CARazed

Finally a hybrid worth buying. The 2011 Toyota Prius will be a plug-in hybrid which will get you around town at normal speeds on electric power. When the batteries run low the gasoline motor will kick-in taking you where ever you need to go. It’s expected to get over 100 mpg.

So don’t waste your money on a new hybrid.  If you need an efficient car today don’t get saddled with payments; buy a simple used high efficiency car and wait for cars like this upcoming Prius.

Plug-In America recently launched a new page on their website that tracks the progress of all upcoming plug-in hybrid cars. This is great because now you can go to one place to track all these future cars in one place.

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 »

This is one innovate little car from Switzerland. It can run in all electric mode for 60 to 120 miles (depending on driving style) and then with the flip of a switch the Range Extender (small gas motor) can be activated and take you 500 more miles without refueling. But that is just the beginning of the innovation.

The tall and narrow wheels are the most noticeable difference between the Mindset and other cars and just one of the tricks used to lower the cars overall drag coefficient. Special attention has also been made to reduce weight while increasing the chassis strength making this cars safe and ultra-lightweight. It also regenerates electricity during breaking like many hybrids. Continue Reading »

Just to be upfront, I think electric cars and plug-in hybrids. This post is in response to the folks that think hydrogen cars have a future. To be honest I was shocked to see this post on AutoblogGreen today; I thought they were the good guys.

#1 Commercial hydrogen usually comes from natural gas.

The vast majority of commercial hydrogen comes from processing natural gas. This is because it’s cheaper and easier to extract hydrogen from natural gas than through the electrolysis of water. [source]

But lets say for a minute that we were going to get our hydrogen from water. Why would we use that electricity to extract hydrogen? Why not just use it to charge up the electric car? Oh right… Energy company profits would be at risk.

#2 A new national hydrogen infrastructure would be needed.

To build a national infrastructure of commercial hydrogen filling stations would take decades and would probably rely on the current natural gas pipelines like Honda’s Home Energy Station [Official Site]. Why not stop using fossil fuels and stick solar panels on out homes instead? Oh right… Energy company profits would be at risk.

In Honda’s defense they have also been testing a solar powered system to make hydrogen from the electrolysis of water. Honda seems to be way ahead of the curve and have their irons in many fires. Smart people at Honda.

#3 The largest proven natural gas reserves are in Russia and Persian Gulf.

The largest natural reserves of natural gas in the world are located in Iran and Russia. [source] Why the heck would we want to choose to experience, peak oil, peak coal, and then peak natural gas. Why not start building the world’s largest renewable energy system right here in our own backyard? Oh right… Energy company profits would be at risk.

Conclusion

I’m really happy that Obama has assembled the team of smart people he has. Decisions like the DOE cutting way back on Hydrogen is incredibly smart.

Hydrogen fuel cells are sexy sounding technology for a fossil fuel sourced fuel. Eventually when it’s possible to make vast quantities of hydrogen from the electrolysis of seawater and the electricity used to make it comes from renewable sources (solar, wind, wave, hydroelectric) then the real green promise of Hydrogen might be realized. But this would take decades so it makes a lot more sense to stop throwing tax dollars away on it.

If the energy companies are so hot to see hydrogen happen let them pay for it. Haven’t we let them raid public funds long enough with their pocket presidents and oil wars?

Electric cars, while not super sexy today, are a better long term solution and plug-in hybrid technology is here RIGHT NOW! Plug-in hybrids are the best transition technology because for local trips they never have to fire up their gasoline engines. Who knows maybe someone will figure out a flex-fuel plug-in hybrid too… now that would be cool. Battery and charging technology is also advancing very quickly making quick-charge electric cars a more likely near-term possibility.

I’m not on anyone’s payroll and I write what I think. What you see here are my humble opinions. If you take a little time and do the research yourself you’ll see I’m right. In the end we can make it all happen by simply voting with our dollars. Choose to buy a new car when they deliver a car worth buying. I’m holding out for at least 100MPG.

Read an opposing opinion by the CEO of a hydrogen pipeline and storage technology company.

Read why Google supports Plug-In Hybrids

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.

Aptera, the electric car start-up in Carlsbad, California, announced that it has secured $24 Million in it’s latest round of funding. This includes the money from Google’s RechargeIT. It’s looking more and more likely that we’ll be seeing these aircraft-like electric and plug-in hybrid cars in late 2009.

You can still reserve your Aptera, if you live in California, but you’ll have to get in line for an Aptera Typ-1. 3,300 people have plopped down the $500 refundable deposit already. That shouldn’t be too surprising, these little two seaters will get 300 MPG. The all electric version will go 120 miles on a single charge and the plug-in hybrid will take you as far as you need to go, as long as there is a nearby gas station or power outlet. Both cars will cruise at highway speeds and are super safe thanks to the design and high-tech body construction. Photo credit Aptera Motors.

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.