Fisker Karma - Click above for high-res image gallery Considering the two fledgling automaker’s past history, it’s not terribly surprising that Henrik Fisker would want to distance his company from Tesla Motors. Recall that Fisker had originally been tasked with penning the design for the Tesla S electric sedan but later unveiled the Karma after being dismissed by the Silicon Valley automaker. There was a lawsuit , which was ruled in Fisker’s favor by an arbitration court. Speaking at a meeting of the Western Automotive Journalists Assoction, Fisker said, “The full-electric car [like the Tesla Roadster] is a niche market. Plug-in hybrids have a much bigger market.” Of course, not everyone agrees that PHEVs are the way to go . Fisker goes on to say that his company’s latest business plan will lead to profits at just 5,000 annual sales, though the goal remains 15,000 sales per year. What about the Chevy Volt, which uses a similar range-extended electric architecture as the Fisker Karma? Somewhat disparingly, Fisker suggests that GM’s future EV won’t really be competition for the Fisker, saying only, “It’s a Chevy.” He’s got a point, though, as the Volt is likely to cost about half what Fisker plans to ask for the Karma and surely won’t fit into the same luxury category as Fisker’s green machine. Gallery: Fisker Karma [Source: Hybrid Cars ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid Henrik Fisker distances his company from Tesla, GM originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Fisker Karma - Click above for high-res image gallery Considering the two fledgling automaker’s past history, it’s not terribly surprising that Henrik Fisker would want to distance his company from Tesla Motors. Recall that Fisker had originally been tasked with penning the design for the Tesla S electric sedan but later unveiled the Karma after being dismissed by the Silicon Valley automaker. There was a lawsuit , which was ruled in Fisker’s favor by an arbitration court. Speaking at a meeting of the Western Automotive Journalists Assoction, Fisker said, “The full-electric car [like the Tesla Roadster] is a niche market. Plug-in hybrids have a much bigger market.” Of course, not everyone agrees that PHEVs are the way to go . Fisker goes on to say that his company’s latest business plan will lead to profits at just 5,000 annual sales, though the goal remains 15,000 sales per year. What about the Chevy Volt, which uses a similar range-extended electric architecture as the Fisker Karma? Somewhat disparingly, Fisker suggests that GM’s future EV won’t really be competition for the Fisker, saying only, “It’s a Chevy.” He’s got a point, though, as the Volt is likely to cost about half what Fisker plans to ask for the Karma and surely won’t fit into the same luxury category as Fisker’s green machine. Gallery: Fisker Karma [Source: Hybrid Cars ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid Henrik Fisker distances his company from Tesla, GM originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  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

Whew! For a second there I thought Bernie Ecclestone was in trouble.

2010 Citroen C3 - click above for high res image gallery In Europe, the so-called C-Segment is the single largest volume vehicle class, so when a manufacturer brings out a new model in that class, it’s an important move. C cars are compacts like the Ford Focus, VW Golf and Opel Astra. Citroen’s C car is called the C3 and it’s all new for 2010. Visually, the most remarkable element of the C3 is the “Zenith windshield” which stretches back almost to the B-pillar. Seeing something like this is common on concept cars (see: Kia No 3 ) but rare on production cars, especially mainstream models. The 12.9 foot long C3 has managed to not add any weight in spite of the enormous piece of glass up front. Citroen has improved the efficiency and it will get even better next year with further powertrain upgrades. For 2010, the HDi 90 DPFS version will get a CO 2 emissions rating of just 99 g/km. Next year, a second-generation start/stop system will yield variants that get 90 and 95 g/km. Gallery: 2010 Citroen C3 [Source: Citroen] Continue reading Citroen announces new C3 including a version that gets 99 g/km CO 2 Filed under: Diesel , Citroen Citroen announces new C3 including a version that gets 99 g/km CO 2 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Renault Be Bop Z.E. - Click above for high res image gallery Renault is planning to release its first production electric vehicles in early 2011, but drivers around Europe will soon get a chance to try out electric “motoring” with the be bop Z.E. Renault showed off a concept electric version of the Kangoo be bop last fall at the Paris Motor Show. The green glass and some of the other concept-only bits have now been discarded for a more conventional running prototype. Come 2011, production electric versions of the Kangoo and the Megane will go on sale in Europe and Israel (as part of the Better Place program). Renault is also planning an electric city car and a variant of Nissan’s dedicated EV for 2012. The Be Bop ZE uses a 60 hp electric motor and a 15 kWh lithium ion battery pack that currently provides a 60-mile range. The range is expected to be increased to 100 miles when the production version arrives. Prototypes of the production version should be available for test drives in mid-2010. The current prototypes don’t feature swappable batteries, but