Whether contemplating the possibility of a Lexus Prius or dreaming up a Prius convertible, people sure do like to tinker with Toyota's halo car. Of course, for many, the reason to mess with the hybrid is to squeeze more miles per gallon out of the car.
According to CBS Chicago, two brothers from Du Page county, Illinois - Chris and Andrew Ewert - have modified a Prius to get 100 mpge (the "e" here being very undefined in the original source), simply by adding more batteries (battery type? also undefined) and a charger to the stock model. While techy details are not forthcoming about this particular PHEV conversion, at least one message comes through nicely: "My brother and I built this, and car companies should be able to do it, too," Chris said.
If you'd like to see some technical information on how a Prius conversion looks like, check out what Kim Adelman is doing.
Come rain, come shine... come lawsuits, Fisker appears determined not to let anything get in the way of a late 2009 launch for its upcoming Karma electric sedan. Along with the spy shots over on Autocar, the first indication of what on-board powerplant will charge the batteries is mentioned: a Volkswagen 1.4 liter. No mention is made of which 1.4 liter engine is being considered for the Karma, but we'd imagine it'll be a basic engine without forced induction of any sort if we had to wager an early guess. There is also no mention of whether or not the photographed sedan was using battery power or dino power. Regardless, seeing the Fisker Karma undergoing testing in California gives a bit of a the "warm fuzzies" to those who are in anticipation of the vehicle, which, as its second place finish in our list of the Top 20 most exciting green cars proves, definitely includes AutoblogGreen.
For the eighth time in the last five years, the powertrain of the Toyota Prius has been recognized by jury of the International Engine of the Year competition as one of the best. This time around Engine Technology International magazine replaced the previous best fuel economy category with Best Green Engine. The change was done to recognize the desired for both reduced fuel consumption and emissions. The Prius engine and hybrid transmission combo achieves tank-to-wheel efficiency of 34 percent compared to 14-15 percent for most internal combustion engines. The Prius has also been rated at 104g/km of CO2 on the European driving cycle. The 76hp 1.5L four cylinder combines with a 67hp electric motor/generator to achieve these results. The points spread from the 65 member jury of automotive journalists from 32 countries was actually pretty close for the top two spots with the Prius getting a narrow victory over BMW's single turbo 2.0L diesel with start/stop capability.
With all the money going into gas these days, is it any surprise that companies in the business of making gas alternatives are seeing increased financial interest as well? Mascoma was obviously one of the recent big winners, but the list is long and we can now add Firefly Energy. Firefly recently closed its third round of funding, which brought the company $16m. Firefly has been on our scope for a while, especially with their Oasis Group 31 batteries. The U.S. Army is also interested, to the tune of $5m, in the company's lead acid 3D and 3D2 batteries.
Khosla Ventures, known for its investments in various ethanol start-ups, is one of the new investors in Firefly Energy, as is Infield Capital. The DOE has also given Firefly $3.2m to develop the 3D batteries, according to VentureBeat. For the 2006 scoop on the 3D2 batteries, check out our interview with Firefly Energy co-founder Mil Ovan. And, if you have a few million to throw around, it seems to be the thing to do to fork it over to green auto tech companies. In case you were curious.
Click above for a high-resolution gallery of the 2007 Toyota Prius Touring.
J.D. Power and Associates' 2008 UK Customer Satisfaction Index Study, produced along with What Car?, indicates that owners of the Prius are rather happy with their cars. For the second consecutive year, the second-generation of Toyota's iconic green machine, the Prius, has won the award as the highest scoring model in the U.K. on the Customer Satisfaction Index Study, setting the gold standard with a score of 901 of 1,000 possible points. Owners reported high quality and reliability when polled.
Miguel Fonseca, Managing Director for Toyota in the U.K., said: "We place a high emphasis on customer satisfaction in every aspect of the ownership experience. For us, the findings of the J.D. Power and Associates study and the award for Prius are a vindication of the work done throughout our company and our center network to support great products with exceptional service. I view this as an endorsement by customers of hybrid technology as a powertrain for today as well as the future." So, not only is the vehicle an excellent choice because of its green credentials, but also for its reliability. Score one for Toyota.
Eight-year-old Owen Erickson has some scrapes and bruises but is otherwise no worse for wear after he found himself on the hood of a Toyota Prius this week. Owen had turned his bicycle onto the road in front of the car, which his mother says he didn't hear. The event, which thankfully ended well for all involved, brings additional attention to the debate regarding hybrids and the lack of noise they make under electric power. Owen's mom notes that the noise matter is, in her opinion, a big safety concern. That said, had her son looked before turning into the street, he would have likely avoided his accident entirely.
