Gas 2.0

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• Ford Flexes Hybrid Muscles: Lincoln MKZ Hybrid to Cost the Same as Gas Version
• Toyota Planning 20% Production Reduction As Hybrid Subsidies Subside
• Toyota, Ford Settle On Hybrid Patent Infringement Suit
• Interesting Concept: an Electric Scooter With a Solar Shell
• Porsche Hybrid GT3 R To Run In American Le Mans Finale

Ford Flexes Hybrid Muscles: Lincoln MKZ Hybrid to Cost the Same as Gas Version Posted: 22 Jul 2010 01:33 PM PDT Given the major shift in consumer attitude towards fuel economy over the last few years, and the fact that auto makers’ fleets will now have to average 35.5 mpg by 2016 due to new regulations, it isn’t surprising that a car company would want to introduce more and more competitive, high mileage vehicles. But there’s a difference between simply adding more of those vehicles to your fleet, and adding them in a way that makes it almost lunacy to not buy them—which is exactly what Ford has gone and done with their 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. Built to compete with the likes of other high end luxury brands such as Lexus, not only does the base model MKZ Hybrid come in at about $350 less than the Lexus HS 250h—which is a smaller,  less well-appointed, and, arguably, uglier car—as Ford announced today, the base MKZ Hybrid will also compete directly with its non-hybrid cousin because, at $35,180, it will cost exactly the same as the base V6 MKZ. (more…)

Toyota Planning 20% Production Reduction As Hybrid Subsidies Subside Posted: 22 Jul 2010 12:53 PM PDT Hybrid cars are selling like hot cakes in America, Europe, and Japan, thanks in large part to generous government subsidies and tax cuts. That is why there are so many Toyota Prius’ on the road today (though the tax breaks for those cars have long since expired in America). While demand seems to have kept up here in America, in Japan Toyota is expecting a different story. Reports indicate that Toyota may be getting ready to stunt production by as much as 20%, or  to less than 12,000 cars per day, as generous Japanese eco-car subsidies come to an end. (more…)

Toyota, Ford Settle On Hybrid Patent Infringement Suit Posted: 22 Jul 2010 10:12 AM PDT It is no secret that Toyota dominates the hybrid industry, all on the back of a single model: the Prius. Toyota has come to dominate this field so much that many other companies, including Ford, have decided to license Toyota’s technology for their own hybrids. But was it Toyota’s technology to license in the first place? That was the gist of a lawsuit field by an ex-Soviet engineer six years ago, which finally came to a conclusion recently The result is kinda murky. Alex Severinsky will net $98 from the sale of every new Toyota hybrid vehicle, while Toyota gets to claim that its hybrid technology was developed parallel to Severinsky’s but was not stolen from him. Law is weird. (more…)

Interesting Concept: an Electric Scooter With a Solar Shell Posted: 22 Jul 2010 10:05 AM PDT I’m not much of a fan of scooters. I prefer vehicles to have four wheels rather than too, and scooters always struck me as kinda geeky. Anybody who knows me knows I am geeky enough without having to broadcast it to the world. Scooters aren’t all that popular in America, but all over the world they serve as the primary form of transportation for literally hundreds of millions of people. Getting a cheap electric scooter to the masses would take a big chunk out of carbon emissions. While such a scooter is still far away, there are a lot of good ideas out there that may one day be viable. Take this sleek, black electric scooter with a solar shell that doubles as a cover. It might be the most badass-looking scooter ever conceived. (more…)

Porsche Hybrid GT3 R To Run In American Le Mans Finale Posted: 22 Jul 2010 10:02 AM PDT It is no secret that I get excited about auto racing. One of my favorite racing series is the American Le Mans (ALMS), which pits many factory-based cars against each other on some of the best tracks in the country. This weekend the race is coming to my home state of Connecticut (yes, I will be there), and it gets double points for being a race series with some exceptional green credibility. From using synthetic oil made from animal fat to encouraging racers to explore and use alternative fuels, the ALMS is influencing the way a lot of other race series look at alternatives to petrol power. Porsche, who earlier this year unveiled a flywheel-hybrid 911 GT3 R, announced today that that car will run in the last race of the ALMS series. Are they planning on tackling the whole series next season? (more…)

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