Green Car Congress

JANUARY 25, 2010

Ioxus, Inc. launched a new family of large cell prismatic electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLC) for transportation and utility applications that are lower in cost for the overall system design. The 1,000-, 3,000- and 5,000-Farad (F) ultracapacitors are smaller in size with increased energy and power density compared to products of other industry players. ( Earlier post.).

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Creative Greenius

JANUARY 10, 2010

The South Bay bicycle community lost one of our finest members last week when Gustavo Rameriz was killed in a collision with a big rig while riding home to Belmont Shore in Long Beach from the job he loved at REI in Manhattan Beach. Gustavo, only 30 years old, was known as “an avid, avid road cycliclist and mountain biker who rode his bike to work at least 50% of the time,” according to Nicholas “Niko” George who worked with Gustavo for the two years he was employed at REI.

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Revenge of the Electric Car

JANUARY 5, 2010

Ford is starting EV trials in Germany. For more details, follow the link … Ford Plans to Start Electric-Car Tests in Germany Next Month. “Ford Motor Co. will start a two-year test program of electric Focus compact cars and Transit vans in Germany on Jan. 4 as the U.S. company prepares to introduce battery-powered models as early as next year.

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Plugs and Cars

JANUARY 25, 2010

Darryl Siry blogs over at Wired's Autopia. He's pretty plugged in, having worked at Tesla and consulted for CODA. He's a bit surprised, as are all of us, that Nissan has emerged as the first big automaker to manufacture a mass-produced electric car. In his recent post , "In Race to Market, Nissan’s Electric Car Takes Shortcuts," Siry makes the point that CEO Carlos Ghosn's enthusiasm and charisma alone couldn't be enough to get such a job done so quickly.

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Nissan NiMH GM Volt 124

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Green Car Reports

JANUARY 4, 2010

Our mission here at GreenCarReports.com is to cover the greener end of automobiles, for both new-car buyers and enthusiasts. But unlike other sites, we rarely cover conversions to add plug-in capability to existing cars or hybrids. Why? First, they're not available to mainstream car buyers and are very rarely crash-tested or warrantied.

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Electric Vehicles Building Automobile Conversion 101

All Cars Electric

JANUARY 6, 2010

Well, when it rains, it pours. No sooner than I start talking about NEV's, then major announcements of new entrants occur. Now, Polaris Defense is tweeking the Polaris Ranger EV (shown), an off-road electric vehicle, to qualify as an electric Low Speed Vehicle (LSV), or neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV). It seems that the difference between.

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Green Cars News

JANUARY 13, 2010

Just days ago, our latest Green Piece Column looked at some of the exciting green sports cars headed our way – and now there is a new name on the list in the form of an Audi electric sports car concept. The vehicle was introduced at the North American International Auto Show, and is known as [.]. Tags: Audi Electric cars Green cars Latest news audi e-tron Audi electric car Audi electric sports car Detroit Motor Show electric sports cars North American International Auto Show.

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Revenge of the Electric Car

JANUARY 15, 2010

Late night on the streets of Copenhagen, and biting cold. It was a dark and snowy night. But what I really wanted was…a bicycle. Two weeks in on a trip to Denmark and my perspective on weather and transportation had shifted. The fastest way across town was on a bike regardless of conditions. Sure, an electric car would be nice, but that would have been last Sunday, when the nearly 80 electric vehicles in a “CO2 Race&# combed the streets of Copenhagen.

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Los Angeles Denmark Al Gore CO2 150

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 29, 2010

Prototype of a Bladon Micro-Jet engine. Click to enlarge. A consortium led by micro gas turbine company Bladon Jets recently secured investment from the UK Technology Strategy Board to develop an Ultra Lightweight Range Extender (ULRE) for next-generation electric vehicles. Total project cost is £2,206,784, with the TSB providing £1,103,392 (US$1.8 million). ( Earlier post.).

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 12, 2010

The XTS Platinum Concept. Click to enlarge. Cadillac unveiled the XTS Platinum Concept at the 2010 North American International Auto Show, suggesting a new paradigm for its future luxury sedans. The concept, which showcases Cadillac’s emerging top-of-the-line Platinum series of models, is powered by a 3.6L V-6 Direct Injection gasoline engine paired with a plug-in two-mode hybrid system.

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Cadillac Plug-in Concept Plug 257

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 6, 2010

The United States needs to fundamentally rethink its policy of promoting ethanol to diversify its energy sources and increase energy security, according to a new research paper and accompanying policy paper by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The papers question the economic, environmental and logistical basis for the billions of dollars in federal subsidies and protectionist tariffs that go to domestic ethanol producers every year.