The blind can't simply look, however, and they rely on their ears to know when a vehicle is approaching. This is a matter that's garneredcoverage here in the past. Legislation that addresses the noise-for-hybrids issue now sits before the U.S. House of Representatives. Whether it'll lead to anything is anyone's guess, but when you consider that hybrids are now part of the mainstream and not the novelties they were a few short years ago, someone's probably going to do something soon. It'd be nice to see the automakers proactively address this and eliminate the need for additional federal regulation. Politicians are experts at overcomplicating matters, and when you boil this one down, it's pretty uncomplicated: just add noise. After all, hybrids and electrics are likely to become an increasingly common presence on our roads as automakers bring the next generation of green vehicles to market. The whole idea's not that ridiculous, anyway. Don't forget that Henrik Fisker plans to pipe noise out through speakers on his Karma hybrid...and he's promoting it as a desirable feature.
Following Audi CEO Rupert Stadler's declaration that the German automaker would be building an EV within the next decade, things seem to be moving along inside the VAG group. Although a pilot project, Audi has signed an agreement with Japanese supplier Sanyo to develop batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles. The automaker intends to use the lithium-ion batteries in the second and third generation of Sanyo's technolgy. The upcoming Q7 Hybrid will have nickel-metal batteries supplied by Sanyo.
The project is eventually expected to reach €1 billion, but the scope is developing the technology for the highest number of models possible, including small cars (VW Up, Audi A1). Sanyo will benefit from a solid project after three years of restructuring the company.
Despite Europe's love affair with diesels, which seems to have largely kept Europeans away from embracing hybrids, most trips are less than 40km, a territory where hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EVs have a lot to say.
German transmission supplier ZF has just started building production samples of a new electric motor that will be part of Mercedes-Benz new mild hybrid system. Mercedes co-developed the system with BMW and displayed it in several different vehicles shown at last fall's Frankfurt Motor Show. The first production application is expected to be the S400 hybrid which will pair a 3.5L gasoline V-6 with the 15kW electric motor/generator and a lithium ion battery to recapture energy from regenerative braking.
The motors are being manufactured by ZF's Sachs division at a plant in Schweinfurt Germany. ZF claims to be the first company to manufacture hybrid modules in Europe. Full production starts this fall at the rate of 35,000 annually and will eventually be ramped up to 200,000 a year. The Mercedes-BMW mild hybrid sandwiches the motor/generator between the engine and transmission to provide some low speed electric drive, electric power boost at higher speeds, auto start-stop and regenerative energy recapture. ZF currently has eight hybrid development projects with four manufacturers including Mercedes with production launches scheduled over the next four years.
According to Dr. Lyle Dennis, the founder of the GM-Volt.com fan site, over 20,000 people are on the "Chevy Volt Waiting List." For comparison, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV online petition currently has just 1,350 signatures calling on the Japanese company to sell the electric jellybean here in the U.S.
The Volt waiting list, though, isn't a declaration of an intent to buy or a place to put down a deposit. Instead, it's a grassroots way to let GM know that you're interested in buying the Volt when it comes out in late 2010. Still, I don't doubt that many - most, probably - of the people signed up would gladly fork over the money ($40,000? $35,000?) for the car. Wanna add your name to the list? Sign up here. More details after the jump.
Gallery: Detroit Auto Show: Chevy Volt Live Reveal
Following up on the post the other day about Popular Mechanics' attempt to rank the top ten Automotive X Prize teams, reader and tipster Manu wrote, "My bet for #1 is Poulsen Hybrid. It's not on the list and it's never been mentioned on ABG" (he also has his own take on the Poulsen Hybrid here). True enough, we have been remiss in covering this particular and we figured it was time to change that. I mean, what if this team happens to win and we weren't there from the beginning? Shameful. Of course, there are 60+ teams in the competition, and there are many we haven't covered. We should, but that's a post for another day.
Actually, we already missed the beginning. Poulsen hybrid plan started (I think, based on the website) last year, and the general idea is to take an existing ICE car and convert it to a plug-in electric hybrid with mileage in the 100 mpge range. The system adds two Poulsen Hybrid electric motors that use rare earth permanent magnets and are rated at 5kW or 7hp onto the outside of your car and then adds a 72V 120Ah Deep Cycle Lead Acid battery pack (with six batteries inside) and an onboard charger to the vehicle. As Manu writes, the benefits to this system include technology that is here today (June 2008 is the expected debut) and that Alpha-Core is not a new company, so funding issues shouldn't hold the Poulsen system back. The device costs $3,300, with another $600 for professional installation. Poulsen Hybrid, Inc. is a company based in Shelton, Connecticut and is connected to Alpha-Core, a division of Bridgeport Magnetics, Inc. So, whaddya think?
