We Obsessively Cover the Green Scene…

The all-but-lifeless corpse of Saab continues to stagger forward in hopes of finding a juicy investor to sink its teeth into. Autocar reports that National Electric Vehicle Sweden is currently close to buying the brand's remaining assets. The freshly minted electric car consortium is helmed by none other than Karl-Erling Trogen, the former head of Volvo Trucks. Beyond that, few details are known about the company or its plans for Saab. National Electric Sweden is owned by two bodies, Sun Investment and Mikael Kubu, the president of law firm Ac-Gruppen.

We can only speculate about what the consortium wants with Saab, though fan site SaabsUnited reports the company may have its eyes on an electric rear axle program developed with in conjunction with eAAM. Whether that means we'll see electric or hybrid Saab models whirring around in the future is still uncertain. If we did, it would probably take quite a while. As SaabsUnited notes, "Saab, the company, right now has nothing in it, no dealership network, no finance structure, no personnel-structure, no communications network, nothing... everything needs to be completely rebuilt from scratch, which will take a huge amount of time."

At this point, we'll just be pleasantly surprised if the Griffin brand gets a new owner at all.

Motor Trend reports Rolls-Royce has pulled the plug (literally) on its electric Phantom. Word has it none of the ultra-luxury automaker's current clients have any interest in an electrified land yacht due to niggling factors like range anxiety and a perceived loss of premiumness. Apparently the world's super wealthy only feel content when their transportation runs on the tears of crushed ecosystems. That's a bit odd considering the 102 EX Concept bowed at the Geneva Motor Show with more torque than the buttery-smooth V12 in the standard Phantom. Still, all the torque in the world is no balm for a range of under 100 miles.

While it's true Rolls-Royce officially quoted a total range of around 120 miles from the 1,452-pound battery pack in the machine's nose, we're more than a little skeptical of that figure. Then there's the issue of keeping the electric Phantom charged. We can imagine the typical Phantom owner isn't accustomed to waiting for anything, let alone twiddling their thumbs for eight hours while their cripplingly expensive sedan charges. With all that compromise, Rolls-Royce says it just doesn't make sense to produce the 102 EX.

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.

The good people at Cars.com have slogged their way through sales data from April and found something interesting. The Toyota Prius Plug-In managed to walk away as the third quickest-selling car in the U.S., spending just five days on dealer lots. That figure was good enough to land it behind the BMW X3 and X5, both of which take four days to find a new homes. The plug-in hybrid has only been on sale for two months, and took the honor of being the second-quickest selling vehicle in March, according to Cars.com.

The report also took the time to look at the slowest-selling models around. Surprisingly, the Porsche Boxster sits at the top of that list, taking a whopping 250 days to turn. The 2012 BMW 6 Series isn't doing much better. The 650i Convertible took fourth place with an average of 128 days on the lot while the 640i Coupe rounds out the top 10 with 111 days. Perhaps even more shocking is the news that there are four vehicles selling slower than the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet at 120 days on dealer lots. Head over to Cars.com for the full report.

A judge has reversed a lower court ruling against Honda over the automaker's fuel economy claims. Heather Peters successfully sued Honda in small-claims court in February, claiming her 2006 Civic Hybrid didn't return the advertised 50 miles per gallon Environmental Protection Agency rating. Peters was awarded $9,867 in damages in the lawsuit, but now Judge Dudley W. Gray II of the state Superior Court in Torrence, California, has reversed the lower court's ruling.

Honda has offered owners a settlement in a larger class-action suit, paying out either $100 or $200 depending on the vehicle and as much as $1,500 toward the purchase of a new Honda. According to The Detroit News, around 1,700 Honda owners have declined to participate in the class-action suit.

Nissan and Polyphony Digital, the studio behind the Grand Turismo franchise, have made a habit of giving gamers a shot at becoming professional race drivers through the GT Academy. Players from all over the world compete virtually for a chance to put down the controller, lace up their driving shoes and compete head-to-head in a variety of real-world challenges. Last year, Bryan Heitkotter won the first-ever U.S. GT Academy, thereby joining the ranks of former winners like Lucas Ordonez, Jordan Tresson and Jann Mardenborough.

This year's competition is already in full swing, and while we're used to seeing our virtual screens filled with machines like the Nissan 370Z and GT-R, the Leaf has made it into the fray as well. Why the Leaf? It's no secret that slow cars quickly bring to light a driver's inadequacies on the track. With so little horsepower, it's more difficult to overcome even small mistakes.

The Environmental Protection Agency hasn't released its evaluation data for the 2013 Dodge Dart just yet, but Chrysler says the compact should be capable of returning some impressive fuel economy figures, particularly with an available Aero package. When equipped with the turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a manual transmission, the standard Dart is good for an estimated 27 mpg city and 39 mpg highway, thanks in part to active aero shutters nestled in the grille of every model. Should buyers require a few extra miles per gallon, an optional Aero package will see the highway figure jump to 41 mpg. So far, there's no word on city or combined fuel economy for the package, but there's time before the trim becomes available, as it won't be in dealerships until the third quarter of this year.

Chrysler isn't mentioning how much the Aero package will add to the bottom line or what other tweaks consumers will get for their coin. We do know that with 160 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, the Dart Aero should be considerably more engaging to drive than the Chevrolet Cruze Eco. While that model is good for 42 mpg highway when equipped with a six-speed manual, it does the deed with 22 fewer horsepower and 36 fewer pound-feet of torque. Hit the jump for the complete Dart press release.

