The price of oil reached $75 a barrel on Tuesday, its highest level in 10 months. While the steady increase in oil has had a minor impact on prices at the pumps, it serves as a reminder of the volatility in fuel prices—which is perhaps the biggest influence on the prospects for alternative fuel-efficient auto technologies, such as hybrids and electric cars.
It appears that every automaker in the world has caught electric car fever, save one: Toyota, the one best known for green cars. In an exclusive interview with HybridCars.com, Toyota product planners explain the company's position on electric cars.
Economists studying government tax incentives and rebates for green cars generally agree that such programs get limited bang for the carbon buck. However, the latest wave of papers is particularly negative about the Cash for Clunkers program.
As President Obama was yesterday announcing $2.4 billion in grants to produce the next generation of hybrid and electric cars in the US, Toyota was tallying record sales of today’s leading hybrid car, the Prius. The grants will support the deployment and trial of up to 6,873 plug-in hybrid or battery electric vehicles. Meanwhile, Toyota sold 19,193 Priuses in the United States in July.
Hybrid drivers get more tickets and get into more accidents than drivers of conventional cars. That’s the conclusion of a new study of 360,000 vehicle insurance claims by San Francisco-based Quality Planning Corp. A key to the findings could be that the typical hybrid owner is more likely to live in a city, and urban drivers generally are cited for more traffic violations.
In the auto industry’s struggle to re-invent itself as innovative, high-tech, and environmentally friendly, car companies have fixed on the idea of plug-in hybrids and electric cars as a solution. What hasn’t been worked out is the fundamental question of how and where a million plug-in vehicles will find juice for their cars. Pike Research, a renewable energy research and consulting firm, identified a number of myths about how electric car charging will unfold by 2015.
President Barack Obama yesterday signed into law the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program, or "Cash for Clunkers." Its detractors are labeling it a classic waste of government money, and many supporters are wondering what went wrong.
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After weeks of debate and legislative gamesmanship, "Cash For Clunkers" is finally one step away from becoming law. Officially called the "Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program," the law made its way to President Obama's desk, backed by $1 billion in funding that is designed to stimulate the sale of 250,000 new cars and trucks in the next year.
Bosch, the world’s biggest auto parts supplier, believes that electric
cars will dominate the global car market—but not until 2030. Speaking at
an automotive seminar in Stuttgart, Bosch chairman Bernd Bohr said the
major hurdle for electric cars remains the weight and cost of batteries.
Pricing for the next wave of electric cars is starting to be revealed. Remarkably, these gas-free cars are coming in at almost the same exact price: $45,000.
