Once again, Aptera, the producer of a three-wheeled electric vehicle, is making big claims.
The Aptera Typ-1, a vehicle that can get 300 miles per gallon, will be available in early 2008 for less than $30,000 in both an electric plugin, and gas electric plugin hybrid version, the company announced Monday.
The vehicle will be able to charge from any stand 110-volt outlet, according to company specs.
The Typ-1 will have a range of 120 miles on electricity alone, with a 600 mile range for the hybrid version when fully fueled. The vehicle seats two in the front, with one seat in the back big enough to fit an infant car seat, according to company specs. With that seat removed and used as a cargo area, it can fit up to 15 bags of groceries or two full-size golf club bags.
The previous prototype of the Aptera had been able to get 230 mpg, according to the company.
The car is street legal, according to Aptera. Like many of the electric vehicles you can buy right now, the vehicle is registered with the Department of Transportation as a motorcycle.
Instead of typical side mirrors, the car has displays fed by embedded cameras that show a 180-degree view of the rear and side area of the car. Its safety features include a front-end crumple zone to protect passengers and air bags.
While it all sounds well and good, we still have yet to see an actual video of the car in action that's not a computer generated promo.
"We have posted some renderings (from CAD data from which the car made (sic)) because it's easier to control the lighting and effects than with real photos," Aptera CEO Steve Fambro said in an e-mail.
"Video of the real Typ-1 is here: http://www.aptera.com/media.php," he said.
(Credit:
Aptera)
(Credit:
Aptera)
Google is earmarking more greenbacks to make cars greener.
The nonprofit arm of the Web search giant, Google.org, on Wednesday issued a $10 million request for proposal from companies involved in commercial plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and other forms of sustainable transportation.
The RFP process--to be done entirely online--is meant to accelerate development of cleaner forms of transportation at a large scale in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to Google.org.
Google intends to invest between $500,000 and $2 million in companies that are approved and will not take up position on those firms' boards.
Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page plug their wheels into the grid.
(Credit: Google)It is looking for "for-profit companies whose innovative approach, team and technologies will enable widespread commercialization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, electric vehicles and/or vehicle-to-grid solutions," according to the RFP.
Submissions can be anything from battery technologies to services that encourage plug-in hybrids. The proposals will be reviewed by Google employees and experts in the field.
In June of this year, Google launched RechargeIT, a program to convert company cars to plug-in hybrids, which can be recharged and potentially feed power back into the electricity grid during times of high demand. The company has also installed a large 1.6-megawatt solar array and dedicated $1 million to nonprofit groups working to address global warming.
"While $10 million is a fraction of the total investment needed to transform our transportation sector, we hope this RFP will help catalyze a broader response. We need the automakers to bring these cars to market, but plug-in vehicles also need an entire ecosystem of companies (to) flourish," Google said in a statement.
Despite Google's enthusiasm for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, there still are very few commercial options for the average consumer. Typically, customers need to retrofit plug-in hybrids for several thousand dollars, though some automakers are now working on plug-in hybrids.
A recent study from the Electric Power Research Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council concluded that vehicles that draw part of their power from the electricity grid pollute less than conventional cars.
Submissions are due by October 22, 2007.
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