
Japan's top automaker, which leads the industry in gas-electric hybrids with its hit Prius, has said it will rev up hybrid sales to 1 million a year sometime after 2010.
Hybrids reduce pollution and emissions that are linked to global warming by switching between a gas engine and an electric motor to deliver better mileage than comparable standard cars. But they are still a niche market.
The Prius, which has been on sale for more than a decade, recently reached cumulative sales of 1 million vehicles.
Lithium-ion batteries, now common in laptops, produce more power and are smaller than nickel-metal hydride batteries. Toyota has said the lithium-ion batteries may be used in plug-in hybrids, which can be recharged from a home electrical outlet.
Rebecca Lindland, an industry research director at Global Insight, said hybrids are increasingly attractive in the U.S., which had in the past favored pickups and other gas guzzlers, as fuel prices surge, environmental concerns grow and tougher emission standards kick in.
"Hybrids are starting to make a lot more economic sense," she said at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Tokyo, noting that the payback for a hybrid's higher price comes a lot faster these days.
Lindland said the Prius owed its success to being "very well-badged" as an unmistakable hybrid to consumers.
The world's other major automakers are also working on environmentally-friendly cars, and the race is on to produce the best batteries to power them.
Earlier this week, Honda Motor Co., Japan's second-biggest automaker, said it will boost hybrid sales to 500,000 a year by sometime after 2010. Honda said it will introduce a new model sold solely as a hybrid next year, so the Tokyo-based company will have four hybrids in its lineup.
Nissan Motor Co., which still hasn't developed its own hybrid system for commercial sale, said it will have its original hybrid by 2010. Nissan is focusing more on electric vehicles, promising them for the U.S. and Japanese markets by 2010.
Nissan said this week its joint venture with electronics maker NEC Corp. will start mass-producing lithium-ion batteries in 2009 at a plant in Japan. Toyota is building a $192 million plant in Japan to produce batteries for gas-electric hybrid vehicles, as it seeks to keep its lead i... more -
Hybrids too quiet? Eight year old boys' mother thinks so!
Kids in the middle of the road and gets hit by a car, his mother blames the fact that the Hybrid was too quiet!!
Should of looked both ways!
Help the blind, cut off your mufflers!! Kids in the middle of the road and gets hit by a car, his mother blames the fact that the Hybrid was too quiet!! ... more -
Ford's Drive Green Videos
Worth the LOOK because I Value their Turbo Diesel, AS IT MIGHT BE DESIGNED around BIO DIESEL.
JUST IN TIME GREEN Distribution is KEY IN MY BUSINESS.
Worth the LOOK because I Value their Turbo Diesel, AS IT MIGHT BE DESIGNED around BIO DIESEL. ... more -
Electric cars & lies
This week's episode of Zaproot with Jessica Williamson uncovers some sad news about ZAP!, the California based company that produces electric and zero air pollution vehicles. I was so excited about the ZAP-X! Aaaagh! :-(
http://www.zapworld.com/
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This week's episode of Zaproot with Jessica Williamson uncovers some sad news about ZAP!, the California based company that produces e... more -
Ferrari Going Green: Increasing Mileage by 40%
Sexy and green, Che Bella!
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Testing... Testing... Electric car Smart ForTwo is coming to London
About 100 of the fully electric, rechargeable battery-powered Smart ForTwo cars will hit the streets of Central London in December. London was chosen as the first city for the trial because of it's pre-existing network of free public charging stations. If all goes well, we could see these commercially available as soon as 2010. About 100 of the fully electric, rechargeable battery-powered Smart ForTwo cars will hit the streets of Central London in December. Lo... more
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Hows bout a sexy green car
The thing I liked most about the UK when I first got here was the cars. They all seemed somewhat, er, I dont know, sexier than the ones Id seen in the Caribbean and even the States but now two years later, most cars over here just seem, well, boring and outdated.
Anyhoo, Ive taken to satisfying my car craze by searching for concept vehicles on the web. Ive found quite a few weird ones* that left me wondering whether the designers were sane but Ive also found some [girly word alert] cute ones too. Topping the list of my faves so far are Citroens C-Airplay, C-Cactus (if it reaches mass production stage, I hope they change the name. Cant imagine saying to someone I drive a Cactus), Cruise Crosser and Mercedess F700.
A lot of the cars Ive found also heavily proclaim their green credentials. Perhaps because this year, more than most we are starting to appreciate our role in changing climate patterns (more about this later).
Some of those eco-friendly cars are still a ways away from hitting the streets though and their existing counterparts are, for want of a better phrase, U-gly. Then theres the HPSS. To those of you who dont go out of their way to get free mags, thats the Hybrid Premium Sports Sedan, to you.
The HPSS has both electric and petrol engines to give it extra mileage and more performance than standard hybrids and claims to do a whole lot more than other sports cars can sorry, this post is getting too long.
Youll have to wait a couple years though as its expected to go on sale at the end of 2009.
Find more information about the HPSS at www.fiskerautomotive.com and while youre on the web (coz thats where youll be reading this, I assume) google Renaults Nepta* concept car. I do believe the makers of the Jetsons would be proud of this one.
Source: Shorlist.com
The thing I liked most about the UK when I first got here was the cars. They all seemed somewhat, er, I dont know, sexier than the on... more -
Green Tax on the Mummy Humvee
In an effort to encourage people to drive greener vehicles, a government plan is being hatched to add a tax of up to £1,000 on high-emissions vehicles. This might put pressure on families who "need" to drive larger vehicles. Do you think this is the right kind of incentive? In an effort to encourage people to drive greener vehicles, a government plan is being hatched to add a tax of up to £1,000 on high-em... more
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G-Wiz! Electric Car Spontaneously Combusts
The electric car's potential for saving the planet by reducing our dependence on oil and lowering carbon emissions has been dealt a blow with the news that a best-selling model may suddenly burst into flames. The electric car's potential for saving the planet by reducing our dependence on oil and lowering carbon emissions has been dealt a bl... more
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Google drops $10 mil for green transport ideas
Google inches in front of Yahoo and other mega-coms in it's pro-green agenda with a $10,000,000 investment commitment in for-profit companies that can come up with sustainable transportation solutions. They actually also are innovating a bit in the investment space, using an open RFP for applications. Neato. Google inches in front of Yahoo and other mega-coms in it's pro-green agenda with a $10,000,000 investment commitment in for-profit co... more
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69MPG Cactus?
That's what they're calling this new Citroen hybrid... the Cactus!
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German cars going green!
Finally!! I am all over that Porche Cayenne Hybrid like white on rice!
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Social Car Share, On The Interwebs!
High risk? Would think so, but I love this idea..."GoLoco is a service that helps people quickly arrange to share rides between friends, neighbors, and colleagues. GoLoco also helps you share trip costs online."
High risk? Would think so, but I love this idea..."GoLoco is a service that helps people quickly arrange to share rides between friend... more -
The 10 Fastest Green Cars
Among old-school gearheads, conventional wisdom is that gasoline is where the fun is, was and always will be (until the pumps run dry). Alternative-fuel automobiles -- hybrids, diesels, electrics and the like -- are dorky, cumbersome and slow. But a growing body of evidence suggests environmental consciousness doesn't have to mean boring. Among old-school gearheads, conventional wisdom is that gasoline is where the fun is, was and always will be (until the pumps run dry)... more
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Green Cars
