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?
It’s common knowledge that keeping your tires properly inflated is a simple yet essential step toward good fuel efficiency. But figuring out what high-efficiency tire to buy in the first place is anything but straightforward.
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.
The first hybrid gas-electric car in the United States, the original Honda Insight, reported its first 17 sales in December 1999. One decade and 1.5 million hybrids later, the auto industry is ready to embrace hybrids and other green cars like never before. What are the major trends we expect as hybrid cars boldly move into the first year of their second decade? Plug-ins, new models, a growing market, and an evolving Prius. Prepare for the green car movement to shift into warp speed.
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.
