A few months back at the Paris Motor Show, French automaker PGO was set to unveil its Hemera sportscar, though our scribes at the event came away empty handed. We're unclear as to whether or not the Hemera did indeed make its debut in The City of Lights, but it matters little now, as all the official details on the new car have finally surfaced. Powered by a 2.0-liter four cylinder engine from fellow French automaker Peugeot that's been tuned to run on compressed natural gas, the Hemera is reportedly capable of reaching the sprint to sixty in under 7 seconds thanks to its ultra light weight of just 980 kilograms (2,160 pounds). A total of 140 horsepower from the mid-mounted engine is funneled through a five-speed manual transmission, allowing for a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph). We like the looks too, which seem to be an shooting-brake-style evolution of the classic Porsche Speedster that the automaker mimicked with its Cevennes roadster.


[Source: 4 Wheels News]

Toyota isn't holding a press conference at the LA Auto Show this year, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have anything to show. The Prius purveyors have built a CNG-fueled Camry hybrid. According to Toyota spokesperson Jana Hartline, the purpose of the CNG hybrid is to demonstrate the versatility of Hybrid Synergy Drive. The car gets 50% better fuel efficiency than the last production CNG vehicle offered by Toyota, which was based on the 2000 Camry. Hartline explained Toyota has no immediate plans to produce either CNG or CNG hybrid vehicles, but the company is looking at all alternatives for the future.

All that's missing is an airbrushed portrait of T. Boone Pickens on the hood. Of what, you ask? Of the Toyota Camry CNG Hybrid concept, which explores the idea of combining Hybrid Synergy Drive with natural gas power. It debuts this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and is easily identifiable thanks to its grille-free schnoz. With a pair of tanks stowed in the trunk's spare tire well (the car rolls on run-flats), the CNG-fueled Camry Hybrid reportedly has a range of "more than 250 miles" according to the Open Road Blog. Upsides? Compressed natural gas burns cleaner, emitting fewer particulate emissions than gasoline, and even with the lower pump prices we're currently experiencing, CNG is still a little cheaper per gallon.

The tradeoffs? CNG must be stored in cylindrical containers, so Toyota (or any other automaker, for that matter) loses the flexibility of being able to shape the fuel tank to best suit a car's packaging. CNG's also less dense than gas, which means less overall power than a comparable, conventionally-powered car. And then there's that infrastructure bugaboo that seems to always pops up when discussing otherwise nifty-sounding green fuel ideas (think ethanol and hydrogen): a dearth of filling stations for the fuel in question. Toyota says there are only around 1,000 CNG pumps in the country, and most of them aren't publicly accessible anyway. Hence, they have no plans to produce a car like this anytime resembling "soon" -- it's basically just eye candy for green-conscious showgoers.


[Sources: Toyota, WCF]

We were just recently telling you about how Neil Young and his LincVolt project crew want to begin making similarly-powered vehicles for other people and now that we've learned more about what makes his '59 Lincoln go, we're back to fill you in. From what we can glean from the information now available, it seems the powertrain consists of a rotary engine from a Mazda RX7 running on compressed natural gas (CNG) which powers a generator that, in turn, powers the car's batteries. The batteries power the motor from UQM. At least, that's how it works for now.

Listening to conversation recorded at last week's Dreamforce conference where the car and crew made an appearance, one can hear Young's partner, Johnathan Goodwin, say, in explaining how they we expand on their currently claimed 50 mpg performance, "...we have other technology on there that will get us past our 100 mpg point..." Oh, really? More listening reveals that Goodwin is working on a small turbine which will be fueled by hydrogen. The hydrogen is to be derived from water via electrolysis with, we suppose, electricity generated from..., well, we're not sure. The Lincoln is definitely a big car but we suspect there may not be enough room under the hood for both a rotary engine and a turbine. In any case, the claims made of achieving "over-unity" (more energy put out than that put in) with this set-up were too absurd to continue listening further and we turned our attention back to the new neat-o stuff on this car that actually works. Hit the jump for more details as well as video of the LincVolt cruising to a concert in California.

[Source: LincVolt.com / Youtube]

Toyota has brought a really, really green concept with it to the SEMA Show that's currently taking place in Las Vegas. That first bit of green comes courtesy of a compressed natural gas conversion that allows the driver to switch from gasoline to CNG for the otherwise stock four cylinder engine via a button. It wouldn't be a proper SEMA concept without a ton of modifications, and so the storage tank for the natural gas is housed in the rear and appears when the modified rear tailgate is opened with its automated electric motor.

