For a guy who allegedly wants a lot of the credit for creating Tesla Motors, Elon Musk certainly doesn’t seem to like the job of being its CEO. As part of Daimler’s investment deal with Tesla , Musk needed to commit to staying on as Tesla’s CEO at least until the Model S launches in 2011. Musk told Reuters : I didn’t really have a choice. This was a requirement of Daimler that I remain CEO of Tesla through the Model S launch and then continue to be part of Tesla in a chairman role beyond that. It’s flattering, but at the same time it’s golden handcuffs . Well, that sure makes it sound like fun, doesn’t it? It’s clear that Musk has always been interested in projects other than EVs (e.g.: electric planes and SpaceX ), but does he have to make running one of the hippest electric car companies around sound like a drag? Another nugget from the article: one of the reasons the price on the Roadster was raised was to help qualify Tesla Motors for the DOE loan it later received . Musk said, “We did the minimum we needed to do to make the business work.” Gallery: Tesla Model S [Source: Reuters ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Tesla Motors , Green Daily Elon Musk: Daimler’s “golden handcuffs” mean I’ll stay with Tesla through Model S launch originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Phantom traffic jam - Click above to watch the video after the break Seriously, how irritating is it when traffic inexplicably comes to a grinding halt for no apparent reason before starting right back up with no trace of a cause? Not only are these so-called phantom traffic jams the bane of many a commuter’s existence, they also waste gas and therefore increase vehicle emissions. Mathematicians from MIT are reportedly studying these phantom traffic jams with an eye toward figuring out how to prevent them in the future. Of course, there’s little that can be done in a timely fashion about the sheer number of cars on the roads, but MIT researchers believe that computer modeling could help them come up with a solution. “We wanted to describe this using a mathematical model similar to that of fluid flow,” says Aslan Kasimov, a lecturer in MIT’s Department of Mathematics. MIT’s models may lead to the formation of highways with extra lanes where these phantom traffic jams are likely to form. We can only hope. Click past the break for two short videos explaining how these jams can form. Gallery: Traffic Jams [Source: WIRED ] Continue reading MIT working to eliminate phantom traffic jams [w/VIDEO] Filed under: Etc. , Green Daily MIT working to eliminate phantom traffic jams [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery Auto sales are down - that’s not exactly a surprise to anyone anymore. But Toyota has revived a little something from last summer called a wait list - for people who are interested in buying a new 2010 Prius . According to a story in The New York Times, Toyota is running its Prius production plants in Japan 24 hours a day and offering overtime to workers - even bringing in workers from other areas of the country - to meet demand for the hybrid car. Panasonic EV Energy, the Prius’ battery supplier, is also working constantly to keep churning out packs for the model. This is the effect of those higher-than-expected sales numbers . The NYT says that the waiting list is “several months” long in Japan. While impressive considering the marketplace, Toyota is still warning that 2009 will not be a profitable year for the company. Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius [Source: The New York Times ] Filed under: Hybrid , Toyota One More Time: There’s a Toyota Prius wait list? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Elon Musk and Dr. Thomas Weber with the Tesla Roadster and the smart ed Not everyone think the big Daimler-Tesla deal announced last week is a win-win. In fact, Jay Yarow over at Business Insider is trying to figure our how either side benefits from Daimler’s estimated $50+ million investment in Tesla. Yarow’s basic argument is that Tesla didn’t get enough to save itself and Daimler “picked up a company that has got one product with weak sales and is about to be saddled with enormous debt.” Yarow also thinks that demand for Tesla’s cars isn’t exactly staggering, and it won’t get better because there will be a lot more competition in the all-EV market, a market that Tesla currently dominates by default, in a few years. Based on the excitement this deal generated, though, it’s clear that Daimler got something for its money. Association with one of the leaders in the electric car field is an obvious plus, and there’s got to be technology involved in the deal that Daimler wants. Yarow does admit that he’s not seeing the whole picture, writing, “We must be missing something, though, because in this market, car companies don’t let $50 million walk out the door for no good reason.” Gallery: Daimler Tesla press conference [Source: Business Insider ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Tesla Motors , Green Daily , Daimler Trying to find the upside to Tesla-Daimler deal originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 24 May 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green Tesla Motors CEO calls NYT writer “a huge douchebag” Ladies and Gentlemen, we’ve found a great replacement for Bob Lutz: Elon Musk. Antibiotics pose concern for ethanol producers The law of unintended consequences strikes again. Plug-in hybrids will cost just $20,000 in a decade Henrik Fisker makes a big prediction during the New York Auto Show. Other news: Mitsubishi details global iMiEV plans Michigan readies another $200 million for battery tech companies ZENN tries to boost EV market with under $10k NEV AutoblogGreen for 04.13.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Government/Legal , GM According to a lengthy report by the New York Times , the Treasury Department is directing General Motors to begin work on a bankruptcy filing by June 1. Based on sources close to the talks who were unable to officially discuss the process, the report outlines the “fast ’surgical’ bankruptcy” of the automaker if GM is unable to reach an agreement with the UAW and bondholders to exchange some $28 billion in debt into equity in the automaker. The plan, which needs to address every aspect of the company, aims to make the bankruptcy filing as quick and painless as possible so the General can avoid tarnishing its already damaged image and stem the sales slide experienced over the last six months. One consideration is to break up GM into two separate entities after the filing, which would bundle and separate the automaker’s good and bad assets. The positive portions of the automaker would “enter and exit bankruptcy protection in as little as two weeks, using $5 billion to $7 billion in federal financing.” The bad bits, including lackluster brands (Hummer, Pontiac, Saab and Saturn), bloated dealer networks, extra manufacturing capacity and