European Fiat advertising campaign - Click above for high-res image gallery We’ve some pretty cool advertising in our time, but the new European marketing campaign from Fiat is surely one of the more memorable efforts from an automaker in recent years. In an effort to underscore the safety of its diminutive 500, both to its occupants and the animals we share our planet with, the Italian automaker has unleashed a new series of images depicting the little hatchback in various crash test scenarios. The interesting part comes from the car’s occupants, which includes a panda bear, a walrus (goo goo g’joob) and a couple of penguins. Equally as clever is the tagline, “Engineered for a lower impact on the environment,” after which the ad reminds the viewer that Fiat - with an average of just 133.7 grams per kilometer - is the brand with the lowest carbon emissions in all of Europe. Gallery: European Fiat advertising campaign [Source: Fubiz.net via Jalopnik ] Filed under: Green Culture , Fiat , Green Daily , Europe/EU PETA Alert: Fiat underscores eco-friendliness using unique advertising campaign originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

2009 BYD F3DM - Click above for high-res image gallery The BYD F3DM plug-in hybrid, made in China, might be headed south. The Environment Bureau of Hong Kong has purchased two BYD F3DM hybrid cars for testing purposes. The bureau will work together with the equivalent agency in Shenzhen, the nearby city where the car is built, to certify the use and the green credentials of the vehicle, preparing the car for sale in Hong Kong. BYD’s reasoning is simple: a car validated by the Hong Kong agency will offer purchasers a more objective assesment of the car’s real-life performances and will surely increase the vehicle’s reputation. This is something BYD could use after the lackluster sales of the model in China. Hong Kong, for its part, will get cleaner cars that can be used in one of the most crowded cities in the world. Gallery: 2009 BYD F3DM plug-in hybrid Gallery: Detroit 2009: BYD F6DM and F3DM [Source: Gasgoo ] Filed under: Hybrid , China , BYD BYD preparing to sell F3DM plug-in hybrid in Hong Kong originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Here’s an interesting concept: too many electric cars. While even the most optimistic EV proponents don’t see electric cars making a huge dent in the number of traditional ICE vehicles any time soon, a powertrain analyst for J.D. Power and Associates, thinks that there soon (within the next decade) might be a “glut” of plug-in cars. Go figure. Actually, here’s how analyst Mike Omotoso’s figuring goes: right now, governments and greenies are the driving force behind electric cars. WIth the high cost of the plug-ins and the low cost of gas, there just won’t be enough customer demand for EVs once the initial rush (and the first wave of subsidies) is over. In this (potential) environment, which electric companies have the Right Stuff to survive? Jay Yaron, over at Business Insider thinks that Nissan, Toyota, Tesla, GM and Coda (yes, brand new Coda ) are the ones to watch. Your thoughts? [Source: Reuters , Business Insider ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Green Daily Electric vehicle “glut” might be coming, so watch these five companies originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Fisker Karma The last time we heard about the goings on at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers it was as part of Fisker’s 85 million VC funding announcement . Kleiner Perkins is saying it has more money to put into the electric-drive vehicle field, though, as Greentech Media notes, the next pile of cash is intended for a company with cars at “the other end of the spectrum” from Fisker and would be low-price, high-volume automaker. Who might that be? Greentech speculates that the options include Reva , Bright Automotive , Miles EV and BYD (click on each company name for more info). Business Insider dismisses all the companie except for Miles, but adds, “we’d be surprised if they were the lucky recipients.” Still, Miles is unveiling a new highway-speed electric car next week and has promised to name a “new strategic partner” at that time, so that bit of timing could work out well. All that a Kleiner rep will say is that, “It’s a car company.” Now, doesn’t that just invite guesses? [Source: Greentech Media , Business Insider ] Filed under: Etc. , EV/Plug-in Which electric car comany is Kleiner Perkins betting millions on next? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 29 May 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

The bubble of anonymity surrounding BYD outside of its home in China might be about to burst. Last week, we learned that Volkswagen had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese automaker (first hinted at a month ago ) to work together “in the area of electric mobility.” Turns out that Ford and an as-yet-unnamed European automaker are also pursuing “similar arrangements” with BYD. Warren Buffet must be smiling , since BYD’s stock price has more than doubled this year, according to Auto Observer . Now, who might the unnamed automaker be? There aren’t any obvious choices. Daimler just announced a partnership with Tesla , but did say that Tesla would not be its only electric vehicle partner. BMW uses AC Propulsion packs in the MINI E . Opel (GM) is using batteries from South Korean company LG Chem for the Chevy Volt (and Ampera). Renault (and Nissan) seem to be all set with their various partnerships and Better Place. Fiat? Citroën? Gallery: Detroit 2009: BYD F6DM and F3DM [Source: Auto Observer via All Cars Electric ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Ford , China , BYD BYD looking for more partnerships with Ford, unnamed European automaker? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 28 May 2009 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Tezzari Zero - Click above for a high-res image gallery Interested in the chance to purchase the very first Tazzari ZERO sold in America? Good news then, you’re free to bid on it on eBay. In addition to the actual electric car itself, included in the winning bid will also be a plane ticket for you and the guest(s) of your choice to New York City for a special event where you’ll be handed the keys to your new ZERO by IndyCar racer Nelson Phillippe. At this point, the date of that future event has yet to be set in stone, but the car’s delivery date will reportedly be sometime in the first quarter of 2010 - a few months later than initially planned . The auction is open through June 3rd and the starting bid is $25,000. That’s also listed as the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price, and it compares favorably to the car’s expected £18,000 starting price in the UK . Click here to visit the actual eBay auction page and be sure to check out our galleries below. Gallery: Tazzari Zero Gallery: Tazzari Zero renders [Source: eBay Motors ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , USA eBay Find of the Day: First Tazzari ZERO in America originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 27 May 2009 08:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

