Hybrids and electric vehicles

Mitsubishi i-Miev: Is 63 miles enough?

Living in a dense urban environment, I appreciate the practicalities of a small car. While testing the i-Miev, I had no qualms about driving it home every night, knowing that parking would not be much of an issue.

But with only 63 miles range, making it back and forth might have become a problem, except for the fact that San Francisco is only about seven miles wide. As the road distance of my commute comes under five miles, the i-Miev's range was more than adequate.

Sounds like the i-Miev would be the perfect car for my lifestyle, but my … Read more

BMW takes the top off the i8 hybrid concept

While most auto manufacturers are focusing their attention on the news and new models being revealed at the New York International Auto Show this week, BMW is setting its sights on the Beijing motor show, where it will debut the latest addition to the i family of vehicles.

The BMW i8 Concept Spyder is a topless two-seater version of the i8 coupe, and will make its first appearance at the Beijing motor show later this month. Slightly shorter than its 2+2 sibling, the Concept Spyder makes generous use of the carbon fiber reinforced plastic used in the LifeDrive architecture, … Read more

Leaked images show Fisker's Atlantic plug-in EV

Photos of Fisker Automotive's Atlantic luxury plug-in electric are online a day before the company officially unveils the car in New York.

Called Project Nina, the four-door sedan is expected to have the same powertrain as the Fisker Karma (and Chevy Volt) -- the car is driven by an electric motor and a gas engine kicks in to maintain sufficient charge on longer rides.

Fisker is hosting a "reveal" event for the Atlantic tomorrow night in New York, where there will certainly be questions about the company's future.

The company suffered delays in bringing out the … Read more

Honda's FCX Clarity can power a home for 6 days

A story from FuelCellToday shows how Honda has turned the FCX Clarity into a zero emissions electric generator on wheels. The auto manufacturer outfitted the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle with a mobile power supply system, enabling the car to provide 9 kilowatts of electricity continuously for more than seven hours on a full tank of hydrogen at peak generation. At the lower-generation rates needed to power a typical home in Japan, the FCX Clarity could provide electricity for six days.

Nissan and Mitsubishi also have vehicle-to-home power systems, albeit with smaller energy capacities. These systems can be used in emergency … Read more

Amory Lovins: Cars need to go on a diet (video)

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."

3 green technologies that could become disrupters (video)

There are three innovative technologies that will transform people's perception of clean energy and cause disruptive change in the industry, says NRG Energy CEO David Crane.

At the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco this week, Crane discussed those three innovations: smart meters, distributed-solar projects, and plug-in electric vehicles.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "Three green technologies set to transform energy."

Poop-powered zoo cart a dung deal in Denver

The Denver Zoo is rolling out a motorized rickshaw that has been converted to run on animal droppings. It might help save a bundle.

Imported from Thailand, the tuk-tuk is about 20 years old, but it has been given a new lease on life from engineers at the zoo.

The electric three-wheeler runs on gasified pellets made from animal poop, as well as trash produced by zoo visitors and staff.

A heater on the back of the prototype vehicle turns the pellets into syngas, which is used to generate electricity to power the tuk-tuk. … Read more

Prestige hybrids: Luxury cars with electric boost

The inherent frugality of a hybrid car might make you think of a no-frills driving experience. But luxury automakers have learned the win-win nature of an electric-assisted power train.

Infiniti, Porsche, and BMW devised their own takes on the hybrid car, fitting these fuel-efficient systems into full-size sedans and SUVs. Lincoln borrowed a hybrid system from sister brand Ford for its own midsize sedan, the MKZ. And Lexus even transferred the Prius hybrid power train into a luxury hatchback.… Read more

First drive in the electric VW eGolf

During a day spent torture-testing Volkswagen performance models in the Santa Cruz mountains, I took a time out to drive the eGolf, the electrical vehicle based on the Golf hatchback. Volkswagen just kicked off a test program in the U.S. with 20 eGolfs spread around the country.

I got a look at the eGolf last month in Volkswagen's Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL). The car uses a 26.5 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack to give it an estimated 93 miles in range. … Read more

West Coast highway just got a lot more EV-friendly

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