Hybrids and green

There are a lot of people who are convinced that established automakers and oil companies, along with some support from dealers, conspired together to kill electric cars back in the '90s.

One of the most repeated points they try to make is that General Motors only leased its EV1 electric car to consumers. The theory is that the lease existed so that GM could pull them back, in case people really liked the cars.

Ironically, two electric car start-ups are also going to put out their cars under leasing plans. Shai Agassi, a former SAP executive, has finally released some … Read more

Cars without Diesel Particullate Filters (DPF) will be banned from entering German cities starting January 1, 2008.

It will be part of a system in which people will be required to have an inspection sticker on their windshield that signifies they have a DPF filter if it's an old diesel car, AutoBlog Green has reported. Those cars found in city centers without the sticker will be fined 40 euros and one point on their driver's license.

The local German authorities are offering a retrofit option for older cars, but it'll cost owners about 320 euros. Ford is … Read more

In Mexico, you'll soon be able to buy a house and put a new electric car on the mortgage as part of the package.

Porteon Electric Vehicles, a low-speed electric car company, has signed a deal with a developer in Mexico to effectively bundle its cars with the sale of a home, according to CEO Kenneth Montler, speaking at the Dow Jones Alternative Energy Innovations Conference taking place in Redwood City, Calif.

Porteon's electric vehicles, however, are a far cry from the Tesla Roadsters. The cars, which will come out in the second quarter of next year, top … Read more

Amid the excitement of the 2007 Tokyo auto show, Honda has confirmed that it will be unveiling a production version of its much-anticipated 2008 FCX hydrogen fuel-cell car next month in Los Angeles. Why the Japanese auto maker chose LA for the unveiling rather than its own back yard may have to do with the fact that a considerable number of the production FCXs will be leased to customers in the United States beginning next year. According to USA Today, Honda has not decided on the final number of models bound for the U.S. market, although it quotes Honda … Read more

Having set out its conservative agenda for the production of plug-in cars earlier this week, Toyota gave away some more details yesterday, confirming that it would offer plug-in technology "during the life" of its third-generation Prius hybrid, according to an article in Just Auto.

The non plug-in version of the third-gen Prius is scheduled to go on sale in the next two to three years with a plug-in version possible by 2011, according to Thierry Dombreval, executive vice president of Toyota Europe. Dombreval also suggested that the plug-in Prius would be available only as an option when it … Read more

Refrigerator trucks may not be sexy, but they play a vital role in our day-to-day lives by carrying food and supplies from one part of the country to another. However, they also contribute a significant amount of pollution on our roads.

Aura Systems, a company based in El Segundo, Calif., on Wednesday introduced a mobile-power system that keeps produce cold by using electricity instead of diesel fuel.

Traditional refrigeration trucks use a separate diesel engine to drive the compressor that keeps the inside of the truck cold. The extra engine not only emits more pollutants, but is also extremely expensive … Read more

Honda is upping its production of gas-electric hybrid cars, but has no immediate plans to develop the kind of hybrid that would recharge from an electrical outlet, the company announced Tuesday.

Honda CEO Takeo Fukui also publicly criticized General Motors for its pursuit of the Chevy Volt at a press conference on Tuesday in Japan.

If that kind of high-performance battery power is possible then carmakers would be better served making a completely electric vehicle from an environmental standpoint, said Fukui, according to the The Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

Honda is scheduled to release several environmentally friendly vehicles at the 2007 Tokyo auto show … Read more

FedEx Europe subsidiary FedEx Express plans to add 10 diesel-electric hybrid vans to its fleet, the company announced Monday.

The vehicles, made by Fiat Group company Iveco, will be used in routes around Turin, Italy, where the company has a manufacturing plant.

"FedEx is making smart strategic investments in projects that will help drive the commercial development of new technologies for industry. We expect these hybrid-electric vehicles to perform with increased fuel efficiency and decreased emissions, making them ideal for city and urban environments," Robert W. Elliott, president of FedEx Express, said in a statement.

A sample van … Read more

Despite a recent push by human chickens, the Segway still hasn't become the ubiquitous mode of personal transportation that some once envisioned. And somehow it seems that acquiring Ferrari's nameplate won't bring it that much closer to reality.

Yet the racing legend has done just that, which makes us wonder if there's anything it won't put its name on. But hey, more power to them if they can get people to pay $12,000 for a "Segway PT i2 Ferrari Limited Edition," especially because there's apparently no performance advantage over the original (… Read more