Nissan released an image yesterday of a light commercial electric vehicle concept. It’s just a sketch, but the drawing signals that Nissan is moving forward with plans to build an entire electric vehicle program—rather than focusing on a single vehicle.
The 2009 SEMA Show, an annual automotive extravaganza of hot rods, muscle cars and automotive oddities, opened this week in Las Vegas. In keeping with the times, SEMA will feature a “Making Green Cool Zone” to show off the next generation of aftermarket diesel, hybrid and electric car products. The green theme doesn’t try to hide the show’s raison d’etre: flaunting unbridled horsepower, unfettered innovation, and outlandish design.
There’s a new federal proposal on the table to give makers of pure electric cars bonus points to help them meet new tougher fuel economy standards. Joseph White of the Wall Street Journal calls it the auto-industry version of a "buy one, get one free" deal. The debate over CAFE and electric cars is already underway—more than a year from the introduction of the first mainstream electric vehicles. Is it a fair industry incentive or a shell game?
The combination of a fuel-efficient diesel engine and a gas-electric drivetrain could push fuel-efficiency up and beyond 60 mpg. Volkswagen and Peugeot have shown concept diesel-hybrids for years, but have failed to commit because doubling up on the technologies means doubling up on the cost. But Peugeot is apparently breaking the ice.
At last week’s 2009 Poptech conference, author Michael Pollan made this claim: "A vegan in a Hummer has a lighter carbon footprint than a beef eater in a Prius.” Days later, Pollan, author of the bestseller Omnivore’s Dilemma, retracted the statement after researchers showed that Hummers are significantly more destructive to the environment than hamburgers.
Consumer Reports released results from its annual car reliability survey, and the 2010 Honda Insight scored the highest of any vehicle in predicted reliability. Hybrids dominated the list for reliability—with five of the eight most reliable family cars: Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Mercury Milan Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid.
The race to provide the world with affordable plug-in cars has a wild card: China’s BYD, the car and battery company backed by investment guru Warren Buffet. A combination of powerful forces—an enormous burgeoning domestic market, battery expertise, and low cost production—gives credence to the company’s plans to sell millions of hybrid and electric cars within just a few years. That’s if BYD can overcome its current quality challenges and technical hurdles. And that’s a big If.
Vice President Joe Biden will announce tomorrow that Fisker Automotive will build plug-in hybrid cars at a Delaware plant formerly run by General Motors. The use of the GM plant by Fisker, an unproven California-based start-up, is an ironic symbol of the new era of competition for next-generation green cars—pitting small innovative companies against the world’s largest carmakers.
With oil prices reaching record levels for the year—and potentially heading higher—the prospects for electricity-powered cars is also on the rise. Deutsche Bank said prices could surge to $100 a barrel in the next two quarters if the US dollar continues to weaken. Rising oil prices alone are not enough to ensure the future of electric cars—but there are clear signs of a massive transition to plug-in hybrids and electric cars.
In May, Subaru announced intentions to produce its first hybrid gas-electric vehicle by 2012. Speaking from the Tokyo Motor Show yesterday, Ikuo Mori, president of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., maker of Subaru cars, reiterated the company’s hybrid plans, saying that a hybrid would help Subaru meet tougher US fuel economy rules.
