Hybrids/Alternative auto news

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 7.24.09

	NHTSA withheld results of studies on cell phone use while driving because of Congress In what looks to be Congress protecting its turf, a planned study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on driver distraction - specifically, drivers using cell phones - was put on hold..		VIDEO: On board with Marcus Gronholm's Ford Fiesta at Pikes Peak As an homage to rallying's legendary Climb Dance video, Ford and Marcus Gronholm have concocted a gorgeous new short film of the Fiesta RallyCross at doing its thing up Pikes Peak.
	More details on rumored Toyota Prius coupe Toyota's new president admits the automaker needs an excitement-infusion, and to that end - and in order to match the upcoming Honda CR-Z tit-for-tat - Toyota is rumored to be working on a two-door version of the Prius.	Other news of import Badge-engineering at its finest? Rolls-Royce Phantom spotted in Manhattan with GM hybrid emblems Lexus' A3, 1 Series competitor coming to Europe in 2010 Ford: Falcon to be first RWD four-cylinder EcoBoost car. Translation? No such Mustang until 2011... if at all 2010 RDX peeks out on Acura website Cowger and Clarke retire, GM announces more exec appointments and new board members

Shelby SuperCars working on hybrid motorhome

Shelby SuperCars, creators of the Utimate Aero (above), infamously announced last Summer that it would begin building the world's fastest electric car, the Ultimate Aero EV. The company said the EV supercar would be unleashed sometime this summer at an American racetrack in a show of fast laps and fast charging. While that's yet to happen, SSC's Green division has announced plans to put the heart of its electric powertrain inside a hybrid motor-home.

A recent agreement with Jones & Sons Chassis will see the All-Electric Scalable Powertrain (AESP) installed into a serial hybrid recreational vehicle platform with a 150-mile all-electric range. The REERV (range-extended electric recreational vehicle) will supposedly be able to achieve a total range of 500 miles and be capable of refilling its battery overnight on the 220V, 50 amp service typically found at campgrounds.

Although no time frame was given for the project, an earlier release from SSC Green states, ambitiously, that they hope to supply over a quarter of the drivetrains needed to reach Obama's 2015 million plug-in car goal. The 260,000 AESP's would be be built at its manufacturing plant if the $30 million Department of Energy's Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative grant to fund their expansion plan comes through. Check out both press releases after the break.

Gallery: 2009 SSC Ultimate Aero

Continue reading Shelby SuperCars working on hybrid motorhome

REPORT: Lexus' A3, 1 Series competitor coming to Europe in 2010

As previously reported, Lexus will unveil a new concept at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show that aims to compete with the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series in Europe.

The new model - rumored to carry either the "BS" or "CS" nameplate - won't be built atop the Lexus HS250h's architecture, but it will utilize the gas-electric hybrid's 2.4-liter four-cylinder to deliver around 185 hp to the front wheels.

Although the model we'll see in Frankfurt is technically a concept, according to Lexus insiders, it will be "a 90% match for the real thing" which will debut in production form at the Geneva Motor Show in March, with sales beginning in Europe in the fall of 2010.

Badge-engineering at its finest? Rolls-Royce Phantom spotted in Manhattan with GM hybrid emblems

If there is any car that seems to be well suited to either hybridization or outright electrification, the Rolls-Royce Phantom would seem to be logical candidate. Many of them are used transporting the wealthy around the world's great cities like Paris, London and Manhattan in trips that are not necessarily that long. It's also not unheard for a manufacturer to provide vehicles to customers for field testing, just as BMW is doing right now with the electric Mini E. However, aside from the highly publicized Mini E project, these sorts of initiatives are typically done on the down-low.

So when we heard that someone had spotted an extended-wheelbase Phantom prowling the streets of New York with an extra badge on each of its fenders, we were naturally a bit suspect. The car that was photographed wears hybrid badges of the same type used on all of General Motors' gas-electric vehicles. The driver claims that car was loaned to a VIP client for evaluation by Rolls-Royce. Remember, friends, that Rolls-Royce is owned by BMW - a company that has a partnership with GM, Daimler and Chrysler to develop a two-mode hybrid system. It is certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that BMW might want to evaluate or even build a two-mode hybrid Phantom. However, it is almost inconceivable that any such vehicle would be clad in GM badges.

Adding further cold water to this story is the report earlier this week that BMW and Daimler are looking at dissolving the two-mode partnership and going in a different direction with their hybrid efforts. Our guess is that the owner of this particular Roller simply had a guilty environmental conscience (or a sense of humor) but couldn't bring himself to be seen in anything as pedestrian as a Toyota Prius. We're still waiting for a comment from Rolls-Royce.

Gallery: Rolls-Royce Phantom Hybrid?

More details on rumored Toyota Prius coupe

Toyota's new president admits the automaker needs an excitement-infusion, and to that end - and in order to match the upcoming Honda CR-Z tit-for-tat - Toyota is rumored to be working on a two-door version of the Prius.

