Have you ever gone to a science fair, like when you were in school, and saw one of those models of the solar system? Those are usually not to scale, because if they were, certain items like the moon and pluto would just be too small to be practical. Either that, or things like the sun would be too large to be practical... you get the idea. But, since we are always talking about hydrogen and how it's the most abundant thing on the earth, I decided to share this page with you. Make sure you read the whole column on the left and then do what he says. If you have some time, that is; it'll take a few minutes to follow his instructions. Does that image shed any light on how amazing the whole world is? Sometimes it's all just too much to grasp at once.

[Source: Phrenopolis]

Click on the photo for a gallery of high-res images of the Lotus EVE demonstrator

Just before the Geneva Motor Show, Lotus unveiled a new hybrid technology demonstration vehicle called EVE (efficient, viable and environmental), based on a Proton Gen2. The battery pack for EVE was supplied by nickel metal hydride battery specialist Cobasys. The pack used in the EVE car is a NiMHax 144V, 30kW unit that has integrated cooling and battery management system including software.

The Cobasys pack was designed to be plug and play for easy integration into the vehicle and includes a liquid cooling system. The integrated software is designed to optimize the charging of the individual cells to ensure maximum performance, lifespan and safety of the system. Cobasys is the supplier of battery packs for the current General Motors mild hybrid systems in the Saturn Aura and Vue and the upcoming Chevrolet Malibu. The Cobasys press release is after the jump.

[Source: Cobasys]

News has been flying around here regarding Lotus designing and collaborating with other companies like Tesla and ZAP for the last few months. Lotus is known for their ability to do research and development work for other companies, and then assist them with the manufacturing of major components. Additionally, Lotus is known for being able to reduce the weight of their vehicles, which is certainly a boon for efficiency, leading to better performance and less consumption.

Now news comes that Proton, Lotus' current owner, Proton, is considering the sale of the company. Rumor has it that Spyker, the Dutch manufacturer of supercars, is interested. This comes after Spyker purchased an F1 team and announced plans to launch an SUV. Maybe with the help of Lotus, Spyker would be able to compete better in their racing endeavors, and perhaps inherit some of their weight consciousness too.

[Source: AutoWeek.nl via Autoblog]

Click on the photo for a high-gallery of images of the EVE hybrid demonstrator

Lotus Engineering and their main shareholder Proton have collaborated on a new hybrid technology demonstrator for the Geneva Motor Show called the EVE Hybrid (Efficient, Viable, Environmental). The intent was to demonstrate how new technology can be readily added to existing vehicles to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. EVE is based on a Proton Gen.2 with a 1.6L gasoline engine, with a start-stop system, full parallel hybrid drive and a continuously variable transmission. The CO2 emissions were cut from 172g/km to 134g/km compared to the baseline car and fuel economy went from 32.6 to 41.8 mpg.

The start-stop system shuts off the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop and restarts it when the brake is released, to reduce emissions during idling. The hybrid system uses a 30kW, 144V motor between the engine and transmission. An extra clutch allows the regenerative braking or full electric drive, while a 144V Cobasys NiMH battery is mounted in the trunk. The accessory drive system on the engine was redesigned to accommodate the Valeo supplied start-stop starter/alternator. The air conditioning system was also modified to allow for electric drive of the AC compressor when the engine is stopped. Finally, the belt driven hydraulic steering assist was also replaced with an electric assist system. The Lotus press release with all the details is after the jump.

[Source: Lotus]

A Proton Savvy used just 1.66 tanks of gas to cover a little over 1,000 miles in a journey across . That run set a national fuel economy record for a standard showroom vehicle above 1,000cc. The vehicle recorded fuel economy of 4.218 liter per 100km, which equates to 55.76mpg. The Savvy is powered by a 1.2-liter engine rated at 74 horsepower.

[Source: Proton]