CARazed

It seems like every automaker has a slightly different technology solution and uses different terminology to describe similar things. The terms are also very confusing. It helps to remember that generally speaking the words hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and range-extended just ways of saying that a gasoline engine is helping the partially electric car travel a little farther.

Plug-in hybrids and range-extended electric vehicles carry a small combustion engine which can provide the additional power when the batteries run low. Generally speaking the combustion engine in hybrids and plug-in hybrids help move the car by driving the wheels through the transmission. In range-extended electric vehicles the combustion engine usually charges the batteries and electric motors drive the wheels. Continue Reading »

Let me show you why I think today’s hybrids, like the Honda Insight, might just be a greenwash. Honda has been building super efficient cars for decades. The emissions of the older cars was slightly higher than today’s cars but it seems fuel economy has remained relatively stagnant.

A 1988 Honda CRX HF was rated at 37 MPG City and 47 MPG Highway and it put 4.5 tons of greenhouse gasses per year. [source]

A 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid is rated at 40 MPG City and 45 MPG Highway and pumps out 4.4 tons of greenhouse gasses per year. [source] Continue Reading »

I really hate that it took government intervention to make this happen but it looks like the new fuel efficiency requirements are already beginning to motivate automakers like Subaru to deliver more efficient cars. It will be some time before we see any real action though. It does make me happy that we’re starting to make progress but sad that so much time has been wasted. Read more on Auto Blog Green.

First, don’t think for a second that it is our patriotic duty to consume and buy bad products just to prop up corporations that make bad decisions. It should be our patriotic duty to make good choices for ourselves, family, community, and environment. If we are individually strong our nation will be strong. Making poor choices doesn’t help anyone.

Second, don’t help support bad business decisions. Vote with your wallet. It looks like Toyota is thinking it can’t sell the plug-in hybrid Prius that it has in development. Help companies like Toyota make the best long term decision and choose not to buy a new car until you can plug it in.

Read more on AutoblogGreen.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles still burn gas and are not the ideal long-term solution to peak-oil preparation but they will be an important piece of the transition. They run on electricity until the batteries run low and then the gas motor kicks to provide power. With today’s infrastructure they allow long distance travel at a lower cost and impact than most cars. For local use they cost pennies on the dollar to operate because it’s cheaper and greener to power a car with electricity.

The problem with cars like this is the cost. The reality is that cars like this lead the way and help companies and technologies get their roots down. The technology in this car could be put into lower cost cars one levels of production increase.

The Fisker Karma is one of the most promising luxury plug-in hybrids that will hit the market in 2010. Zero to 60 acceleration will be less than 6 seconds and top speed will be 125 MPH. It will be able to drive on batteries alone for about 50 miles at which point a small electric motor kicks in to power the electric motors, which turn the wheels. This will make the Fisker Karma extremely inexpensive to drive to around town everyday because the cost of electricity is far lower than gasoline.

If you want to take a longer trip no worries, just drive it like a normal car, fill it up with gas, and take off. When the batteries run out of juice the gas motor kicks in to charge the batteries and propel the car.

If the Fisker Karma is successful it will demonstrate that Plug-In Hybrids are the right technology choice for today. Hydrogen fuel cells and all electric cars are in our future but the technology is just not ready today. Battery technology is far enough for plug-in hybrids to be viable. Gasoline engines can be very clean. At 100 MPG we could easily eliminate our need for foreign oil while driving much cleaner cars. If the car is fun and fast on top of all that every car maker in the world need to stop fooling with batteries and hydrogen and start building these plug-in green machines. For more information visit Fisker Automotive.

Photo credit Fisker Automotive.

The Aptera Typ-1 is now expected to hit the roads 2010. Technically licensed as a motorcycle, due to it’s three-wheel configuration, the Aptera Type-1 is super light weight and will get amazing fuel economy while still being a very safe vehicle to ride in due to it’s high-tech composite body. You can reserve an Aptera online today with a $500 deposit. Photo credit Aptera Motors.

Bob Lutz gives 60 minutes a tour of the upcoming plug-in hybrid from General Motors, the Chevy Volt.

More news on Golf VI which is still on target for a 2011 release. Like many auto makers struggling to sell cars, Volkswagen is working quickly to develop more efficient cars in the hope of attracting buyers.

The postal service is looking into converting 195,000 of its delivery fleet to non-petroleum fueled vehicles. This is 90% of it’s delivery vehicles. The cost of gas is driving them away from fossil fuels. With a fleet of vehicles this large every single penny gas goes up per gallon adds $8 million annually to the company’s expenses. Last year, the Postal Service spent $1.7 billion on fuel and they expect to pay another $600 million this year.

They are no strangers to green cars. The Postal Service has over 43,000 alternative fuel vehicles already including hybrid-electric, compressed natural gas, liquid propane gas, ethanol (E-85), biodiesel and hydrogen fuel cell. Photo credit Wikipedia Commons.

Aptera, the company with the futuristic electric car pictured here, and ActaCell, a company working on a cheap and safe battery technology, both became the first recipients of Google’s RechargeIT’s green car investment program. Each company has received $2.75 million.

RechargeIT promotes companies that are driving toward plug-in hybrid technology, which is very different from current hybrid technology. It’s far more efficient, especially in normal local driving. The Aptera Typ-1 whill get about 230 miles per gallon. A Toyota Prius with plug-in hybrid technology gets about twice the fuel efficiency of a normal Prius.

Aptera hopes to ship its first car before the end of 2009 and AptaCell is shooting for 2010 for full production release of their battery technology. Photo credit Aptera. Also see VentureBeat for more details.