Frazer-Nash Rises From The Ashes With A Tiger

The vehicle has a top speed of more than 187 mph, a fuel economy of better than 90 miles per gallon and will go from 0 to 60 in just 3.5 seconds. With a truly European flair, the vehicle features an 814 cc engine and four electric motors. The engine charges a lithium polymer cell in the vehicle and the hybrid system has a combined output of 370-hp.

The drive train was designed by Frazer-Nash, which is now a division of Kamkorp. The interior is designed with British luxury in mind. The vehicle was built in Turin at Italdesign's design and engineering center. The body is made from carbon fiber and weighs less than 250 pounds. Its design was inspired by the Frazer-Nash company's diamond-shaped logo.

Frazer-Nash hasn't built a vehicle in more than 50 years. The company spends most of its time these days designing hybrid drive trains for cars and mass transit systems. Despite the welcoming the car received in Geneva, don't expect Frazer-Nash dealerships to start popping up like McDonald's, The company has no plans to mass produce the vehicle.

Photo: Courtesy of Italdesign

CMU Says Volt Won't Be A Consumer Hit

Despite GM's protestations about the desirability of the car's 40-mile all-electric range, the cost to manufacture and replace the Li-ion battery pack will doom the car's commercial success, and relegate it to a collector curiosity. According to the report, smaller cars with smaller battery packs will provide better consumer value than the Volt will. Hybrids with an all-electric range of ten miles or less or improvements to current hybrid design will more likely provide the consumer with the right mix of fuel efficiency, acquisition and operational costs, and charging times.

Jeremy Michalek wrote a professor of engineering at CMU the study, which will be published in a future issue of Energy Policy. The research team constructed computer models of PHEVs that account for the impact of various battery sizes on fuel economy, greenhouse gas emissions and charging cycles.

The study found that for moderate travel, which the group defined as those trips between 20 and 100 miles, PHEVs produced fewer greenhouse gas emissions, but fell short on cost-effectiveness. The models indicated that hybrid electric vehicles were more cost efficient with the study's controls. PHEVs became more attractive from a cost perspective only when the price of fuel was high, the price of batteries was low, the cost of electricity generation was reduced or other costs, like carbon taxes, were added to the model.

Carbon taxes are not currently applied as such, however the automakers do face fines if the combined average fuel economy of their fleet does not meet federal standards. Regulations do not govern the tailpipe emissions of any model in particular, so models with lower fuel efficiency and higher carbon emissions can be offset by sales of higher fuel economy models from the same manufacturer.

Recently, several states won the right to regulate tailpipe emissions, a reversal of a long-standing policy that preserved federal control of vehicle emissions. The change in policy means that states can enact tougher emissions standards than those imposed by the federal government. Even with increased restrictions on emissions, and changes to other study variables, the author concludes that the most effective PHEVs will be small urban vehicles whose drivers have access to regular charging facilities.

Source: Carnegie Mellon University PDF link

Photo Credit: MR38

Yellow: It's The New Green

According to John McKinney, president of IC Bus, the lowly yellow school bus can be a super-hero in the fight against everything from gridlock to greenhouse gas emissions. Especially if the bus happens to be IC Bus' hybrid school bus. The company is planning to give away one of these lovelies in May to one lucky school. The company is holding an essay contest for school children in grades K-12. Children who can describe their school's eco-friendly practices in 500 words or less may score one of company's hybrid buses.

McKinney says that IC Bus is the only company that makes hybrid buses, and says that the company's product reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent compared to a standard diesel model while improving fuel economy at the same time. The company makes two different parallel hybrid versions - one for school use and one for commercial/limousine transportation - that incorporate regenerative braking. The buses don't employ stop-start technology, a standard component of many hybrid vehicle designs, and also don't offer an all-electric drive. One hybrid model is powered by a lead-acid battery pack. The other uses Li-ion cells with a special cooling system to ensure vehicle safety. According to the company, operators can expect to see fuel economy improvements of between 20% and 70%, depending upon the hybrid model they choose, the route and the size of the engine installed in the vehicle.

The contest is open until April 30. After that, McKinney and author Terra Wellington will sift through the entries looking for that one essay that says it all. Entries can be posted at AmericasGreenestSchool.com. While they're there, students can also read about ways to conserve energy and inspire a more sustainable school environment. The author of the winning essay may not get to take the bus for a spin, but will receive a $5,000 scholarship and the company will throw in an extra $3,000 for educational materials for the winning school.

