|
Browse by Tags
All Tags » Alternative Energy » Industry News ( RSS)
-
|
UPS has announced its purchase of seven hydraulic hybrid vehicles, making them the first package delivery company to employ the unique new hybrids. Unlike a gas/electric hybrid that uses a conventional driveline augmented by an electric motor, the hydraulic hybrid actually does away with the driveline entirely. Instead, engine-driven hydraulic pumps are used to pressurize fluid that's then used to drive the wheels. Storing pressurized fluid allows the engine to shut down during deceleration and stops, and regenerative braking is also employed to pressurize the system. It's a cool arrangement, and one we had nearly forgotten about since its announcement — if you're in Minneapolis, the first market to get the trucks, keep your eye out for one. Full release and system schematic below the jump. UPS First In Industry to Purchase Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles UPS is the first company in the package delivery industry to purchase hydraulic hybrid vehicles (HHVs). UPS added seven HHVs...
|
-
|
Given the situation with Tesla Motors lately, you know, Ze'ev Drori getting the boot and Elon Musk taking the reigns as CEO , word of firings of "25-30% of their total staff of 300 employees and contractors" and the closing of the Detroit location (more accurately, the Metro Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, MI) via blog post , it's no wonder an anonymous reader decided to head out to their Rochester Hills office and take a look. The Rochester Hills facility was opened at the end of January 2007, and was to be the development facility for the Tesla Model S electric sedan, so the closing is a foreboding indicator of the future direction Tesla is heading on that project. Let's take a look inside this essentially doomed location... galleryPost('teslainrochesterhills', 12, 'Tesla In Rochester Hills Is Quiet... Too Quiet'); To be fair, these pics were taken this past Sunday, so it's poor evidence the place is in fact a ghost town but let's just...
|
-
|
Solar Prius ? That's amateur. Toyota has opted to create a 242,000 square-foot solar installation on the roof of its North American Parts Center in Ontario, California. The installation, which will be the largest single-roof installation in North America, will provide about 3.7 million kWh of juice, about 60% of the power needs for the parts center. Toyota also has a solar installation on one of its headquarters buildings in Torrance, helping the company polish its green cred and distracting from the future lithium-ion waste site that will be generated by scrapped Priuses. Press release after the jump. Largest Single-Roof Solar Installation In North America To Power Toyota Parts Center 09/24/2008 September 24, 2008 - Portland, OR - The largest single-roof solar power installation in North America will begin operation in early October at Toyota's North America Parts Center California (NAPCC), located in Ontario, Calif. The solar installation will provide nearly 60 percent of the...
|
-
|
Apparently, even in light of Chrysler's announcement this morning , Honda thinks all this plug-in hybrid stuff is nonsense...at least until battery technology is up to the task, reports Bloomberg News . Masaaki Kato, head of Honda's research unit, said "For battery-powered vehicles to become more widespread, more popular in the market, we feel battery technology needs to advance further." Kato considers the rapid release of a plug-in hybrid when technology isn't quite up to the task could be a PR disaster, and he hints at such, remarking that the expectations for plug-ins are big and "we don't know that that could be sustained right now." Instead, Honda will continue work on its hydrogen fuel-cell FCX Clarity , which the company considers less technologically challenging than developing advanced batteries. Kato explains the problem with battery-powered vehicles as a simple problem of weight versus energy content: lithium-ion batteries hold less than half...
