hybrids

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg dropped by the Today show Tuesday morning to talk about cleaning up his city. No, it wasn't time for a get-tough-on-crime talk. Instead, he wants to make the urban air a little less noxious, and maybe give the fight against global warming a little more street-level cred.

Hizzoner used the morning news-and-lighter-fare show to say that by 2012, all of the city's taxis would be hybrid vehicles. "There's an awful lot of taxicabs on the streets of New York City, obviously"--13,000 licensed yellow cabs, 90 percent of them … Read more

Few people can deny that Toyota's early adoption of hybrid technology has been a stroke of PR genius, giving the world's largest car maker and the producer of such Leviathans as the Sequoia and the Tundra plenty of positive press as well as a green image wherever it goes. (Last year, I even heard Bob Lutz, GM's chairman and product development guru, pay grudging homage to the strategy.)

But here is a headline that deserves its column-inches. According to Motor Authority, Toyota's VP of powertrain development Masatami Takimoto has said that by 2020 hybrids would become … Read more

Wired News points out how the EPA's new fuel economy testing will decrease the value proposition of hybrid cars. Its article, "Hybrid Cars' Fantasy Mileage Ratings Drive Into the Sunset," publishes estimated fuel economy numbers from Edmunds.com that show the Toyota Prius going from a combined city and highway 55mpg down to 46mpg. Similarly, it shows the Honda Civic Hybrid going from a combined 50mpg to 42mpg. The estimations also show the standard gas engine Civic going from a combined 33mpg to 29mpg, as all cars, not just hybrids, are subject to the new testing procedures. … Read more

It's all change at DaimlerChrysler. As Chrysler Group contemplates its buyout at the hands of Cerberus Capital Management, one of its signature engines is about to get a green makeover. The 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, the motivation behind some of Chrysler's most thirsty trucks and SUVs, is going hybrid thanks to the addition of two electric motors. The resultant Hemi hybrid engine will be offered in the 2008 models of the Chrysler Aspen and the Dodge Durango, making the vehicles into 2-mode hybrids similar to the 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid and the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid--both due out later … Read more

Nissan is following in the green-car footsteps of Toyota and Honda with the launch of its Altima Hybrid. Rather than developing its own hybrid system for the Altima's power train, Nissan is licensing Toyota's dual-mode Hybrid Synergy Drive system, which works in conjunction with the car's 2.5-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine. (Nissan apparently is working on its own hybrid technology, but that's not scheduled to go into production for at least a few years.)

We got a brief chance to drive the Altima Hybrid this week around the Hollister Hills in Northern California. Like many hybrids, … Read more

Our CNET editors have pulled together useful information on green technologies. The emphasis is on things available to the consumer right now, and many can save you energy and money.

Our Living With Technology report has reviews of hybrid cars and energy-saving products for your home. Also there's a section on Earth-friendly downloads that can be useful. And editor Michael Kanellos produced a video to show some things you can do at home to save money on energy.

Nothing lasts forever, so we even have a guide on how get rid of tech gear when the time comes.

Do you have a private jet that you use to fly you and your dog around the world? Then how about a 65-foot sailing yacht that you take down to the Caribbean? These were a few of the images Lexus showed to indicate what kind of buyer the company has in mind for its 2008 Lexus LS 600h L, so if you answered no to the above questions, this car may not be for you.

Based on the LS 460 L, the LS 600h L is a big, luxury sedan with a hybrid powertrain, and Lexus is positioning the car … Read more

If you're lucky, as I have been in several cities, you might occasionally flag down a rare taxicab bedecked by its driver with disco balls, mood lighting, tinfoil hearts, or even a menagerie of stuffed animals. This week, San Franciscans got the option to hitch a ride in a novelty taxi of a different sort, as start-up Green Cab's single hybrid Honda Civic hit the road. Next month the fleet could total five gas-electric taxis painted in low-toxic green paint.

"It's not only environmentally friendly, it's good financially for the driver," said Green Cab … Read more

A123 Systems, the lithium ion battery maker that is working with General Motors and other big wigs, has reportedly bought Hymotion, a company that specializes in converting regular hybrids into plug-ins.

The possible deal was reported by the Web site Clean Break. The companies have not commented, but sources in the plug-in industry say a deal appears to be in the works. If it goes through, it could make retrofitting hybrids into plug-ins cheaper and easier.

Today it costs about $10,000 or more to turn a regular Prius into a plug-in. Plug-ins can be charged through a wall socket … Read more