MINI E - click above for high-res image gallery BMW has gotten a lot of press (some bad ) for their MINI E project. Even though the all-electric car comes with a plug, the plug-in advocacy group Plug In America (PIA) has a problem with the way that the Bavarians might be able to get a lot of legislative good will without really putting EVs on the road for good. PIA released a statement (read it after the jump) that criticizes CARB’s loophole that could allow BMW to get as many Zero Emission Vehicle credits for the one-year lease of the electric cars as it would for a standard vehicle production program. PIA’s legislative director, Jay Friedland, said that, “CARB is allowing BMW to game the system by accruing the maximum number of ZEV credits with the least amount of effort.” Friedland said that lease-only programs are what led to the EV crush-fest in the 1990s, something that long-time PIA members still remember as a real slap in the face. PIA wants BMW to only get the credits if the MINI Es are also offered for sale. Another criticism of the lease program is that, according to CARB, when the June 30 deadline got closer and closer, BMW began: dumping dozens of cars into municipal fleets to be leased for only $10 a month, most recently pulling some of those vehicles from retail consumers who had been willing to pay full price and complied with the nearly 8-month process required to get one of the cars . Not long ago, we heard that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department got a good deal on some MINI Es . CARB’s response was to say that it will look at its regulations next year and that “we’ve urged BMW to consider extending that one-year lease.” Undoubtedly, there will be more to come on this. Gallery: MINI E [Source: PIA, Reuters ] Continue reading Plug In America criticizes CARB loophole that could help BMW with its MINI E Filed under: EV/Plug-in , BMW , Legislation and Policy Plug In America criticizes CARB loophole that could help BMW with its MINI E originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Tomberlin Anvil NEV - Click above for image gallery Tomberlin, a manufacturing and distribution company based in Georgia, recently unveiled the Anvil, its latest low-speed electric vehicle, on the CBS News Early Show. As a neighborhood electric vehicle, the Anvil is capped at a top speed of 25 miles per hour and is legal on roads in the U.S. with a speed limit of 35 mph or less. Base price for the Anvil will be $16K. Tomberlin is claiming a 40-mile range from the aptly named 1,797-pound (with six 12-volt batteries installed) Anvil, which reportedly features a powerful 50-horsepower motor, front disc and rear drum brakes and an on-board charger that can plug into any standard wall outlet. What probably sets the Anvil apart from most other NEVs is its interesting appearance. Looking something like a mashup between a Jeep Wranger, a Hummer H2 and a golf cart, the Anvil doesn’t really look like any other low-speed electric vehicle in recent memory - for better or for worse. Click past the break for two short videos of the Tomberlin Anvil in action. Gallery: Tomberlin Anvil [Source: Tomberlin , Dealernews ] Continue reading Tomberlin releases Anvil NEV [w/VIDEO] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle) Tomberlin releases Anvil NEV [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Hybrid transit buses using the GM-Allison Two-mode hybrid system are becoming fairly common in North America with several thousand now on the road. In the UK however, the two-mode buses are brand new, with the first four recently going into service in London. The two-mode hybrid transmissions are installed in Optare Tempo bus chassis that are being used as part of a hybrid test program in the British capitol. Several different hybrid systems are being evaluated by Transport for London. The two-mode hybrid is the basis of the system being used by General Motors in its full-size SUV and pickup trucks. The only difference (other than size) is that the light duty versions have a clutch system that provides up to four fixed gear ratios and direct mechanical drive for better highway efficiency. Since the buses typically operate at lower speeds, this isn’t needed. The buses use a 340 hp diesel engine and a nickel metal hydride battery pack. Gallery: London two-mode hybrid buses [Source: Allison] Continue reading Two-mode hybrid buses debut in the UK Filed under: Hybrid , UK Two-mode hybrid buses debut in the UK originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Dean Kamen’s Stirling-powered hybrid scooter patents - Click above for image gallery We’ve known about Dean Kamen’s work on the Stirling engine for hybrid vehicle use since the inventor introduced the DEKA Revolt late last year. According to some recently-filed patent applications, though, it would seem that Kamen has lots more up his sleeve for the good ‘ol Stirling engine, including a possible hybrid scooter. According to Gizmag , Kamen is thought to be using a prototype scooter featuring the Stirling hybrid powertrain at his personal residence on an island a mile off the coast of Connecticut . From the patent drawings, we can see a that the Stirling engine is mounted at the rear of the bike while a rechargeable battery pack for the electric motor sits under the scooter’s floor. According to the report, Kamen has invested some $50 million into the development of the Stirling engine, though it’s unclear whether there are any possible production plans for this particular hybrid scooter. Gallery: Stirling-powered hybrid scooter patents [Source: Gizmag ] Filed under: Emerging Technologies , Hybrid , On Two Wheels , Green Daily Dean Kamen working on hybrid scooter with Stirling engine originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Kangoo be bop Z.E. - Click above for high-res image gallery If you count yourself as a fan of the shortened Kangoo that will become the be bod Z.E., Renault’s first widely available electric vehicle, this post is for you. On the other side of the jump you’ll find three videos that show the car in motion, the interior and undergoing the recharging process. That last video shows the three options that owners of the Renault EV will be able to choose from to recharge their batteries: a regular slow charge at home (takes 6 hours), fast charging (30 minutes) or battery swap (3 minutes). The swapping video is quite similar to what Better Place showed us in this video . Gallery: Renault Kangoo be bop Z.E. [Source: Renault via YouTube] Continue reading Renault shows off the Kangoo Be Bop Z. E. in three new videos Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Renault , Europe/EU Renault shows off the Kangoo Be Bop Z. E. in three new videos originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Honda and everyone else may not think there is much of a market for mainstream diesel vehicles in the United States, but Volkswagen would beg to differ. Since it launched its new generation diesels last fall in the Jetta and earlier this year in the Touareg, they have been selling like hotcakes with June being its best month yet. Last month was the best sales month to date for the Sportwagen with 1,982 sales, a whopping 81 percent of those were equipped with the 2.0-liter TDI four cylinder. Among the 8,431 Jetta sedans sold in June, 40 percent were also diesel powered. And while the Touareg followed most other SUVs with a 41 percent overall decline to only 330 units in June, 29 percent of those had the 3.0-liter V6 TDI engine. Rabbit sales were down 69 percent in June, but a redesigned Golf is arriving in September including a TDI and, if fuel prices keep climbing through the summer, it could get a huge sales spike as well. Gallery: In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI [Source: Volkswagen] Continue reading Diesels grab 81% of Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen sales in June Filed under: Diesel , Volkswagen Diesels grab 81% of Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen sales in June originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Peapod - click above for high-res image gallery The amount of money that the U.S. federal government poured into corn ethanol is legendary. Today, we’re left with a floundering ethanol economy and a few happy corn farmers but not an abundance of the biofuel powering the nation’s cars. A columnist for the Washington Examiner thinks that we’re headed down a similar path with plug-in vehicles. This time, though, “the feds may foster addiction to a fuel concentrated in a socialist-run South American country.” Those are the words of Timothy Carney, who writes that the government’s rush to EVs is troubling because all those electric cars will need a bunch of lithium - some of which might come from Bolivia - to move them (Editorially, the controversial Examiner is right-learning, so the scary s-word in Carney’s piece shouldn’t be too surprising). Carney names some of the lithium lobbyists who worked hard in D.C. to promote plug-in vehicles to Congress. He writes that, “If the electric car lobby succeeds, brace for another harsh lesson in unintended consequences.” Carney also brings up the long tailpipe. While Carney is right that the GAO did warn against all of the coal that could be used to power the EVs of the future, he forgot to mention the GAO’s finding that “Research we reviewed indicated that plug-ins could shift air pollutant emissions away from population centers even if there was no change in the fuel used to generate electricity.” Gallery: GEMs Peapod [Source: Washington Examiner ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Legislation and Policy , USA Columnist: Plug-in cars are the new ethanol-style boondoggle originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