|
-
|
The Eco Car War is heating up and Toyota is considering creating a Prius brand in an effort to open up a new front. This possible move would take advantage of the fact that, next to the word 'hybrid' itself, the Prius nameplate is most associated in this market with eco-friendly vehicles. Toyota already has the largest base of loyal customers , and a variety of Prius-branded vehicles would allow the company to grab buyers who might otherwise consider the 2011 Chevy Volt or 2009 Honda Insight . This isn't merely idle talk. Toyota successfully created the Scion brand as an alternative to its larger brand. Additionally, Toyota's North American Sales Chief Jim Lentz told Reuters that "there is a definite desire for us to [create a Prius brand]" and that new dealerships were being constructed with space for the eco-brand. This could mean smaller hybrids, sportier hybrids and possibly even small truck hybrids. [ Reuters via Automobile ]
|
-
|
The Detroit News reports on a truce between the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an automaker trade group, and two advocates of more-stringent vehicle emissions regulations, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter. After a series of public battles over stiffening regulations, including a May meeting where Schwarzenegger told auto executives to "stop whining" and meet new standards that should have gone into effect in 2002, the parties have all decided that a consumer-education Web site is the best way to curb fuel usage. Ah-nold's step-by-step instructions for saving the planet, after the jump. The new collaborative Web site, ecodrivingusa.com, urges consumers to slow down, ensure that tires are filled properly, avoid tailgating, remove excess weight from vehicles, replace air filters, and get tune-ups. Sound familiar? Yeah, it's all pretty much the same stuff that's been recommended — and largely ignored — for about 30...
|
-
|
An industry group we've never heard of called "Experian Automotive" is reporting this morning nearly half of hybrid vehicle owners will buy a vehicle of the same brand when they buy another one, making them some of the most loyal customers in the industry. Of course, they may not be buying a hybrid again because they're apparently not the most segment-loyal. Who is? You guessed it, pickup truck owners. The specifics, and why this could be good for GM and Ford below the jump. Experian claims 47% of hybrid buyers choose another car from the same manufacturer, as opposed to 35% of buyers overall. Sounds like good news, but for whom? While the report may seem like a boost for Honda and Toyota — and it no doubt is — there's also a silver lining for GM and Ford. While the General doesn't have the best name recognition on its hybrid lineup, it does have two new hybrid trucks in the market starting second quarter of next year, which potentially could allow...
|
-
|
Nissan yesterday unveiled prototypes for both a new all-electric powertrain vehicle as well as the first pictures of a prototype hybrid powertrain built on an Infiniti G35. Both systems would be run off a new lithium-ion battery pack system. galleryPost('nissanenvirotech', 9, 'Nissan Blinds Us With Science'); We knew Nissan was working on a new electric car and yesterday the company revealed that the FWD platform will use a new high-density Li-Ion pack that sits underneath the floor (and out of the way) providing power to an 80 kW motor. Though we still expect a Denki Cube , the new flagship electric vehicle will now apparently not be based on any current platform. The new parallel drive hybrid system in the Infiniti features an electric motor coupled with a gasoline engine like most other HEV systems. Similar to the Lexus LS600h , the Nissan version involves a larger engine, in this case a V6, powering the rear vehicles. In order to achieve more linear acceleration, there...
|
-
|
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama delivered an energy policy speech in Lansing, MI yesterday, a key pillar of which is the goal of putting one million plug-in hybrids on US roads by 2015. Obama's proposal would help offset the initial cost of the ambitious program by providing up to $7,000 in tax credits to consumers, and it calls for additional spending on advanced battery programs. The most unusual feature of the senator's proposal, however, is its desire to convert the entire White House fleet to plug-ins "as security permits" within one year of an Obama administration arriving at 1600 Pennsylvania. The energy plan also calls for an increase fuel economy standards 4% per year, up to $4 billion in retooling tax credits and loan guarantees for domestic auto plants and parts manufacturers to support their manufacture of the new fuel-efficient cars, a mandate for all new vehicles to be flex-fuel vehicles, and a call for America to develop next-generation biofuels...
|
-
|
Only two companies achieved the voluntary average CO2 target of 140 g/km that European automakers set for themselves in the late 1990's to avoid actual government sanctions. Fiat and Mini were the big winners with emissions of 138.2 and 139.6 g/km, respectively. The worst offenders were Porsche (275.6 g/km), Land Rover (249.2 g/km) and Jeep (218.7 g/km). The figures were published by Clean Green Cars , which also pointed out that "Every manufacturer with average new car emissions significantly above 200 g/km of CO2 saw sales slump from January to June." Clearly, voluntary agreements are working. Why oh why then did the EU have to implement non-voluntary emissions targets for 2012? Press release below the jump. Fiat tops the CO2 league; Porsche is rock bottom Figures published exclusively by Clean Green Cars today reveal that Fiat and MINI are only mainstream manufacturers whose average tailpipe CO2 is now under 140 g/km. That figure was the target car makers' set themselves...