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Universal Congress Gasoline United States 257

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 11, 2010

Ford Motor Company will invest an additional $450 million in its electric vehicle plan, paving the way to build its next-generation hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicle vehicles in Michigan beginning in 2012. Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford made the announcement at the end of the first day of the media preview of the Detroit Auto Show. The new investment is in addition to Ford’s already announced plans to invest $550 million to transform Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich. from a large SUV fa

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 15, 2010

SAE International has released the J1772 “SAE Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler” standard that provides a standard interface between plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles and electrical charging systems. The purpose of the standard is to define a common electric-vehicle charging network, thereby reducing costs and increasing convenience for owners of electric vehicles.

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 26, 2010

An electric traction motor (right) and stator (left) at the GM Powertrain Engineering Development Center Friday, 15 January 2010 in Pontiac, Michigan. (Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors) Click to enlarge. Noting that power electronics and electric machine technology as well as battery technology will be core to General Motors in its multiple paths to vehicle electrification, Tom Stephens, GM Vice Chairman, Global Product Operations announced that the company will expand its in-house ele

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GM Motoring Motors Motor 246

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 12, 2010

Audi e-tron Detroit Showcar. Click to enlarge. Audi introduced a new electric sportscar concept at the North American International Auto Show, its second following the introduction of the initial e-tron at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in September. ( Earlier post.). The Detroit showcar Audi e-tron is a 3.93 meter (155 in) long, 1.78 meter (70 in) wide and 1.22 meter (48 in) tall two-seater, with a gross weight of around 1,350 kilograms (2,976 lbs)—smaller than the first e-tron.

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Detroit Audi Concept Electrical 246

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 11, 2010

The New Compact Coupe. Click to enlarge. Volkswagen introduced its New Compact Coupe (NCC) hybrid concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The car, positioned between the Scirocco and the CC, offers combined fuel consumption of 4.2 L/100 km (NEDC), or 45 mpg US with an EPA rating. CO 2 emissions (NEDC) are 98 g/km. Top speed is 227 km/h (141 mph) with 8.6 seconds required to accelerate to 100 km/h (0-60 mph in 8.1 seconds).

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 28, 2010

New NASA-led research shows that the melt season for Arctic sea ice has lengthened by an average of 20 days over the span of 28 years, or 6.4 days per decade. The finding stems from scientists’ work to compile the first comprehensive record of melt onset and freeze-up dates—the “melt season”for the entire Arctic. The melt season begins each April when the sunless winter gives way to sunrise and spring, and water and air temperatures rise.

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 15, 2010

Vision Industries Class 8 zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell hybrid-electric truck at the Port of Los Angeles. (Photo: Business Wire). Click to enlarge. The Port of Los Angeles is entering into negotiations with Los Angeles-based Vision Industries for the purchase and evaluation of Vision’s Tyrano hydrogen fuel cell hybrid-electric trucks. ( Earlier post.

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Los Angeles Industry Industrial Hybrid 240

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 16, 2010

The Scuderi Group will present preliminary results from a study underway at independent lab SwRI on the performance and viability of the Scuderi Air-Hybrid ( earlier post ) at the upcoming Washington Auto Show in Washington, DC. The company will also provide an update on the progress of Scuderi Engine prototype testing at the event. Scuderi Group is in talks with or has NDAs with 14 of the world’s top 20 automakers, according to the company.

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Washington Engine Hybrid Auto 236

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 12, 2010

Ford selected BorgWarner to supply the turbocharger technology for its new four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, scheduled to make its global debut early in 2010. The direct-injected 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter gasoline engines combine turbocharging and fuel injection technology to deliver greater fuel economy. BorgWarner turbo. Click to enlarge. As previously announced, BorgWarner will also supply turbochargers for rear-wheel drive trucks featuring Ford’s 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine.

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Ford Engine North America Fuel Economy 236

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 28, 2010

A new hybrid ranking—the Hybrid Scorecard —for consumers released by the Union of Concerned Scientists finds that while many automakers are selling hybrid vehicles with significantly enhanced environmental performance and fuel economy at a reasonable cost, they too often inflate prices by including what UCS deems unnecessary luxury features, such as DVD players, keyless entry systems and leather interiors.

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 10, 2010

The Toyota Prius was the top-selling passenger car (excluding mini-cars and imported cars) in Japan in 2009, according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA). Top 10 sellers in Japan in 2009. Click to enlarge. The Prius has held the number one monthly sales slot since May, and posted a total of 208,876 units in Japan in 2009, representing 5.3% of the total new passenger car sales (standard, compact and mini-cars) of 3,923,740 units.

