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Category Archives: alternative fuels
Spark Plug-in EV to Debut in La-La Land at Los Angeles Show
Chevrolet will unveil the electric version of the Spark minicar at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month. No technical details for the EV were released. The South Korean-made Spark EV will be sold in limited quantities in some U.S. and global markets, starting in 2013 in California. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, electric vehicles, news analysis
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, coda ev, EVs, fiat 500, fit ev, focus ev, Ken Zino, leaf ev, scion iq, sonic, spark
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Honda Motor Unveils Tiny EV in Tokyo – Micro Commuter
Honda Motor Company today unveiled a Micro Commuter Prototype, a tiny limited distance electric vehicle. Honda said the EV was developed in response for micro-sized mobility products that are currently being discussed under a government initiative from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in Japan. The EV also could comply with regulations for the L7 category in Europe, which is actually a motorcycle category for vehicles that weigh 400 kg or less, excluding the weight of the battery and have an electric motor output of 15 kW or less. Continue reading
Honda Hybrid Sales Top 1 Million. 3M More to Catch Toyota
Honda Motor Company said today that worldwide sales of hybrid vehicles have now surpassed 1 million units. This milestone was reached at the end of September after the start of sales of the first generation Insight in Japan during November 1999. At the time, Insight fuel economy was rated at 35km/liter, then the world’s highest fuel efficiency among all mass-production gasoline-powered vehicles. Continue reading
Saab owner NEVS Opens Battery Plant in China
National Electric Vehicle Sweden is now making batteries in China for electric buses and cars through its wholly owned subsidiary State Power Group. The owner of the rights to the currently inactive Saab brand name says State Power Group (75%) owns the new entity, dubbed National Battery Technology, together with unnamed company management (25%). Continue reading
Ford Fusion Hybrid Sedan Said to Top EPA Fuel Economy Ratings
Many brands now have a claim of some sort to use in fuel economy marketing, which likely means all of them will advertise fuel efficiency this fall, making the issue so confusing that it might no longer be effective for selling cars. Buyers will assume that fuel economy is a given in the entire class of vehicles and forgo the nuances. A similar situation has occurred in the marketing of auto safety during the past decade, with it increasingly difficult for companies to draw a competitive advantage in a continually improving field of what is now demonstrably the safest fleet of new vehicles ever sold in the U.S. Continue reading
More than 75,000 Electric Buses Will Be on Roads by 2018
While the slow sales of electric cars are in the headlines, there is one segment of vehicles – e-buses – that are adopting electric drivetrains at a rate that makes for a healthy business. In North America, hybrid models have captured 40% of new transit bus purchases in recent years. Continue reading
First Look – 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid Sedan
Since electric driving depends on a tiny 6.7 kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion battery, this means the Accord plug-in will be hard pressed to stay on electricity for more than 10 or 15 miles, although it will look good on the window sticker with a projected EPA rating of greater than 100 MPG-e. The electric motors are rated at 124-kilowatt (kW). Thank goodness there is also power dense gasoline on board, so the projected range of the plug-in is almost 500 miles. Continue reading
Gulf Oil Opens Another E85 Station on Massachusetts Turnpike
It’s estimated that Massachusetts drivers own more than 100,000 FFVs that were produced because automakers receive generous CAFE credits whether or not the alternative fuel is actually used. It’s unknown how many drivers use the alternative fuel, but national consumption statistics suggest it’s slight. Worse, since ethanol does not have the energy density of good old gasoline, E85 needs to be roughly 25% cheaper for it to make economic sense for drivers. So far the fuel is about as successful as the Boston Red Sox this year. As a result, there are only 2,400 E85 ethanol fueling stations in the U.S. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, energy, environment, news, news analysis
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, e15, e85, ethanol, ffvs, flex fuel, gulf oil, Ken Zino
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DOT and EPA Issue Record 54.5 MPG Fuel Economy Standards
Realistically, the fuel economy average will likely be in the 38-40 mpg range. Therefore, your mileage not only can vary but will vary from big numbers being touted in a closely contested Presidential election year. This, by the way, is where European fuel economy is right now, so if you want to know what the roads will look like a decade hence, travel to Spain or Italy whose governments desperately need tourist revenues to cover their massive deficits. Continue reading
Messing with Texas – Trees for Electric Vehicle Testing
Electric utility Reliant (NYSE: NRG) and its EV recharging subsidiary eVgo will donate $25 to the Texas Trees Foundation or Trees for Houston each time a customer take an electric vehicle test drive of the Mitsubishi “i” or Nissan Leaf in North Texas or Houston between now and December 1st at participating EVs for Trees dealerships. Participating dealers will also donate $25. If a NRG customer test drives both the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi I, a total of $75 will be donated to the local tree planting organization. Continue reading
GM China Begins Building and Testing Advanced Batteries
General Motors China is now making and testing prototype battery cells and complete systems at its Advanced Technical Center in Shanghai, potentially creating a huge offshore industry that will build more affordable batteries for customers globally. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, electric vehicles, environment, news analysis
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, china, electric vehicles, EVs, Ken Zino, volt
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D.C. Court Throws Out E15 Lawsuit on a Technicality
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has dismissed petitions challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s partial waiver allowing gasoline with 15% ethanol or E15 in 2001 and newer model vehicles. Federal law establishes a renewable fuel mandate that requires gasoline producers to introduce significant amounts of renewable fuel such as ethanol into the Nation’s gasoline supply. Continue reading
GM to Double Solar Power with German Opel Plant Addition
General Motors will double its output of solar power with the planned addition of an 8.15-megawatt solar array on the rooftop of the Opel Rüsselsheim facility in Germany. The array – one of the largest alternative energy projects in Europe – is equivalent to the area of 32 soccer fields. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, auto news, energy, environment, news
Tagged auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, GM, grid, Ken Zino, solar power
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Fisker Appoints New CEO – Tony Posawatz from GM’s Volt Program
Fisker Automotive today named Tony Posawatz, the former head of the Volt program at General Motors as its new Chief Executive Officer, its third CEO this year. The current CEO Tom LaSorda will stay with the company in an “advisory” role. LaSorda was only appointed CEO in February 2012 after joining Fisker two months previously. Continue reading
Ford C-Max Hybrid EPA Rated at 47 MPG in all Categories
The all-new Ford C-Max Hybrid that goes on sale this fall is now EPA-certified at 47 mpg city, 47 mpg highway and 47 mpg combined. This makes it the first hybrid without a window sticker decline in highway fuel economy ratings. Whether this is real or the product of carefully calibrating the C-Max to the test cycle awaits independent verification. Continue reading
