AutoblogGreen

After receiving hundreds of complaints from Swedish drivers who have been left stranded by the side of the road, Volvo has recalled 8,500 of its V70 and S80 Flexifuel vehicles. Apparently the rigorous environmental testing the car maker employs does not extend to heatwaves like the one Sweden happens to be caught in the grips of...wait a sec. Heatwave? Sweden?

Anyway, seems the non-return valve and the pressure regulator (stick with me here) in the fuel pump of cars built between late November of 2007 and September of 2008 experience some loosening when the outside temperature gets too high. This results in the cessation of fuel flow which, of course, causes the engine to stop running. This also means the air conditioning stops and, since it's blazing like the dickens outside, causes drivers to lose their cool and call the car company to complain. The offending vehicles have for the most part been sold in Sweden, though there are a smattering within several countries of the European Union. The problem is not thought to be directly related to the burning of bio-fuels.

[Source: The Swedish Wire]

Fiat held a glitzy launch for the convertible version of their super hot supermini at the Whisky Mist in London the other night and swimsuit supermodel Elle Macpherson was the first in the UK to go topless, getting her very own 500C. We're told the Australian-born model and actress received the keys to the latest iteration of the Italian-built model outside her Notting Hill home and was soon overheard telling a friend how cool and sexy she thought it was. Of course, Elle knows all about cool and sexy Fiat 500s, having previously owned the original hard top version.

Other convertible-celebrating celebrities up in da club with Edoardo Agnelli, the nephew of Fiat's co-founder included Tesla Roadster buyer and Black-Eyed Peas guy, will.I.am and Sugababes' Amelle. Feel free to check out the gallery below of Elle's famous friends posing with her new ride. Americans lusting after a topless model for themselves may have to wait until 2011 before they are able to satisfy their desire. Hit the jump for a couple bonus vids of the 500C in action and the official UK launch press release.



[Source: MS&L London]

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Lots of folks think implementing a gas tax would be better than CAFE to help steer consumers toward buying more fuel efficient vehicles. This, in turn, could shrink our national clown-shoe carbon footprint, reduce pollution as well as give a boost to new technologies such as electric vehicles. So why did energy secretary Stephen Chu say that the tax option is off the table (despite previously favoring the concept)? It's thought to be too difficult to get through Congress. Not only would the average American consumer be opposed but lobby groups from myriad industries would quickly mobilize against such a measure.

Perhaps a teaspoon of rebate sugar would help the medicine go down? That's what Michael Levine and Mark Roe argue in a piece published in the Financial Times:

Consider first a textbook move to get the public to accept a costly change in policy: give voters their money back through another channel. If they got a tax credit or refund for the amount of the average voter's petrol usage, they would see that they were no worse off. They could keep the money and drive less or buy a more economical car.

Not a bad idea, right? They've even discussed similar ways of dealing with commercial concerns. While some people won't accept any plan with the word "tax" attached to it, perhaps just enough could be sold on the scheme if the pain was soothed with a bit of silver salve. While the authors single out energy companies as remaining contrary...wait a sec, who really cares what they think? What we care about is what you think so, let us know.

[Source: Financial Times]
Photo by rwkvisual. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

It looks as though Italy will be the latest country to be able to boast of an electric motocross manufacturer when Evolt (Electric Vehicle Oriented) brings its muscular Bull1 to the market. The bike is the brainchild of Bruno Greppi who decided a few years ago to build a range of battery-powered two wheelers that featured great performance as well as a decent range. One of the results of that effort is an MX designed for competition and off-road that's capable of loads of torque and can hit a top speed of 55 mph (90 km/h). Its lithium polymer batteries, in conjunction with a brushless motor that allows for regenerative braking, are said to give it a two-hour run time. Charging comes via a custom device and takes about an hour.

When the bike was shown at the Milan International Cycle and motorcycle Exhibition late last year, it was thought it may be available in Italy in late 2009 at a price in the neighborhood of € 9000 ($12,540). Although Evolt also has a trials bike called the Deer and an electric scooter called the Lizard in the works, we are especially looking forward to someday grabbing this Bull1 by its horns. Hit the jump for all the specs and a couple short videos featuring a bit of MX track action.

[Source: Motorcafe / Evolt / AVEM]

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When the price of oil was soaring last summer Japan Post said it would switch its fleet over to electric vehicles as soon as possible. It's not a little over a year later and this change is starting to take place. By the end of July, Japan Post should have started 5-year lease programs for 20 Mitsubishi i MiEVs and 20 Subaru Stellas. Most of these cars will be based in Kanagawa Prefecture where there is already some amount of recharging infrastructure.