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2009 Prius Japan Toyota 236

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 5, 2010

The Chevrolet Beat. Click to enlarge. GM India launched the Chevrolet Beat, the next offering from the 300 series after the Cruze, at a ceremony in India presided over by its President & Managing Director, Karl Slym. Based on GM’s global mini-vehicle architecture, the Beat will be launched in more than 150 markets around the world including those in Europe and North America, where it will be sold as the Spark.

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India Chevrolet GM Global 236

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 29, 2010

An new study from the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University suggests that best way to reduce transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the short term is a “drastic downscaling of both size and weight” of conventional gasoline and diesel cars. The study editor Sir David King (former Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government) and lead author Dr.

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 29, 2010

Motor Authority. During this week’s 2010 Ferrari Formula One presentation, Ferrari CEO Luca di Montezelmo announced that a prototype road-going hybrid Ferrari 599 will be displayed at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and that a hybrid iteration of the 599 coupe is scheduled for production. Italian auto magazine Quattroruote further reports that the 599 Hybrid will utilize a lithium-ion battery pack powering a rear-mounted electric motor, and that the system will reduce urban cycle fuel cons

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 28, 2010

Electric vehicle maker THINK released its first US EV-Ready Cities Index. The top four cities included first-ranked Los Angeles and second-ranked San Francisco with Chicago and New York tied for third. The THINK EV-Ready Cities Index was presented by THINK CEO Richard Canny at the Electric Drive Transportation Association Annual Conference and Meeting at the Washington Auto Show.

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San Diego San Francisco Los Angeles Think City 231

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 25, 2010

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new national air quality standard for nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ). ( Earlier post.). The new one-hour standard for NO 2 is set at a level of 100 parts per billion (ppb). This level defines the maximum allowable concentration anywhere in an area. EPA also is retaining the existing annual average standard of 53 ppb.

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 18, 2010

The Nikkei reported that Toyota Motor Corp. plans to double its global production of hybrid vehicles from the 2009 level to 1 million units in 2011. The automaker recently notified parts suppliers that it intends to roll out about 800,000 hybrids domestically in 2010, with the figure to be raised to around 900,000 in 2011 and roughly 1.1 million in 2012.

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HS 250h 2009 2011 Toyota 231

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 11, 2010

The 2011 Honda CR-Z EX. Click to enlarge. Honda introduced the 2011 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupe at the North American International Auto Show. The CR-Z is now Honda’s third hybrid currently in the market, along with the Civic Hybrid and new Insight. The CR-Z represents the sixth unique version of Honda’s original IMA technology since the launch of the 2000 Insight, the first hybrid vehicle available in North America in December 1999.

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 27, 2010

ACAL Energy will bring a model hydrogen fuel cell system using its platinum-free liquid cathode, FlowCath, to FC EXPO 2010 in Tokyo in March. ( Earlier post.) The FlowCath powered module demonstrates a practical product prototype which could be commercialized in less than two years. The prototype, says ACAL, is considerably smaller than many people thought possible for a liquid cathode FC system.

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 27, 2010

Altech-Eco Corporation has obtained Certificates of Conformity (COC) from the EPA for its new dedicated and bi-fuel 2010 Ford Focus compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion systems. Altech-Eco’s EPA approved Dedicated 2010 CNG Ford Focus conversion system converts the Focus to run exclusively on CNG, and the system includes a manufacturer rated CNG cylinder with fuel storage capacity of 8.6 GGE (Gas Gallon Equivalent), with a natural gas driving range of 230 - 330 miles and an average of 39 mpg o

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 17, 2010

An example of an ISAS operation: Seawater Farms Eritrea. Source: Dr. Carl Hodges. Click to enlarge. UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, Boeing and Etihad Airways are establishing a research institute in Abu Dhabi—the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Project (SBRP)—that will use integrated saltwater agricultural systems (ISAS) to support the development and commercialization of biofuel sources for aviation and co-products.

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Eritrea Global Low Cost Water 230

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 13, 2010

A PureMotion system in a bus. Source: UTC. Click to enlarge. UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp. company, announced that one of its latest generation PureMotion Model 120 fuel cell powerplants for hybrid-electric transit buses has surpassed 5,000 operating hours in real-world service with its original cell stacks and no cell replacements. This powerplant is aboard an Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) bus operating in the Greater Oakland, California area.

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 30, 2010

Leaders from DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (DDCE), University of Tennessee and Genera Energy cut the ribbon on a cellulosic ethanol demonstration facility in Vonore, Tenn. The 74,000-square-foot plant has started producing ethanol and will deliver low-cost, fully-integrated technology for commercial production of ethanol from agricultural residue and bioenergy crops, including corncobs and switchgrass.

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