smart ed - Click above for high res image gallery Mitsubishi and Subaru were the first to start production, but the list of major automakers that are going electric is growing. As rumored , the Daimler is adding its name to the list with an announcement today that the smart ed “is ready for small series production.” Apparently, the trials that have been going on in the UK since December 2007 have proven successful and the company is ready to re-commit to putting the smart ed into production with lithium-ion batteries. Details on how many smart ed’s will be produced and when the first deliveries will take place were not given, other than the UK will get some production cars “in early 2010.” During the Detroit Auto Show, smart said that the cars would be available by the end of this year. Next year should also see 1,000 smart eds start testing in the U.S. More details available after the jump. Gallery: smart ed [Source: smart] Continue reading smart gives electric drive version the green light Filed under: EV/Plug-in , SMART , UK smart gives electric drive version the green light originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

smart ed - Click above for high res image gallery Mitsubishi and Subaru were the first to start production, but the list of major automakers that are going electric is growing. As rumored , the Daimler is adding its name to the list with an announcement today that the smart ed “is ready for small series production.” Apparently, the trials that have been going on in the UK since December 2007 have proven successful and the company is ready to re-commit to putting the smart ed into production with lithium-ion batteries. Details on how many smart ed’s will be produced and when the first deliveries will take place were not given, other than the UK will get some production cars “in early 2010.” During the Detroit Auto Show, smart said that the cars would be available by the end of this year. Next year should also see 1,000 smart eds start testing in the U.S. More details available after the jump. Gallery: smart ed [Source: smart] Continue reading smart gives electric drive version the green light Filed under: EV/Plug-in , SMART , UK smart gives electric drive version the green light originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Brabus smart ed - Click above for high-res image gallery Earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show , European tuning company Brabus showed off a modified version of the smart fortwo ED . At the time, Daimler claimed that the electric vehicle came equipped with “fine natural materials [that] demonstrate harmony with the environment,” whatever that means. Naturally, the concept was painted up in an interesting shade of green inside and out to denote its eco-friendliness. Now that a bit more time has passed since its unveiling, details are beginning to leak out about what else the Brabus smart ED is equipped with. For instance, there’s an exhaust note generator that features multiple engine notes to choose from. Feeling the need to sound like a big block V8? No problem. How ’bout the sewing machine pitter-patter of the standard fortwo? Just flip the switch and the front-mounted loud speaker is at your command. As far as we can tell, there aren’t any real changes made to the standard smart ED’s drivetrain, which means the Brabus should sport a top speed of 60 miles per hour and a range of 70 miles, though an extra dollop of sportiness ought to be dished out via revised suspension settings and slightly meatier five-spoke alloy rims. Gallery: Brabus smart ed [Source: Inside Line ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , SMART Sound the alarm: Brabus smart ed features built-in exhaust note generator originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Madrid City Hall, Spain, has decided to go big for electric cars and install EV recharging points at all public parking facilities in the city. This means that the city’s 36 parking installations will have up to 58 recharging points where EVs can be charged for free. What’s more, City Hall has announced that all new parking lots will include these charging stations and the system will also be brought to municipal facilities that are used by residents. This isn’t the last EV step for Madrid: City Hall said there is a soon-to-be-signed agreement with the Spanish Ministry of Industry to promote the use of electric cars even further. Details when they’re available. [Source: Europa Press ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Legislation and Policy , Europe/EU Madrid installing EV recharging points at all public parking facilities originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Hyundai Avante LPI Hybrid - Click for high-res image gallery Hyundai’s Avante LPI Hybrid has been a long time coming. First discussed back in 2007 , the company is finally ready to take pre-orders for the LPG-electric hybrid in Korea . According to the Korea Herald, interested buyers can raise their hand for an Avante LPI Hybrid as of today, but the exact price that they’ll be paying won’t be announced until the sometime before the vehicles July 8 launch date. Like it’s Kia sibling, the Forte Hybrid , the Avante LPI Hybrid can burn liquefied petroleum gas (propane). The Avante uses a 1.6 liter engine alongside the lithium polymer batteries and features regenerative braking, stop/start and the ability to travel solely on electric power. Hyundai says that the hybrid gets fuel economy of 42 mpg (U.S.), and that this is equivalent 52 mpg (U.S.) in a gasoline-powered vehicle. Solid. [Source: Korea Herald ] Filed under: Hybrid , Hyundai , Asia Hyundai starts accepting orders for Avante LPI Hybrid in Korea originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Hummer HX Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery Despite what could be construed as opposition by the Chinese government towards Tengzhong’s bid to purchase the HUMMER division from General Motors, the company is still working towards finalizing the sale by October of this year and on future environmentally-friendly models. According to Yang Yi, the firm’s general manager: We want to make a green HUMMER. We think the Hummer has huge potential in emerging markets. Tengzhong and HUMMER are very aware of the government’s fuel-efficiency requirements. HUMMER has already achieved substantial progress in this area . Last year, GM’s SUV-centric brand showed off a concept for a downsized HUMMER called the HX , which would likely be known as the H4 if it were ever to enter into production. Jim Taylor, currently head of HUMMER’s operations and likely to stay on after the brand’s sale to Tengzhong, has previously stated that the brand is investigating biofuels, hybrids and fully electric machines. Gallery: Detroit 2008: HUMMER HX Concept [Source: Autocar ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Flex-Fuel , HUMMER , China Confirmed: HUMMER buyer plans new green model originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Dodge Circuit EV - Click above for high-res image gallery Austrian powertrain engineering firm AVL has a new research and development facility in California dedicated to alternative fuels. AVL conducts both engineering and research work for its automaker clients as well as building test equipment for use in clients facilities. The new facility, located in Lake Forest, is focusing on working with automakers and suppliers to help with system integration of electric and hybrid drive systems. Integrating and calibrating electronics, batteries, electrical and mechanical hardware is the most time consuming aspect of developing these new vehicles. AVL’s new test bed allows all of these subsystems to be pulled together in a vehicle and evaluated in a controlled environment. The Lake Forest lab was already working with Chrysler on its ENVI electric drive program, which is behind vehicles like the Dodge Circuit EV, before fully opening. [Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid AVL launches hybrid powertrain engineering center in California originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