|
-
|
Opel has announced plans to launch two electric cars in the European market sometime early next decade utilizing GM's E-Flex hybrid banner and be built in the United States for export to Europe. One of the models would be based on the Segway-pooping Opel Flextreme concept and the other, a Vauxhall version of the same vehicle. As of now we're unsure whether the Vauxhall version will poop Segways . galleryPost('FlextremeSegway', 4, 'Flextreme Has Electric Segway-Pooping Action'); The new Opel models will be built alongside the Chevy Volt atop the Delta II platform at GM's Hamtramck Assembly plant. Jalopnik Snap Judgement: More models on the line makes sense as the Ham-town plant would be sorely underutilized if only building the Volt. Seems like the real story here is GM Europe using the US domestic market for labor. One would imagine Eastern European countries would be more attractive for building new models, but the dollar's valuation apparently makes up...
|
-
|
GM is accelerating development of the 2010 Chevy Volt in an attempt to ready the production version to reveal as the company celebrates its 100th anniversary in September. Although we know GM desperately needs a cutting-edge Prius-killing success to stem the sales slide, given past RenCen rush jobs, we're not sure that setting a time deadline instead of a performance benchmark is the best way to move forward. A look at potential pitfalls after the jump. Exploding batteries: Remember the flaming plug-in Prius from a few weeks ago? No, that wasn't a manufacturer-sanctioned ride, but it still plainly shows the dangers inherent in releasing unproven technology. The fact that GM has yet to name a supplier for Volt's lithium-ion battery pack is another red flag for the power source. Embarrassing show mishaps: GM needs a win...and they need it to be a clean win, both on the stage and showroom floor. No panels falling off, stalls, massive oil leaks, fires, or collapsing spokes-robots...
|
-
|
Auto Motor & Sport , by way of Motor Authority , reported yesterday on a joint effort between the energy departments of two august establishments of hybrid research — the United States' Argonne National Laboratory and Sweden's Lindholmen Science Park. The $37 million program will work on developing new plug-in hybrid technology. Also, a better meatball! [ Motor Authority ]
|
-
|
Peugeot-Citroen is teaming up with Mitsubishi to work on production electric cars in response to the current world freak-out over gas prices. Mitsubishi already has the i MiEV pictured above, but that vehicle isn't even available here. So, it remains to be seen what exactly the Franco-Japanese alliance is attempting to engineer. Mitsubishi will be sharing all sorts of technology with the Frenchies, like information on how to better prevent overheating batteries and how to better convert electric juice to drive power, as well as supplying lithium-ion batteries. Peugeot-Citroen will in turn supply Mitsubishi with, umm... foie gras and a rusty 2CV, perhaps? [ Reuters ]
|
-
|
There may be no better indicator that many carmakers have been unable to adjust to the sudden increase in gas prices and the resulting shift in consumer demand than hybrid sales. Although there was an obvious run to more fuel-efficient cars — witness the Civic besting the Ford F-150 in overall sales for the first time ever — hybrid sales overall were down 11% from April to May, down 24.3% month-to-month from 2007 and even the market-leading Toyota Prius experienced a 31% drop in sales for the month. How did that happen? There are a few factors at work here, which we've helpfully outlined below the jump. First off, there was an overall drop in vehicle sales in the United States — that's obviously going to affect sales of the largest fuel-suckers first, but the current economic situation affects anyone looking to buy right now, even in the hybrid marketplace. But the biggest factor isn't the issue of demand, it's supply. Toyota decided to only create about...
|
More Posts Next page »
|
|
|