Gas 2.0

Lotus Announces Evora S and Auto… Where is the Hybrid?
Video: Porsche 918 Spyder Plug-In Hybrid Supercar Out in the Wild
Maruti Suzuki Launches 5 Natural Gas Models
Is a 1,000 Pound, Four-Person Car Feasible?
Switzer e900 GTR Ethanol Powered Supercar: Driven

Lotus Announces Evora S and Auto… Where is the Hybrid?

Posted: 20 Aug 2010 09:45 AM PDT

When Lotus announced the 414E Hybrid version of the Evora sportscar this past February, the motoring world stood in awe. The car had innovative clean-burn technology built into its range-extending ICE/hybrid powertrain, 200 hp electric motors in each of the rear wheels, advanced torque-vectoring traction control, and arresting good looks that tastefully played up the cars electric pedigree.

A production model was announced.

Earlier this week, a leaked email from Lotus’ marketing staff revealed 2 new Evora models that would be announced at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. The 414E Hybrid Evora was not one of them.

Should we be worried that Lotus’ hybrid tech will go the way of Chrysler’s Lotus-based ENVI cars, or is Lotus just playing coy? More about what Lotus will (and won’t) be showing off to the Parisians this fall, after the jump.

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Video: Porsche 918 Spyder Plug-In Hybrid Supercar Out in the Wild

Posted: 20 Aug 2010 09:33 AM PDT

In the months since its debut at the Geneva Auto Show one thing has become clear: the Porsche 918 Spyder is perhaps the most jaw-dropping, beautiful and salivatingly-green piece of automotive artwork to ever grace the face of the earth. It represents a sliver of hope to even the most environmentally-hardened among us that the joy and thrill of driving will still be alive even after we run out of oil.

With a 0-60 time of around 3 seconds, a lithium-ion battery that can take the car 16 miles on battery power alone, a maximum fuel efficiency of about 78 mpg, and a combined 718 horsepower, this plug-in hybrid supercar seems to have it all. Thankfully, last month the Porsche board greenlighted the production of the 918 after receiving interest from more than 2,000 potential customers—even to the tune of a greater than $400,000 sticker price.

And now, in a video produced and released by Porsche, Michael Mauer, the company’s design chief, takes us on the 918’s first in-the-wild drive prior to the recent Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Montery, California.
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Maruti Suzuki Launches 5 Natural Gas Models

Posted: 20 Aug 2010 08:43 AM PDT

Struggling Japanese Automaker Suzuki hopes it will fare better in India than it has in the US. To help make sure it does, Suzuki introduced Indian press to a full line-up of clean-burning CNG vehicles earlier this week.

Read more about Suzuki’s new CNG cars, after the jump.

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Is a 1,000 Pound, Four-Person Car Feasible?

Posted: 20 Aug 2010 08:38 AM PDT

When the 1908 Ford Model T model debuted, it tipped the scales at around 1,450 pounds. That ain’t much, considering that there are only a handful of cars on the market that weigh 2,500 pounds or less. Cars have gotten heavier over the following century as a result of bigger engines, safety features, and changes in customer tastes. It’s a shame cars didn’t go in the other direction. The benefits of light cars are tremendous to both performance and fuel economy.

The 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Studio is asking the major automakers to come up with a four-person car that weighs less than 1,000 pounds, without sacrificing looks, comfort, or driving performance. Sounds like a tall order.

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Switzer e900 GTR Ethanol Powered Supercar: Driven

Posted: 20 Aug 2010 08:33 AM PDT

Full disclosure: I’ve spent the last 18 months working closely with Tym Switzer and his crew at Switzer Performance in a PR capacity. The car was announced in June—and now, the car is ready… and I’ve been asked to tell you about it.

Am I biased? Yes. Is there a conflict of interest here? Probably. Does it matter? Not a bit: with over 900 hp on tap, even the most jaded alt-fuel cynic would walk away from a ride in Switzer’s e900 GTR with wobbly knees and an empty bladder.

Pictures, videos, and you-have-GOT-to-be-kidding-me dyno graph, after the jump.

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