The recent auto show in Chicago did not highlight a lot of green cars but one Korean car took the spotlight on a traditionally truck dominated exhibit floors. The Korean carmaker Kia unveiled their concept car called Ray which is a plug-in hybrid.
The Ray embodies the direction Kia wants to take towards fluid design lines and efficiency which is the current name of the game in the automotive industry.
The concept car Ray represents the future line of Kia under its sub-brand that will be called EcoDynamics. The EcoDynamics badge will represent sporty designs, use of low emission systems, and excellent fuel efficiency.
The Kia Ray will be using a 153 hp 1.4L engine coupled with a 78 kW electric motor.
The Kia Ray makes use of recycled and lightweight components with a full glass roofing which uses solar cells to power the car’s accessories. The body of the car also use cool-glazing substances to keep the energy demand for cooling the interior low.
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Posted in KIA.
Tagged with Hybrid Cars, KIA, Plug-In Hybrid.
Amid all the frenzy of what you should checkout at the recent Detroit Auto Show, there is no doubt that the best green car for the 2010 affair is the 2011 Ford Focus hatchback and compact sedan. This car will roll out of dealers as a 2012 model.
Looking at the 2012 Ford Focus, one might say that it just looks like an oversized 2011 Ford Fiesta but looking at the specs of the car, you will say it can stand on its own.
The Ford Focus a similar broad shoulder look following the company’s “kinetic design”. The numbers show though that it is longer than the Fiesta and has a much lower rear.
It seems that the car maker is taking its commitment of best in class mileage. The 2012 Focus, according to insiders, can boast of an impressive fuel mileage for a compact.
The official numbers of how it consumes fuel are not yet out but experts say that the 2012 Focus has a most efficient version that can hit 30mpg on city driving and 40mpg while cruising on highway. The numbers are excellent since they are at par with the numbers of the 2011 Fiesta which is really a class smaller than the Focus.
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Posted in Electric Cars, Ford.
Tagged with Detroit Auto Show, Electric Cars, Ford, Ford Focus.
Fisker is looking at the former General Motors factory in Wilmington, Delaware as the site where their Project Nina expected to produce their midsize hybrid plug-in sedan by 2012.
The GM facility that seized operation last summer used to produce the Saturn Sky, Opel GT, and the Pontiac Solstice. These models were killed this year as the company went into restructuring through bankruptcy.
Fisker comes up as one of the high-profile start up car manufacturers developing electric vehicles. The other player is Tesla.
Fisker unveiled the 2010 Karma sports sedan during the 2008 motor show in Detroit. The deliveries of these aggressive rides will start by May. The Fisker Karma will compete with the Model S of Tesla which is due for release in 2012.
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Posted in Fisker, Hybrid.
Tagged with Fisker, Fisker Karma, Hybrid, Hybrid Cars, Plug-In Hybrid.
A lot of car makers are entering the electric vehicle segment and consumers are finding the more efficient vehicles a good buy. Recently, Toyota and Honda have announced that they will also be joining the race for the EV segment. With all the clamor, EVs might be ruling the roads soon.
The CEO of Nissan, Carlos Ghosn, tries to convince everyone that it might not be the picture of the near future. Automakers recently had a convention in Michigan to discuss the future of the industry including the upcoming technologies and vehicles.
During the briefing, the spotlight was on the hybrids from GM and also on the EV being developed by Nissan. A lot of car manufacturers hinted that they are also developing their own electric vehicles but none of them believed that EVs will dominate the market anytime soon.
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Posted in Electric Cars, Electric Vehicles, Nissan.
Tagged with Electric Cars, Electric Vehicles, Green Cars, Nissan.
The AMG division of Mercedes-Benz officially announces that they have an electric supercar on the works which will be derived from the platform of the SLS AMG.
The all electric vehicle will have the same name as its V8 engined brother but will have 525hp 
from the corner mounted electric motors instead of the 571hp of the SLS AMG standard variant. The torque of the EV will be a good 650lb-ft.
The distribution of the engines to make the electric supercar an AWD vehicle makes distribution of power more efficiently. The power is distributed by two transmission systems with one hooked to each of the axle.
The supercar term does not only apply to it being a futuristic all electric vehicle. The SLS AMG also boasts of excellent driving performance. The car can zoom like its combustion engine counterpart and can blast from 0 to 100km/hr in a flat 4 seconds which is just 0.2 second off the V8 record.
The electric SLS AMG though needs to deal with some weight issues for the housing of the 48kWh 400V battery pack. Looking at the schematics of the V8 model, the battery will be placed on the area of the transmission tunnel for the electric car. The engine will also house other electronic components.
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Posted in Electric Cars, Mercedes-Benz.
Tagged with AMG, Electric Cars, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz.
Are you seeking out to add some spice in your life while you visit Las Vegas next time? Well, Then the best option for you is to rent a Tesla Roadster in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unlike other electric cars you will surprised to see Tesla Roadster is not slow and is not unusual in its appearance like other electric cars. 
