Recent Comments:
Chrysler: Next mid-size sedan could be electric {Autoblog Green}
Oct 13th 2008 2:17PM Chrysler has to have the money to develop new technology vehicles to do this....and they don't. This is PR fluff at this point.
U.S. DOE pays for half of Ford's $20m plug-in Escape hybrid program {Autoblog Green}
Oct 8th 2008 1:13PM This is a bit of a rip off. You can take a Ford Explorer Hybrid and have it converted into a plug in Hybrid for $35k today with the battery being the main price item. Here's the place: http://hybrids-plus.com/ht/products.html
Then there's the whole 20 cars thing over two years...just a PR project...its very sad as Ford used to be the american leader on hybrid technology until they decided to not make it a centerpiece of their strategy a couple of years ago.
Third-gen Prius to be sportier? {Autoblog Green}
Oct 6th 2008 11:32AM Kendrew is right on. Since this sport economy settings will be in software, just program both and let the consumer decide.
Something to consider Toyota, people buy hybrids to get the great mileage, not for sportiness (that's why the Accord hybrid which used the hybrid to increase power wouldn't sell) - so use some common sense and squeeze out the mileage for the next gen Prius. Otherwise, Honda is waiting for your market with their new Insight.
Paris 2008: smart shows off its second-gen ED {Autoblog Green}
Oct 6th 2008 11:01AM That's enough range, even throwing in winter or air conditioning etc. to handle my commute...looking forward to Smart getting these in production and deployed to the US. You can almost taste the chance to buy production electric vehicles...just a couple more years...can't wait to have to choose.
EDF calls for 90 percent reduction in NYC school bus soot pollution {Autoblog Green}
Oct 3rd 2008 5:17PM John is right on. Natural Gas is about half the equivalent price of gasoline/diesel, save some money for these strapped school systems to use elsewhere.
Fuel stretching Taylors get world record 58.82 mpg around the U.S. {Autoblog Green}
Sep 30th 2008 1:32PM I'd have to say the "driving 5mph under the speed limit" is a disengenious way of getting this super mileage - you could just shut the engine off and push the vehicle to get even better mileage!
Driving 5mph under the speed limit is a good way to incite road rage in most of the US, particularly during rush hour - it just isn't tolerated/expected in most places. If you want to show us impressive mileage, show us mileage you get during normal driving speeds...i.e. speeds with the surrounding traffic.
Otherwise this is just an ivory tower PR operation for VW.
Honda intentionally limiting sales of its Civic GX? {Autoblog Green}
Sep 30th 2008 1:16PM Something to consider about the GX. Its price is about $24k here in the US. A fully loaded gas powered EX goes for around $20k, but the US government gives a $4k rebate for the GX. There's also a rebate for the PHIL (like $1k I think) and then the price per equivalent gallon of gasoline is 50% or so depending on what your natural gas costs. Long term operating price benefits could be significant.
You basically need to plug it in at night, to fill it up, like you would an electric or plug in hybrid vehicle. This seems like the perfect commuting vehicle, except you can't get one - I asked my dealership in Illinois if they could order one and they said no.
Chrysler: Half of all cars electric by 2020 {Autoblog Green}
Sep 29th 2008 1:32PM It seems like all the electric car fluff coming from Chrysler is just that, fluff. They don't have the money to develop much of anything or the time (you don't develop a production electric car in a year and a half. Maybe they're wanting to make sure possible future investors think they have a future and don't write them off.
Out of the big 3, Chrysler made the biggest bet as a company on big engine / power being their trademark and are in the worst financial position of the big three as a result. Now developing new vehicles, particularly new platform/new technology vehicles is expensive. I don't see where that money would be coming from.
They might be able to swing the rebadged electrified Lotus ala Tesla - that would seem to be the cheapest of the alternatives - but they would be expensive, you won't sell 50,000 of those a year.
CNG-powered Toyota Camry hybrid will drop at LA Auto Show {Autoblog Green}
Sep 24th 2008 5:40PM Just for the record the natural gas Civic gets about the same/equivalent mileage to the regular Civic (with significantly less horsepower). A natural gas hybrid Camry would probably get equivalent mileage to the regular hybrid Camry ~35mpg or so...so it should be about the same as the Civic. Too bad Toyota didn't say they'd make it.
Volkswagen not yet planning to support higher biodiesel concentrations {Autoblog Green}
Sep 22nd 2008 2:20PM From their choice of a 2.0 liter diesel engine for power (instead of something smaller and more economical like the previous diesels offered here in the US - economical is why you buy one for the most part) to this truly boneheaded "I don't get that this would have great marketing value and just be a good thing move" decision to ignore the B20 standard to the fact that the vehicle they sell most associated with "greeness", the Beetle isn't slated to get a diesel...seems to really indicate that VW execs in charge of things here in the US are incompetent as they are squandering chances to sell significantly more cars left and right.
