At September’s Frankfurt Auto Show, Audi showed the e-tron, a high-performance sports car with a purely electric drive system. This is a true four wheel drive car with four motors, one for each wheel (what Audi calls a “true quattro”). They claim 0-60 mph times of 4.8 seconds and 35-75…
The times they are a changing, and the “web 2.0” age includes a different approach to marketing. Hence it should not be a surprise that Nissan is using avenues like YouTube and Twitter in marketing the LEAF vehicle. See “Some Nissan LEAF questions answered” for earlier coverage of how Nissan…
The TTXGP has announced an agreement with the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) for “terms and contracts to deliver the worlds first zero carbon national championship”. It will be a series of four races with two classes of zero carbon motorcycles (principally electric). The TTXGP launched in 2008 with a vision of…
Port facilities today have a flurry of trucks involved with unloading containers from ships and driving them a short distance for delivery. Diesel exhaust in and around marine ports is an important public health issue and air quality concern. The U.S. EPA has designated diesel exhaust as a likely human…
Fisker is getting ready to begin selling a high end luxury plug-in hybrid car, the Fisker Karma, whose price clearly aims at the richer-than-god crowd. The Karma is a plug-in hybrid vehicle with a 50 mile battery-only range, after which the gas engine kicks in to provide power. It is…
What’s a green conscious person to do for transportation after traveling to a distant city? Do they forego their green lifestyle and simply rent a car? Or do they look for alternative ways of getting around their destination? Bicycles are a very green form of transportation and while it’s possible…
Vectrix Corporation announced September 28, 2009 that it entered into an asset purchase agreement to sell most of its assets to New Vectrix LLC (“New Vectrix”), a Delaware limited liability company sponsored by GH Venture Partners LLC. They have also filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. These moves were expected from…
Not everything you could do in Las Vegas has to stay in Vegas. While at the surface Las Vegas looks to be very car oriented there are many ways to get around which doesn’t involve the driving a car. It’s possible to arrive in Las Vegas and not touch a…
The history of gasoline use has shown us something. A fuel is more useful when there is an installed infrastructure allowing you to easily refuel your vehicle. Easily refueling your vehicle lets you drive further simply by stopping to refuel. The ubiquity of gasoline refueling infrastructure is so well installed…
Several reports the last few days have focused on gasoline price as the primary determiner of whether electric vehicles will be successful this time around. One source of this comes from a recent webchat posted on GM’s Fastlane blog: Bob Lutz: The Volt technology is very exciting, but costs will…
Earlier this month at the company’s TurningPoint Ethanol Demonstration Plant they confirmed the second of the two new technologies that Fulcrum will use for the large-scale production of transportation fuel from garbage that would otherwise be landfilled. The company is developing technology that would convert garbage into fuel, and along…
Are you ready for the electric vehicles which will soon be commonplace? Maybe you’re only vaguely aware they are coming, but government leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area are very aware of this and are working with a broad ranging public-private partnership to get ready. This week on Sept…
House Bill 1331 (HB 1331), “Incentives for Efficient Motor Vehicles”, created financial incentives to help consumers purchase efficient motor vehicles. The bill extends tax credits to consumers who purchase or convert vehicles that use “cutting edge” technology and petroleum reduction technology, including plug-in hybrid electric conversion technology. Yes, you read…
This week at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Renault unveiled a wide vision for electric vehicles being sold not just through Renault but also their partner, Nissan. According to the International Energy Agency, by 2050 CO2 emissions will have more than doubled. In 2010, there will be one billion cars on…
In 2007 Congress enacted legislation approving up to $25 billion in loans to establish an incentive program of grants and direct loans to support the development of advanced technology vehicles and associated components in the United States. Today the Wall Street Journal is reporting on a debate over whether Aptera…
