The Chevrolet Volt project was started in 2006 by Robert Lutz, Vice Chairman of Product Development and Chairman of GM North America when he learned about the Tesla Roadster, a high-performance electric sports car.

Following the results of the wind tunnel tests on Volt which proved the design was anything but aerodynamic, which is an essential characteristic for efficiency, Lutz joked that the engineers have probably put it in the wind tunnel backwards and got less wind resistance. What makes the design unique is that the gas motor is only used to charge the batteries, not to drive the wheels directly.

Volt is designed to run only on electricity from batteries for up to 40 miles. A small combustion engine connecting to a generator resupplies the battery, increasing the range of the vehicle to 640 miles on highway.

GM plans to release the car into market in 2010 with a pricing of about $30,000 and plans to release over 60,000 cars for the inaugural year.

Source

Ford’s engine came out with flying colors and even beat the optimists in its results. The engine showed great fuel economy, complete airflow and torque control across its operating range. HALE is designed to stay in the skies for upto seven days and carry payloads upto 2,000 pounds. The aircraft has obvious military and reconnaissance applications.

[Via: Green Car Congress]

This one has been in the rumor mill for long and has finally made its way out of the mill, with a badge saying ‘its true’. Prius is on its way to become a brand for Toyota. Toyota envisages the Prius marque to span an entire lineup of hybrid vehicles, with a distinctive styling that will yell loudly about the vehicles’ green credentials.

The new brand is likely to see an entry into dealerships by 2010. Speculations say three models, currently dubbed the Prius ‘A’, Prius B and Prius C will come with the launch of the brand.

Prius may be among the top selling hybrids yet, but with all automakers gearing for a push into this segment, with new and innovative technologies, the new brand may find itself in dire straits. Moreover, with the ‘hybrid option’ getting common across vehicle lineups, a separate marque for hybrids may not be a feasible idea.

Flipping to the other side of the coin, the marque gets a head start from the Prius name and image. Moreover, as hybrids become ubiquitous, a separate and specialized brand will be in a position to handle things better.

Speculators don’t see great merit in creating a Prius brand, but with Toyota’s capability to manufacture vehicles in a short development time, they may just pull this one through. The scenario would have been much better if Toyota had not been on a vehicle recall spree in the past months, putting a question mark on the reliability and quality of its vehicles.

[Via: Topspeed]

Honda’s vehicle utilizes electricity generated in the fuel cell stack as well as electricity from its Lithium ion battery pack. Honda’s fuel cell vehicles meet all federal government emission and crash safety standards. Honda already has two leased fuel cell vehicles running on the road.

[Courtesy: Honda]

Daimler’s first fuel cell car, the Necar 1 was first seen in 1994 and different versions followed. Currently, the company has the F600 as a fuel cell vehicle. Daimler is believed to have tested 100 fuel cell models over more than 2.23 million miles.

[Via: Egmcartech]

The company has decided that the glitches in Lithium ion batteries will not hold up their plans for a PHEV. The next Prius is likely to be the first PHEV in the market, but it will run on nickel metal hydride (NiMh) battery packs.

Prototypes of the Prius are running on NiMh and perhaps even the production version will run on the same until the Li-ion batteries are prepared to do the job. A few units will soon arrive in University of California Irvine and University of California Berkeley for evaluation.

Next generation of the Prius is due in 2009 and is likely to come with NiMh battery packs. The prototype uses battery packs from the current generation Prius; two battery packs have been sandwiched together. This vehicle can run for 7-miles on the battery and get a full recharge in about four hours using a 110-Volt outlet.

A 1.5L inline four from the Prius is also present under the hood. The vehicle is capable of reaching 62mph on batteries alone, thanks to a 50KW motor.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]

Fuel cell driven vehicles are extremely clean. Running on hydrogen, these vehicles produce only water as a byproduct. Many big guns of the auto world intend to make fuel cell vehicles a reality and tests are going on in many parts of the world.

GM has decided to involve citizens for testing its fuel cell vehicles and is giving out hundred Chevrolet Equinox SUVs for a three-month period. The SUVs will be given to citizens in LA and New York. GM calls it a large-scale market test. Users will get the vehicle as well as fuel for free, plus GM will provide continuous road assistance, all this in return for feedback.

The company believes that nearly 800 individuals and families will get to drive the Equinox over the three and a half year life cycle of the test. GM wants to bring fuel cell technology to the market and is planning to overcome the hurdles associated with it. Plans to open a number of hydrogen pumps so that drivers have easy access to fuel are also underway, along with attempts to make the technology cheaper and within the reach of individuals.

GM has created a website where you can register if you want to be a part of the program. Click to go to Chevrolet’s Project Drive Way webpage.

[Source: LA Times]

World Solar Challenge has been designed to showcase advancements in solar energy and other alternate fuels for transport needs. The challenge runs 3,021kms in Australia, stretching from Darwin to Adelaide.

GM has sponsored University of Michigan’s solar car Continuum. The team from Annesley has received a Holden Viva Hatch and Australia’s first ethanol production car, Saab BioPower will also flex its muscles at the challenge.

GM has helped entrants not only with money, but also with technical support and testing facilities.

[Courtesy: GM]

There is great news for all of the environment friendly groups and the alternative fuel industry. With times more and more of Americans are drifting towards alternative fuel automobiles. Americans bought nearly half a million alternative fuel automobiles for the second quarter of 2007, does this indicates something…

According to the study, sales for clean diesel vehicles were up by 16 percent from 93,012 last year to 108,044 this time. The E-85 capable vehicles and the Hybrids are also on an upward move. The ever increasing fuel prices and the increase in availability for the AFAs were surely the reasons for this upward move.

According to Dave McCurdy, President and CEO for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers,

Yet even though more AFAs are being sold, we still need more gas stations to offer biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel.

In a recent survey report by R.L. Polk and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers made known that about three-fourth of consumers were familiar to Alternate Fuel Autos with a single drawback: the availability for biofuels.
[Source: Domesticfuel]

The Vue hybrid is 27% more fuel friendly than the non-hybrid version and is capable of running 585 miles on the highway on a single tank full of gasoline. Priced at $24,795, it is also pretty affordable. This SUV surely breaks the ‘gas guzzler’ image of the SUVs. If only there could be more SUVs like the Vue hybrid!

[Courtesy: GM]

From its looks any one will interpret Toyotas newest of hybrids as another one of those boxy looking things which comes with tyres attached, one of those of which the market looks fed up with from the past some time.

But, once you take a peak deeper into the box, you will see that Toyota has came up with pretty new innovations, which have been put inside to please the youth around.

The new Hi-CT Plug-in hybrid comes with a drivetrain of 1.5L engine accompanied with an electric motor deriving its power from a lithium-ion battery.

The whole arrangement is hidden underneath the floor which helps to make the most of the interior space and also enhances the dynamics with a low center of gravity.

The car comes with a detachable trunk and a deck which offers lots of space for keeping equipment like bicycles, surfboats and the like.

This made for two can unquestionably be a concept for a bigger car for a jam-packed urban area. All that remains merely an idea, until Toyota formally announces that this one will be making it to the production lineup or not.

[Source: MotorAuthority]

Running on batteries does not mean running short distances, this vehicle can cover 200km before it needs to be recharged. Subaru has enhanced the battery pack to allow a 15-minute quick charge, for pushing up battery charge levels to 80% a full charge from a conventional point will take 8 hours.

The G4e is an extremely aerodynamic design with a slippery co-efficient of 0.276, a figure many sports cars would crave for.

[Via: Motorauthority]

Nissan has unveiled the second installment for the Pivo vehicle it displayed in Tokyo in the year 2005. The new Pivo 2 runs on compact Lithium ion batteries and is without a reverse gear. Anyways, what is the need of a reverse gear in a vehicle whose cabin is capable of rotating 360 degrees!

Video after the jump!

Each of the four wheels is powered by Nissan’s in-wheel batteries and each wheel is capable of turning through 90 degrees. With a cabin that can rotate 360degrees and wheels that can turn 90 degrees, Pivo2 can be driven in any conceivable direction on the road.

The concept is a one-seater but you will never be alone in this vehicle; an interactive robotic agent will keep you company on the roads and provide an interface for basic vehicle communications as well as parking assistance.

[Courtesy: Nissan]

Video: Youtube via Switched

There’s an option of a plug-in diesel hybrid or an all electric model. You can go on the Aptera website to order one for yourself at a cost of $500. Models are likely to be delivered within a year, and will cost nearly $20,000.

[Via: Gizmodo]

The HumanCar built for four, runs on a rowing machine styled propulsion system and an additional DC electric motor for some extra muscle. Its bio-motion transmission system converts the oscillatory motion into rotational motion to make the car roll.

For steering the car along the road the travelers inside bend over to left or right, which triggers the steering mechanism, turning the front wheels. The car also has a lithium-ion battery pack just in case its engines (the occupants) stop propelling.

Greenwood plans a manufacturing facility for HumanCar by coming January and there are plans for a dealership at Tony San Francisco suburb of Menlo Park as Mr. Greenwood is accepting pre-order for the upcoming production models. The car is expected to be priced between $ 5,000 to $ 17,000.
Watch the car in motion..

[Source: Autopia 1, 2]