Hybrid Living

Filed under: Etc.

A hot red Porsche Cayenne SUV driven by Ukraine’s number two traffic cop from the elite “Kobra” division swerves it way through heavy traffic on one of the more fashionable boulevards of Kiev. With eight lanes and little movement the impatient driver cuts off a high level politician in his black Toyota Landcruiser SUV. The politician accelerates and attempts to halt the Porsche but receives only “the finger” for his efforts. Well, that and the license plate number which is eventually tracked down, ending, not only the police career of the offender, but the existence of the entire “Kobra” unit.

This tale, outlining one of the few examples of traffic law enforcement in modern day Ukraine, is the entertaining centerpiece of an article on the woes created by the monthly flood of thousands of new cars onto the streets of Kiev. Sales are reportedly up by 50 percent over last year and, because of poor planning and little traffic violation enforcement, cars “routinely drive on the sidewalks.” Clearly the situation is out of control.

[Source: The Earth Times]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Honda, On Two Wheels

We have covered lots of electric conversions here but rare is the bird that soars like this one. The idea behind this project was to showcase the potential of A123 Systems cells that are also being used in a “conventional” car conversion. “Conventional” as in a 2003 BMW 325i. (We’ll keep an eye on its progress.)

The project started with two Honda CRF250Rs, with one being converted and one remaining stock for after-completion comparison. Each step was documented with a photo and a brief description. The builder, named on the web site as Bob Simpson BSEE, had a goal of keeping the weight, balance and abuse quotient as close to the original as possible and with all the cool tools and quality components he’s working with, it seems he got pretty close.

The final product certainly looks terrific. The range is yet to be determined as more testing needs to be done. The highest speed mentioned is 57.4 mph. As evidenced by the photo above the electric bike certainly doesn’t seem to be lacking for torque, although it could perhaps use a second gear. The website featuring the conversion has lots of other information and links for those interested in electrified transportation and is well worth checking out.

[Source: Performance EV Conversion]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Mercedes Benz, SMART

We’ve been hearing about electric Smart cars for ages now and although some have been made and even test driven, these EVs haven’t seemed to have the full weight of Daimler AG behind them. Of course, considering they are headed by CEO Dieter Zetsche who was once quoted as saying, “buyers don’t really want electric cars,” it’s little wonder. Thankfully, the tide may be turning.

According to USA Today, Mercedes-Benz says it will have a demonstration fleet of practical, if small, electric vehicles on the road in two to three years.” No, these have nothing to do with the 100 Smart eds being shipped to Britain with the Zebra sodium-nickel chloride battery. It seems these babies will be equipped with modern lithium ion batteries Mercedes has described as “breakthrough”.

One of the reasons given by Vice President Herbert Kohler for building this Smart flotilla, according to the article, is “to be sure the setup is right for mass production.” Whoa! For a minute there I thought he said something about mass producing electric Smart cars. Hopefully, it won’t take the electric Smarts ten years to reach America like the gas version.

[Source: USA Today]

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Filed under: Hybrid, Hyundai

Hyundai announced Sunday that it will be jumping whole-heartedly into the hybrid business. A day after Toyota announced that its Prius and Camry hybrid models would be sold on its South Korean home turf, Hyundai has let it be known they would speed up their mass production plans and counter their competitor at home and abroad. Because of rising fuel costs and consumer eco-awareness, the company is predicting over a million hybrids to be sold annually by 2010 and it wants a large slice of that action.

The first model to undergo the transformation will be the 2009 Elantra, sold in South Korea as the Avante. It will initially run on LPG while a gasoline version will soon be developed for the American market. Not mentioned specifically in the news release was whether or not it would be a plug-in hybrid as had been rumoured although we are pretty sure LG Chem will be the battery supplier. The ambitious plan calls for similar treatment to occur with its other major models, starting with the Sonata in 2010.

While touring a Kia plant, Chairman Chung Mong Koo, let slip, “…We also plan to produce a small fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles from 2012.” We have known that Hyundai is competent with fuel cell technology but it remains to be seen whether any amount of refueling infrastructure is put in place to make North American sales feasible in the next few years. Hit the jump to read the news release directly from Hyundai.

Press release:

March 24, 2008
Hyundai to Mass Produce Hybrid Cars Starting 2009, Chairman Says

# Hyundai´s First Hybrid Car for Mass Production Will be Avante (Elantra) LPI
# Hyundai to Produce Small Fleet of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles by 2012
# Greatly Improve Fuel Efficiency, Cut CO2 Emissions:
Opening a New Era for Environmentally-Friendly Cars

(Seoul, Korea) Hyundai Motor Company plans to mass produce Hybrid Electric Vehicles starting next year, opening a new era for environmentally-friendly cars.

While accompanying South Korean President Lee Myung Bak on a Kia Motors´ plant tour on March 21, Hyundai-Kia Chairman Chung Mong Koo said the automobile company will mass produce environmentally-friendly cars from 2009 to create new jobs and develop the industry into a next-generation value-adding growth engine.

“The importance of developing futuristic, environmentally-friendly cars is increasing for sustainable growth,” Chairman Chung said. “Therefore, technology for advanced cars, like the hybrid, is imperative. We also plan to produce a small fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles from 2012.”

To meet its 2009 mass production target, Hyundai´s step-by-step plan is to

- Develop Technology
- Create a mass production system
- Expand model line-up

In accordance with this plan, Hyundai will begin its first mass production with the compact-sized LPG model, the Avante (Elantra) LPI (Liqufied Petroleum Injection) hybrid, a car that uses both Liquefied Petroleum Gas and electricity. In 2010, Hyundai plans to introduce mid-sized hybrids that use gasoline and LPG.

Currently, Hyundai provides Verna (Accent) hybrid models to government agencies as pilot projects. The plan is to expand the line-up to mid-sized sedans and beyond for mass production, starting from 2009.

Hyundai entered the environmentally-friendly auto market in October 2004, when it supplied the government with 50 Click (Getz) hybrid cars. Since then, Hyundai and Kia have supplied the government with 350 hybrid cars in 2005, including the Verna model. This number increased to 730 cars in 2006 and 1,682 cars in 2007, totalling about 2,800 cars so far.

Based on the technology accumulated from producing these cars, Hyundai will from 2009 mass produce hybrid cars that use LPG, which creates less pollution than conventional cars. Hyundai is also kicking its development plans into full gear with the aim to mass produce Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) beginning 2012.

Hyundai plans to expand a demo fleet of FCEV´s to 500 units by 2010, including mid-to-large size SUV´s, then establish a small production system to begin mass production from 2012.

The mass production of hybrid cars in 2009 will be a turning point for Hyundai, which will increase its competitiveness in the environmentally-friendly car sector, an area automakers worldwide are counting on for their strategic survival in the next-generation business sector.

[Source: Hyundai]

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Filed under: Hybrid, Hyundai

Hyundai announced Sunday that it will be jumping whole-heartedly into the hybrid business. A day after Toyota announced that its Prius and Camry hybrid models would be sold on its South Korean home turf, Hyundai has let it be known they would speed up their mass production plans and counter their competitor at home and abroad. Because of rising fuel costs and consumer eco-awareness, the company is predicting over a million hybrids to be sold annually by 2010 and it wants a large slice of that action.

The first model to undergo the transformation will be the 2009 Elantra, sold in South Korea as the Avante. It will initially run on LPG while a gasoline version will soon be developed for the American market. Not mentioned specifically in the news release was whether or not it would be a plug-in hybrid as had been rumoured although we are pretty sure LG Chem will be the battery supplier. The ambitious plan calls for similar treatment to occur with its other major models, starting with the Sonata in 2010.

While touring a Kia plant, Chairman Chung Mong Koo, let slip, “…We also plan to produce a small fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles from 2012.” We have known that Hyundai is competent with fuel cell technology but it remains to be seen whether any amount of refueling infrastructure is put in place to make North American sales feasible in the next few years. Hit the jump to read the news release directly from Hyundai.

Press release:

March 24, 2008
Hyundai to Mass Produce Hybrid Cars Starting 2009, Chairman Says

# Hyundai´s First Hybrid Car for Mass Production Will be Avante (Elantra) LPI
# Hyundai to Produce Small Fleet of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles by 2012
# Greatly Improve Fuel Efficiency, Cut CO2 Emissions:
Opening a New Era for Environmentally-Friendly Cars

(Seoul, Korea) Hyundai Motor Company plans to mass produce Hybrid Electric Vehicles starting next year, opening a new era for environmentally-friendly cars.

While accompanying South Korean President Lee Myung Bak on a Kia Motors´ plant tour on March 21, Hyundai-Kia Chairman Chung Mong Koo said the automobile company will mass produce environmentally-friendly cars from 2009 to create new jobs and develop the industry into a next-generation value-adding growth engine.

“The importance of developing futuristic, environmentally-friendly cars is increasing for sustainable growth,” Chairman Chung said. “Therefore, technology for advanced cars, like the hybrid, is imperative. We also plan to produce a small fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles from 2012.”

To meet its 2009 mass production target, Hyundai´s step-by-step plan is to

- Develop Technology
- Create a mass production system
- Expand model line-up

In accordance with this plan, Hyundai will begin its first mass production with the compact-sized LPG model, the Avante (Elantra) LPI (Liqufied Petroleum Injection) hybrid, a car that uses both Liquefied Petroleum Gas and electricity. In 2010, Hyundai plans to introduce mid-sized hybrids that use gasoline and LPG.

Currently, Hyundai provides Verna (Accent) hybrid models to government agencies as pilot projects. The plan is to expand the line-up to mid-sized sedans and beyond for mass production, starting from 2009.

Hyundai entered the environmentally-friendly auto market in October 2004, when it supplied the government with 50 Click (Getz) hybrid cars. Since then, Hyundai and Kia have supplied the government with 350 hybrid cars in 2005, including the Verna model. This number increased to 730 cars in 2006 and 1,682 cars in 2007, totalling about 2,800 cars so far.

Based on the technology accumulated from producing these cars, Hyundai will from 2009 mass produce hybrid cars that use LPG, which creates less pollution than conventional cars. Hyundai is also kicking its development plans into full gear with the aim to mass produce Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) beginning 2012.

Hyundai plans to expand a demo fleet of FCEV´s to 500 units by 2010, including mid-to-large size SUV´s, then establish a small production system to begin mass production from 2012.

The mass production of hybrid cars in 2009 will be a turning point for Hyundai, which will increase its competitiveness in the environmentally-friendly car sector, an area automakers worldwide are counting on for their strategic survival in the next-generation business sector.

[Source: Hyundai]

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Filed under: Diesel, Audi, North America

A little over a month ago we learned that a hybrid version of the big bad Audi Q7 SUV would be sent to our shores. Now, thanks to the American dollar crashing like Elliot Spitzer’s career, we can scratch that. Apparently, Audi has just realized that heaping all that hybrid tech under the hood added too much cost to the bottom line. Besides, who would buy a gas-hybrid when there’s an efficient 500 horse V12 TDI diesel on offer? Not me, that’s for sure. Well, I wouldn’t buy either version of the Q7, but then again, I don’t have a boat the size of the Queen Mary to haul around.

Audi hasn’t abandoned its plans to sell the Q5 (euphemistically labeled as a crossover) hybrid in America. Yet. That vehicle is making it’s debut at the Beijing Motor Show in April and is currently scheduled to arrive stateside in 2009.

[Source: Cars-Spot]

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Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Carbon Capture

Despite the drubbing some of us are taking this winter there are still the same CO₂-induced global warming predictions being made and so reducing the amount of carbon that’s emitted to our skies appears to remain necessary. One of the ways that has been touted as the most promising has been carbon capture and sequestration. While there have been many papers written and plans made for this technology, not a lot has actually been accomplished and so, as with every scheme that takes a substantial period of time between ideation to implementation, skepticism is bound to arise.

And risen it has. The Energy Tribune, a publication that bills itself as, “Leading the debate. Beating the streets,” has a particular abundance of articles on the subject including one entitled, “Carbon Capture in the U.S. Faces Hard Realities” that focuses on the American experience with particular attention paid to the de-funding of the FutureGen project which was to be, through carbon capture and sequestration, the world’s first zero-CO₂ emissions coal-fired power plant.

And it’s not just The Energy Tribune that is cooling to the future prospects of this tech. Germany’s Spiegel Online has just published an article that asks, “Is Carbon Capture a False Hope for Coal Power?” It seems people are coming to the realization that making sequestration work is going to be very expensive.

As I read these articles I can’t help but ponder the question, why do we have to spend billions and billions of dollars chasing technology that, even when perfected, is not nearly as perfect as the renewable trifecta (wind, solar, geothermal) in creating energy that gives us the added benefit of saving our environment and, indeed, our lives.

[Source: The Energy Tribune]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture

Are looking for a project to keep you busy this summer? Have you always wanted to have your own electric car to go along with your solar panels? You don’t want to wait for the Volt and the Tesla is too pricey? Perhaps you can build one yourself. What’s that? You don’t know anything about converting a gas hog to a green dream machine? Well, if you live in the Seattle area perhaps you can take a course.

This summer, a 6-day intensive course on electric car converting will be held at the South Seattle Community College starting June 16th. Classes will be from 8 am to 5 pm. with the mornings devoted to classroom instruction (no spitballs) and the afternoons dedicated to the hands-on conversion of a lucky student’s donor car. The finished product will be capable of “highways speeds” and have a range of between 40 and 60 miles, according to an item on the Post-Intelligencer reader blog.

If it isn’t your car that gets converted, you still won’t walk away empty handed. Every student will receive a copy of the book, “Convert It” written, not coincidentally, by the instructors of the course, Mike Brown and Shari Prange. Since they have written a book on the subject (as well as possessing lots of other experience) you can be assured they have a clue what they are talking about. Supplemental help may also be rendered by various members of the Seattle EV community.

If you want to hear more information and ask questions before committing to any part of the $800 total fee then why not call them about attending the absolutely free informational meeting (signup details after the jump). Have fun and happy gas-free driving!

[Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

Seattle electric vehicle conversion class free “information evening” will be held on the evening of April 23rd. For more information, call South Seattle Community College office of Continuing Education at (206) 764-5339. Registration is also available online at www.learnatsouth.org.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in

Although Pininfarina, maker of the fantabulous Sintesi concept (pictured above), has been pretty busy designing fancy-schmancy cars and boats and generating huge sales, it has also been losing money the past couple of years. In an effort to continue providing the world with its moving poetry, the company has been seeking a cash injection from an angel-like investor and has now found one in the form of its electric-car project partner, the Bollore Group, of France. During a news conference, Vincent Bollore let it be known that, “We will take part in the capital increase” and that more details should be forthcoming in a few days. The Pininfarina (don’t forget to roll the “r”) family members have been seeking a total of 100 million euros to get them through this cash squeeze and have even mulled giving up their 55 percent majority control to do it.

Plans for the Pininfarina-branded car collaboration with battery supplier Bollore Group are still a go and are perhaps re-enforced by the announcement. We look forward to any leaks official design news from the effort.

[Source: Reuters]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Tesla Motors, On Two Wheels, Vectrix

Anyone who knows even a little about Jay Leno knows that not only is he a car nut, but he’s also environmentally aware. His large vehicle collection includes a 1909 Baker Electric and many of us know he has a biofueled super car project under way. It’s not a surprise then, that on his video-centric website, Jay Leno’s Garage, the Tesla Roadster is now being featured. Leno also, not so long ago, did a segment with the Vectrix two-wheel and three-wheeled maxi-scooters.

Leno starts the presentation by chatting with Tesla Big Cheese Elon Musk and goes over lots of basic information about the electric Roadster such as the origin of the chassis, the battery pack, the transmission situation and so on. The best part is when he hits the road. Because the car is so quiet, Jay can easily be heard by the camera in the chase car as he tells and shows us how much fun the thing is to drive. He quickly leaves the camera behind. Again and again.

In the Vectrix clip, Leno talks with chief marketing officer, Jeff Morrill while Dana (family name unknown), head of service, hangs out in the background ready to pounce into action should he be needed. He isn’t. They cover everything from range and speed, to the starting procedure and then finally go for a drive on a couple of two-wheelers and the soon-to-be-released three wheeler. Jay admits, “I didn’t want to like it but I do.” He seems to have a good time but does voice a desire for a bit more speed and range. He doesn’t try out the three-wheeler as he thinks it’s a little dorky but allows it is fascinating engineering. I think he was just being nice.

[Source: Jay' Leno's Garage]

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