health care obligations would be left in the “old” GM and liquidated over the course of several years. President Obama’s automotive task force has been in close contact with GM officials over the last week and those talks will continue into this week. And in an about-face from the Wagoner administration, GM’s new CEO, Fritz Henderson, has begun to indicate that bankruptcy is a strong possibility, going so far as saying during a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation interview, “If we need to resort to bankruptcy, we have to do it quickly.” [Source: NYT | Image: Bill Pugliano/Getty] GM, Task Force preparing for “surgical” bankruptcy originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Motorsports , Coupes , Hyundai Click above for a high-res gallery of the RMR Hyundai Genesis Coupe The Red Bull-sponsored Hyundai Genesis Coupe driven by Rhys Millen made its competitive debut at the Formula Drift event in Long Beach, CA this weekend. While Millen was knocked out in the first round, his car was still one of the hottest attractions at the event, garnering plenty of attention from race fans. Its turbocharged V6 made one of the best sounds on the track, and it’s possibly one of the best looking cars on the circuit as well. This is just one of many venues where Rhys will be competing with the Genesis Coupe, along with the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, the Redline Time Attack series, and the rest of the Formula Drift calendar. We caught up with the Millen and the car in the pits to take a closer look and were sure to get plenty of photos both on and off track. Be sure to check out the high-res gallery below, and follow the jump to learn more about the RMR Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Gallery: Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe Photos copyright (C)2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc Continue reading Red Bull Racer: A closer look at Rhys Millen’s Hyundai Genesis Coupe Red Bull Racer: A closer look at Rhys Millen’s Hyundai Genesis Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Green Culture , Hybrid , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily , Automotive X-Prize , Washington DC Auto Show Click above for a gallery of the ExerTrike Tri-Hybrids The Tri-Hybrid Stealth (above) and Tri-Hybrid (below the jump) are on display at the Washington Auto Show in of the Green Car Pavilion. Not exactly cars, but certainly very green, the Tri-Hybrid is part recumbent bicycle , part covered trikes and part hybrids. A tribrid, actually, since it can operate on battery, leg, or motor power ( not all of the time , though). The wicked-looking Tri-Hybrid Stealth had its official unveiling at the show. The seats two, should get 150 mpge, has “full safety features” and its designers are confident it can do well in the Auto X Prize . These vehicles, and many more, are available from ExerTrike , the company behind the bike/boat combo the Pedal Paddle . C’mon, guys, let’s get all of these technologies into one vehicle already. Gallery: Washington 2009: ExerTrike TriHybrids [Source: ExerTrike ] Continue reading Washington 2009: ExerTrike Tri-Hybrids, including new Stealth model Washington 2009: ExerTrike Tri-Hybrids, including new Stealth model originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Ford , Detroit Auto Show , First Drive Click the Focus EV “mule” for a high res gallery As Ford was getting ready to make its big announcement this week in Detroit that it would build and sell a battery electric car beginning in 2011 , I got a call asking if I’d like to come down and drive one of the development “mules.” Being loathe to reject such opportunities, we immediately worked on squeezing it into the busy auto show schedule. Right after the Fisker press conference on Monday, I headed over to the Ford booth to get my ride. A “mule” vehicle in automotive engineering parlance, is a non-representative vehicle fitted with a new powertrain or suspension components for testing purposes. In this case, Ford had a pair of current Focus sedans equipped with an electric drive train and lithium ion battery pack that was developed in partnership with Magna International. I spent some time chatting with chief engineer Greg Frenette and Magna rep Dick Devogelaere about the car and what we would see for production in two years time. The production model will be based on Ford’s C-segment platform, meaning it will be Focus-sized. However, Ford has already said it will have several vehicles in the U.S. market off this platform, including an MPV like the European C-Max. Frenette would not say which body style would initially get the electric drive. One item he would confirm was that there would be none of the whole leasing and taking back of the electric cars that other companies are still infamous for. The new EV will be sold outright to retail customers through Ford dealers beginning in 2011. Pricing is still undetermined. Check out the video after the jump and the full drive report on Green Fuels Forecast. Gallery: ABG Quick Drive: Ford Focus EV mule [Source: Green Fuels Forecast ] Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading ABG Quick Drive: Ford Focus EV mule [w/VIDEO] ABG Quick Drive: Ford Focus EV mule [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Hydrogen , GM , Detroit Auto Show Volt chief powertrain engineer Nick Zielinski on the right In recent years, Nick Zielinski has led the powertrain engineering teams on a number of GM advanced technology programs including the Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicle and the Sequel concept. For the past two years, his focus has shifted to making the Chevrolet Volt a reality. The common thread through all of these recent efforts is electric drive. The difference is the source of the electricity. The Volt, of course, uses a lithium ion battery with an internal combustion range extender. Just because this configuration is coming to the road sooner doesn’t mean that Zielinski has given up on his previous efforts. Following the announcement of GM’s battery manufacturing plans at the Detroit Auto Show on Monday, Zielinski spoke with MarketWatch about the program. Throughout all the financial turmoil of the last several months, development of the Volt has proceeded full speed ahead. Sources at suppliers to the program have also confirmed to ABG that Volt-related work is the only thing still moving for GM. In spite of the current enthusiasm for extended range EVs from GM, Chrysler and Daimler, no one expects this architecture to remain dominant for the long term, including Zielinski. Just like Daimler officials did at the reveal of the Concept BlueZero, Zielinski believes that hydrogen will be the long term answer to energy storage and production in electric drive vehicles. [Source: MarketWatch ] Volt chief engineer still thinks hydrogen is the long term answer originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments