TagALLY

Filed under: Emerging Technologies , Etc. , Green Daily , Lightweight Automakers and consumers alike all want lighter cars . "Adding lightness" has a lot of desirable effects, most notably in overall fuel efficiency and performance. While numerous efforts have been made to reduce the weight of automobiles - including downsizing, subtracting unnecessary components and using lightweight alloys and carbon fiber for structural bits - one item that's awfully hard to lighten without dire consequences is the engine. Well, perhaps that's not entirely true after all. Apparently, Matti Holtzberg, an engineer and president of Polimotor Research, successfully designed and built a working engine made almost entirely from plastic. Holtzberg created a motor based on the 88-horsepower powerplant from a Ford Pinto that reduced weight from 415 pounds to just 152 while putting out an impressive 300 horsepower More here: Coming Soon to an Automobile Near You: Plastic engines... details >>>

Filed under: Hydrogen , Suzuki , On Two Wheels Suzuki fuel cell concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show - Click above for high-res image gallery Suzuki and Intelligent Energy have been working on hydrogen fuel cell-powered two-wheelers for the last few years, with the Crosscage , their first public concept, debuting back in 2007 at the Tokyo Motor Show . Then, earlier this year, we heard rumblings that Suzuki hoped to have its first production hydrogen cycle ready within the next 12 months . Falling right in line with those expectations, Suzuki unveiled a new concept just last week at the most recent show in Tokyo, and instead of using a pie-in-the-sky motorcycle chassis with single-sided suspension bits that have little chance of actual production, the Japanese company placed its proprietary fuel cell and storage system in a regular old Burgman scooter . Now, Wired reports that we can expect these hydrogen two-wheelers in production in very short order. Says Dr... details >>>

Filed under: Emerging Technologies , EV/Plug-in , South/Latin America Asia and Michigan, watch out. It's a long-term goal, but Bolivia is looking to capitalize on its large in-ground lithium supply by producing li-ion batteries by 2018. While lithium might not ever be in short supply , Bolivia certainly has the advantage of not needing to import the valuable material. The country's deputy minister of Science and Technology, Roger Carvajal, said this week that the basic outline of the government strategy to commercialize the lithium deposits (estimated to be about half of the world's supply) have been decided on. They include making lithium carbonate on a commercial scale in 2013 and possibly an electric car factory after that. [Source: Latin American Herald Tribune ] REPORT: Bolivia will make its own lithium-ion batteries by 2018 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds ... details >>>

Filed under: Ethanol , MPG , Green Daily , Racing NASCAR has already gone solar and wants to help you (not themselves) use less fuel , but the cold hard reality is that those ovals are being made in cars that get around five miles per gallon. Not exactly hybrid SUV territory there. So, to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used in each race, race organizers are looking to maybe - maybe - using alternative fuels in the some of the cars. Before NASCAR gets that ca-razy, though, there are other ways the series might use fewer resources, but at least NASCAR's first director of green innovation, Mike Lynch, makes it clear that, "We're not attempting to take any high ground. This is a pragmatic approach to green, and what we're doing now is just the beginning." Part of the problem is that NASCAR fans don't want to give up what they've become accustomed to. Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development, told USAToday that, "Doubling fuel... details >>>

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , On Two Wheels , USA After retracing the Detroit-to-DC bailout-begging route taken earlier this year by auto execs, two intrepid souls dispatched by electric motorcycle maker Brammo have finally successfully accomplished their " Shocking Barack " mission. Sort of. While the dream of personally presenting the POTUS on the White House lawn with a slightly used Enertia powercycle bearing a lovingly-painted "Yes We Can" motto and an American flag may have fallen somewhat short, the pair has opted for a plan B C D E that can't possibly fail. Somewhere in the wilds of Washington they have chained one of their bikes to a pole and have mailed Mr. Obama the keys to both padlock and bike along with a letter explaining themselves. While we haven't decided if this tactic is sheer brilliance or whether the boys have had a little too much exposure to the elements the past couple of weeks, one thing is clear; they have already achieved... details >>>

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Ford Ford Transit Connect BEV - click above for high-res image gallery Ford announced a change in direction today for its Transit Connect BEV program. Azure Dynamics will be partnering with Ford on bringing its first new electric vehicle to market. Last February however, the automaker announced that it would be working with Smith Electric Vehicles to produce the plug-in cargo van starting in 2010. We checked with Ford spokeswoman Jennifer Moore who told us that Ford and Smith had mutually decided they had different goals and would go their separate ways. Azure will take the lead on finishing the electric TC including integrating its "Force Drive" powertrain. The TC will be using lithium ion batteries supplied by Johnson Controls-Saft who will also be supplying the electric Focus in 2011 and the new plug-in hybrid coming in 2012. Ford and Azure already have a relationship thanks to the E450 chassis that Azure uses... details >>>

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , GM , Green Daily New GM CEO Fritz Henderson has some good words for his competitors. Surprised? It's all in an effort to make sure that plug-in vehicles get the help they need to become cost competitive. Henderson spoke with the Washington Post and said that costs are the big problem holding back electric cars. To bring costs down, he said: The more companies that actually develop technologies around electric, the more the supply structure will develop, the better off we'll be. . . . We can't carry the load ourselves. GM can't More here: GM CEO: electric cars require teamwork; hydrogen cars 10x more expensive than Volt ... details >>>

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Legislation and Policy , Aptera , USA Aptera 2e final design rendering - Click above to enlarge Not that it comes as a shock or anything, but word comes from Aptera (by way of Green Car Advisor ) that it has officially resubmitted its application for DOE loans. The hopeful manufacturer of three-wheeled electric vehicles had previously submitted an application for funds from the DOE's Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program, but the application was declined as the funds were only available for four-wheeled vehicles. Now that President Obama and Congress have revised the ATVM program to include three-wheeled cars that can carry at least two passengers and return at least 75 miles per gallon (or the electrical equivalent, naturally), Aptera now qualifies for funding. As such, Aptera has updated its application for a $75 million loan. The updated application still needs to be approved by the powers that... details >>>

Filed under: Hybrid , Honda , Japan 2010 Honda Insight - Click above for high-res image gallery Here in the United States, there are more Car of the Year Awards than you can shake a stick at, and apparently that's also the case in Japan. Just last week at the Tokyo Motor Show , the 2010 Toyota Prius won top honors in the 30th annual Japan Car of the Year voting. Now, Honda has sent out a notice that its revived Insight has won the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame Car of the Year. According to Honda, there were three chief reasons the Insight won the award: The strategy of affordable pricing Honda used in marketing the hybrid Insight The Insight's balance of driving performance and environmental performance The balance of performance and fuel economy at cruising and higher speeds offered by Integrated Motor Assist (IMA), Honda's original hybrid system Any affordable vehicle that manages great fuel economy will be winner in the eyes of many... details >>>

The facts in the case of the White House versus Edmunds are essentially indisputable - but they are open for interpretation. The federal government's $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program generated 690,000 sales by providing $3,500 and $4,500 vouchers to car buyers who turned in their eligible car or truck in exchange for a more fuel efficient ride. From here on in, Edmunds and the White House seem to be at considerable odds. Edmunds recently claimed that its statistical analysis shows that only 125,000 of the nearly 700,000 vehicles purchased under C4C were sales that wouldn't have come in 2009 if it weren't for the much ballyhooed government program. And since the program cost $3 billion to implement, Edmunds came to the conclusion that each incremental sale achieved by C4C cost taxpayers $24,000 per vehicle . As you might imagine, the White House has a problem with that. The White House starts its quite literally otherworldly retort by noting that that motor... details >>>