BRUSA Spyder - Click above for a high-res image gallery BRUSA, a Swiss electronics company, recently attended the EVS24 conference in Stavanger, Norway, with an electric sportscar called the Spyder in tow. Our best guess is that this machine is based on either a rear-engined Volkswagen or possibly a Porsche 914, and it obviously takes styling cues from the classic Porsche 550 Spyder - never a poor route to take as far as we’re concerned. Powered by a couple of 95 kW electric motors - one for each rear wheel - the Spyder is reportedly capable of scooting to 60 miles per hour in under 5 seconds. Power comes from a 16 kWh lithium polymer battery pack from Kokam, which is enough juice to provide for a range of 125 kilometers (77 miles) at 80 kilometers per hour (about 50 miles per hour). Of course, the car’s actual range is dependent on a number of factors, so BRUSA helpfully provides a chart to figure it all out. A liquid-cooled charger resides underhood, along with the rest of the assorted electronic goodies to make it all work, and a full charge reportedly takes four hours when plugged in to a 16-amp, 220-volt outlet. No word on whether or not the car has any chance of production, but we’re not holding our breath. Gallery: BRUSA Spyder [Source: BRUSA , Wired ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Green Daily BRUSA brings all-electric Spyder to EVS24 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 22 May 2009 07:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

BYD F3DM - Click above for an image gallery The city of Shenzhen, China, where automaker BYD is located, has decided to give its citizens a boost to purchase the locally-made cars. In addition to the nation-wide grants, which can be worth up to 50,000 yuan ($7,320) when buying a hybrid vehicle (60,000 yuan if the vehicle is all-electric), Shenzen is offering discounts up to 60 percent of the car’s value. For a 149,800 yuan BYD F3 Dual Mode hybrids (when it becomes available to everybody next June), citizens will be able to get discounts of nearly 90,000 yuan. A second city in China, Chongqing, is also offering incentives: 36,000 yuan in subsidies and an exemption in bridge tolls of 7,000 yuan when buying a locally-made Junjie (or Jiexun ) hybrid MPV, which costs 140,000 yuan. Gallery: 2009 BYD F3DM plug-in hybrid [Source: Gasgoo ] Filed under: Hybrid , Legislation and Policy , China , BYD Chinese cities offering incentives to buy locally-made hybrid cars originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 15 May 2009 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Despite the lackluster sales from rival company BYD, Chinese automaker FAW has announced a new manufacturing plant that will specialize in building hybrid vehicles. Set to be completed in 2012, the automaker expects to build about 1,000 hybrid buses and 11,000 hybrid sedans per year at the new plant, which seems like a bit of a stretch for a company that had previously announced a steady plan to build hybrid in much smaller numbers (100 hybrid buses and 20 hybrid sedans in 2009, 200 hybrid buses and 100 hybrid sedans in 2010 and 450 hybrid buses and 200 hybrid sedans in 2011). A fleet of 12 hybrid buses are currently being tested in Dalian city , Liaoning, Northeastern China. The company expects to deliver the remaining 88 by the end of this year. [Source: Gasgoo ] Filed under: Hybrid , Manufacturing/Plants , China Chinese automaker FAW announces new-energy (read: hybrid) vehicle factory originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 11 May 2009 18:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

While lead acid batteries have energized electric cars for most of the motoring age and nickel metal hydrides (NiMH) have helped hybrids return high gas mileage numbers more recently, the future seems to securely belong to lithium batteries for both applications. With all that’s riding on this technology, can it really fulfill its green promises? Of the dozens of electric vehicle announcements have been made over the past few years, practically all of them have named lithium ion batteries as their energy storage solution of choice. Indeed, lithium ion batteries power the best-known electric car on the road today, the Tesla Roadster . But, with reports of lithium-powered laptop fires and the press ponderings on the possibility of “peak-lithium,” it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Is there hope beyond the hype or is there, perhaps, a different energy storage around the corner? Hit the jump and we’ll investigate the possibilities. Gallery: New York 2009: Chrysler ENVI battery packs Gallery: Tesla smart mule and battery Continue reading Greenlings: Can we build a better battery with lithium? Filed under: Emerging Technologies , Etc. , EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Greenlings Greenlings: Can we build a better battery with lithium? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 07 May 2009 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments