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Click above for more shots of the Fisker Karma

While you could certainly argue that developing just one single new plug-in hybrid vehicle is about as difficult a task as a small automaker could handle, Fisker Automotive is rumored to be working on four such models. Of course, that task should be just a little bit easier thanks to the help of Quantum Technologies, the company that has been tasked with providing the automaker with the hybrid drivetrain for its sedan. As it is, Fisker has pretty ambitious plans for its sedan, the Karma, with the goal of selling 15,000 units per year by 2011. The four new shapes would include a coupe, a convertible and, oddly enough, an SUV and all would use the same basic underpinnings. Expect all of these models to carry a pretty high price - though an additional piece of good news from the rumormill indicates that the automaker is also planning a new lower-cost PHEV as well. We look forward to seeing how this all pans out.


[Source: Channel 4]

Earlier this week, we heard rumblings that workers at the east India plant that is supposed to build the Tata Nano could be besieged by members and supporters of the opposition party in the state. Automotive News Europe now brings us an update and says that the dissatisfaction against Tata Motors resulted in a work stoppage today when thousands of workers stayed home because of protests against the company. Police took 3,600 workers out of the factory yesterday.

The dispute is over 1,000 acres of land that Tata acquired from farmers in the area, and the company has expressed a willingness to move the factory if resistance doesn't die down. The farmers want to keep their land, while the government wants to give the land to Tata to help them build the much-hyped car, famous for being the world's cheapest. A Tata Motors spokesperson issued this very safe statement: "Our workers are not working today. We are assessing the situation as of now."


[Source: Automotive News Europe]

One of the last electric car hold-outs has announced they will finally be jumping on the zero-emission bandwagon. Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe let slip today in Tokyo future plans for just such a vehicle. Skimping on the details he said only that they would be mass produced and go on sale sometime in the early "2010s." Geez dude, throw a dog a bone, would you? Luckily Toyota Executive Vice-President Masatami Takimoto was able to offer more plot clues. "We consider electric vehicles as one of the candidates for sustainable mobility, [but] for the time being the most realistic approach is to use the electric vehicle for short-distance travel," He maintains that, given the limitations of modern battery technology, the next Toyota EV would be a small commuter type vehicle. Hopefully, it will bigger than their previous small electric car of that type, the eCom. We also hope they aim for more range than the 120 miles their RAV4EV got with NiMH batteries, although that range was certainly plenty for a lot of drivers.

[Source: Bloomberg / Business Week]

Here at the Detroit Grand Prix today, Corsa Motorsports announced their intention to debut a hybrid powered sports car in the LMP1 class at the Petit Le Mans in October. Corsa will be using a chassis developed by Zytek with an E10/electric hybrid powertrain. The 10-hour race at Road Atlanta on October 4 will also mark the debut of the Green Challenge were the teams will be judged on their fuel consumption and overall environmental impact. Corsa hopes to make a good showing as part of the Green Challenge.

Zytek has designed a new E10-fueled 4.5L V8 that will be paired up with a three phase induction motor and six speed gear box. The car will feature regenerative braking with energy stored in a lithium ion battery provided by Continental Automotive. Track testing of the car started in July at the Donington Park track in the UK and the car will soon be shipped to the U.S. for its race debut. Corsa is planning to run the entire 2009 ALMS season with the new car.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

Spy shots of Honda's upcoming Prius-fighting hybrid model have come and gone and we still haven't had our fill of guessing what the new model will look like. We've heard that the new non-Insight will bear a resemblance to Honda's hydrogen-consuming FCX Clarity and we can certainly tell that it will have a certain Prius-esque look to its profile - all in the name of aerodynamics, of course. Armed with all of this information, the scribes at Japan's Best Car have come up with a rendering of the new car. Based on what we know, as discussed a few sentences back, this is surely pretty close though there will undoubtedly be extra details that nobody is aware of yet. Under hood will be a revised version of Honda's familiar Integrated Motor Assist system hooked to a 1.3-liter four cylinder engine. A nickel metal hydride battery pack will prove the necessary juice to the electric motor. Expect to see the real thing soon enough as Honda is set to debut its latest fuel-sipper in this October in Paris.


[Source: Best Car via Carscoop]

Azure Dynamics doesn't make the world's flashiest hybrids, but the company's Balance Hybrid Electric system built into Ford E450 chassis are regularly sold to utilities and other fleet operators. The latest order, for three such vehicles, comes from Con Edison of New York. According to Azure, the gasoline-electric hybrids boost fuel economy by up to 40 percent compared to non-hybrid versions of these large trucks. They also emit up to 30 percent less carbon (in city conditions). As we well know, hybrids shine in urban use because of the constant starts and stops, and these trucks can also run on battery power at speeds of up to 20 mph. Thanks to the regenerative brakes, the Balance system reduces brake maintenance by up to 75 percent, Azure says.

[Source: Azure Dynamics Corporation]

Now that Sen. Barack Obama has been officially anointed as the Democratic Party's choice to head the ticket in November, it's perhaps time to take a closer look at some of his policies as they relate to the subject matter of this blog. Over at Green Fuels Forecast, they have a pretty thorough run-down on what Obama is promising and some of how he proposes to pay for it. Contrary to the sound-bites you here on the typical mainstream media news report, both candidates actually have relatively detailed proposals and its up to you to decide which is the best for the future of the United States and indeed the world.

Obama has set some pretty aggressive goals for moving to renewable energy sources and getting plug-in vehicles onto American roads in large numbers. He also proposes a Clean Technologies Deployment Venture Capital Fund to help get new technology beyond the research stage. What's interesting about this point is the VC Fund terminology. Venture Capitalists don't typically invest their cash out of concern for the common good. They usually want a stake that they can cash out at IPO or Google buyout time. Will Obama's VC fund also take ownership stakes in return for government investments? Will they hold or sell those? It's an interesting approach and if they follow the typical VC model and sell successful investments, it could help raise some of the cash needed to fund more. It's also a mechanism that could use public funds in a market based way. Check out the rest of the plan at GFF.

[Source: Green Fuels Forecast]

While both General Motors and Ford have shown extended range electric vehicle concepts, only the former has committed to producing such a vehicle. We have written endlessly here about the Chevrolet Volt, but now there may be a new challenger on the horizon from an unexpected corner. The Zoom-Zoom factory at Mazda may be developing an ER-EV. Unlike the Volt which uses a four-cylinder piston engine for a range extender, Mazda is reportedly planning to use a Wankel rotary. According to AutoCar, there is a running prototype in a Mazda 5 shell.

The rotary is an interesting choice for this application. Wankels produce a lot of power in a small package but typically aren't very fuel efficient. While Mazda may have a running prototype, production likely won't occur until battery costs drop.

[Source: AutoCar]

BMW certainly hasn't been shy in promoting its hydrogen-powered vehicles, and that promotion extends into some classrooms. As part of its education/promotion campaign, BMW has issued a document called H2 - Mobility of the Future, and yesterday provided an updated version of the package on this website by clicking on the heading "Educational Projects."

What's in this "educational package"? 31 chapters on the supply of hydrogen, how fossil and renewable energy will continue to play a role in BMW's future and how we'll eventually get to a hydrogen economy. The H2 package also includes "an extensive glossary, a list of additional internet links, as well as a portfolio of exercises specially tailored to the needs of pupils aged 15 and older. Practical notes from Germany's State Institute for Teaching Quality and Education Research (ISB) on the inclusion of the materials in science teaching round off this information pack." Sound like good reading? The Bavarians will mail you a free print copy if you'd like (see details after the jump).

[Source: BMW]

Sometimes a tiny nugget of information with sizable implications can slip by in the truckloads of news we sift through everyday. Just yesterday, for instance, there was a small mention in the China Real News of an "high-speed Hafei Saibao electric car" passing an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash test. Big deal, right? Well, yes and no. A little digging helped us uncover that the test wasn't actually conducted by the IIHS but rather by the China National Quality Control & Inspection Center for Automobiles and was meant to replicate the IIHS 40 percent frontal offset impact. Still no biggie until you realize that this car also very likely goes by the name of XS500 and that Miles Electric Vehicles is planning on selling it in the U.S. sometime next year. One of the worries about importing cars from China has been their past crash test performance (or lack thereof) and this test offers some insight into how well the XS500 may do when it comes time for its testing over here.

So, how did it fare? After a little more digging we found out it did quite well. After hitting the barrier at 40 mph, the injuries to the crash dummy were "lower than standard limited values" (We're pretty sure that's good). All the expensive stuff, including the lithium ion batteries, motor and controller survived intact and were still operable as well. There was no mention made of any side impact or other tests which vehicles must pass to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and although Miles declined to comment on the progress of their testing, this small tidbit does offer up some hope that their XS500 may indeed make it to the American market.

[Source: EV World / China Real News]