Since the advent of the hybrid at the turn of this century, an increasingly large group of hardcore fanatics have taken up hypermiling. For the uninitiated, hypermiling is the practice of using modified driving techniques to get the maximum possible fuel efficiency. There are hypermilers who claim to get over 100mpg from their Priuses and Insights. The problem is that techniques like pulse and glide involve significant fluctuations in speed. By accelerating quickly and then coasting for long periods using regenerative braking to recharge the battery as much as possible and then repeating ad nauseum, they minimize the load on the engine. This is fine when a vehicle is driving in little or no traffic. Unfortunately, when there are other cars around, an extreme hypermiler can pose a real impediment. Differences in speed are often a source of accidents and people who aren't driving hybrids won't want to be stuck behind someone coasting along. There is nothing wrong with trying to maximize fuel efficiency and everyone should be trying to drive efficiently. However, even hypermilers need to be cognizant of other drivers around them and avoid being obstructive.
To date, hybrids haven't been making much headway in the Chinese market. Big price premiums and relatively cheap gas have dampened demand among consumers there. That may soon change as the Chinese government is apparently considering dropping the sales tax on hybrid vehicles to stimulate sales. Given the choking pollution in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the government needs to do something, especially considering that Chinese consumers seem to be increasingly migrating toward SUVs and other more powerful vehicles. What they really need to do is lift the cap on fuel prices. That would seriously push Chinese drivers to consider cleaner, more efficient vehicles.
A123 Systems has just earned yet another development contract for developing lithium ion cells for plug-in hybrid applications. The US Advanced Battery Consortium and the Department of Energy have awarded a $12.5 million, 36 month contract to A123. The company has already been working on several automotive plug-in hybrid battery applications including the Saturn Vue PHEV and the Chevy Volt. A123 also purchased Hymotion last year, a company that has been developing plug-in conversion kits for existing hybrids. The first retail Hymotion kit using A123 cells is due to be available this summer for the Prius.
The USABC contract calls for A123 to focus on improving the energy density of cells for plug-in applications. The A123 battery chemistry is of interest to automakers because of its inherent stability compared to the lithium metal oxide chemistry used for consumer electronics batteries. However, the more stable chemistry from A123 has lower energy density. The goal is to improve that characteristic for so-called charge depleting applications that are designed to run longer on electricity alone. The three-year program will also try to reduce cost, improve durability and make the cells more resistant to abuse.
Over the years we've seen all manner of different hybrid configurations including mild and strong hybrids with parallel and series arrangements. There are hybrids with internal combustion paired with electric drive and hydraulic systems. Now an Iranian engineer based in Dubai has come up with something truly different. Abdolhadi Mirhejazi has built the Naturmobil (previously, the Naturcar). The Naturmobil literally has one horse power, as in, there is one horse powering the vehicle. The Naturmobil is a six wheeled, polycarbonate framed buggy with a top speed of 50mph although typical cruising velocity is closer to 12mph.
Inside the cart is a treadmill tied to a gearbox. Powering the treadmill is a horse. Temperature and heart rate sensors attached to the horse allow its condition to be monitored so that it doesn't get overworked. When the horse walks it moves the conveyor belt which through a gearbox drives an electric motor that drives the front wheels. Although the inventor doesn't mention it, there is even the possibility for co-generation if the horse's exhaust is collected and reprocessed or used to collect methane. No word on whether Mirhejazi plans to bring the Naturmobil to next year's Detroit Auto Show to compare it the third gen Prius. Thanks to Tom for the tip!
We already mentioned PSA's plans to downsize engines in an effort to improve fuel efficiency. The French company will showcase the progress its making during PREDIT (National Program for Terrestrial Transport Innovation), which is taking place this week in Paris. PSA will show a prototype co-developed with Valeo and IFP (the teams behind the low-carbon Smart). The prototype is a Citroën C2 with a two-cylinder engine, 8 valves and a mild-hybrid system with Stop&Start and regenerative braking. This allows the sub-subcompact to use 3.8 l/100 km (62 mpg U. S.) and emit just 90 g/km of CO2. The "regular" C2 featuring a 1.1 liter I4 engine uses 5.8 l/100 km (40.5 mpg U.S.) and produces 138 g/km of CO2. The C2 in the gallery below is the sporty version.
Whether contemplating the possibility of a Lexus Prius or dreaming up a Prius convertible, people sure do like to tinker with Toyota's halo car. Of course, for many, the reason to mess with the hybrid is to squeeze more miles per gallon out of the car.
With all the money going into gas these days, is it any surprise that companies in the business of making gas alternatives are seeing increased financial interest as well? Mascoma was obviously one of the 
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