Hybrid Articles
Most Consumers Would Go For Stop-Start Technology
Posted May 16, 2008
A recent survey by UK firm Motorpoint suggests that 75% of drivers would purchase technology that offers stop-and-start capabilities on conventional vehicles. The technology would cut the engine and restart it automatically w...Ohio Electrical Co Op Debuts Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle
Posted May 15, 2008
The Union Rural Electric Cooperative introduced Ohio's first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) at the Cooperative's Annual Meeting in Marysville, OH earlier this month. The PHEV is a converted Ford Escape that can achiev...Nissan Joins The Electric Vehicle Race
Posted May 14, 2008
Earlier this month, Nissan introduced an electric Cube concept vehicle, which is expected to go into production in 2010. The concept will be the first in what Renault chairman Carlos Ghosn promises will be an all-electric lin...E-Fuel Develops Home Ethanol Manufacturing Kit
Posted May 13, 2008
E-Fuel will begin selling a system that enables people to make their own ethanol at home. The MicroFueler will cost about $10,000, is about the size of a standard gas pump and comes has a 35-gallon capacity. The MicroFueler u...The Rising Cost Of Fuel Is Shortening Hybrid Payback
Posted May 12, 2008
It's no secret among hybrid owners that the cost of the technology isn't exactly cost-effective. The typical estimates on how long it will take to recover the increased cost of hybrid vehicles with the fuel savings at the pum...Scientists Create Microbes That Produce Cellulose
Posted May 9, 2008
Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have created microbes that produce cellulose. The cellulose can be used to create biofuels, including ethanol. If the production of cellulose could be improved, the microbes may...Renault May Be Planning An Electric Car For The Persian Gulf
Posted May 8, 2008
Renault chairman Carlos Ghosn said that the company is in talks with a Gulf country to bring its electric vehicle to market. According to Ghosn, the Renault-Nissan joint venture plans to deliver an electric car to consumers ...CNG Drivers Are Celebrating Low Fuel Costs
Posted May 7, 2008
Unusually high demand for CNG vehicles in Utah is driving used car sales there. The state currently has 91 filling stations that dispense CNG, 20 of which are open to the public. Currently, CNG drivers can fill their tanks fo...Tesla Hits The Road With Its All-Electric Roadster
Posted May 6, 2008
Tesla cracked open the doors to its first dealership, near the University of California last week. The all-electric Roadster, which has a shocking sticker price of $109,000, is a zero-emission, Ferrari-esque sporty two-seater...Gasoline Will Not Go Away Anytime Soon
Posted May 5, 2008
While automakers continue to work toward improving fuel economy in their vehicles through the use of hybrid, electric and alternative fuel technologies, they're not planning to ditch gasoline engines anytime soon.
The adv...Do Hybrid Vehicles Pose Health Hazard
Posted May 2, 2008
According to a report in the New York Times, hybrid vehicles may pose a hidden health hazard. Scientists have known for a long time that prolonged exposure to strong magnetic fields can pose a health hazard to humans. Hybrid ...PHEVs Could Cut Carbon Emissions In Half If Electricity Plants Were Modified
Posted May 1, 2008
PHEVs Could Cut Carbon Emissions In Half If Electricity Plants Were Modified
Carnegie Mellon University researchers report that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by half if more researc...NYC Taxi Fleet Begins Hybrid Conversion
Posted April 30, 2008
The conversion of New York City's taxi fleet to high fuel-economy vehicles has begun. According to a report in the New York T...Magna Working On PHEV Powertrain
Posted April 29, 2008
Magna International is working on a PHEV with plans to have an operational prototype by 2010, at the latest. The company is developing the hybrid gas-electric powertrain with regenerative braking capabilities in Austria. The ...Karma Good To Go In Q4 2009
Posted April 28, 2008
Fisker Automotive announced last week that it would deliver the Fisker Karma PHEV in Q4 2009. The company is currently contesting a lawsuit filed by Tesla Motors that claims the design for the Karma was stolen from Tesla.
...VW Drops Diesel Electric Concept... For Now
Posted April 25, 2008
Despite the strong showing of the VW Golf diesel hybrid at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show, the company is now saying that the concept will stay just that for right now. The German automaker said in an in-depth preview of the Golf ...Mahindra and Mahindra Introduce Scorpio Diesel Hybrid
Posted April 24, 2008
At the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit last week, Indian truck maker Mahindra & Mahindra introduced a diesel-electric version of the Scorpio for the Indian market. The Scorpio hybrid powertrain consists of a 2.2L, four cyl...Hybrid Vehicle Registrations Rise By 38 Percent
Posted April 23, 2008According to RL Polk & Co., drivers in the US have registered more than 350,000 hybrid vehicles. Registrations of new hybrid vehicles rose 38 percent in 2007, while overall vehicle sales declined by 3 percent.
California...Fiat To Enter Hybrid Production By 2011
Posted April 22, 2008
Fiat has announced that it is developing both gasoline- and diesel-electric hybrid drive systems that could be in production by 2011. Fiat says that it is still in the "research phase" but expects that if all goes well, the h...Thermoelectrics Could Give PHEVs Help In Heating And Cooling
Posted April 21, 2008
One of the biggest challenges the automakers face in the design of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) is the heating and cooling of the passenger compartment. Conventional vehicles draw heat generated from inefficient op...