The latest reports out of Japan indicate that a shortened, 2+2 Prius-based hybrid sports coupe is under development, packing an uprated version of the 1.8-liter 2ZR-FXE four-cylinder putting out around 134 hp - 36 hp more than in its sedan counterpart. Naturally, Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system will carry over and the additional power boost will have an adverse impact on fuel mileage - albeit a minor one.

If the Prius coupe does come to fruition, expect it to be around 100 mm shorter than the sedan, carry over the standard Prius' interior and debut sometime in mid-2012. Conveniently, there's no word on a name and whether or not the coupe will be sold in the States, but we wouldn't be surprised to find out that this would be a JDM-only affair.

GM: No Chevy Volt pricing until mid to late 2010, could sell first cars on eBay

During a live webchat the other day, Jon Lauckner, General Motors VP for Global Program Management, said that pricing for the Chevrolet Volt would not be finalized until mid to late 2010. Although cars are generally developed to a target price point, Lauckner responded to a pricing query saying, "We typically do not lock in on pricing until about 3-6 months prior to start of production. The reason is primarily so we have an opportunity to take a look at the market, competitors and other factors. So stay tuned."

As for alternative versions of the Voltec, such as a lower cost non-plug-in version, Lauckner ruled that out as defeating the whole point of the Volt. Without the benefits of running on grid power, the Volt's architecture would likely be less efficient than a current parallel hybrid because of the losses in constantly going from mechanical to electrical and back to mechanical energy.

What does seem likely to eventually change is the configuration of the range extender. Lauckner ruled out the possibility of using a Wankel rotary - an engine design that offers high power density compared to a piston engine but isn't very fuel efficient. One alternative that was highlighted as an alternative that does have promise for increased efficiency was HCCI. In any case, none of these alternatives are likely to appear before the second-gen Volt at the earliest. The first-gen Volt will be e85 capable at launch just as announced when the original concept appeared. More after the jump.

Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt

Continue reading GM: No Chevy Volt pricing until mid to late 2010, could sell first cars on eBay

Honda fast-tracking updates to improve Insight?

It looks like Honda may be responding quickly to early criticism of its new Insight hybrid. Recent reviews of the Insight have been particularly harsh, especially when compared to the new Prius. Despite Honda's claims that the Insight is not a direct competitor to the Prius, AutoCar claims Honda engineers are working hard to get closer to the Toyota's mileage. It's not clear how close they can get without some significant changes to the powertrain -- something that could take considerable time and expenditure.

While Toyota clearly has bragging rights in terms of efficiency, one of the primary criticisms of the Honda has been its ride and handling. The Insight works well enough on smooth roads, but is less behaved over rougher pavement. Changes to the suspension could be accomplished pretty quickly and even rolled out as a running change.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Honda Insight EX

Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Autoblog Podcast #137

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Episode #137 of the Autoblog Podcast has arrived. Chris, Sam, and Dan are back, chewing the fat over the Acura ZDX, Death Valley spy shots of the Jaguar XJ, what will underpin Cadillac's new flagship model, Electric Lexus pricing, the ongoing Volkswagen/Porsche soap opera, and Honda's swearing off of V8s and RWD. Wrap it all up nice and tidy with some of your questions, and 82 minutes later, you're done. We apologize for the poor audio quality on Dan's track for some of this week's podcast. It only lasts through the end of the Autoblog Garage segment, and then we're back to full-fidelity. Getting a show out to you quickly was important to us, so we went with what we had. 23 minutes in is the magic point where the audio clears up. Let us know what you think, drop us a line at Podcast at Autoblog dot com. Thanks to all who have taken the time to fill out our survey; hit the jump to listen or subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast. If you like what we're doing, check out some of our sister blog podcasts like Engadget and Joystiq - you can never have enough listening material!

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #137

Prius promotion plants giant solar flowers with free electricity, WiFi in cities

As part of Toyota's strange but seemingly effective marketing campaign for its new 2010 Prius hybrid, the Japanese automaker has rolled out a bunch of 18-foot tall solar flowers to various urban centers all around the United States, starting with Boston's Prudential Plaza. Next up: New York, followed by Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

According to Toyota, these so-called solar flowers represent the Prius theme of "Harmony between Man, Nature, and Machine." Apparently, they achieve this by providing seating for up to ten people and by featuring laptop and cell phone recharging stations and access to free wireless internet service. Understandably, there's probably not quite enough juice from the petal-shaped solar panels to provide all the necessary energy for those ten people, so we're guessing there are some high-powered batteries involved in there somewhere.

Gallery: Toyota Solar Flowers

AutoblogGreen for 07.22.09

	Shweeb, the human-powered monorail, makes hamsters jealous It's cool, but does it have to have a name so similar to "dweeb"?		REPORT: Dodge Circuit production hints, possibly coming in 2010 Does it have a chance if it's "tens of thousands" less than a Tesla Roadster?
	Toyota uses 18-foot solar flowers to market 2010 Prius Crazy, but they make you look.	Other news: Prius takes out town's electricity, driver flees Ford announces 2.0l EcoBoost and dual clutch gear box for 2010 REPORT: future Mistubishi iMiEVs could include optional range distances