Audi has finally spread its plug-in hybrid technology to the A6 L. The German automaker unveiled the A6 L e-Tron technology study on Monday at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show, complete with an all-electric driving range of nearly 50 miles at 37 mph. Liquid-cooled lithium-ion batteries power the 95-horsepower electric motor, though a 211-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder can step in at any time for more acceleration or additional range. The A6 L e-tron can operate in fully-electric, hybrid or gasoline mode as needed. While the A6 L e-tron concept is technically an engineering study at the moment, Audi does admit the sedan could indicate what a Chinese-built A6 hybrid could look like in the future.

The cabin offers buyers the same level of space and comfort as the internal-combustion A6 L, though a new instrument panel and vehicle information display conveys data on battery charge status, range and available drive system power. Audi's engineers have have also specifically calibrated the sedan's MMI touch system to recognize 29,000 Chinese characters, which we can only imagine was no mean feat. Scroll below for the full press release.

The Google self-driving-vehicle fleet has grown by one. According to Wired, the tech giant has added a black Lexus RX450h to its autonomous stable. The hybrid SUV was spotted out on the road for testing wearing a new roof-mounted sensor array that's significantly more streamlined than the gear found on the company's autonomous Toyota Prius models. Google says it is constantly testing its driving algorithms on a wide range of vehicles in order to refine the technology, and that the RX450h is merely the latest step in that process.

Google first began unleashing its driverless cars onto public streets in 2010 using a fleet comprised of six Prius hybrids and one Audi TT. The company's work has spurred the California legislature to draft a bill requiring the California Highway Patrol to outline safety standards for autonomous vehicles. Wired reports the legislation passed the state's Senate Transportation Committee with an 8-0 vote and is now headed to the Senate Rules Committee. Nevada has already passed a similar law.

We've seen plenty of discussion on the merits of pedestrian warning systems for hybrid and all-electric vehicles. From synthesized engine sounds to the noise of George Jetson's flying car, automakers and the aftermarket industry have worked to come up with a way to keep people aware of a vehicle's presence.

Now it looks as if Domino's Pizza is having some fun with a safe sound system for the company's electric delivery scooters in the Netherlands. Using a human voice to replicate the sound of a small-displacement gasoline engine, the scooter is both hilarious and safe.

It also makes for good advertising, though we'd hate to be the guy behind the handlebars after a few hours on the job. Between synthesized revs, the "engine" exclaims "Domino's!" and "Pizza!" in what can only be described as the perfect Netherlands accent. Scroll down for a quick chuckle.

The minds at Car and Driver recently took a moment to speak with Robert Davis, senior vice president of Mazda U.S. operations, about the automaker's plans for the future. According to Davis, the rotary engine will continue to play a role in the company's products moving forward, with engineers applying the lessons learned through the SkyActiv program to the powerplant. That means the next-generation rotary will likely feature reduced internal friction and lightweight internals in a quest to reduce emissions and increase fuel economy. But the engine may find applications outside of its traditional role.

Not only is Mazda pursuing a rotary engine to power a vehicle, Davis admits Mazda is also investigating ways to use the design in tandem with an electric motor, with the pistonless engine responsible for charging an extended-range EV's batteries. Given the compact size and relatively low torque supplied by a rotary, this application would seem to hold promise. Of course, we've heard some of this before.

And what of a SkyActiv V6? Davis makes it clear there's no room in the SkyActiv stable for a six-cylinder, saying that the company will focus on lighter platforms and forced-induction four-cylinder engines instead.

Judging from the spy photos we've seen recently, the BMW i8 is coming along nicely. With its more realistic bodywork, the hybrid supercar is beginning to look like something that actually belongs on public streets. Now Sonny Lim, former head of BMW DesignWorks, has taken a stab at what the finished product may look like via a handful of renderings.

With its shorter wheelbase and clipped length compared to the concept, the production vehicle is rumored to tip the scales at around 3,187 pounds, or just under the concept's original weight goal. Much of that weight savings is thanks to the substantial use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic in the vehicle's chassis.

With the combination of an electric motor and a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine, the i8 will reportedly offer buyers just under 400 horsepower and three driving modes. The driver will be able to pick between pure-electric, gasoline or a medley of both. All told, the i8 should deliver a 0-60 mph run of under 4.9 seconds with the help of both power sources.

General Motors has released pricing for the bi-fuel option for the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD and GMC Sierra 2500 HD, and it's a pill that probably won't go down easy. Buyers who want their workhorses to suck down either compressed natural gas (CNG) or gasoline can look forward to ponying up $11,000 for the pleasure. That big chunk of change adds a Type 3 tank in the bed for CNG, and GM says that with both fuels, the trucks will have an effective range of 650 miles. The bi-fuel option is available on any heavy-duty truck configuration, including four-wheel drive and extended cab models.

The automaker says the bi-fuel trucks are a way for business owners to safeguard themselves against volatile gas prices, and that the option could save anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 over the course of three years depending on fuel fluctuations. However, any option on a work truck that only might break even in three or four years seems like a tough sell in our book, especially given the reduction in useable bed area. Hit the jump for the full press release as well as a quick video.

If you thought pacing a NASCAR race with a Ford Fiesta was an odd choice, prepare to be properly shocked. Ford has announced the company is once again heading out onto the nation's tri-ovals, this time with the Focus Electric. The automaker claims the battery-powered hatchback will be the world's first all-electric pace car when it leads the field at the Richmond 400 later this month. The public will get its first shot at seeing Focus Electric Pace Car on April 25, when Lt. Governor Bill Bolling drives the EV to Richmond International Raceway.

Earlier this year, Ford announced the Focus Electric will offer buyers a range of around 75 miles depending on driving conditions. We assume that figure will fall off precipitously at pace speed. With around 123 horsepower on hand, Ford has been quick to brag that the company's EV offers buyers more horsepower than the Nissan Leaf. Of course, at $39,200, it is also $4,000 more expensive.