vehicles

A study has found that cars with very high gas mileage are less polluting than electric vehicles charged up in coal-heavy regions.

The Union of Concerned Scientists released a report today called "State of Charge" that finds that on average plug-in cars are less polluting than gasoline-powered vehicles in the U.S. But the greenhouse gases emitted from electric vehicles depends on the sources of electricity.

The study centers on a heated discussion in auto circles. Automakers have sometimes referred to electric vehicles as "zero emissions," which is misleading because most plug-in drivers charge their cars … Read more

To a computer company like IBM, plug-in electric vehicles just look like more nodes on the network.

IBM tomorrow is expected to announce a demonstration project with Honda and California utility Pacific Gas & Electric to charge a fleet of Honda Fit EVs without disrupting the grid.

The smart-charging project will also test smartphone and Web-based apps for consumers, giving them an estimate of charge time and location of charging stations.

The power grid as a whole has the capacity to accommodate millions of plug-in vehicles, say experts. But if there's a concentration of electric cars charging at once, … Read more

We Americans aren't the only ones who have gained weight. Over the past 25 years, our cars have gotten heavier too, says Amory Lovins.

Lovins, chief scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute, says he believes that ultralight materials like carbon fiber composites can make cars simpler and cheaper to build. At the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco this week, Lovins talked about strategies to make oil-free automobiles.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "Amory Lovins: Carbon fiber cars would cut oil dependency."

More SmartPlanet links

Google yesterday released a poignant video demonstrating the potential of its self-driving car.

In the short video, a man walks out of his house and gets behind the wheel of one of Google's robotic cars, a Toyota Prius equipped with an array of high-tech gadgetry including radar, lasers, and cameras.

The car takes the man, Steve Mahan, for a ride including visits to a Taco Bell and the dry cleaners without him needing to touch the steering wheel or pedals. Midway through, Mahan says he is legally blind, having lost about 95 percent of his vision.

The three-minute clip … Read more

San Francisco, Calif.--VIA Motors claimed a "first" today with the delivery of a pair of work trucks for use in California's Pacific Gas and Electric Company's (PG&E) fleet. These were no regular pickups, because although they are based on the Chevrolet Silverado, the trucks that VIA built are extended-range electric vehicles (eREV).

If you are familiar with the way the Chevrolet Volt works, you should have no trouble wrapping your head around the way VIA's eREV trucks function. For the first 40 miles of operation, the eREV truck is motivated solely by … Read more

Imagine a military surveillance robot that looks and moves like a jellyfish and can ply the seas indefinitely by powering itself with ocean water.

A team of researchers at Virginia Tech, the University of Texas at Dallas, and several other schools are working to develop just such a device.

In a paper published yesterday in the journal Smart Materials and Structures, team members outlined their recent progress on the "Robojelly" project, which is being funded by the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research.

Made of a combination of silicone and various high-tech materials, the Robojelly uses … Read more

Los Angeles-based Coda Automotive rolled out all-electric sedans from its Benicia assembly line on Friday.

The 2012 Coda five-passenger, midsize sedan offers full rear seating and an ample trunk. The first 500 retail vehicles come with limited-edition features to signify that the EVs are among the first Codas to hit the road, the company said.

The $35,200, EV is being sold in unique, mall-based auto showrooms inspired by Apple stores as well as conventional dealer showrooms.

Customers can go to the Coda Automotive Web site to order a vehicle and choose from two interior colors, five exterior colors, and … Read more

Say goodbye to range anxiety--well, while heading through the Pacific Northwest, anyway.

A 160-mile stretch of Interstate 5, dubbed the Electric Highway, now offers a little piece of mind for EV drivers, the Associated Press reported.

According to the story, EV drivers from the northern border of California to Cottage Grove, Ore., can stop at any one of eight stations, which are spaced out along the road about every 25 miles, for free.

Electric vehicles charge at three different levels: Level 1 DC, for example, uses 110 volts and vehicles charge over-night. Level 2 uses 240 volts, and can charge … Read more

What happens when you take a quadcopter and add a homemade DeLorean shell?

The Russian equivalent of "Doc Brown" (aka native18 on RCdesign.ru forums) created a DeLorean quadrocopter that looks like the time-traveling vehicle from the sci-fi comedy movie series "Back to the Future." I admire the attention to detail in the homemade design and love the miniature Mr. Fusion machine in the rear. … Read more