We Obsessively Cover the Green Scene…

Last year, a BMW i8 plug-in hybrid was featured in the Tom Cruise-starring Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. This year, another BMW electric-drive vehicle is looking to make a star performance, and without the editing or tricky camera angles.

A 1995 BMW M3 has been retrofitted with a 420-horsepower electric motor and will compete in the "electric" heat in this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, aka the 90th Race to the Clouds.

EV West, which built the car, posted a minute-long video on YouTube showing the car laying waste to a poor set of tires. EV West is based in San Marcos, Calif., about 35 miles (or, in this little beast, about 20 minutes) north of San Diego.

About 100 cars and about 120 motorcycles will be competing in the Pikes Peak competition in July, including six other electric vehicles. See the complete list here, and scroll down below to watch the video.

The crew at Translogic took the time to stop by and see the the team at ALTe Powertrain Technologies. Founded by a group of former Tesla Motors executives, the company focuses on building plug-in hybrid conversions for fleet vehicles. From creations like a Ford F-150 with a 2.0-liter gasoline engine and two 60 kW electric motors to full-size delivery trucks, buses and vans, the company is focused on reducing fuel consumption on some of the largest and hardest-working machinery out there. ALTe says the F-150 conversion supplies up to 465 pound-feet of torque, which is more than the old 4.6-liter V8.

Most of the truck conversions come with 22 kWh lithium-ion battery packs, yielding 25-40 miles of all-electric range. From there, the four-cylinder kicks in to keep the batteries charged and the motors spinning.

ALTe says the company has focused on Ford conversions first, since the F-Series is the best-selling pickup in the country. While E-Series and Panther-based creations are also on the docket, ALTe is also focusing on partnering with OEMs in China. Scroll down below to check out the video for yourself.

As Americans buy more Nissan Leafs, Chevrolet Volts and other electric-drive vehicles, some of those models' forefathers are getting their due by way of auctions and museum exhibits.

A 1909 Walker Vehicle Co. delivery van recently sold on eBay for $127,500, signifying that old-school vehicles that predate the Nissan Leaf by a 100 or so years can fetch a pretty penny, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The 1909 Walker, which is mounted on solid rubber tires, is one of hundreds of EVs produced around the turn of the 20th Century as early car customers looked for a quieter, cleaner alternative to what were loud and dirty internal combustion engines. Chicago-based Walker also made early variants of hybrid vehicles, according to the WSJ.

With contemporary EV sales expected to rise during the next few years, car collectors are seeking out and paying for early versions of battery-electric vehicles. In fact, those thinking that the Walker set some sort of pricing record from the eBay sale would be mistaken. Last August, an 1899 Columbia Electric Landaulet sold at an auction for $550,000, making it the priciest antique EV ever sold.

Meanwhile, America's Car Museum, which opens in Tacoma, Washington, on June 2 will have an "Alternative Propulsion" exhibit that will include a 1912 Standard Electric Open Tourer (still roadworthy, the museum says) and a 1914 Detroit Electric Priscilla. In all, the 165,000-square-foot museum will have more than 350 cars, trucks and motorcycles.

Coulomb Technologies' big news at EVS26 was a collaboration with Fuji Electric Corporation of America to add Fuji's 25-kW DC Quick Charging Stations into the ChargePoint Network. In fact, the very first such charger on the network was sitting there in the booth, and actual deployment in the U.S. is scheduled for later this year. Coulomb is already neck-deep in actual deployments of electric vehicle charging stations: more that 6,300 non-residential stations are online now and Coulomb says that about half of all EV drivers in the U.S. have a ChargePoint card. To get the latest, we spoke with Don Karner, Coulomb's chief innovation officer, about the Multicharge SF program and – yes – the SAE combo charger announcement.

It's like the museum tour of electricity. It's really kind of scary.

First, about Multicharge SF, which is a partnership with the City of San Francisco, Coulomb and PG&E and is funded by the California Energy Commission. The goal, perhaps unsurprisingly for San Francisco, where upwards of 60 percent of people live in multi-family units, is to find a way for apartment dwellers to recharge their EVs. Karner said the city government took the lead and identified places where chargers would be most useful, then reached out to the property owners to get them interested. In the end, about 70 different properties applied to be a part of the $900,000 program – and around 45-50 of them will be selected to actually get some of the total of about 100 chargers. "[The locations] represent all the different demographics: large properties and small properties, condos, co-ops, TICs [tenant in common, which means one mortgage for multiple units] and rental communities," Karner said. The variety extends to different income brackets as well as new and old properties. "One of the things we ran into early on is that there are some incredibly old power systems in San Francisco. Glass tubes in the fuse boxes. It's like the museum tour of electricity. It's really kind of scary."

