February 6, 2012
Tepidly, Fiat-controlled Chrysler Group will test the U.S. compressed natural gas waters later this year with a small number of Ram CNG pickup trucks. In an interview with Business Week at the Detroit auto show last month, Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of both automakers, said, “We are going to bring them here, there is no doubt,” Sales will be “limited at first. It depends upon the distribution network.”
February 6, 2012
The SolarWorld GT has been labeled by some as the prettiest solar powered car ever built. It’s also on track to be one that makes history too, with a goal of covering 21,000 total miles, which would stand as the longest distance traveled by a single solar powered vehicle. As the brainchild of Germany’s Bochum University of Applied Sciences and U.S. solar panel manufacturer SolarWorld, the two-seater incorporates photovoltaic panels in the roof, and began its remarkable journey last October.
February 6, 2012
A new report by Pike Research has found that among advanced-tech vehicle battery suppliers, Johnson Controls and LG Chem are the two companies most likely to take advantage of changes happening in the industry.
Over the past decade, we’ve seen battery technology develop by leaps and bounds for hybrid and electric vehicles, with lithium-ion chemistries largely considered superior and having displaced nickel-metal hydride in many instances.
Additionally, as the battery industry matures, changes are also taking place with regards to who manufactures them and where. Traditionally, Japanese and Korean companies have led the way, branching into EV applications from consumer batteries, which originally established them in the marketplace.
February 3, 2012 In its 2012 Car Brand Perception Survey, Consumer Reports added a couple of questions to assess "America’s pulse" on plug-in vehicles. In particular, the magazine asked the general public questions pertaining mainly to plug-in vehicle safety.
February 3, 2012
January sales always drop significantly from the prior year-ending month and this time around it was no different.
Generally, December sales are very high as year-end sales are in place. This rule of thumb applying to vehicles in general is also true for hybrid, plug-in, and diesel vehicles.
While overall sales in January were at a strong rate (over 14 million at an annual rate based on seasonal adjustment factors), the actual number of sales was down 27 percent from December 2011. Hybrid sales were down a similar rate, at 30 percent and plug in sales were down 48 percent (although the low volume of these sales makes the comparison less meaningful). Diesel sales dropped less, at 22 percent, than the overall market or the hybrids or plug ins.
