Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Plug-In Hybrid Diesel Range Rover Still On Track, Could Have 20 Minute Fast Charge

Posted: 12 May 2010 04:34 PM PDT

Last year Land Rover filled us in on their plans to build a diesel-powered, plug-in hybrid version of their Range Rover Sport. The vehicle is reported to have a 20 mile all-electric range and emit a relatively small 100 g of carbon dioxide per mile. Land Rover currently has 5 prototypes of the thing in testing on the roads of Britain and plans to launch the vehicle in 2012.

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Electric Fiat 500 Plug-In Hybrid Conversion Stirs Up Major Interest

Posted: 12 May 2010 04:07 PM PDT

FEV Motorentechnik — an engine and powertrain systems R&D company based in Aachen, Germany — was on hand at the Vienna Motor Symposium last week to show off its LiiON range extended electric fiat 500 conversion. Over the course of a two day ride and drive marathon, the little car proved to be one of the most popular attractions… mostly due to the fact that it didn’t have to recharge.

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Builder of a 1975 Porsche 914 All-Electric DIY Conversion Fills Us In on The Process

Posted: 12 May 2010 03:21 PM PDT

Click here to view the embedded video.

I love stumbling across alternative vehicle DIY solutions on the Internet. And, after viewing the above electric Porsche 914 video, I was curious about the person in the clip and decided to contact him to see if he had any nuggets of info he could pass on to others interested in converting a conventional car to electric. As it turns out his name is Ross Cunniff. He’s a software company director by day, and electic car enthusiast by night with two degrees — one in math and another in computer science. He was happy to let others in on his project and agreed to answer a few questions.

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Corn Belt Universities Warn of Impending Collapse of Ethanol Industry

Posted: 12 May 2010 11:30 AM PDT

One of the big impending issues in the biofuels world right now is what’s called the “blend wall.” The ethanol industry currently sells most of its product as a result of federal and state regulations that require gas stations to sell E10 (10% ethanol/90% gasoline) at regular fuel pumps.

Under federal Renewable Fuel Standards, the industry is being increasingly required to make more and more ethanol. As the argument goes, unless the EPA approves the higher E15 blend for use in normal fuel pumps and existing vehicles the ethanol industry will run into the “blend wall,” wherein supply will far outstrip demand… resulting in mass bankruptcies of ethanol blenders, extreme financial hardship for farmers, and the potential death of the fledgling, next-generation cellulosic ethanol industry.

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GM Announces Hydrogen Infrastructure Pilot Project In Hawaii

Posted: 12 May 2010 09:01 AM PDT

I’ve been hearing about hydrogen cars for decades. The wave of the future, they say. Clean, efficient transportation whose only byproduct is water. It all sounds very promising, and hydrogen is supposedly the most abundant element in the universe. While the technology and cars are there, the infrastructure, unfortunately, is not. And it could be decades before such an infrastructure is in place.

But good old General Motors hasn’t given up on hydrogen yet. Yesterday, they announced they would be starting a pilot program in Hawaii to test the viability of a hydrogen infrastructure on a smaller scale. Looks like Hawaii really is serious about alternative energy.

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Video: Electric Beetle Blasts Past Tesla Roadster

Posted: 12 May 2010 08:55 AM PDT

Although the Volkswagen Beetle served a clear purpose, I have never cared for it. This includes past or present versions. I don’t like the shape, the sound, or the lack of power or comfort. The only thing I DO like about the Beetle is that it has a rear-wheel drive layout. This has allowed many tuners the world over to turn the lazy “People’s Car” into a true hot rod, dropping all sorts of wildly modified motors into the tiny engine bay. A few people have even done electric conversions.

But the Black Current III is an electric Beetle unlike any other. Built by two brothers, it currently holds the title of the fastest electric car in Europe, beating out even the famed Tesla Roadster in a drag race. Hit the jump and watch the video to see for yourself.

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Ford To Build Plug-In and Hybrid C-Max Models In Spain

Posted: 12 May 2010 08:47 AM PDT

Due to the quickly increasing worldwide fuel efficiency and emissions standards, hybrids appear to be the dominant car of the near-term future — with plug-in hybrids and full battery electric cars coming along over the next decade. While I personally don’t care for hybrids (they are a band-aid, not a panacea), automakers and consumers seem pretty gung-ho about them. Ford, GM, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai, and Subaru all are pursuing hybrids in one form or another.

Right now Ford has two hybrids for sale in the U.S., the Fusion and Escape. But over in Europe they have none. That will all change soon though, as Ford has announced plans to build their C-Max and Grand C-Max crossovers in Valencia, Spain, with a conventional gas version being imported to the U.S. But they will also build a hybrid, and plug-in hybrid version of the crossover to cater to Europe’s want of hybrid vehicles.

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Chevy Volt and Google, a Match Made In Heaven?

Posted: 12 May 2010 08:37 AM PDT

Ford has proven that consumers don’t just want a car anymore; they want a mobile computer capable of connecting with their various devices that so many of us have come to depend on every day. The partnership with Microsoft is so far paying off; Ford has sold over two million Sync-equipped cars to date. This year the system gets revamped into the advanced Ford MyTouch interface.

Seeing Ford’s success, Chevy seems ready for a computer partnership of its own. GM has had its OnStar system installed on many cars for years, and now it’s getting upgraded with mobile phone connectivity. This includes a potential partnership with Google to use its Android operating system to power the Chevy Volt. How cool is that!

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