Other greenery includes the can't-miss-it Sherwin Williams green paint with metallic flakes and bronze accents. Besides its CNG system, the Yaris Tailback gets custom suicide rear doors and a custom wide body kit, necessary to cover the ridiculously wide 19x9 front and 19x11 rear wheels. Inside is custom upholstery and an audio/video system provided by Pioneer. Full press release after the break.


[Source: Toyota]

Last month, it was revealed that Honda had agreed to sell its FuelMaker Corp. to Clean Energy Fuels for $17 million. It seems that the two companies, who had until October 3 to close the deal, have called off the sale. We're not sure what the reason for the sale's cancellation are, but it sounds as if Honda was the company that initiated the termination.

In a statement, Clean Energy Fuels said, "Honda delivered to us a notice that it intended to terminate the purchase agreement; and, after subsequent discussions, on October 15, 2008, we and Honda mutually agreed to terminate the purchase agreement in accordance with its terms."

The biggest question now is what this means for the Phill CNG refueling station. The hope would be that Honda finds a way to begin selling these units to homeowners who want to use natural gas instead of gasoline to power their cars. Conspiracy theorists are sure to have a field day with this one.

[Source: The New York Times]

We're suckers for a good conspiracy theory, and we've stumbled upon one involving getting our nations off imported oil. Perfect! After reading through it, though, we're a little less enthusiastic. The whole thing centers around the Honda Civic GX, which is powered by natural gas as opposed to liquid petroleum. Sure, it's still coming from the ground, but it burns cleaner in an internal combustion engine and there is lots of it around these parts. So, is the Civic GX the perfect car to wean ourselves on? Maybe not. While the gas is available almost anywhere right in your home, the car takes a very long time to fill with the home-based Phill device and it's pretty pricey. So, you'd better have a CNG filling station nearby.

Here's a possible scenario. Honda builds about 1,000 Civic GXs a year and supply is short. Those are sold in California and New York only - states with strict environmental standards. Spokane Community College, which is in Washington State (not California or New York), wants to buy a fleet of GXs, as they have lots of CNG there, but the order is denied. Conspiracy! Or not. Maybe it costs Honda a bit more to make these than normal Civics. Maybe there really aren't enough of them to go around. We hope the cars become more widely available, but for now they aren't. Phill was just sold to Clean Energy Fuels, which could make them more prominent, but kills the idea that Honda is only interested in limiting its use. Feel free to read the whole thing here.


[Source: The Auto Channel / Edwin Black]

Earlier this year in March, PGO showed off a new car called the Cévennes that had some interesting mechanical bits underneath the smooth styling of the classic Porsche 356 Cabriolet. It's pretty difficult to be taken seriously as a car manufacturer if your company doesn't even have its own body design, and PGO looks to rectify that situation soon at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. It is also pretty difficult to distinguish any real details about the new Hemera's looks from the teaser photo, except to see that it has what appears to be a rather upright windshield and a "shooting brake" style profile. It is definitely a two-door coupe and it likely has rather sporty dimensions, including a very short wheelbase. Underneath that bodywork is expected to be the same 1.6-liter four cylinder engine that offers up 150-horsepower and can run on compressed natural gas. Expect about 35 miles per U.S. gallon and a range of 280 miles or so, if this mystery car ever goes into production.

[Source: Channel 4]

We got the chance to check out the concept behind the Standard Taxi at the New York Auto Show in 2007, and it now sounds like the unique people-mover will get a shot at production. Now known as Vehicle Production Group LLC, the company behind the Standard Taxi design has gotten the funding it needed for production. AM General, the company which became famous worldwide for creating the military-spec HMMV (better known as the Hummer), will do the duties of assembling the blocky cab at its Mishawaka, Indiana plant where the Hummer H2 is built for General Motors.

The Standard Taxi uses a rather traditional design with the engine placed up front, driving the rear wheels. Powertrain development work is being jointly carried out with GM. A compressed natural gas version is also in the works with assistance from Clean Energy Fuels Corp., founded by T. Boone Pickens, who also has some investment in VPG. The cab is capable of carrying four passengers and all their belongings and is wheelchair ready.

[Source: Vehicle Production Group]

Ford Germany has announced that its LPG and CNG-powered cars' performance has been improved. According to the press release, gas-powered Fords have improved their consumption up to 1 liter/100 km, which allows the cars to have 50km (30 miles) more range, that is, about 450 km on gas and 750 additional km on unleaded.

Not only that, thanks to a new facility in Saarlouis, Ford has improved its production capabilities. All LPG variants will be made in the new facility in Saarlouis, which allows a global production of 2,000 units of Focus and Focus C-MAX models, while the existing facility in Mainz will be producing CNG variants exclusively (300 Focus, 250 Focus C-MAX) as well as the Ford Transit Van LPG variant (150 units).

