Monday, June 22, 2009

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Plug-In Motors Building $75,900 Electric Ford Mustangs

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 12:32 PM PDT

Plug-in Mustang

This is what the electric version of a Ford Mustang looks like.

The Big Three have fallen behind in the alternative-fuels race, and with two of the three bankrupt and barely clinging to life, we shouldn’t expect too much from them anytime soon. But that hasn’t stopped independant innovators from stepping away from the herd and offering their own versions of alternatively-powered production cars.

Take for example Kurt Neutgens and Travis Winkelman; while Kurt is a former Managing Engineer for the F-150 (America’s top-selling vehicle for many, many years), Travis worked for the ROUSH NASCAR team. Together, these two men took America’s iconic pony car, the Mustang, and gave it an all-new, electric heart.

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First U.S. Electric Truck - The ZeroTruck - Enters Production

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 11:07 AM PDT

And the prize for new product adoption goes to…the City of Santa Monica, CA for its purchase of the first ZeroTruck.

The ZeroTruck is an all-electric zero emission medium duty truck produced by Electrorides, a company focusing on bringing electric vehicle applications to market. The ZeroTruck is based on the Isuzu N series chassis and according to the company is the only U.S. built electric truck offered for sale in the United States in 2009.

Although the ZeroTruck has been tested in various markets. the City of Santa Monica is the first to actually purchase the truck. In the city’s application, the vehicle will be equipped with a Scelzi utility body. Fleet Superintendant Rick Sikes is excited about the technology and its applications for the city. “This truck meets the needs of our Water Division and the goals of our Sustainable City Plan to reduce emissions and reduce our use of petroleum. A zero emission medium-duty truck is something that has never been available to us until now.”

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Nissan to Build Massive Electric Car Factory in US

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 10:08 AM PDT

Nissan has announced plans to launch the large-scale production of electric cars and batteries in the United States, with a massive 50 billion Yen ($516 million) facility in Smyrna, Tennessee.

The site will be capable of knocking-out an impressive 50,000 to 100,000 EVs by 2012, with investment possibly DOUBLING to 100 billion Yen (more than $1 Billion).

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Looking Forward By Looking Back: A Brief History Of Steam Cars

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 07:46 AM PDT

I like old stuff. Sure new stuff is nice, and nobody wants to eat moldy old bread. But I am always impressed by the ingenuity and gusto of inventors who didn’t have the benefit of the Internet, telephones, and sometimes couldn’t even read. They just had an idea, and made it work with their own two hands. Now it wouldn’t be fair for me to accuse today’s engineers and inventors of lacking in good ideas, but too often it seems like a new idea means a complicated idea. So I am going to try and keep a weekly column on old ideas that never really took off, but to me still seem like there might be some merit to them.

Thus I present you a brief history of the steam car.

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Los Angeles Sheriffs Getting Electric Mini Coopers

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 05:59 AM PDT

LA County Sheriffs stuck driving Crown Vics are about to be left feeling tragically un-hip. Their Board of Sups just approved a deal with BMW to lease 17 fully electric MINI Coopers.

Approved on Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will lease the MINI Es for only $10 a month. With a market lease rate of $850, automaker BMW offered up the bargain price in exchange for deputy’s feedback.

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