In addition to the consumer type vehicles, the mail services company will also try out 9 solar panel-topped battery-powered trucks (pictured above) and several copies of a single-seat open-side affair that's based on the Toyota Auto Body's Ultra Small Electric Everyday COMS. Speaking of Toyota, the company proper will be supplying Japan Post with an example of the 2010 plug-in Prius around the end of the year. Thanks to Yanquetino for the tip!






[Source: Green Car Congress / Japan Post]

The Dutch website dedicated to electric and hybrid automobiles, ZERAuto, has been conducting a poll, asking its visitors to rank their favorite ride and offering 12 very nice entrants to choose from. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Netherlands-based DuraCar Quicc! Diva grabbed the top spot and now proudly sports the "Car of the Future" crown, even though it had competitors like the Tesla Roadster and the Pininfarina B0 BlueCar. Putting aside possible nationalistic motivations, it seems likely that the practical Dutch see the Quicc! Diva as a stylish yet pragmatic way of moving themselves and their stuff around the narrow streets of their city centers. The Chevy Volt, which had occupied the top spot, was deposed to 2nd place; the Th!nk City was also a bridegroom.

The honor did not go unnoticed by certain politicians and yesterday the Minister of Economic Affairs, Maria van der Hoeven, presented DuraCar CEO Steen Wim Bakker with a certificate denoting the accolade. Although the company recently declared bankruptcy, as did their intended builder Karmann, they plan on making a comeback and begin producing 25 cars a day in Q3 of 2010, more than a year behind schedule. For their part, Karmann may also be a zombie phoenix. It's been reported that they've landed a £10 million ($14 million) model-development contract from Volkswagen which will help them restructure and allow them to focus on electric cars. Hit the break for a Google translated press release as well as a bonus video of the Diva struttin' her stuff.


[Source: ZERAuto / Bloomberg]

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Driving a car that's had more than a few birthdays and wish you could make it greener? Whether your concern is centered on air quality, climate change or just saving a few bucks as fuel prices rise, there are many ways you can accomplish this goal using your common sense or perhaps a little modern technology. We've compiled some of these for your perusal below the fold but since we have some pretty astute readers, we hope you'll leave your own suggestions in the comments section as well.

Photo by Joe Thorn. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

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Although there may be many a MINI E, i MiEVs and smart EDs taking part in that £25 million ($40 million) UK electric vehicle test program, there is also a subset of sports cars involved. The EEMS Accelerate project says it plans to have 21 vehicles acquiring electric car data for 12 months in a rather more sporting style, including kilometers collected on a closed circuit as well as commuting.

The four companies supplying the spiffy wheels are listed as the Lightning Car Company, Ecotricity cars, Westfield Sports cars and Delta motorsport. Though we're unsure of how the numbers breakdown exactly, we do know that two of the 21 are supposed to be Lightning GTs. Add to that at least one recently test-driven "wind car" from carbon-free energy supplier Ecotricity and Westfield kicking in vehicles based on both their Lotus 7-derived Westfield Sport and the GTM Libra. Delta Motorsport will represent with the E-4 Coupe that is said to zip to 60 mph in under 5 seconds and travel 250 miles on a charge. While no dates were given for the trial, we expect it should start sometime early next year if it's to stay somewhat contemporaneous with the overall trial.

[Source: The Engineer Online / EEMS Accelerate]

It's has been a while since we heard any news about the inflatable car from XP Vehicles but it seems they are still out there and still planning to take the auto industry by storm. Freshly featured on the cover of Product Design & Development (PDD), the concept vehicle that doesn't employ airbags, but rather is the airbag, is given credence in the two page spread. After reading the article, though, we're left with a nagging question: "Is this thing just a lot of hot air?"

While PDD proclaims that the "prototype benefits from a perfect economical storm" and mentions "...motors are built into the rear wheel of most XP prototypes", there doesn't actually seem to be a prototype in existence aside from computer renderings. Also troubling is the claim that it can both achieve a range of 125 miles with four passengers (after which an auxiliary power unit kicks in and extends that range to 300 miles) and contains its batteries in shelves that consumers can remove, throw over their shoulders and carry up to their apartments to plug in and charge. Considering the weight involved in batteries capable of taking you that far, it's a proposition that seems unlikely.

We don't want to be complete negative Nancies about the project though. Perhaps the day will soon come when they will post a video of a door from their mini utility vehicle (MUV) undergoing their proposed toughness testing with an AK-47. Hit the break to let us know from whose future face egg will be dripping and a short clip from XP Vehicles extolling their vehicles' virtues.

[Source: Product Design & Development]

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