Well, today was day zero of the third annual Santa Monica AltCar Expo. The public is invited to check out all of the green rides at the Santa Monica Civic Center starting tomorrow, but anyone who was walking by the center's parking lot this morning could get an early taste of what will be on display this weekend. We were roaming the area with our camera and thought you might want to see what we saw.

It was impossible to miss the predominance of electric vehicles at the parking lot preview today. From the Skeuter to three examples from Wild Electric Custom Cars, from the new Zerobike (it's the black bike in the gallery below) to the old standbys from Miles EV and Hybrid Technologies, there were lots of electron-powered rides on display. There are always some surprises to be had here at AltCar, and so far the MIIN-AER car (above) seems to be the most unusual. This is a 1999 Porsche Boxter that's had its ICE guts ripped out and replaced by a compressed-air system. The designer says that it'll go 50 miles at 65 mph and takes just ten minutes to recharge the tanks. Even though the press release pasted after the jump says media could take the car for a spin, that didn't happen. We'll see what the weekend brings.

One other vehicle that caught everyone's eye was the Triobike, a sweet pedal-powered bike that has a baby stroller attached to the front. Basically, you load up your kids in the stroller, ride to your destination, then detach the stroller from the bike and then push the kids through the park or mall or whatever. The Triobike can also carry a front tire around and convert to a normal two-wheeled when needed. A friend of mine said that the one improvement she'd like to see would be to have the kids pedal the adult around. They've always go so much energy, right?

Take a look at all these rides in the galleries below.

click to enlarge

The Detroit Free Press' Justin Hyde has a new article out about just how reliant the Big Three are on other countries for all of their new-fangled high-tech parts, especially batteries for hybrid vehicles. We know that the U.S. government is funding hydrogen fuel cell and biofuel research to the hilt, but the dollars for PHEVs and their batteries simply don't match up. Hyde writes about the advantage that Asian countries have in making rechargeable batteries thanks to strong government support there for decades.

The thing is, I'm not sure how this reliance on other countreis for batteries will really be any different from many other aspects of the auto industry. I mean, haven't the past two or three (or more?) decades really been about moving production and sourcing to each and every corner of the world? Or take computer chips - of which how many are in each new car? How many of these are produced in the U.S.? It's the reality of the business/corporate world today, and hybrid vehicles certainly are no exception. Not sure what the surprise is here.

[Source: Seattle Times]

We thought Hybrid Technologies had been awfully quiet of late about their new superlattice li-ion batteries, but it seems they've been busy forming a new battery company (not to mention designing a new car to enter into the Progressive Automotive X-Prize) to handle all the business an energy storage breakthrough of the kind claimed will eventually generate. Ok, maybe forming should be considered "re-naming," as the company seems to have existed originally as Zingo. And before that as Java King Coffee Inc.. And before that as Titan Web Solutions Inc.. Anyway, the new company is called, "Superlattice Power Inc." has a shiny new website that comes equipped with a press release to let us know what's going on. So, what's going on? Good question.

The press release seems like a restating of the same information Hybrid Technologies released back in February when they announced that they had improved the lithium ion polymer battery "inhouse" by using a new cathode material that has a "superlattice" structure (pictured above) that will enable an electric vehicle (EV) to go over 200 miles on a charge, compared to the 120-140 miles that is possible now. Also the battery can operate at a higher than normal voltage range of 4V to 2.3V. Seemingly, only the names (and OTCBB stock symbols) on the release have been changed.

We are hoping all this hyping will result in product sales at some point. Hybrid Technologies, and by extension, Superlattice Power Inc. (both residing at the same North Carolina address) have not been shy about touting their various prototype building accomplishments, even as they remain mum about the companies' shortcomings in their constant flurry of press releases. For your perusal pleasure we have copies of the present and past superlattice battery breakthough notices after the break. Make of them what you will.

