Gas 2.0 |
- GreenGT’s 400-hp Electric Racer Ready For Le Mans
- General Motors First Hybrid; from 1969!
- How GM is Making Electric Vehicles Relevant
- Jetta TDI Throws Down with the Prius
| GreenGT’s 400-hp Electric Racer Ready For Le Mans Posted: 27 May 2009 10:34 AM PDT
The GreenGT was designed specifically for kicking butt at the 24 hours of Le Mans. With 400 hp and a top speed of 171 mph, the electric race car concept pushes 1,475 lb-ft of torque up to 100 mph then drops it to 590 lb-ft for high-speed traction. All this and it’s powered by two 30kW lithium-ion batteries charged by flexcell photovoltaic solar panels. |
| General Motors First Hybrid; from 1969! Posted: 27 May 2009 07:35 AM PDT
A few years ago, retro was all the rage, with car designers and marketing teams recalling American nostalgia for the days when flashly muscle cars were common and gas cost but a strawpenny a gallon. But even back then, there were a few forward thinkers at General Motors who had at least a passing concern for gas mileage and pollutant control. The Stir-Lec 1 was a hybrid-electric car based on an Opel Kadett, with a small petrol motor recharging 14 acid-lead batteries which in turn powered an electric motor that drove the car. Wild stuff, huh? |
| How GM is Making Electric Vehicles Relevant Posted: 27 May 2009 06:59 AM PDT
Editor’s Note: Frank Weber is the Global Electric Vehicle Development Executive for General Motors. Here he discusses the Chevy Volt and the future of transportation. This post was written for Gas 2.0 and reposted at the GM FastLane Blog. A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak at EVS 24 in Norway about extended-range electric vehicles (E-REVs). Attendees and presenters were some of the brightest minds from around the world working to make electric vehicles an everyday reality, but frankly, I sensed many of those minds think electric vehicle development is better suited to small, entrepreneurial companies, some with little or no automotive experience. There seems to be in the minds of many some sort of inherent conflict between being a large, traditional automaker and the ability to develop cars of the future. I couldn't disagree more with that sentiment, and GM is on a mission to prove it. |
| Jetta TDI Throws Down with the Prius Posted: 26 May 2009 06:28 PM PDT I was in Miami recently and had the opportunity to rent a Toyota Prius. I’ve never driven a Prius before and once I actualy figured out how to drive it, it was quite fun. But as gas prices continue to climb in the wake of Memorial Day, I was most impressed with the gas mileage. So when I saw the new Jetta TDI commerical this weekend where the car is compared to a Prius I found it quite amusing. This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post. The Jetta TDI claims that it gets 58 miles per gallon (mpg), breaking the record for all current “gasoline” fueled cars, even beating the Toyota Prius - a hybrid. I might have grown skeptical in my old age, but I’m having a hard time swallowing this claim to fuel economy. What, were they driving 20 mph on the highway and never stopping? |
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