When last we visited Neil Young's LincVolt project the car and crew had managed to survive some early road testing. That was at the beginning of June so you may be forgiven if you think that four months later the car should be ready to go with nothing standing between it and the open road but a good coat of wax. Obviously the mind of a rock genius has its own ideas about time and such and so there is yet work to be done before the car makes its road trip debut. However, that is not to say that there hasn't been any progress. There has been, and in a video address, Neil gives the world the latest news on the development of the car.

Among the highlights is the arrival of an old gas engine from Australia. Why they decided to ship a used engine all the way from Australia to perform as a range extender in the '59 Lincoln Continental was not revealed but they do address some of the red tape encountered in the shipping. Another piece of progress was made with Paul Perrone of Perrone Robotics installing all the sensors that will supply to the world via internet, every possible bit of data relevant to the LincVolt as it rolls down the highway such as current speed and altitude. Besides being able to see the road ahead, sound and vision of the interior will also be available on the LincVolt website which is set to undergo a dramatic change to bring you a mix of telemetry and rolling reality show. In the meantime, the site has a webcam to allow us all to see what's going on with the car now. Hit the jump for video of the state of the LincVolt address.

[Source: YouTube / LincVolt]

From time to time we get questions about the status of Neil Young's Linc-Volt project, the transformation, nay, transmogrification of the rock icon's gas guzzling '59 Lincoln Continental into a sweet serial-electric hybrid by John Goodwin. There have been a few teasers and the odd announcement made but now, thanks to shoe-leather reporting by The Wichita Eagle, we are happy to disclose to you that the Linc Volt lives! Though not completed, Young and Goodwin were able to take it for a successful 12 mile spin under, what sounds like, electric power. Young described the car as quiet and powerful, though apparently as there is no accelerator pedal or power steering yet, and Goodwin was applying the juice via a knob located somewhere in the back seat, the short trip almost ended in disaster. As they approached an entrance ramp, the knob was twisted the wrong way and they found themselves hurtling toward the backside of another vehicle. Fortunately, Neil still has good reflexes and he reached over with his foot from the passenger side to stomp down hard on the brake. Disaster averted.

No completion date was mentioned in the article or accompanying video but hopefully it will be finished soon. The pair are planning on making a road trip to Washington, DC and across California as part of a promotional tour. The trip should generate lots of press as well as footage for a documentary being filmed about the project. It will also give Goodwin the chance to actually listen to Neil Young's music, which he admits, he still hasn't heard. It will also give the oddball pair an opportunity to discuss future plans to extend the scope of their venture.

[Source: The Wichita Eagle]

NBC News got a look at mechanic John Goodwin's soon-to-be-released add-on kits for diesel cars in this video. The NBC video also takes a look under the hood of John's turbine, hybrid H3 that will get 60 MPG. That's not the only TV interview John has done recently. As promised, here is the article and full video of singer Neil Young and John Goodwin's appearance on CNN. In the CNN interview, John says "it's not cost-effective for someone to run out and spend $40,000 to double the fuel economy, but I have no shortage of customers." The CNN article also says John's $200 green conversion kit will include downloads to your car's computer.

John also did an interview with NPR's Weekend Edition last Sunday spreading the world that cars can be green and powerful. "The ironic thing is you can have a 1,000 horse power vehicle and get 25 MPG," says John. Below the fold is a video John did in June with Media Talk. Is John the first green, celebrity mechanic?

Related:

• Neil Young's 1959 Lincoln runs on biodiesel and can be plugged-in
• Biodiesel turbine, super capacitor, series hybrid... HUMMER! (60 MPG and 0-60 in 5 seconds)

[Source: CNN, NPR, NBC News, Media Talk]

Update: The follow up article about John's appearance on CNN.

Singer Neil Young and mechanic John Goodwin, who is converting Neil's 1959 (so it's not a 1960) Lincoln Continental Mark IV convertible to a plug-in hybrid that runs on biodiesel that will get 100 MPG, will be on CNN's "American Morning" Monday, November 19th, 6-9 am EST according to this press release. The interview will be featured on CNN.com and I will live blog Neil and John talking about "the new fuel-efficient life of the car and how it holds exciting possibilities for the future."

The press release (in full below the fold) from Reprise Records also says Neil is directing a movie all about the car called Linc-Volt. The film will feature the delivery of the car from California to Kansas and then a trip to show off the car in Detroit with the goal of "raising awareness of the feasibility of hybrid-powered cars within the mainstream consciousness." The film is scheduled for release in 2008 and we will sure be on the look out for it.

We love John and Neil's green efforts but we should point out that in past articles about the Linc-Volt and John Goodwin, many comments questioned if John's turbine Hummer could get 100 MPG. Even a Fast Company editor chimed in commenting "this story is generating a lot of interest and even controversy" and the turbine was a one-off experiment. Also causing some controversy, Ecorazzi's Michael and our own Sebastian had an all-in-fun disagreement on the quality of the Neil working with Pearl Jam. We will let you decide on that one. Below the fold are videos of the Neil and Pearl Jam partnership.

Don't forget now, Monday on CNN 6-9 am EST!

[Source: Reprise Records]