Not only in its look but in its performance also it will completely stun you. Anybody who is acquainted with the car features will be pleased by the car. Roadster was unveiled in the year 2006, and in 2008 its series production began.
Being the coolest car worldwide, you will find that Tesla roadster’s speed is incredible at around 20 km an hour. With a speed as high like this anyone’s heart will surely skip a beat. Its ability to gain a speed of 60 mph in around 3.7 seconds will completely sway you off your feet. Tesla’s addition to the market, Roadster, is considered to be the best in electric sports car series. The body style of roadster is a 2 door with a fuel capacity of 53 kWh.
And the design of the car in some specific areas was formed in assistance with Lotus Cars. The designers of Tesla constructed the panel of the body by putting in use composites of carbon fiber to diminish its weight to minimum. This choice of the company makes this electric sports car take its position among the cars which are not really expensive.
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Posted in Electric Cars, Sports Cars, Tesla Motors.
Tagged with Electric Vehicles, Rental Cars, Tesla, Tesla Motors.
The 2010 LaCrosse from Buick made waves when it was unveiled during the Detroit Auto Show last January for its build quality and striking design. GM further boost the appeal of the LaCrosse by announcing the V6 3.0L and 3.6L, and the Ecotec 4-cylinder 2.4L direct injection variants.
A new report reveals that a hybrid LaCrosse is also in the works and may come soon. GM executives confirmed that 
there will be indeed a hybrid but they did not verify the exact time line of the project.
GM is working on coming up with hybrid technologies and the public may expect more detailed announcements from the marketing arm of Buick as the release date comes closer.
The announcement of the production of the hybrid LaCrosse comes after GM turns off its lights on the Malibu hybrid starting with the 2010 model.
The LaCrosse hybrid may be produced using a technology derived from the BAS+ hybrid system from the Malibu. The two hybrids will be sharing similar body parts and will be built in the same GM facility.
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Posted in Buick, Hybrid.
Tagged with Buick, Buick LaCrosse, Hybrid Cars.
The largest power producer in the nation, the Dominion Virginia Power, adds two more plug-in electric-hybrid cars and two hybrid-powered bucket-trucks to its fleet of EVs to be tested.
Two Toyota Prius units were converted as hybrid cars running on a Hymotion L5 Plug-in Conversion Module designed by A123Systems. The module nestles nanophosphate Li-ion batteries which saves up on up to 100mpg of fuel consumption.
The hybrid Prius units can be electrically assisted for an average of 30 to 40 miles. These hybrid cars can be recharged for a short five hours through any 110V electric outlet.
The Hymotion L5 Plug-in Conversion Module by A123Systems cuts down the greenhouse gas of these hybrid Prius units by at least 50% compared to conventional Prius units. This is approximately 80% less compared to regular sedans. Further experiments and data collection will be done by the Department of Energy National Laboratories in Idaho.
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Posted in Biofuels, Dominion Virginia Power, Electric Cars, Hybrid.
Tagged with Biofuels, Dominion Virginia Power, Electric Vehicles, Hybrid Cars.
The Italian based car manufacturer had just revealed Tazzari Zero, a “neighborhood electric vehicle” or NEV and will be out in the American market in no later than December 2009. The NEV was unveiled at the international motor show in Bologna.
Tazzari Zero NEV is a vehicle that is revved up with a lithium ion battery. It is capable of giving out an amazing driving range of 88 miles (141 km) with just one charge. Zero NEV is also created to reach a magnanimous speed of 56 miles per hour or 90 km/hr, but according to Tazzari, they will limit the speed up to 25-45 miles per hour (40-72 km/hr). This is due to the reason that some states bear limitations on speed in their jurisdiction on a vehicle like Zero NEV.
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Posted in Lithium-Ion Battery, Tazzari.
Tagged with Lithium-Ion Battery, Tazzari, Tazzari Zero NEV.
Scientists from the Department of Energy of the United States, Joint Genome Institute, and other partner sectors have released the genome of sorghum which is a plant that has a very excellent potential to be a bioenergy crop.
The unlocking of the sequence of the genome will allow experts to enhance and capitalize on sorghum’s potential not only as food or feed but as well as a source of biofuel.
Sorghum is next to corn as an excellent source of biofuel in the United States. The viability of sorghum is attributed to its resistance to drought and high productivity. One bushel of sorghum produces the same amount of biofuel as corn but requiring less water in the process.
Experts foresee the higher demand for sorghum as development of cellulosic biofuel production moves forward.
Sorghum is only the second grass genome that was completely sequenced to date after rice. Its structure is composed of 730 million nucleotides and is larger by as much as 75% than rice.
The unlocking of the genome of the sorghum may lead to the sequencing of other plants which may also have a high potential to be bioenergy crops.
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Posted in Bio Fuels, Research, Sorghum.
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