Photo Credit: Sam LeVan

Toyota Puts Hybrid Development Into High Gear

Most electrical power plants in the United States are fired by coal, natural gas or petroleum, all of which release carbon dioxide into the air. Coal, the most common power plant fuel, releases the most CO2 into the atmosphere as it is burned to make electricity. Natural gas, less commonly used in power plants, is cleaner by a scant 50 percent.

In a head-to-head comparison, an all-electric vehicle such as a Tesla Roadster that charges off of house current might actually be responsible for more CO2 emissions than a Prius or Insight would when the emissions from a coal-fired power plant are taken into consideration. Hybrid cars also emit less CO2 than most highly efficient gasoline-only vehicles and those powered by diesel or "clean diesel" engines.

So do EVs and PHEVs make sense? If you're switching to one from a larger, older or less efficient vehicle, a PHEV or EV can indeed reduce your carbon footprint. The story raises an issue, however, that has been discussed before. The overall impact of large-scale migration to PHEVs, EVs and HEVs won't reduce carbon emissions significantly unless the fossil-fueled power plants are modernized at the same time. Conversion of the plants to natural gas can reduce carbon emission, but the cost of a natural gas-fired plant will substantially increase consumer cost and will reduce the rate at which consumers convert to vehicles with electric drive trains.

One potential alternative is a hydrogen-powered vehicle. BMW has tested its hydrogen FCV at Argonne National Laboratories, and those tests show that the vehicle actually emits air that is slightly cleaner than the air it takes in. Unfortunately, the vehicle won't be mass-produced anytime in the near future because the supporting infrastructure is not yet available.

The moral of the story? If you're buying an alternative-fuel vehicle for environmental reasons, make sure that you're really helping Mother Nature, and not just shifting the problem to someone else's exhaust pipe.

Source: International Business Times

Photo: Courtesy of Toyota

ZipCar Testing PHEV Service, SF Testing Public Charging Stations

The charging stations were supplied by Coulomb Technologies and are part of a two-year test. The new charging stations are just the first of a network of city-supplied stations announced last year. The city has entered into a partnership with Better Place to install charging stations throughout the Bay Area. Better Place says its investments in support infrastructure for PHEVs will exceed $1 billion in the coming years.

Coulomb Technologies has also entered into an agreement with the City of San Jose to create a curbside vehicle recharging network. Don't assume that your tax dollars will be used to top off your batteries, though. The network will be subscription-based. Subscribers will receive a keychain pass, like those used at some gas stations, to get the juice flowing. The company will also sell the charging stations to parking lot owners and businesses that want to provide charging capabilities for their patrons or employees.

For its part, ZipCar will begin supplying PHEVs as part of its San Francisco fleet. The company will use converted Toyota Priuses. The conversions will use A123 Systems' Hymotion L5 Plug-in Conversion kits. Currently, ZipCar has one PHEV in its fleet, but plans to add more. Within a year, the company should have access to factory-built Prius PHEVs.

A converted Prius can achieve as much as 100 mpg in the first 30-40 miles of driving. That figure drops to a more conventional mpg once the batteries have been exhausted. ZipCar currently serves 26 cities in North America and has a fleet of 5,500 vehicles, most of which are conventional. The company has not said when it plans to extend PHEV vehicles to other cities in its service area.

Photo Credit: Rakka, via Flickr

Aptera Close To Starting Production On EV

The Aptera 2e is a three-wheeled creature that seats just two passengers, and according to the company, will get more than 100 mpg and the company says the hybrid version, the Aptera 2h - available sometime in 2010 - will average more than 300 mpg. The company, whose assembly plant is in Vista, CA, will start cranking out vehicles with a very distinct profile in the fourth quarter of 2009. The vehicles will range in price from $25,000 to $40,000.

The company says that it has taken reservations for more than 4,000 vehicles to date and expects the Aptera to appeal mostly to tech-savvy men who are looking for a second or third vehicle. Initially, the company expects to produce about 10,000 vehicles per year and has plans to step up production to 100,000 units in the next two years.

Aptera is being fronted by Idealab, Esenjay Petroleum and Google.org, but its three-wheel design excludes it from eligibility for interest loans from the federal government for fuel-efficient cars. No matter, the company says; it has plenty of cash to fulfill its Q4 production. Aptera is still taking reservations for vehicles. To reserve an Aptera, visit the company Web site. You'll need to put down a $500 refundable deposit and be prepared to wait.

Now for the bad news: you can't buy an Aptera 2e unless you live in California. The company is working to get sales restrictions in other states lifted but has no timetable for expanded sales.

Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy of Aptera

According to the survey, more consumers are now considering the purchase of a hybrid vehicle. Thirty-three percent of potential buyers would "definitely consider" a hybrid vehicle, an eight percent jump from 2005 survey results. Men are slightly less willing to consider a hybrid vehicle, but Multi Reso noted that differences between genders, age groups and educational levels of survey respondents have decreased, but says that household income and concern for the environment are still the two most likely predictors for hybrid purchases among Canadian consumers.

Among respondents who are "definitely thinking about" buying a hybrid car, Toyota ranked as being the highest quality option for 40% of respondents. Among respondents who already owned a hybrid, Toyota's quality rating rose to 41% and among those who plan to purchase or lease a new vehicle in the next 12 months, Toyota captured the number one spot 42% of the time. Overall, male respondents ranked Toyota hybrids number one in quality as much as 50% of the time, depending upon their demographic classification.

Late last year, RL Polk and Co., predicted that hybrid sales would account for one in 20 new vehicle purchases by 2012, and that the current economy would not impact the growth of hybrid sales in North America. Unfortunately, auto sales figures for the months of December 2008 and January 2009 begged to differ, with hybrid sales sliding well below overall sales rates in both months. Interest in hybrids may be perked up, if not by rising gasoline costs, by tax incentives that have been worked into the stimulus plan set to make a visit to the White House later this month.

Photo Credit: Steve Woods

Wal-Mart Adds Hybrids, Alternative Fuel Vehicles To Trucking Fleet

The hybrids under consideration include a full-propulsion, dual-mode diesel-electric hybrid, believed to be the first of its kind. The hybrid drive train was developed by Arvin Meritor and is being tested in the Detroit area. The company has also acquired five Peterbilt heavy-duty diesel-electric hybrid trucks with Eaton Corporation propulsion systems. These trucks will operate in Dallas, Houston, Apple Valley, Atlanta and the Washington/Baltimore areas. Eaton Corporation has also developed a hydraulic hybrid vehicle using EPA-patented technologies for UPS.

In addition to the hybrid vehicles, Wal-Mart is also testing fifteen trucks in the company's Buckeye, AZ distribution center that operate exclusively on reclaimed grease fuel. The trucks use reclaimed brown cooking grease from the food establishments within Wal-Mart stores. Other trucks at the same distribution center will be converted to run on an 80/20 biodiesel mixture that includes yellow waste grease.

Finally, the company is also testing four vehicles that operate on liquid natural gas. These vehicles will remain on the company's Southern California distribution center property and are part of a partnership with the Mojave Air Quality Management District. Wal-Mart's sustainable trucking program is actively engaged in trying to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

According to the company, Wal-Mart's truck fleet improved its fuel economy by one-quarter between 2003 and 2008, and is working to double the fuel efficiency of its fleet by 2015.

Photo Credit: Code Poet, via Flickr

US Must Cut CO2 Emissions By 800 Percent

Currently, automobiles deposit about 160 grams of carbon into the atmosphere every mile. To achieve the US greenhouse gas emission goal, vehicles can produce no more than 20 grams of carbon per mile. The study was authored by Greg Keoleian of the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and will appear in the Feb 1 issue of Environmental Sciences and Technology.

According to Keoleian, achieving those targets won't be easy and will take a number of strategies to accomplish. Simply improving fuel efficiency isn't enough, although cleaner, more efficient vehicles are part of the equation. In addition, Keoleian says that low-carbon fuel formulations and a reduction in the number of miles driven each year must also factor into the plan.

According to computer models developed at UM, a single-strategy approach is destined to fail. To achieve carbon emission goals by improving fuel economy alone would mean that vehicles in 2050 must achieve an average fuel economy of 136 miles per gallon. Reducing carbon emissions to acceptable levels strictly through the use of low-carbon ethanol would mean an almost exclusive use of the ethanol fuel formulation. Reducing overall miles traveled would require a cut of more than 50 % in the overall number of miles traveled each year.

Keleoian says that none of the single-strategy approaches are viable. Instead, the US must adopt an aggressive, multi-pronged approach to carbon emission reductions that includes the development of renewable, nonfossil-based fuels, and a sharp reduction in the number of miles traveled each year. Keleoian says that switching to electric and hybrid electric vehicles may not be enough. In many areas, power is generated by coal-fired plants. While a PHEV does reduce the tailpipe CO2 emissions, the net emissions reduction is much smaller if the electricity to charge the vehicle was generated at a coal-fired plant. Keleoian says that the country must look at solar, wind and nuclear energy sources to make the needed reductions in atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Keleoian's study can be found at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es801032b.

Photo Credit: http://www.camarasfotograficas.es