Renault will offer that option, at least in the Megane for the Israeli market. The Renault press release is after the jump. Gallery: Renault Be Bop ZE [Source: Renault] Continue reading Renault to offer test drives in Be Bop Z.E. electric vehicle Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Renault Renault to offer test drives in Be Bop Z.E. electric vehicle originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Last year, the reality of $4 gallons of gasoline (and, of course, economic uncertainly), caused a lot of changes in the auto industy in the U.S., from a drop in vehicle miles traveled to a decrease in big vehicle sales . Looks like that $4 level is the tipping point for any future changes in driver behavior as well, according to a new survey put out by Cars.com. The survey found that if gas were to shoot to over $4 a gallon again, 40 percent of car shoppers would “consider purchasing a new fuel-efficient car right away.” About the same amount, 41 percent, said that $4 gas would make them choose a “more efficient car the next time they were ready to buy a car.” Even at $3.75, 29 percent of car shoppers thought buying a more efficient car “right away” was the right move. Takeaway point: when gas prices go up, people will want to have greener cars. The question is what kinds of vehicles will be available then the inevitable happens. [Source: Cars.com ] Filed under: MPG , Green Daily No fluke: new survey finds $4 gas is the tipping point originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery Rumors that General Motors may get access to Toyota’s proprietary hybrid technology just won’t go away . Today, Bloomberg cites two unnamed sources in reports that Toyota President Akio Toyoda and GM chief Fritz Henderson will meet this August in Michigan to discuss the possibility of a GM-badged version of the Toyota Prius hybrid hatchback. For the record, both General Motors and Toyota have repeatedly denied that any such talks have taken place and have said it’s unlikely that they ever will in the future. Many of these rumors indicate that the two automakers are considering building the Prius together at the New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated (NUMMI) joint venture in California, but GM has today announced that its involvement in NUMMI is over . It remains a possibility that Toyota will fully take over the reigns at NUMMI to finally build the Prius in America, but even if that’s the case, it’s extremely unlikely that General Motors will have anything to do with the project in light of its own massive undertaking of readying the Chevy Volt for the market in 2011. Gallery: Review: 2010 Toyota Prius Photos copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. [Source: Bloomberg ] Filed under: Hybrid , Manufacturing/Plants , GM , Toyota REPORT: GM execs to meet with Toyota regarding hybrid sharing originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Mercedes-Benz concept BlueZero - Click above for high-res image gallery Without an accompanying announcement about any changes to the status of the Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO, Daimler today released a bunch of new pictures of the hydrogen/gas-electric hybrid/pure electric concept car. The pictures show us ( once again ) the direction that Daimler is taking the design of the next-generation Mercedes B-Class and that the promotion folks have an apparent love of HDR . As we learned in Detroit this past January, the BlueZero concept could be made as an E-Cell variant with a 35 kWh li-ion battery pack good for 120 miles; as an F-Cell with a 90 kW hydrogen fuel cell that could carry the car for 240 miles; or as an E-Cell Plus that adds an engine from a fortwo to create a hybrid powertrain that can go 360 miles with both “tanks” full. In the new batch of pictures, we do get a shot of the clean E-Cell powertain with a strange hole in the center. We think this might be a storage space for the charging cord or, possibly, an opening for the radiator to vent. Gallery: Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO [Source: Daimler] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Hydrogen , Mercedes Benz , Green Daily Pics aplenty: Mercedes-Benz BlueZERO concept originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Tong Jian S11 - Click above for image gallery Somehow, we managed to miss China’s first-ever hybrid sports car at the Shanghai Motor Show earlier this year. The car is called the S11 from Tong Jian - which incidentally also seems to be the name of a popular Chinese figure skater - but details on the car’s hybrid powertrain are extremely scarce. China Car Times reports that all four wheels are powered in some manner, but that’s about all we know. It’s obvious that the S11’s designers looked to the Audi R8 and any number of recent Ferraris for design inspiration, both inside and out. As far as we can tell, the resulting mashup isn’t all that bad - minus the one-size-too-small alloy rims and those awkward Audi-esque blades on either side. If CCT’s sources are correct, design work on the Tong Jian S11 has been completed and the hybrid sports car should be headed for production at an unknown plant in Changchun city in short order. Gallery: Shanghai 2009: Tong Jian S11 hybrid sports car [Source: China Car Times ] Filed under: Hybrid , China Tong Jian S11 hybrid sports car attempts to channel inner Audi and Ferrari originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments