http://www.hulu.com/myspace/http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ehulu%2Ecom%2Fwatch%2F53236/embed/NyvlaHJGUU6SIbsrwnKUrw Remember that episode of The Office when Andy uses his Prius as a stealth ramming device and lodges Dwight into some bushes? Japan, the land of everything mystical and wonderful, must have seen that episode too and has some issues with the quiet demeanor of hybrids. They are the best selling vehicles over there and citizens have expressed concern to the Transportation Ministry that they might be too quiet. A dream team panel comprised of scholars, consumers, police, and blind people decided the best way to deal with this problem is to make the cars louder when running on batteries. → Read More
One lucky Californian dude is cruising in style after he took delivery of the very first production electric Mini. The Mini-E is available for lease on a very limited basis reminiscent of the GM EV-1 from the ’90s. Except this time around, the plug-in electric car will only be in customers hands for one short year instead of three. Presumably, the 500 cars will be sent back to Mini for testing and evaluation after the one year is up.
Anyway, Peter Trepp has a blog up about the car and his experiences. He seems totally satisfied despite driving the car in bad LA traffic his first time out. Interestingly, he notes that the Mini-E drivers will not have to touch the brake pedal at all thanks to the strong brake regeneration system, which makes me think this vehicle has a similar system as the Chevy Volt that I didn’t like. → Read More
As we enter this new, slightly different age of “efficiency as performance” (sounds weird, doesn’t it?), I predict we’ll be seeing a lot more of this “greening” in addition to the rather symbolic changes we’ve been seeing lately. Case in point: a stereo system designed to be lightweight and energy-efficient. Not something I would have thought of, but every pound and watt counts, especially when you’re loading it into a Chevy Volt.
Bose claims its improvements in weight and energy use allow the Volt to add 40 miles to its electric-only range. Damn! What did they have in there before, a Marshall stack? → Read More
The original Transformers movie was obnoxiously filled with shiny General Motor’s rides and it seems that theme will continue in the sequel. The latest GM wunderkind, the Chevy Volt, was apparently forced onto the writers at the latest minute ‘ccording to a web chat with the film’s head writer. Who knows how much GM is padding the producers pockets but at least we get to watch our tax dollars in work this coming summer. → Read More
GM, and millions of jobs, might be counting on the Chevy Volt to save the company, but a Chinese car company is a couple steps ahead of Generous Motors. The BYD F3DM is now for sale at a cost of $21,900 USD…in China. It features a plug-in Li-ion battery pack along with a 1.0 liter aluminum engine. Exact details aren’t available but it seems that this knock-off might have the $40k Volt beat in the technology department with its has three modes operation. → Read More
Let’s say that Congress refuses to give some of that bailout money to Detroit—does that effectively kill off electric cars like the Chevy Volt? That depends on who you’re talking to. → Read More
http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/video_player/view/default/swf.jhtml This is a great clip. I’ll let the guys do the talking, but although I’m sure GM’s point man Bob Lutz is in full spin mode here, it’s fun that he’s playing the game. Its off-the-line performance is “adequate,” a term well-known by carmakers as meaning “god-awful,” but like he says, that’s not the point. If you’re looking to lay rubber in this day and age (Top Gear hosts excepted), you’re more of a fossil than the fuel you’re burning. [via Jalopnik] → Read More
Battery pack on the left belongs to the Chevy Volt and the one on the right, to the ’97 Chevy EV1. The Volt’s battery utilized lithium-ion cells to produce the same 16kWhrs as the older, and 800 lbs heavy, EV1 lead acid unit. Next up: glovebox-sized units that you can swap out like a power drill pack. Okay, I just made that up, but that be sweet. Flickr via OhGizmo → Read More
I promised myself that the next car I bought would be a real electric production car. Is this my next car? More importantly, can I afford it? Likely not, but that’s not the issue here. Pictures and info after the bump. → Read More
Not quite… How are those gas prices treating you? Thought so. Good news, though, as plug-in hybrid cars aren’t too far away. In fact, if you’re keen to wait only 18 months, you could soon be driving out of your local dealership while thumbing your nose at Big Oil. Big Oil is Evil, remember. Cars like the Chevrolet Volt, which is due for release in 2010, run on both electricity and gasoline. They’ll get something like 40 miles per charge, and then a gasoline engine takes over at 80-100 mpg. That’s to get you to the next charge station. Such cars are expected to hit “critical mass” at around 2015. That’s when car manufacturers are expected to be cranking them out full bore. Or, you can wait till the new, affordable Tesla comes out. At the very least, Tesla has a proven track record, and its cars don’t look like toys. → Read More
Reuters is reporting that General Motors may be unveiling a “showroom-ready model” of its electric car, the Volt, in September. It was previously thought that the Volt wouldn’t be released until 2010, but “a deepening slump in sales” has apparently pushed GM to get the Volt on the market ahead of schedule. September’s a good time for GM to unveil the new car, too, as it’ll mark the company’s 100-year anniversary. The Chevy Volt will be powered by conventional lithium ion batteries and can be recharged using a standard 110-volt household electrical socket. The car can only go 40 miles on battery power alone but uses regenerative braking and other “range-extending onboard power sources” like gasoline or ethanol for longer trips, according to Chevrolet’s web site. → Read More
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