BMW is developing a complex powertrain that blends fuel cell and hybrid technology, allowing a car be carbon neutral in urban traffic. The system works by having a conventional gasoline engine powering the front wheels, while a small fuel cell sends power via capacitors in the transmission tunnel to an electric motor positioned at the rear axle....
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While most of the popular aftermarket manufacturers in Japan are welcoming the hybrid craze with open arms, Spoon Sports has been quiet as of late. This can mostly be attributed to the fact that Spoon focuses and specializes with the Honda platform, and quite honestly, Honda hasn’t had an attractive enough hybrid platform in the...
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Honda is hoping to build a following with its line of Modulo parts in Japan, in a bid to replicate the the success that Mugen has had. On display at the Tokyo Auto Salon, Honda showcased three different Modulo-equipped versions of its Insight hybrid. First up is a mostly stock looking Touring Modulo Insight, featuring...
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Not to be left behind with all the other Japanese aftermarket manufacturers that have taken to the trend of modifying hybrid/green cars, Tommy Kaira not only impressed with its GT-R at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon, but with its Prius and Insight offerings too. Earlier this month both vehicles were released to the public and...
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Seen at the booth of wheel manufacturer RAYS Engineering at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon was a nicely tuned Prius by ASI. Called the ASI Green Prius, this car is part of a new line of ASI tuning kits aimed at hybrid models. Currently it also includes a kit for the Honda Insight. Sporting a...
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OnStar has produced a new smartphone application providing Chevrolet Volt owners 24/7 connection to their cars. Compatible with Apple’s iPhone, RIM’s Blackberry Storm and Motorola’s Droid smartphones, the app provides real-time data connection and control over vehicle functions such as programming charge times. The OnStar Mobile Application retrieves information from the Volt such as battery...
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When it comes to hybrid and eco-friendly technology, it looks like blue is the new green. Both Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz have chosen the color blue to represent their environmentally friendly vehicles with their respective Blue Drive and Blue Efficiency brands. Hyundai’s latest hybrid concept, the Blue-Will, is a look into the future of eco-friendly vehicles....
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Last week Lexus teased us with a back shot of its upcoming hybrid hatchback and now we finally get a glimpse of what this new model will look like from the front. Called the LF-Ch Concept for now it is expected to be called the CT200h when it finally makes its way to production in...
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According to a rather detailed post on BMW 1 Series forum 1addicts, BMW is aiming to significantly expand the future 1 Series lineup as a part of the company’s Efficient Dynamics approach. Using a new versatile modular architecture, BMW will be able to build 12 and possibly even 13 different vehicles based on the new...
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In 2007 Volvo partnered with Swedish energy company Vattenfall to examine ways to work together and now the duo has agreed to develop a plug-in diesel hybrid for production by 2012. This summer Volvo will unveil three initial test vehicles based on the V70 wagon. “We are investing in an industrial joint venture to series-produce...
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Just days after President Obama proposed new legislation that would see fleet fuel-economy standards rise considerably in the U.S., Subaru has said it will explore the possibility of bringing a hybrid to market in order to reduce its fleet average. Ikuo Mori, the CEO of Subaru’s parent company Fuji Heavy Industries told a group of...
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Honda is hoping to recreate some of the success of it’s Accord commercial a few years back with a new innovative commercial to introduce the world to its new Insight Hybrid. Called “Let it Shine” the ad runs to the tune of “This Little Light of Mine” by Berend Dubbe and is directed by Erik...
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Amidst all the excitement about the new Toyota Prius at the North American International Auto Show, no one at Toyota mentioned (and no one else seemed to notice) that for 2010 the Camry will receive all sorts of updates. The most significant change is the use of a slightly larger 4-cylinder engine – 2.5-liters, up...
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Honda may have beat Toyota to the hybrid game, but Toyota has certainly been beating Toyota AT it. It is for that reason that Honda has created a stand-alone hybrid model, the Insight. Unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show without fanfare – or even without a press conference, two different Insight models sat in the...
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Chinese atuo manufacturer Beyond Your Dreams (BYD) announced at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit that is it currently working on developing a pure electric vehicle that will offer impressive range. The announcement was made following news that BYD has developed a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid which is already on the road...
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After a press conference the day before where every new, exciting and award winning GM vehicle was paraded before the media, the General’s second North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) press conference featured a sparse stage populated only by the upcoming Checy Volt and GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner. Wagoner announced that the battery...
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Chinese battery company and auto manufacturer Build Your Dreams (BYD) announced at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit that it is already selling its F3DM compact plug-in hybrid and F6DM family-sedan plug-in hybrid in China and has plans to do so in the near future in the United States. The manufacturer recently...
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With 700,000 Toyota Prius models currently on the road in the United States, Toyota today launched the third generation of the car that started it all. The 2010 Prius will get better fuel economy and more power. Incredibly, Toyota has raised the mpg rating from 46 mpg in the current model to 50 mpg in...
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The boys at Lexus sure must be good at keeping secrets because there wasn’t even a rumor about an all new model from Toyota’s luxury brand. Lexus unveiled to the press a dedicated hybrid vehicle the HS250h – an entry level luxury hybrid that the company says will get better city fuel milage than the...
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In an interview with the Financial Times, Lotus CEO Michael Kimberly said that Lotus is working on a Hybrid and that the vehicle could be ready as early as March. And March just so happens to be when the Geneva Auto Show is… and Lotus never passes up an opportunity to unveil something in Geneva....
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After unveiling the luxury plug-in hybrid Karma Concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit last year, Fisker is set to show another concept as well as the production version of the Karma. The production Karma S, has been developed with Quantum Technologies and boasts a plug-in Hybrid system that allows drivers...
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Honda already makes a Civic Hybrid, but Toyota has a stranglehold on the Hybrid market do to the clever idea of building the Prius as a standalone platform. Named the “greenest automaker” by the Union of Concerned Scientists in 2007 for the fourth straight year, Honda is eager to make sure the world sees it...
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For 2009, Chrysler has announced it will offer it’s first production Hybrids, the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen Hemi Hybrids. As the name would suggest, both are powered by environmentally-friendly gasoline-electric hybrid engines. Ironically, however, the gasoline engine is a 385hp 5.7-liter V-8. 40 PERCENT BETTER FUEL ECONOMY IN THE CITY Chrysler doesn’t seem to...
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Unveiled at the LA Auto Show, some 25 years after the Swedish company first brought the world a Saab Convertible, the 9-X Air Concept will likely drive the design direction of future 9-3 models. The convertible roof is a new innovation from Saab and slides away flat into the trunk and under the rear tonneau...
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