New posts from Gas 2.0!

Stock Nissan Leaf Entered in Pikes Peak
Is Your City on Ford’s EV List?
Honda Civic Hybrid: 44 MPG, up to 68.7 MPG?
Where is the World’s Biggest EV Dealership? Hollywood, Naturally.

Posted: 26 Apr 2011 01:57 PM PDT

Electric cars are the next frontier in motorsports, from drag racing to the Dakar Rally. But while these vehicles are modified for racing, the Nissan Leaf entered into the 2011 Pikes Peak Rally is bone stock.

Pikes Peak is no stranger to electric vehicles, having made a specific class for EV's during last year's race, when Ikuo Hanawa set a new Pikes Peak EV record, taking 13 minutes and 17 seconds to complete the 12.4 mile Race to the Clouds. Hanawa will be there again this year, as will electric motorcycle racing pioneer Chip Yates.

They will be joined by Chad Hord, and off-road truck racing driver who certainly has the skill and wherewithal to compete. But can the 110 horsepower Leaf, with its road-going suspension and 90 mph top speed, really expect to compete with Hanawa's purpose-built EV Racing Concept? Even Yate’s EV motorcycle has almost twice as much horsepower as the dainty Leaf, as well as a purpose-built suspension for the rough terrain that comprises the race.

I'm also unsure if this is a publicity stunt by Nissan, or if Mr. Hord is an owner and fan of the Leaf. I would have loved to have seen the Nissan Leaf NISMO RC race car concept hitting Pikes Peak instead, but either way, I'm glad to see Nissans EV getting its hands dirty in the world of motorsports.

Source: Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.

Is Your City on Ford’s EV List?

Posted: 26 Apr 2011 09:48 AM PDT

With the release of the fully electric Ford Focus just around the corner, Ford has posted a map pin pointing cities across the country that the Ford company thinks are best suited for electric car ownership.

Most of Middle America and many other traditionally red states did not make the cut, while “blue” cities like Boston, New York, Seattle, and Denver got the thumbs up. According to Ford, one of the major deciding factors for the company to give approval to a city for electric car use was if that city had formed an Electric Vehicles (EV) advisory panel. Cities that had EV advisory panels were mainly in traditionally blue states across the nation. These electric car friendly cities have made it easier for their citizens to obtain home charging station permits as well as using urban planning techniques in the placing of public charging stations.

All of this planning and preparation for electric cars does mean that the government will interfere and be involved in the lives of their citizens a bit more in order to make wide spread use of electric vehicles a reality. Yet, this is where American society hits a brick wall. The issue of increased government involvement is such a hot button topic in this nation that it factors into a wide range of public policy issues– from taxes and women's rights all the way to the electric car.

The cities that Ford has highlighted as being electric car friendly are indeed all liberal voting cities, although some being liberal cities within conservative states such as Dallas, Texas. However, when one looks at national voting statistics most major metropolitan areas across the nation vote liberally. The reasons for this liberal voting trend in American cities is vast but some factors that play a role include a higher concentration of universities and colleges in the cities, think the city of Boston, as well as increased citizen concerns about the environment such as the air quality that these urban dwellers breath every day.

With gasoline prices reaching $4.00 a gallon the move to electric and alternative fueled vehicles must happen. While it is nice to see that Ford has given approval to electric car use to many cities across the nation, further study must be done in the more rural states. People in most cities across the United States have access to some type of public transportation, limiting the amount of time these people spend in their cars and lessening the pain at the pump. Where these high fuel costs are really hurting are in the rural areas where people have to drive in order to get to work or the grocery store. As it is, rural areas tend to vote conservatively and thus against government intervention, which seems counterintuitive. It will be interesting to see where the electric car debate leads, especially in rural America where high gas prices hurt most.

Image Source: Treehugger.com

Andrew Meggison was born in the state of Maine and educated in Massachusetts. Andrew earned a Bachelor's Degree in Government and International Relations from Clark University and a Master's Degree in Political Science from Northeastern University. Being an Eagle Scout, Andrew has a passion for all things environmental. In his free time Andrew enjoys writing, exploring the great outdoors, a good film, and a creative cocktail.

Honda Civic Hybrid: 44 MPG, up to 68.7 MPG?

Posted: 26 Apr 2011 08:30 AM PDT

Hello, Prius? Yeah, there's a new guy in the neighborhood, and he'd like to talk about fuel efficiency. His name is the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid, and he's got a 44/44/44 mpg rating. And he looks like a car.

While its not quite the 45 mpg rating we were promised, this 44 mpg rating on the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid is an impressive feat of engineering for a number of reasons, not the least of which was building a hybrid on one of the top selling vehicle platforms of all time. That could help the Civic Hybrid to attain the sales volume needed to make an impact on the dominant Prius sales. But as I've pointed out before, the MPG Gap is quickly closing between Toyota's hybrid and the rest of the crowd, and they're doing it in vehicles with more mass market appeal. The Civic Hybrid is 7 MPG behind in highway driving, but only 4 in the city, and I like that I could buy a Civic Hybrid, and most people wouldn't even notice the difference (on the outside at least.)

So how did Honda improve its hybrid system for that lovely 44 mpg rating? They gave the new Civic Hybrid lithium-ion batteries to start with, which were 30% smaller than the old nickel-hydride battery pack (that the Prius V gets stuck with here in the states.) They also gave the hybrid a slightly larger engine, from 1.3 to 1.5 liters, which provides more power using the same amount of fuel. The electric motors also had their output bumped up to 20 kW as well. All told, HybridCars was able to get 68.7 mpg on a 10-mile road course set up by Honda, the best mpg score of the day during a media preview earlier in April (where was my invite?? I coulda done better.)

Alas, the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid will have a starting cost of $24,050; throw in leather, satellite radio and navigation and you're talking closer to $27,000. Honda doesn't have too high of sales hopes for the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid at just around 1,300 units a month, but with the extra volume from other Civic sales they can continue to invest in fuel-saving technology that will eventually spread out across their whole lineup. Sure, some media outlets aren't happy with the lack of dynamic changes to the Civic's looks, but I really like the looks of the most recent Civics. It feels like a completely different class of car from the Civics of old, but it doesn't come across as trying to make a statement either. It's just a really, really, really efficient version of the Civic, and that tickles me just right.

Source: Honda | HybridCars

Where is the World’s Biggest EV Dealership? Hollywood, Naturally.

Posted: 26 Apr 2011 12:15 AM PDT

To feel like I was doing something truly special for Earth Day, I visited my good friend Harlan Flagg at his shop, Hollywood Electrics. Harlan sells a full range of electric motorcycles, bicycles, and scooters and repairs them too. If it’s on 2 wheels and runs an electric motor, it’s for sale at Hollywood Electrics. Even the $17,000 Roehr was recently sold through Hollywood Electrics.

In this first video, Harlan tells me how business is doing, and his thoughts on the current state of the electric motorcycle industry. What’s really worth noting is that he cites lack of financing as the biggest hurdle to electric motorcycle sales. Because both his shop and the brands he carries are relatively new, banks are wary about offering financing through either of them. However, some customers have obtained loans through their banks or credit unions. It’s a shame, because an electric motorcycle could be financed for close to the cost of keeping an ICE motorcycle gassed up for a month! But when customers are forced to scrounge up $10,000 cash, it becomes a luxury item few can afford, even in Hollywood.

Next, Harlan takes me on a tour around the shop and talks about some of the bikes, everything from a $499 moped to a “price upon request” vintage Yamaha electric bicycle made exclusively for Olympic cycling teams. Apparently the pace bike needs to be able to go up to 55mph to keep the Olympians on their toes. It’s much lighter than Yamaha’s hybrid concept from 2009. Shame that’s not in production yet…

The Low Rider is a Little Juicer

And finally, no visit to Hollywood Electrics is complete without a test ride. The Juicer chopper was too crazy to pass up. I’ve always hated choppers/cruisers (well, ever since I worked on Melrose Ave in the early 90′s), but of course this one was different. It was more like a low-rider bicycle the rad Cholos in East LA would ride. Yet still, I could not keep a straight face, and wouldn’t dare ride it in the street. Not with those crazy handlebars! But Juicer is a cool company, because they’re building works of art right here in Downtown LA, that also happen to be relatively viable transportation. And yes, the motor is loud. Not sure why, though. Loud watts save lives?

Greener Green Grass

Tuesday, April 26, 2011