The only way to get this many different groups involved was to start with a diverse set of partners. "It has to be a multi-stakeholder proposition to really work in the region," Karner said. "If I didn't have the city out with its resources, legal and building codes and everything else, it would be impossible for me to organize all those things. It really becomes a great template that other cities and public-private partnerships can use."

For example, Karner said, there's a rule in San Francisco that says that if you charge money for a parking space, you need to register as a parking operator. So, how does that apply to EVs? Does every building owner who installs a charger then need to go get a parking license? The city attorney is currently researching the answer to this question, Karner said, adding that the mayor standing by to quickly go to bat and get the rules changed if it is determined that the answer is "yes."

With its Chargepoint Network, Coulomb doesn't really care what connector people are using to get their cars on the grid. As long as the communication systems are there, Chargepoint can work with whatever kind of charging station is out there. But Karner did have a few things to say about the SAE combo charger. Specifically, that it doesn't encourage fast infrastructure deployment.

"Having that Level 2 standard [J1772] gives certainty to drivers," he said. "With fast charging, because you still have competing standards, I think that makes it a pilot proposition for a lot of communities as far as really getting behind a specific charger type. I think until the market coalesces around a technology, you're still just going to see a lot of uncertainty about what to deploy on any large scale."

As Coulomb works to solve some of the infrastructure problems, others arise. The trick is to not have partners hesitate too much, and so get as many chargers into use as makes sense.

Once again the electric ice-racing cars of the Trophée Andros have left their snow-capped mountain-top habitat for a little summertime fun at the Grand Prix de Pau Electrique. And, just like last year, the Exagon-prepared buggies put on two shows full of paint-swapping competitive action, whilst giving a kind repose to the eardrums of onlookers from the din of the Formula3 and other internal combustion classes.

Local favorite Mike Parisy, winner of last year's Saturday race, started on the pole in first event but couldn't quite hold off the impressive Adrien Tambay. While Parisy may have more familiarity with the Pau street course, Tambay is quite at home in the Andros Evo 2, having placed second overall in last winter's Trophée Andros Electrique.

Sunday saw Soheil Ayari turn his third-place finish the previous day into pole position for the final race. That contest turned into one of attrition with only five of the twelve starters making it to the finish line. With a collision taking out the three positions ahead of him on the first lap, Mike Parisy took full advantage of the clear track ahead and made the home crowd proud once again. Close behind him in second was last year's French F4 champion, the talented 17-year old Mathieu Vaxiviere.

Scroll down below for footage from both races as well as a cool bonus in-car clip of Parisy demonstrating his abilities, laying down some quick qualifying laps.

The Fisker Atlantic extended-range plug-in vehicle will start production about a year after its previously estimated mid-2013 date, Inside EVs blog reports, citing leaked company documents that were dated "a few weeks ago."

The Atlantic, formerly known as Project Nina, will compete pricewise against the BMW 3 Series and 5 Series sedans, as well as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and E-Class, Jaguar XF and Audi A4 and A6. That would put the model in the $50,000 to $60,000 range, according to the publication. The model, which will still be produced at Fisker's Delaware plant, will have 300 horsepower, a 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds and emissions of 50 grams per kilometer of CO2, Inside EVs reports, citing the documents.

"As these documents are obviously leaked investor documents and highly confidential, I am not prepared to comment any further," a Fisker representative tells AutoblogGreen.

The status of the Atlantic has been in question since plans for the former General Motors plant in Delaware were put on hold once the U.S. Department of Energy froze most of the $529 million in loans earmarked for the California-based company.

Fisker unveiled the Atlantic at the New York Auto Show last month, saying that the car's price tag would be "a much lower price point" than Fisker's Karma sedan.

If we had a dollar for every time we read a headline that said, "[insert automaker here] considering a diesel for U.S. market," we'd have a pretty sizable stack of Washingtons. So why, then, is this story of particular interest?

After the website Efficient Automobile wrote about the possibility of Kia offering a diesel-powered Optima here in the United States, the automaker took things a step further, addressing this on its Facebook page. Kia's North American public relations team asks its loyal followers, "Would you drive a diesel?" And from what we can tell after a quick scan of the comments, there yeses certainly seem to outweigh the nos.

In Europe, the Optima is available with a 1.7-liter turbo-diesel four, good for 134 horsepower and 239 pound-feet of torque. The decidedly vague story from Efficient Automobile also states that the diesel Optima shares many of the visual upgrades that we have on the U.S.-spec Optima Hybrid, including a lowered ride height and special wheels.

It's worth mentioning that Kia's North American PR Facebook account is largely geared towards the U.S. media, and we have yet to meet a single member of the automotive press who wouldn't drive a diesel. But since Kia PR does not restrict its Facebook page, perhaps this is a small way for the automaker to gauge customer interest about the possibility of offering a diesel-powered car here in the United States. And to answer the question at hand, yes, Kia, we would.

Just don't answer. The question is neither relevant, nor is it even the crux of the column. Get past the clicky smelling headline, and what you have here is a combination of two news stories, one new and one old, both of which you've likely already come across.

We're going to play nice here and not knock over Salon columnist David Sirota's house of cards, because this is a good read and he's a talented writer – even if, off the top of our heads, we can name several popular vehicles that offer a fuel economy benefit to those willing to row their own, from the Volkswagen Jetta to the Chevrolet Sonic to the BMW 3 Series. But the guy does have a point that's probably of great benefit to many Salon readers: If a smug sense of superiority is what you're after, opting for a manual transmission is no longer a sure bet. (Locally sourced organic produce and craft beer, for the win!)

In the end, Sirota is smart enough to come to two conclusions that most of us would agree to. The first being that driving a manual is fun, and the second, that it's hard to text while steering, operating all three pedals, and working that stick.

On second thought, maybe you should answer with a simple 'yes' or 'no'. See below for our completely unscientific poll.

Honda is jumping into the personal-mobility vehicle market associated with the Segway, and the Japanese automaker even has a cute name for the device.

Honda will start demonstration tests for its UNI-CUB vehicle in June of 2012 with Japan's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

Honda, which has been working on a plan for personal mobility devices since 2009, says the vehicle will offer firm balance and all-directional capabilities, similar to the Segway, though the person will be sitting lower on the device, allowing for "eye-level" stature, the company said.

No specifics as far as sales and price have been disclosed, but Honda says the UNI-CUB sits about 29 inches tall, has a maximum speed of about three and a half miles per hour and a single-charge range of about three and a half miles. Read all about it in the press release below, along with a video of the machine in action.

Audi this week is following up companies such as Daimler AG's Smart division by unveiling a battery-powered bicycle for two-wheeled enthusiasts. And this one can do wheelies and has the power-to-weight ratio of an A4.

Audi's e-bike Wörthersee, named after the town in Austria, has a top speed of 50 miles per hour and can go as far as 44 miles on a single charge. The bike lets its rider choose from five different cycling modes ranging from pure human power to pure electric power to a varying mix of the two.

But the bike, whose price and broader launch date wasn't announced, also has some unusual traits, including flat spokes that cut the wind better than conventional ones and a smartphone hookup. The e-bike, which can be put in a mode that allows for power wheelies, also weighs just 24 pounds, and, with its 2.3-kilowatt motor, actually has a weight-to-power ratio of about 15 pounds per horsepower, or about the same as the aforementioned A4.

Last year, Daimler unveiled its Smart e-bike, and earlier this month said it would start deliveries in the U.K. by the end of May. That bike has a smaller motor – about 250 watts – as well as a battery that can provide 62 miles of distance on a single charge.

Smart said last year that Germany's annual electric bike sales jumped from 70,000 units in 2007 to about 200,000 in 2010. We have just one final question: Now that Audi officially owns itself a heralded Italian motorcycle brand, should this bike be branded an Audi or a Ducati?

Porsche has officially put the finishing touches on the first prototypes of the company's 918 Spyder, complete with a black-and-white livery scheme that pays homage to the 917 racers of old. Production is set to commence in a little over a year, and the German sportscar manufacturer says buyers can look forward to taking possession of the first examples by the end of 2013.

The plug-in hybrid will command a heady price tag, though. Porsche has confirmed the company will ask a whopping $845,000 per model, each with a 500 horsepower 4.0-liter V8 engine and two electric motors that the automaker says "make possible a unique combination of minimal fuel consumption and maximum performance."

Altogether, the gas-electric drivetrain should be good for a 3.1-second 0-60 sprint and a top speed of 199 mph. Perhaps even more impressive is the news that the 918 will be able to propel itself with electric power at speeds of up to 94 mph. That little fact helps account for the news that the vehicle should be able to return around 78 miles per gallon on the EU cycle. Scroll down for the brief press release, but not before checking out the high-res gallery.

Mazda recently may have made the coolest car commercial in history by backing its pitch for SkyActiv technology with Bo Diddley's "Road Runner" (see here), so we're leaning toward forgiving them for this one.

The Japanese automaker, as part of the international marketing launch of its CX-5 crossover in Scotland, reinforced its caustic stance on battery-electric vehicles by injecting some humorous references to the "range anxiety" that EVs can cause, according to The Charging Point blog.

Mazda planted fake roadside signs saying things like "Abandoned EVs ahead" and "EV drivers hitchhiking," according to the blog. Mazda has pitched the CX-5 as having the best fuel economy among SUVs in North America.

Mazda continues to poke fun at EVs even as it prepares to launch its own Demio (Mazda2) EV later this year. The company, at last month's New York Auto Show, hung a banner that described SkyActiv as "Not Electric. No Hybrid. Not a Drag to Drive."

The automaker last year said it was looking to boost fleetwide fuel economy by about 30 percent over the next three years largely through its SkyActiv program, which includes models such as the CX-5 and which uses better engine, transmission, aerodynamics and lightweight technology to cut fuel use in its internal combustion engines. Mazda, which starting selling the CX-5 in the U.S. in March, has set a goal to sell as many as 160,000 SkyActiv vehicles a year.

There's a good reason that Aerovironment proudly displayed the 20-year-old EV1 in its booth at the Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS26): it's not a newcomer.

Aerovironment's Wahid Nawabi, the senior vice president and general manager of efficient energy systems, told AutoblogGreen the car illustrates that the company has decades of experience with plug-in vehicles.

"The cornerstone of our message in this booth is the EV1, which is a vehicle that is considered by the industry as the mother of the modern electric vehicle," he said. "We were the co-developer of that product back in the [19]89-90 time frame. We have this vehicle here to demonstrate that we understand EVs, we're involved in this and we have a deep history."

That history means Aerovironment has a variety of offerings for companies looking for a charging station supplier, he said. "We are probably the best company that has an entire, end-to-end offering, a one-stop-shop in terms of charging. So, whether you need software capabilities, network subscriptions, chargers of all types or pretty much anything else, we offer all those categories," Nawabi said.

Which means AV has a stake in the most interesting charging story at EVS26, the new SAE combo charger for DC fast charging. This plug was announced in Los Angeles but has been in the works for a while, and Nawabi said Aerovironment was involved in the standards discussion over Level One and Two chargers and has been involved with the Combo charger from day one. "We were involved in the charging standards for years," he said. "In fact, we were one of the first proponents of coming up with some sort of standard." The official news of the combo charger was great, he said. "We are very excited there is a standard," he said. "It is not a standard there are a lot of cars for, so it is something very new. Today's demand in the market is for the CHAdeMO charger, which we offer. If the market were to change, we intend to support it. We are standard agnostic."

There has been a lot of discussion about the combo charger, but it's a fight that Nawabi said is not really that important – right now. He said:

People are making a big deal about a standard that there is not a lot of market for, yet. I believe that one uniform standard that everyone can agree to is very positive for the industry. Whether that ends up being CHAdeMO or combo or something different, to me it's semantics. Today, the standard that makes the most sense for the consumer is CHAdeMO because that's out there and that's what the cars are shipping with. So, should that be the one? I think that makes a lot of sense. You can argue that one is better, I'm sure. But it's what's better for you, an apple or an orange? If you're hungry, you need food.

Since the cars on the ground from Nissan and Mitsubishi accept CHAdeMO, AeroVironment has a number of CHAdeMO chargers installed in places like Texas, Oregon and Hawaii. Nawabi said EV drivers today are happy because these stations support the cars that they bought. "The consumer is just looking for something that works and allows them to charge fast, at the end of the day," he said.

For a multitude of reasons – climate change, air quality, national security, etc. – a large reduction in the burning of carbon-based fuels is a good idea. Since higher prices are known to reduce consumption, one way to achieve this is to simply put a tax on fuel at the pump. It's been proposed by GM's Dan Akerson, Bill Ford and others, but the idea can be difficult politically and economically. With current prices already relatively high, further increases negatively impact the cost of production and distribution of everything we buy and can hurt a fragile economy.

Now, a slightly different approach has been proposed that would raise the price of carbon-based energy sources and encourage reduction, while helping the fiscally vulnerable absorb the financial cost. Hidden deep in an opinion piece for the New York Times that reminds us of the folly of continuing to pump CO2 into the atmosphere without regard for the future consequences, climatologist James Hansen makes the following suggestion.

We should impose a gradually rising carbon fee, collected from fossil fuel companies, then distribute 100 percent of the collections to all Americans on a per-capita basis every month.

He argues that this approach would effectively redistribute carbon-sourced wealth back to all but the biggest energy consumers and "stimulate innovation, jobs and economic growth", among other things, while creating a reduction in oil demand equal to six times what we expect to receive from Canada's tar sands via a certain proposed pipeline.

Though it doesn't seem to take into account the possible cost of administrating such a plan, compared to previous proposals, we think this one merits further consideration. Let us know what you think in the comments section by scrolling below.