2009 Ford Fiesta - Click for high-res image gallery The new Ford Fiesta is now being offered with a factory-installed LPG option in Europe. This is the fourth Ford model that uses this technology and allows the car to run both with unleaded gasoline and LPG, similar to the new Golf Plus Bi-Fuel . The base model Fiesta uses a 1.4-liter gasoline engine. In the conversion, the spare tire is replaced with an additional 42-liter tank for the LPG. This model has an engine output of 92hp. Since the gasoline tank is left untouched, the Fiesta LPG has a total range of 1,200 km when burning the both fuels. Prices start at €15,490, which already includes the €1,990 conversion cost. The conversions are performed at the Ford’s brand new facilities . Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta [Source: Auto-News ] Filed under: Ford , Europe/EU , Germany Ford to offer factory-converted LPG Fiesta in Europe originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

With Congress on the verge of passing some kind of cash for clunkers legislation, it’s time to take a look at what cars are worth trading in for the scrappage credit and what to sell by other means. The good folks at Consumer Reports have come to the rescue. Obviously a car that has a retail value greater than the corresponding rebate is not worth trading in unless you just can’t be bothered to stick a For Sale sign in the window. The CR staff has examined the prices and concluded that pre-1993-94 Cadillac deVilles, Eldorados and Sevilles are all solid candidates. One surprise car on the list is the 2001 Lincoln LS V8. The LS was a well-regarded if blandly styled sedan in its time. Those looking for a good handling rear drive sedan alternative to a BMW 5-series might want to consider one of these at a bargain basement price. The truck list is quite a bit longer than the car list, including such winners as the pre-1996 Ford Aerostar and Isuzu Rodeo. Having driven the Rodeo in the distant past, it would be highly recommended to scrap all of them regardless of age and retail value. Check out the whole list at CR. Thanks to Richard for the tip! [Source: Consumer Reports ] Filed under: MPG , Legislation and Policy Consumer Reports suggests clunkers to cash in on originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

We’ve seen the concept for roadways that generate power through either electricity or hydraulics , but it turns out there’s actually at least one pace in the world where something similar is already happening. At the Sainsbury’s supermarket in Gloucester, UK, a series of plates are mounted so that cars drive over them, pushing them downward and creating a rocking motion that’s harnessed and used to turn a series of generators. Apparently, the 30kWh of power generated from the market’s parking lot is sufficient to power the store’s checkouts. Assuming that these energy-generating plates aren’t set up in a way that impedes the vehicles or requires additional fuel to pass over, this could potentially be an excellent way to control speed and generate electricity. Other eco-friendly practices used by this supermarket include the harvesting of rain water to flush toilets, floor-to-ceiling windows for natural light and solar-powered hot water heaters. [Source: Daily Mail via Engadget ] Filed under: Emerging Technologies , Green Daily , UK Sainsbury’s supermarket in Gloucester, UK generates electricity from parking lot originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments