It is hoped that the factory will employ up to 1000 people initially in the production of three wheeled electric vehicles, the first of which should role of the production line mid-2009, when in full production they hope to employ over 4,000 workers to produce the eco-friendly car.

The deal to build the plant was announced only six weeks ago, since then it seems the plans have moved swiftly forward on the legal front. By today the three wheeler car’s will be street legal vehicles when changes in state law take effect allowing citizens to eventually get behind the wheel of the first production model the Zap Xebra.

In a reversal of the usual trend, a factory in China will be closed by the company to make way for the new US production facility. There are however concerns being voiced by interested parties about the viability of the project, particularly by industry consultants Global Insight. They are not happy with the so-far empty promises from the company who have been beset by financial and other problems.

Zap has sold over 100,000 vehicles since 1994 mostly electric scooters and a handful of Xebra utility trucks in the US and 12,500 worldwide.

The post ZAP break ground on KY electric car factory appeared first on HybridCars.com.

GM point out that their Chevrolet Volt can travel much further than the Japanese “plug-in” and that the Toyota must make use gasoline to increase its range. The Volt is an electric vehicle that only makes use of a very small conventional engine to charge up exhausted batteries.

At the same time Toyota have stated that they now intend to bring forward their plug-in vehicle that was due to launch in 2010 it will now be a available sometime in 2009, which will give it a head start on the Volt of nearly a year.

GM does say that they will have a large test fleet on the road during 2009 but the consumer launch will be in 2010. The Volt will be capable of traveling up to 50 miles on one “fill-up” of electricity. If a driver can for example, travel to work and back within that distance he would never have to use gasoline. If he wants to travel, further he would not get stranded with flat batteries, as the small gas engine would kick in to re-charge them.

Toyota’s electric car is not intended as a pure alternate power vehicle and will make use of gasoline to run a motor to charge the batteries in a similar way to their current Prius model.

According to GM, the Toyota “electric” vehicle can only run up to 18 miles on pure electric power before the traditional gasoline engine has to kick in to support the battery power. They do concede that the Toyota will save up to 30% on overall gasoline use, but also re-iterate that it will be possible to run their all electric car without ever adding gas.

GM has selected a battery supplier for the project but would not indicate which company has been chosen, it is understood that the two contenders were the Michigan based Compact Power and Continental Automotive Systems out of Frankfurt in Germany.

It is unknown how much the new Toyota will retail for, assuming it is a similar price to the Prius it would be in the low $20,000s. By comparison the Volt is expected to ship out at somewhere between $30-$40,000 giving Toyota a definite edge.

The post No comparison GM Volt and Toyota electric car appeared first on HybridCars.com.

The new Lincoln MKT crossover vehicle will use the much-hyped EcoBoost engine, which operates through a technology-based on direct injection of gasoline and turbochargers providing up to 20% in added fuel economy, as well as a 15% improvement in emissions against larger displacement engines.

The Lincoln MKT will be produced at the assembly plant of Ford Motor Company in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. In addition to the regular 3.7L V6 engine, the MKT will also integrate a choice of new engine technology, the EcoBoost, 3.5L V6, which will offer an output of 340 hp and 340 lb-ft of torque. This boost will in effect make this V6 engine into a V8, but without the added fuel consumption.

The MKT will join other vehicles that will also make use of the EcoBoost engine technology including the Lincoln MKS luxury sedan and the Ford Flex. Ford has confirmed its commitment to the new technology of EcoBoost and announced that over the next five years, the company plans to produce 750,000 vehicles equipped with EcoBoost each year.

The new Lincoln MKT will be able to provide seating for up to 7 passengers and the latest in automotive technology and Internet connectivity that customers expect from a Lincoln. This includes a new version of SYNC, connectivity technology which is exclusive of Ford and integrates Bluetooth for use of cellular telephones and also MP3 players, both functioning through voice command by the driver.

The post New Lincoln MKT with EcoBoost engine appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Greenbird, the vehicle the two Britons will be using, is the product of more than a decade of research and development. Its engineering is so advanced most casual observers would probably have a difficult time identifying it as a wind powered vehicle—or a vehicle at all for that matter.

Rather than a canvas sail, Greenbird’s signature feature is a hard sail. Making the most of engineering and design, the sail most closely resembles the wing of an aircraft, turned vertically. By using the aerodynamic features of the wing’s shape they will use not only the regular power of the wind, but the same physics that make the seemingly impossible lift-off of a Jumbo jet possible.

Just as the shape of an aircraft’s wing causes lift, the same forces provide forward motion for the Greenbird. The “lift” effect caused by the shape of the wing is redirected and pushes the wind car forward faster than the wind itself. According to the Greenbird website, it “is so efficient that it can travel at up to 3 to 5 times the true wind speed on land.”

But this is more than a cool science trick or a “crazy Brits” oddity story. There is also a sound commercial basis behind the project, as next year, the two men intend to begin production of a car that could harness free wind power to push the vehicle forward as well, providing high performance with no emissions.

This is not a new idea, but up until now it has seemed impractical because if a stiff wind isn’t blowing, a car would not move. By breaking the speed record by traveling faster than the surrounding wind-speed, Vince and Jenkins want to show the world that a wind powered vehicle is practical for everyday driving. Even if there is not a 60 mph wind to push a car along the freeway.

The post Riding the Wind appeared first on HybridCars.com.