Toyota May Be Working On Solar-Powered Car

Nikkei reports that Toyota has been working on the development of a solar-powered vehicle. The electric design relies on solar panels mounted on the vehicle’s exterior. Initial reports say that the panels cannot currently provide enough photovoltaic energy to run the vehicle, but the company’s goal for the concept is to power it completely using [...]

The Draw Of Plug-In Vehicles

Of the 58 new vehicle introductions anticipated at the 2009 North American International Auto Show, few will generate more interest than the redesigned Toyota Prius. One group of enthusiasts who are particularly anxious to see that vehicle are those who convert Priuses from hybrids to plug-in electrics.
The fact that Toyota plans to release a [...]

STMicroelectronics Chipset May Extend Li-Ion Auto Battery Life

STMicroelectronics says that it has developed a new automotive battery pack for hybrid electric and electric vehicles. The company says that it has improved battery management via a new chipset, and has combined this technology with Li-ion cells from LG Chem. STMicrolectronics says that the new combination will provide better fuel economy and lower carbon [...]

Looking At The Challenges Ahead

As 2008 goes gentle into that good night, here’s a look at some of the pressing issues facing hybrid vehicles in 2009.
Auto Loans: Two US car makers received a reprieve just before the holidays, but returning to profitability will be Job #1 for both GM and Chrysler in the New Year. After the Senate [...]

Hydraulic Hybrids Offer Promising Alternative For Smaller Vehicles, Too

The US EPA, Eaton Corporation and UPS are working together on testing a hydraulic hybrid delivery truck that could reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. UPS intends to have seven of the experimental vehicles in its fleet by 2010.
The Eaton design borrows technology developed by the US EPA. The parallel hydraulic hybrid system does [...]

Hybrids In The World Of $34/bbl Oil

Over the summer, auto manufacturers that didn’t have hybrid models for sale were chided for being “slow” to respond to consumer demand. As prices at the pump crested $4 per gallon, the few consumers who were in a car-buying mood snapped up the hybrids that were available. Toyota dealers reported months-long waiting lists for [...]

Hybrid Batteries Stand The Test Of Time

Hybrid Automakers Reporting Long Battery Life
Hybrid critics have long relied on the replacement cost of a hybrid’s battery to justify purchasing something else, but long-term wear data show that the batteries – while not indestructible – are capable of lasting for long periods of time.
Automakers point to warranty figures that show that Toyota has replaced [...]

Alternative Propulsion Technologies Still A Horse Race

A growing number of people around the world want to see an end to the technologies that revolutionized life in the 19th and 20th centuries. The internal combustion engine and the incandescent lightbulb are among the technologies in the cross-hairs.
The biggest problem with axing the internal combustion engine - and major automakers agree almost [...]

Research Hopes To Demonstrate PHEV Efficiency

A researcher from the University of Florida is working in conjunction with three North Carolina energy companies to measure the effectiveness and impact of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Pierce Jones hopes his research will prove that plug-in electric vehicles will not place an undue burden on the electrical grid, as many opponents of the technology [...]

UMinn Experiments With Hydraulic Hybrid Technology

A University of Minnesota mechanical engineering professor is working on modifying hydraulic hybrid vehicle (HHV) technology for passenger vehicles. The technology, which was originally developed by the EPA and put into use by UPS, does not rely on battery power to move the vehicle.
The technology also eliminates the conventional transmission, and provides more overall power [...]

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