Hybrid Technologies, the company which offers the (not very popular) electric Mini Cooper and the all electric L1X-7 sports car, has announced plans to enter the Progressive Automotive X Prize. The vehicle that they will be entering looks to be an extremely sporty vehicle, and would compete in the mainstream category, meaning that it must offer at least four seats. That's two more than the Tesla Roadster, for those keeping count of such things. Two versions of the vehicle are said to be in the works, one extended-range electric-vehicle which would offer 220 miles per gallon to go along with its 150 to 180 mile range and a fully electric version which would sell for a cheaper price. Considering the cost of HT's current vehicles, though, we're not holding our breath for a rock-bottom figure.

We have no real details on what would power either vehicle, though Popular Mechanics' report indicates that HT's Ron Cerven is predicting very wild things from the vehicle. Power levels over that of the incredible new Corvette ZR1 are being thrown around. With talk like that, we'd love to see a real product roll out of the Hybrid Technologies factory, something that is planned to take place this September.


[Source: Popular Mechanics, thanks for the tip, Doug!]

About a month ago Hybrid Technologies sent out press release that they were slashing the price of their electric vehicle conversions. For some time now, they have been offering up MINI Coopers, Chrysler PT Cruisers and even Crossfires among others. The flaw in the plan however was the pricing. There have been questions about actual performance and how many vehicles the company has actually delivered. The one independent test that we are aware was a battery powered Chrysler PT Cruiser the company provided for testing as a New York City Taxi. That one ended badly after only a few months in service when the car was unable to approach the claimed range and it performed poorly in cold weather. Well, some of the staff from Hybrid Technologies were on hand with a few of their vehicles at the New York Auto Show this week and I managed to get answers (sort of) to a few questions. Their MINI conversion is now priced at $57,500 and they have built two prototypes for testing. However, to date none have been ordered by potential customers. As for their latest offering, a converted Toyota Yaris called Liv Wise, priced a slightly more reasonable $39,500, HT claims to have gotten fifteen serious inquiries and they are attempting to firm up the first order. Once an order is confirmed they will deliver a car within four months. So apparently people are looking for actual demonstrated capability at an affordable price when it comes to electric vehicles and conversions of existing cars may not be the way to get there.

[Source: Hybrid Technologies]

Hybrid Technologies, the company that will bring some of its newly re-named LiV line of electric vehicles to the New York Auto Show next month, has announced that its new type of lithium ion polymer battery has passed tests and should allow electric cars to go 200 miles per charge once they're mass produced. The improvement in the li-ion batteries is a new cathode material with what Hybrid Technologies calls a "superlattice structure" where some of the transition metal is replaced by lithium. This new material allows batteries to operate anywhere between 4.3V to 2V. Successful industrial-scale synthesis means that Hybrid Technologies expects these batteries to be used not only in EVs but also UPS power back-up systems. There's lots more at the Hybrid Technologies website. Thanks to Scott S. for the tip!

[Source: Hybrid Technologies]

Hybrid Technologies has announced that it will be renaming its electric vehicle conversions with LiV branding for 2008. The newest model based on the Toyota Yaris is now called the LiV Wise rather than the utterly forgettable Y-120. The LiV Wise starts at $39,500 and prices climb from there. Hybrid Technologies will display some of its cars at the New York Auto Show next month, and we'll be trying to catch up with them. Hopefully, we'll finally get an answer to the question of just how many of their vehicles they've actually sold, a query that has so far gone unanswered.

[Source: Hybrid Technologies]

If you've had a hankering for a full battery electric version of a MINI, PT Cruiser, Smart ForTwo or Toyota Yaris, the price tag just got a little more manageable. Lost Wages-based Hybrid Technologies has been doing EV conversions for a while now and apparently the cost of their lithium ion batteries has come down significantly so they are passing on the savings to the customer. Of course, this is no way meant to imply that any of their cars are inexpensive or affordable to the average consumer. The lineup now starts with an electrified Yaris at a mere $39,500. The battery-powered PT Cruiser has been slashed by $10,000 to a slightly less ridiculous $55,000. The MINI Cooper tops out the lineup at $57,500. If those price tags have not dissuaded you, you can check out the company and even place your order at the company's website.

[Source: Hybrid Technologies, thanks to Nick for the tip]