Prices for factory-guaranteed conversions are €3,275 and €2,500 (CNG/LPG respectively) for the Ford Focus or C-MAX and €3,950 or €2,920 for the for the Ford Transit van (CNG/LPG respectively).

[Source: Ford]

If you listened to or read our post on T. Boone Pickens speaking at the AFVI Expo in May, then you know that he's a big proponent of wind power and natural gas (some say he needs to learn more about hydrogen cars). Mr. Swift Boat is all over the media today because of an announcement regarding something called "The Plan," Pickens' big new idea to shift some of the $700b the U.S. spends each year on foreign oil into increasing domestic energy production. Unsurprisingly, Pickens says that wind and natural gas are the ways to go. Maybe this is what he meant when he said he wanted to be a player in the fall election.

Pickens spoke to NPR this morning about The Plan, which includes installing 2,500 wind turbines in Texas to deal with Peak oil (The Plan website says that happened in 2005). As for natural gas, Pickens says it should win as a power source for vehicles because it is cheaper than gas, abundant and domestic.

If you need a jolt of irony with your lunch today, check this out. Pickens told NPR that, "The mistake was made because we didn't have the leadership that stepped up and said, 'We cannot continue to import foreign oil.'" One reason no one stepped might be that people like Pickens invested a lot in oil companies looking for oil in foreign lands. Sheesh. h/t to Dave B.

[Source: Pickens Plan, NPR]

We know that T. Boone Pickens is a fan of natural gas, but powering vehicles with the clean-burning fossil fuel isn't exactly on the top of Americans' wishlist. The newly-formed Natural Gas Vehicle Purchasing Cooperative (NGV Co-Op), started by CALSTART and operational in three states (Arizona, Nevada and California), will help fleet managers "to quickly identify, locate, and purchase a wide range of light-, medium-, and select heavy- duty natural gas vehicles at the best prices." Most CNG vehicles available today are larger work trucks, so aiming at the fleet market makes sense. The current list of available vehicles includes the following:

• Honda Civic GX;
• Chevrolet Express Van
• Chevrolet Silverado pickup
• GMC Sierra pickup
• GMC Topkick
• Ford E-450 shuttle bus
• Ford Crown Victoria
• Ford F-150
• F-250 pickup
• Ford Van
• Ford E-350 cutaway

The types, makes and models on this list will grow as more vehicles become available, and CALSTART also wants to bring the co-operative bidding process to other locations in the future. See the NGV Co-Op's announcement here.

[Source: NGV Co-op]

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At the website in the metal event known as Green-Car-Guide Live! 2008, Volkswagen will be showing off a prototype right hand drive version of the CNG-powered Caddy EcoFuel for the first time. Left-hand versions are already available on the European mainland. No matter where the steering wheel is, the Caddy EcoFuel can burn either compressed natural gas of biomethane in a 2.0l 109 PS petrol engine, which offers lowered emissions and fuel costs. It's still a petrol engine, and does have a petrol reserve tank along with the CNG tank (both under the van) that give a combined range of 350 miles, VW claims. The one-day Green-Car-Guide Live! 2008 show takes place this Thursday (June 12) in Liverpool. Along with speakers on green car topics, other vehicles on display will include a 100 percent biodiesel racing truck, a Honda Civic hybrid rally car, an electric Smart, and electric vans from Smith and Modec.


[Source: VW]

After spending a long afternoon together, during which time Penny had given her companion a right thorough thrashing that had been met by only a satisfying compliant willingness, the moment for reward had come. Her hand dipped the sponge into warm soapy water to prepare it for more long gentle strokes down the gleaming black taut skin covering the powerful musculature of the young classic beauty. Penny's breath was coming out in soft gasps as finally finished her task of appreciation and stood back to admire the effect which her efforts of working over the luscious body had produced. Her new friend filled her with the same desire she had felt as when they had first been paired a few days earlier. Sadly, only several more days remained until she would have to give the car back.

You see, Penny Mallory, a World Rally Car and precision stunt driver (as well as television presenter), had been loaned the PGO Cévennes for a week so she could give it a drive and write about her impressions. She loved it so much she actually gave it a hand washing (our narrative of that event in the paragraph above), an occurrence I don't believe has ever happened before in the history of automotive journalism. And, indeed, the PGO Cévennes is car that has never happened in the history of the automobile before. Based on mechanicals from Peugeot and burning CNG for zero particulates and low CO₂ emissions, the Cévennes borrows freely from the '50s era Porsche 356 to which it is a homage to fulfill the performance promises older classic cars can only make. But don't take our word for it. Read an account of the tryst from Ms.Mallory herself by clicking on the "read" link below.

[Source: DueMotori]