Types & Systems

Plug-In Hybrids - Overview

How would you like to run your car for the equivalent of less than one dollar per gallon, with much lower emissions? Impossible, right?

How Hybrids Work

A step-by-step breakdown of what happens when you sit behind the wheel of a hybrid car.

Hybrid Terms

Are all hybrids created equal? Get a grasp on the definitions: full hybrid, mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid, parallel hybrid and serial hybrid...

Honda Unveils New Personal People Mover

The race toward sustainable mobility is moving car companies in odd and unexpected directions. For example, Honda today unveiled the U3-X, a compact electric personal mobility device that fits between the rider’s legs to provide movement forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally.

Automakers Race to Design Car-to-Grid Communications

Major car companies are working on ways that plug-in cars will communicate with the electric grid. Ford, Nissan and Volvo have displayed their visions. We spoke with Greg Frenette, Ford manager of battery electric vehicle applications, to learn which driver controls are essential and feasible—and which charging technologies are more fantasy than reality.

Where Are the Micro-Hybrids?

Industry analysts believe micro-hybrids—the most practical and affordable form of gas-electric technology—will exceed all other forms of hybrid technology. In 2010, more than 1 million vehicles could use micro-hybrid technology, which offers about a 10 percent improvement in fuel economy. But the technology has been ignored in the United States.

Lexus Hybrids Merge Mouse, Monitor and Windshield

New nationwide laws to discourage driving while texting are in the works, but no law will stop the rapidly expanding number of electronic devices and screens from encroaching upon the driving experience. New Lexus hybrids might provide part of the solution.

Conference Raises Questions About Standards for Plug-in Cars

Plugging cars into the grid is quickly moving from concept to reality—and the auto and electric utility industries are frantically trying to make it a success. That’s the main theme of Plug-in 2009, a conference taking place from Aug. 10 - 13 in Long Beach, Calif. Many questions remain, such as the kind of charging equipment that carmakers will offer with their plug-in cars, and how to streamline the installation process.

Is It Time for An Open-Source Car?

In the Internet age, a company with limited funds and no track record can build a successful business with nothing more than a good idea and some powerful technology. It's not easy, but it can be done. As cars become more and more like high-tech gadgets on wheels, a crop of new companies is trying to put “open source” or “crowdsourcing” concepts to use in making the next great hybrid, plug-in, or fuel cell car.

Study Reveals Myths about EV Recharging Infrastructure

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.

« Previous |

Free Email Newsletter Sign-up

All the latest news in a free and engaging bundle. Totally free!

Types & Systems

Most Popular Pages

Free Email Newsletter Sign-up