T3 Motion CT3 - Click above to enlarge T3 Motion , creators of the Segway-esque non-balancing T3 Series Electric Stand-up Vehicle for police and security use, has just issued a press release detailing its plans to launch a new three-wheeled electric vehicle called the CT3. The new vehicle is the first machine from T3 that was specifically designed for personal commuter use and is based on the company’s CT low-speed electric four-wheeled vehicle. Using a three-wheeled design should allow T3 Motion to classify the CT3 as a motorcycle in most states, which means it won’t necessarily need to be restricted to low-speed use as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle , though the machine will be capped at a 45 mph top speed regardless. All three of the CT3’s wheels are powered by electric motors that get their electrons from T3’s proprietary Power Management System and lithium polymer batteries. At this time, the vehicle exists only in rendered form (pay close attention to the wheels and tires in the above image), but T3 plans to enter a special CT-S version of the machine in the Auto X Prize that will reportedly be capable of 80 miles per hour and an equivalent mpg rating of over 100 miles per gallon. Click past the break for the official press release. Thanks for the tip, Deepa ! [Source: T3 Motion via Green Launches ] Continue reading T3 Motion introduces three-wheeled CT3 personal commuter, plans to enter Auto X Prize Filed under: EV/Plug-in , On Two Wheels , Automotive X-Prize , USA T3 Motion introduces three-wheeled CT3 personal commuter, plans to enter Auto X Prize originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Iceland is a gorgeous place. Just take a look at these Flickr submissions from the island. The country’s finances aren’t quite so pretty these days, and the reality of the financial crisis is dramatically slowing down the country’s attempted shift to a hydrogen economy . Iceland has been testing hydrogen-powered vehicles for years, and the first hydrogen fueling station opened there in late 2007. One reason for the move to hydrogen is that the island country can fairly easily use geothermal energy to make hydrogen from water. The New York Times says that the shift to get all ground transportation vehicles and some boats to hydrogen power “have been set back at least 10 years and may have to be altered to allow for electric cars.” The problem? The cost of fuel cells and the down world economy. A professor of chemistry at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik told the Times : In the past years, teams from all the big car manufacturing companies visited us and said they intended to market fuel cell-powered hydrogen cars shortly after 2010. Of course, because of the current world crisis, there will be a delay . Those of you rooting for electric vehicles to win out over H 2 , don’t forget that the Mitsubishi iMiEV is currently undergoing testing in Iceland . Of course, a busted economy can sink all ships, so don’t enjoy the schadenfreude too much. [Source: New York Times ] Photo by Neate Photos . Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0 . Filed under: Hydrogen , Europe/EU Financial crisis delays Iceland’s hydrogen transportation project originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Toyota FT-EV concept - Click above for high-res image gallery It’s not terribly surprising that Toyota - the automaker often credited for creating the first modern mainstream hybrid automobile - would seek to continue establishing its marketplace dominance in hybrid automobiles. The Prius alone has sold well over a million units since its inception in 1997 and is undoubtedly the vehicle that defines the eco-friendly automobile market. With that in mind, don’t expect the Japanese automaker to make any wholesale changes to its plans for world hybrid domination in favor of electric cars or diesels. Toyota spokesman Curt McAllister said: One of the obstacles of the diesel is the aged perception that the diesel is smoky and stinky. It’s hard to change the mind-set of consumers. Hybrid technology has such a clean halo to it . In a separate interview, incoming President Akio Toyoda added: Electric cars’ battery life is limited, and that has not been solved. We would like to utilize our hybrid technology because we have accumulated quite a bit of knowledge about battery usage for hybrid cars. Depending on how electric cars are used or how they are found to be valuable, for the time being Toyota would like to focus on hybrid technology . Gallery: 2009 Toyota FT-EV Concept [Sources: AutoWeek , GM-Volt.com ] Filed under: Diesel , EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Toyota Toyota will continue focusing on “clean halo” hybrids, not EVs or diesels originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments