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Don't buy the hype, says GM; Volt's aerodynamics "superior to most, if not all our competition"

sexta-feira, 31 de julho de 2009 · 0 comentários

Don't buy the hype, says GM; Volt's aerodynamics "superior to most, if not all our competition"

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2011 Chevy Volt - Click above for high-res image gallery

Back in the 1960s and early ’70s, when musclecars ruled America roads, manufacturers were known to either purposely understate (for insurance purposes) or, more likely, overstate horsepower levels in the race to woo buyers to their massively powerful vehicles. Might something similar be happening in today’s eco-friendly wars?

According to Chevy Volt Design Director Bob Boniface, yes. In a recent webchat, Lyle Dennis from GM-Volt.com asked how the Volt’s aerodynamic properties will compare with other electric vehicles, in particular with the claimed .27 coefficient of drag of Tesla’s Model S. Here’s what Boniface had to say:

People may think we are skirting the aero issue by not quoting our tunnel figures… If I quote an actual GM-derived tunnel figure, it may not look impressive to you when, in fact, it is superior to most, if not all our competition. It is very much like the horsepower race back in the ’60s. The Volt aero performance is second only to the EV1 in GM history.

We should have a bit more to go on soon regarding the Volt’s aero properties. Boniface also said that GM would soon be testing a new 2010 Prius in its own wind tunnel and expects the Volt to compare favorably with Toyota’s hybrid hatchback.

Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt

[Source: Inside Line]

Don’t buy the hype, says GM; Volt’s aerodynamics “superior to most, if not all our competition” originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Government takes action to tackle VAT fraud on carbon credits

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Government takes action to tackle VAT fraud on carbon credits

The UK Government today introduced legislation to remove VAT from supplies of emissions allowances (also known as carbon credits) traded within the UK, in order to prevent the risk of VAT fraud, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Stephen Timms has announced.

The new law, which takes effect from midnight tonight, follows evidence that commodity trading in emissions allowances is being used by fraudsters to steal VAT revenues from the UK, and that the UK may become a major target for this activity in the coming months. The change will have no effect on legitimate trading but will prevent fraudsters from charging and collecting VAT which they have no intention of paying to HMRC.

Similar measures have been taken by the Governments of France and the Netherlands to prevent this form of fraud. The UK Government has sought a derogation from EU law to cover this short-term action pending agreement with EU partners on an EU-wide solution.

From midnight, supplies of emissions allowances in the UK will be subject to the zero-rate of VAT. A zero-rate is still a taxable supply which means that although no VAT is charged, thereby removing the opportunity to steal VAT, the seller can generally reclaim VAT on any purchases that relate to those sales. This ensures that the legitimate trade will not incur additional tax costs from this change.

The threat became apparent after fraudulent trading on the Bluenext exchange prompted the French government to remove VAT from supplies of emissions allowances in France. The Government of the Netherlands has also made VAT changes in respect of emissions allowances trading.

The UK Government is actively engaged in discussions with the European Commission on establishing an EU-wide solution to this threat. However, UK monitoring indicates that there now exists a substantiated and increasing risk of the UK becoming a major target for the fraudsters during the next few months. This risk assessment is informed by HMRC's experience in recent years of VAT Missing Trader Intra-Community (MTIC) fraud in mobile telephones and computer chips.  We have seen how quickly frauds of this kind can escalate and how effective decisive action can be in tackling them.

Legitimate business has been keen to see a swift response from the Government, to ensure that the integrity of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme is not undermined by fraudulent trading.


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Toyota expected to lose less money this year thanks to strong hybrid sales

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Toyota expected to lose less money this year thanks to strong hybrid sales

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2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery

Toyota shocked the auto industry last spring when it announced a nearly $8 billion loss for its most recent fiscal year. All of a sudden, Toyota proved to be just as vulnerable as every other automaker. Today, however, it looks like the combination of strong sales of the all-new Prius and hefty incentives for more efficient vehicles in Japan is helping to bring the company a lot closer to break-even. The company had previously projected an $8.9 billion loss for the current fiscal year; Japanese analysts at NHK think that it could be almost half of that at about $5 billion.

When Toyota NA president Yoshi Inaba was in Detroit recently, he said Toyota was unlikely to return to profitability before 2011 and it would not happen before the North American market recovers.

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

[Source: Reuters]

Toyota expected to lose less money this year thanks to strong hybrid sales originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Greenlings: What's up with natural gas vehicles?

quinta-feira, 30 de julho de 2009 · 0 comentários

Greenlings: What's up with natural gas vehicles?

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2009 Honda Civic GX

One thing we try to do with our weekly series of Greenlings articles is answer reader questions about the green car industry (if you’ve got a burning need to know something, please let us know). Considering today’s news that the Honda Civic GX is now available for sale in Utah, we thought we’d dig into AutoblogGreen reader Island Don’s question about compressed natural gas vehicles. Here it is (slightly edited):

To me as a big diesel guy, I see the the CNG as a great, cheap, clean burning alternative to to gas, diesel, or hybrid, yet Honda CNG sales aren’t great. Why haven’t they done better? Why haven’t they been promoted by the government or the manufacturer? I’ve never seen an ad, nor ever heard any politician promote them. Yet I see all the buses in LA and San Diego running on CNG. That tells me there’s an infrastructure in place. What’s the scoop?

Follow us through the jump for the answer.

Continue reading Greenlings: What’s up with natural gas vehicles?

Greenlings: What’s up with natural gas vehicles? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USCAR: Hydrogen research is important

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USCAR: Hydrogen research is important

The debate as to whether money should be invested into hydrogen fuel cell technology continues to rage across the Atlantic, where the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) published a whitepaper on the importance of continued research into hydrogen as a low-carbon transportation solution.

In a separate report from the National Research Council in July it was determined that although the Obama administration’s focus on near-term technologies to improve fuel consumption is on the right track, there is still a need for investment in longer term, higher-risk technologies such as hydrogen storage and hydrogen fuel cells.

Now, in its report, USCAR, which was founded in 1992 with the goal of strengthening the technology base of the US auto industry, found that electric vehicles “cannot compete with hydrogen fuelled vehicles” for general usage in terms of range and refill time. 

It believes that profitable, high-volume deployment of fuel cell vehicles is dependent on significant progress in multiple technologies both and on and off vehicle, and that the USCAR OEMS have made the deployment of hybrid, plug-in hybrids and electrics their near-term focus. However, there is still firm belief that fuel cell vehicles will be an important powertrain option in a future of sustainable transportation.

The whitepaper goes on to recap some of the recent developments and successes of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. It outlines cost and energy density as key areas for improvement in hydrogen storage and states that steam methane reforming could serve as the first of many future hydrogen production pathways.

It would like to see a network of 12,000 hydrogen stations that would put hydrogen within two miles of 70 per cent of the US population and connect the major metro areas with a refuelling station every 25 miles.


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Hyundai develops solar hydrogen car

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Hyundai develops solar hydrogen car

Carmaker Hyundai and a postgraduate student from Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a prototype solar-powered hydrogen car, the Telegraph reports.

Named the Hyundai City Car 2020, it uses solar panels to use sun’s rays to create electricity, which is subsequently used to create a hydrogen fuel source.

The electricity is fed into a water tank where it separates the hydrogen needed to powers the car. Pure oxygen is pushed out of the exhaust.

On-board hydrogen production is a necessary element to the development of the fuel as a serious mainstream contender. Current generation hydrogen cars, such as the Honda FCX Clarity are limited by the need to store hydrogen on board on the car and refill at a fuel station. As hydrogen is not a naturally free gas, it means that the hydrogen used in the FCX Clarity needs to prepared in advance to as part of an energy-intensive industrial process. Currently this usually means steaming it from natural gas.

Nicolas Stone, the student behind the project, said he believed that the use of solar energy could help solve the problem of cutting motoring’s carbon impact.

“My goal for this project was to 'attack' the global energy crisis from a fresh perspective,” he told the Telegraph. 

“I feel this proposal is very realistic because the technology, as extreme as it sounds, really does exist. These technologies have enormous potential, I believe it is just a matter of time before it becomes more mainstream."


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Martin Eberhard "demonstrated a probability that he will prevail" in lawsuit against Tesla

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Martin Eberhard "demonstrated a probability that he will prevail" in lawsuit against Tesla

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Following up on yesterday’s decision in a San Mateo, California court, ex-Tesla Motors CEO Martin Eberhard’s legal team has issued a statement of its own regarding the lawsuit against Tesla Motors and Elon Musk. While Tesla’s official response to the decision obviously focused on the judge’s decision not to declare Eberhard as one of only two co-founders, there was more to the decision.

In response to Eberhard’s original filing, Tesla filed an anti-SLAPP motion in an attempt to quash the entire suit. The judge declared “an anti-SLAPP motion is not the proper mechanism to use to contest the validity of this cause of action.” Aside from the question of founder status, the judge decided that Eberhard’s side had established a probability that it could win on the breach of contract and defamation claims. He also declared that based on the information so far, Eberhard’s claims were legal and valid to proceed. So unless Musk decides to settle (highly unlikely) this one appears to be far from over. Read Eberhard’s statement in full after the jump.

Elon Musk Photo copyright (C)2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Tesla Motors, The Daily Green]

Continue reading Martin Eberhard “demonstrated a probability that he will prevail” in lawsuit against Tesla

Martin Eberhard “demonstrated a probability that he will prevail” in lawsuit against Tesla originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Elektromotive to make breakthrough in Saudi Arabia

quarta-feira, 29 de julho de 2009 · 0 comentários

Elektromotive to make breakthrough in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is probably the last place you’d expect to see a concerted shift towards emission free motoring - after all, the Kingdom is the world’s leading oil producer and exporter. However, now one of its leading universities has signed one of the largest electric vehicle infrastructure deals, with Brighton-based Elektromotive the beneficiary.

Elektromotive will install 150 Elektrobay charging stations across the campus of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology by September this year. The charging points will be used for recharging the 150 new electric vehicles that will transport staff and pupils around the campus reducing the university’s carbon footprint and improving air quality. 

The deal presents a unique challenge for Elektromotive as the university’s engineers must install the charging points in car parks that have shallow, solid concrete flooring as opposed to typical on-street foundations that are 400mm deep. The company’s solution is to create a bespoke ground plate and mounting post and then integrating the electrical feed cable that can be bolted to the concrete surface.

Understandably, Elektromotive’s managing director Calvey Taylor-Haw is excited about the deal.

“We’re thrilled to be involved in this project,” commented Taylor-Haw.  “The project has already posed a number of interesting technical challenges, but we have the expertise and the experience to meet the university’s objectives on time and within budget.”

The news further cements Britain’s place as a leader in the development of electric vehicle infrastructure technology with Elektromotive already exporting to Sweden, the Netherlands, Ireland and Germany.


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Honda Insight sales withering with competition from Prius

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Honda Insight sales withering with competition from Prius

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2010 Honda Insight EX - Click above for high-res image gallery

Honda’s Insight hybrid is failing to live up to sales expectations here in the important U.S. market. While Honda claims the Insight was never meant to be a direct competitor to the Prius , the truth is that the two cars are very much rivals in the eyes of many new car shoppers (and some Honda dealers). With that in mind, the 2,079 Insights that Honda managed to sell in June pales in comparison to the 12,998 Prius hybrids Toyota sold in the same month. Further, Honda is on track to sell less than a third of its stated goal of 90,000 units in its first year on the market.

According to the LA Times, some dealerships are hoping Honda can rebound with a revised marketing campaign highlighting the Insight’s price advantage over the Prius, which currently sits at a few thousand dollars at the base end. There are surely any number of reasons why the Insight may be losing ground in the hybrid race, and you can probably pick out some of them by clicking here to read our review of the 2010 Honda Insight and then clicking here for our take on the 2010 Toyota Prius.

[Source: LA Times]

Honda Insight sales withering with competition from Prius originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smith Electric trucks go stateside

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Smith Electric trucks go stateside

Electric trucks created in Washington, Tyne & Wear are today on the roads of Washington DC.

Four major US corporations and two utility companies took delivery of the Smith Newton, the largest road-going electric truck in North America. Coca-Cola, Staples, Frito-Lay, AT&T, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) are the first Newton customers in the USA.

smith-electric-vans-fritolay-image

The trucks, conceived by Smith Electric Vehicles in North East England, were handed over at an official ceremony at the seat of power in the USA, Capitol Hill.

Darren Kell, CEO of The Tanfield Group Plc, which owns Smith Electric Vehicles, said: "The electric vehicle technology delivered to these customers today can readily be delivered to fleets in every major town and city in North America.

"The Smith Newton provides depot-based truck fleets with a realistic, zero emissions transport solution that both lowers greenhouse gas emissions and helps improve air quality in our urban centres."

Powered by the latest Lithium-Ion batteries and a 120kw electric motor, the Smith Newton has a top speed of 50mph (80km) and a range in excess of 100 miles (160km) on a full charge. It can be recharged in six hours. Newton was launched in the UK by Smith Electric Vehicles in 2006. It is produced in North America by Smith Electric Vehicles US Corporation, based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Missouri Senator Kit Bond, who hosted the launch event, said: "These next generation electric vehicles Smith is producing demonstrate exactly the kind of technology we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and end our dependence on foreign oil.

"Missouri is a growing leader in exciting new battery technology, making it an ideal partner for all-electric vehicle manufacturing."

The Smith Newton is emissions-free, runs without noise or vibration, and actually reclaims electric energy during stop-start urban operations, through regenerative braking.

The Smith Newton has a top speed of 50 mph, a range on one battery charge in excess of 100 miles. Three models are produced with gross vehicle weights of 7,500kg, 10,000kg and 12,000kg, providing a payload of up to 7,300kg.


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Zero Carbonista's all-electric Nemesis now testing, crashes into hedge

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Zero Carbonista's all-electric Nemesis now testing, crashes into hedge

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Not only has a name been decided on - the Nemesis - but Ecotricity founder Dale Vince’s pet electric car project is now sitting in Vince’s driveway. Well, it is when he’s not out driving it.

Vince posted an update on the Wind Car blog saying that the Nemesis’ arrival is “a bit of a watershed” and he’s quite excited to spend most of August giving the newly-road legal car a “general shakedown.”

Thus far, Vince has found that the charging system - currently a very manual system - needs to be refined, he implies he’s a bit uncertain about taking the car out in the rain and he’s discovered that the pedals are a bit too close together. That last fact was discovered when he stepped on the wrong pedal and drove into a hedge. Other than that, the Nemesis EV is developing nicely, and a new video featuring the car should be available soon. Until then, check out Vince’s latest video - of the Nemesis on thesis on the track - here.

[Source: Zero Carbonista]

Zero Carbonista’s all-electric Nemesis now testing, crashes into hedge originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK low carbon aircraft programme launched

terça-feira, 28 de julho de 2009 · 0 comentários

UK low carbon aircraft programme launched

A new research programme designed to strengthen the supply chain for the UK’s aero engine industry has taken flight.

With the aim of accelerating the development and introduction of low carbon aircraft engine technology, around £90million has been invested from Government and industry sources.

Known as Strategic Affordable Manufacturing in the UK with Leading Environmental Technology (SAMULET), the programme represents collaboration between both industry and academia led by Rolls-Royce. The UK Technology Strategy Board will pour £28.5million into the programme with around £11.5million coming from the Physical Sciences Research Council.

The proposal focuses on environmental improvements such as reductions in raw material use, lower engine fuel consumption and efficient advanced manufacturing processes. These goals will be achieved by developing new technologies and delivering a number of knowledge transfer initiatives.

The Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) has set a target for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per passenger to be reduced by 50 per cent by 2020, with nitrogen oxides to be cut by 80 per cent and noise to be slashed by 50 per cent.


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REPORT: EPA ratings changes shift some "clunkers" out of cash range

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REPORT: EPA ratings changes shift some "clunkers" out of cash range

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Hmm. Last Friday, the official rules for the CAR Allowance Rebate System (CARS, also known as the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009 and the “cash for clunkers” bill) were released. Also last Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “refreshed” the combined mpg ratings on its Fuel Economy website. Why does this matter? Turns out the refresh bumped some vehicles from the qualifying 18 mpg limit into “sorry, no good” 19 mpg territory.

The changes were discovered by people checking on Thursday to see if their cars would qualify and then seeing on Friday that they no longer did, according to Auto Observer. The EPA confirmed that about 30,000 models were put through a “quality assurance and quality control effort,” and around 100 models shifted status. The EPA says that about an equal number lost their qualifying clunker status as those that gained it. Some of the no-longer clunkers: the 1993 Camry V6 wagon, the 1992 Saab 900S (pictured) and the 1988 Toyota 4Runner.

While we get that pushing up the bottom mpg line is a good thing, we have to agree with smart USA president Dave Schembri that the limit should be changed. Since it appears that it was charities that lobbied to have the 18 mpg limit included in the bill, we have to question why a rolling target - one that gives out a rebate based on how many more mpg the new car gets compared to the clunker - shouldn’t be implemented.

[Source: Green Car Advisor, Auto Observer]
Photo by miss_elyse. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

REPORT: EPA ratings changes shift some “clunkers” out of cash range originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hoping to snag a Jetta TDI with your clunker cash? Too late!

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Hoping to snag a Jetta TDI with your clunker cash? Too late!

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2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sportwagen - click above for high-res image gallery

Undoubtedly one of the vehicles could have profited handsomely from this week’s expected rush by Americans to unload old gas guzzlers for something more thrifty was Volkswagen’s Jetta TDI. With its typical 35-40 mpg real-world mileage, superior dynamics to most hybrids and relatively sedate pricing, the Jetta TDI was perfectly positioned to grab a lot of attention. Unfortunately for Volkswagen dealers, it just ain’t happening. You see, there are virtually no Jetta TDIs to be had anywhere, especially if you were hoping to get a Sportwagen.

Bringing the story closer to home, this author has personally been out shopping the last several days in search of a TDI Sportwagen to replace the wife’s nine-year old Passat (which unfortunately doesn’t quite qualify for clunker status), all to no avail. After checking with local dealers and calling showrooms all over Michigan and Ohio, there are no TDI wagons. Anything still on the lot already has a deposit check tied to it and the few still on trucks are also accounted for. A few sedans apparently remain, but they are likely to go fast.

According to the salesman at Howard Cooper Volkswagen in Ann Arbor, the problem is that the 2009 model run has expired and Germany takes the month of August off. As a result, no diesel engines will be shipped to Mexico in August, so VW’s Puebla plant follows suit.

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

Hoping to snag a Jetta TDI with your clunker cash? Too late! originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can the UK lead the green car charge? The Green Piece

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Can the UK lead the green car charge? The Green Piece

The UK has been an epicentre for drivers with a green conscience for many years. Having already adjusted its road tax system to penalise the heaviest polluters and introduced congestion charges; the Government created a vehicle scrappage scheme earlier this year meant to help more motorists make green choices while boosting the automotive sector.

Now it seems that its efforts have been rewarded.

Last week, Nissan announced plans to make electric car batteries at its plant in Sunderland, creating 350 new jobs in the process (see 'Nissan to make electric car batteries at Sunderland plant'). In total it will invest £200million over the next five years with hopes high that Nissan Sunderland will also be a strong contender to manufacture the company's electric cars.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown welcomed the news as the Government embarks on the Building Britain's Future scheme – a plan for recovery based on low carbon, high technology industries, products and services. So is Britain really in a position to be a green car leader?

The argument for the UK…

Many of the manufacturers with bases in the UK are already investing in new technologies and focusing on the development of green cars. For example, Toyota has announced plans to manufacture the hybrid Auris in the UK (see article) at its Derbyshire factory as it bids to make more European motorists switch from increasingly clean diesel vehicles to low emission technology. Vauxhall is also considered one of the leading contenders to win the contract to produce General Motors' new electric car the Chevrolet Volt, which has been previewed in Europe under the name of the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera (pictured).

vauxhall-ampera-image-1

MINI has proudly showcased its Oxford-built MINI E electric car which is being trialled in the US market; while Lotus has helped develop the new Tesla Roadster – an electric sports car that will also debut in the North American market.
In addition, the Government has shown that it is willing to offer strong backing to car manufacturers that adopt a green stance and bring jobs to the UK. It has given a £27million grant to Land Rover to help it produce a new hybrid SUV that has been code-named LRX and should help the Jaguar-Land Rover group reach a new audience.
It has also outlined targets for the National Grid to increase the amount of electricity that comes from purely renewable sources. There are tax breaks for electric cars, as well as freedom from congestion charges and even free parking in electric hotspots such as Westminster.

The argument against the UK…

One of the major problems the UK faces is that, as an already developed economy, it needs to produce results now rather than later as it slumps into it deepest recession since the Depression.

Electric cars remain something of a gamble. Though they appear to be favoured over hydrogen fuel cells and even algae-based biofuels; range, practicality and power remain three key stumbling blocks. At present, the most popular electric car in the UK is the G-Wiz and it has a questionable safety reputation, not to mention the fact that there are cheaper alternatives on the market that don't face the same limitations.

There is also the matter of a shortage of recharging points with little investment outside London, and as the UK is so heavily populated, it relies on flats and apartment blocks – living in such an environment makes recharging all the more difficult.

What's more is that Britain's car industry has a reputation for producing "gas guzzlers". The likes of Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar and Land Rover all have bases in the UK and they are less likely to fall prey to low-cost competition in developing countries such as China, India and Korea.

So the question remains as to whether the Government should really be focusing its cash in this direction and, even if it does, it can surely be out-spent by other more interventionist countries. Worryingly, as the bulk of the major car companies are foreign, the UK is always subject to their whims.

Our verdict…

Electric cars in existing forms undoubtedly have their limitations, but these are being addressed and the car industry seems intent on making this form of alternative vehicle the focus for the future of motoring. It seems every major car maker has an electric car in the works, and Nissan in particular is piling millions into their development.

To ignore these advancements would be short-sighted and so it makes sense for the UK to try and grab some of action. With significant investment behind it and such a well-established reputation in motoring there's no reason why Britain shouldn't position itself as one of the leaders of the green car pack.

Faye Sunderland


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Apterans to Mothership: Phone home!

segunda-feira, 27 de julho de 2009 · 0 comentários

Apterans to Mothership: Phone home!

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2010 Aptera 2e - Click above for high-res image gallery

Apparently, all is not well in Aptera Motors fandom land. After something of a sustained burst in marketing and promotional appearances earlier this year that included a visit to TED and to Washington D.C., it seems a recent lack of announcements and unresponsiveness to customer emails is leading some Apterans to begin stressing big time about what is up with the company that’s supposed to begin building their first model, the all-electric 2e, this autumn. Their internet home, the Aptera Forum, has been sprouting threads full of apprehension and expressing doubts that the road-going craft will even make it to market. Even if it does, there are worries about the windows rolling down, the range for regular drivers and whether the final production version will look like an expecting inverted orca. One alleged anguished Apteran even wrote us saying, “I emailed them a few times and never heard anything back. I’m thinking about getting my deposit back. They have stopped all communication to reservations holders… Not a good sign to me.”

Well, here’s a good sign for those anxious for more Aptera news. We contacted the company about the situation and got this response from their head marketing man, Marques McCammon:

Our small team of executives has been traveling around the country establishing business relationships that will be beneficial to the future of Aptera. The result is that we will have some important announcements to make during the next few months. While these business activities have taken our primary focus away from communicating directly with our depositors, our next newsletter is slated to be emailed on Tuesday, which will jump-start a series of regular communications with our supporters.

See? They say that all really is well and they’ve just been a little busy with the task of starting up a brand new automotive company. Have a little patience, please. We only hope that among these upcoming announcements is the unveiling of the finally final, officially official production version of the two-seater. With windows that roll down. Tip of the hat to Ashley!

Gallery: Aptera 2e

[Source: Aptera Motors]

Apterans to Mothership: Phone home! originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EIB to pour funds into cutting emissions

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EIB to pour funds into cutting emissions

Financing up to €300million has been earmarked by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to Valeo for its current research projects aimed at cutting fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

In total, Valeo, one of the world’s top automotive suppliers, has picked up €645million over four years with the EIB loan to come with competitive terms in two instalments - the first one of €225million, which will be taken at the end of July.

According to EIB vice president Phillipe de Fontaine Vive, the investment is crucial to stimulate economic recovery and benefit future generations. It is also important to support the research, development and innovation projects with tailor-made financial products.

The money from the EIB comes via its European Clean Transport Facility, which is part of a wider response to the crisis and focuses on car emissions reductions, as well as the development of new generation vehicle technologies.

The loan serves to reinforce Valeo’s liquidity situation. Earlier this year, Valeo, along with five other industrial companies in France, formed a consortium to promote an electric drive-train industry for vehicles. The drive trains that the consortium develops will become a reference for other national and international programmes and will bring together French industrial companies to propose solutions to car manufacturers for low emission vehicles.


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McLaren gets first ever victory for a KERS-equipped race car

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McLaren gets first ever victory for a KERS-equipped race car

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2009 has not been a good season for the McLaren team and defending world driving champion Lewis Hamilton. Nonetheless, the team - along with Ferrari - are the only ones still persevering with the new kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS). This weekend in Hungary, the efforts finally paid off with the first-ever victory for a car equipped with the hybrid electric drive system.

The KERS evidently helped Hamilton to immediately pick up two places before the first turn as he moved from his fourth qualifying position to second. After closing on Renault driver Fernando Alonso for 12 laps, Hamilton took the lead as the Spanish driver pitted for fresh tires.

McLaren will likely continue to use KERS through the remainder of 2009. However, pretty much all teams have indicated that the systems will be abandoned for the 2010 season.

[Source: McLaren]

Continue reading McLaren gets first ever victory for a KERS-equipped race car

McLaren gets first ever victory for a KERS-equipped race car originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twitter Updates for 2009-07-27

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Twitter Updates for 2009-07-27


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Riversimple wants council support

domingo, 26 de julho de 2009 · 0 comentários

Riversimple wants council support

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle manufacturer Riversimple wants a partnership with a local council as it bids to road-test its new technology.

The UK-based company, which has developed its Urban Car prototype, hopes city councils will bid for the chance to take part in a pilot scheme that will test 50 vehicles and help develop infrastructure to support them.

The vehicle, which weighs 350kg and has a top speed of 50mph, along with a range of around 240miles, is made from carbon fibre and uses a hydrogen fuel cell to generate the electricity to power its motors.

Currently, the cost of building fuel stations and servicing infrastructure has remained one of the stumbling blocks to the development of hydrogen fuel cell cars which produce no exhaust emissions and have a sole by-product of water.

Now, the company hopes that by bringing a major UK city on board it can create a tipping point for the technology.

The plan is that Riversimple will provide 50 vehicles to the chosen council, as well as local businesses and private users to test how they perform. It will be a public-private partnership with a local chamber of commerce also participating.

Riversimple now hopes to make an announcement about potential bidders by the autumn and has reported that there has already been some informal interest in the plans.


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REPORT: With Fiat's help, Tata could sell the Nano in Latin America

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REPORT: With Fiat's help, Tata could sell the Nano in Latin America

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Tata Nano - Click for high-res image gallery

We knew that the famous - and now available - $2,500 Indian car was heading to Europe and the United States. The next market where the world’s cheapest car is going to be sold, thanks to help from Fiat, could be Latin America, according to a report in India Times.

As emerging markets, the countries of Latin America offer great potential for the Nano. Fiat is one of the most important auto markers working in South America and is already partnerign with Tata on engines and transmissions in India. Also, Maseratis and Ferraris (part of the Fiat Group) will be sold in India through the Tata network. What is not yet clear is exactly which model will be sold in Latin America: the U.S. version, the European one, the Indian model (unlikely, as Brazil requires mandatory airbags), or an altogether new Nano?

[Source: Le Blog Auto, India Times]

REPORT: With Fiat’s help, Tata could sell the Nano in Latin America originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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