We Obsessively Cover the Green Scene…

KSPG is 100-year-old automotive supplier that could, if it wanted to, produce a complete engine. That's not the company's plan, though, since it doesn't want to compete against its many customers. Therefore, the range extender concept engine that KSPG had on display at the Detroit Auto Show is something a bit new and different, both for the company and for the industry. It is a complete engine, but not one designed to power a car on its own. Instead, it is ready to be dropped into someone's EV to provide a bit of petroleum assurance to combat this range anxiety thing we keep hearing about.

Designed to fit into a space about the size of a spare wheel well, the two-cylinder, four-stroke,
137-pound engine is a product of both KSPG and FEV. It is meant to turn an EV into a serial hybird, as the engine is only there to generate electric power. That's why it doesn't matter where you put it, and the small size gives designers and engineers plenty of flexibility. KSPG Automotive's Gerd Kleinert told AutoblogGreen that this is a solution for our time.

"We are convinced that this is a kind of bridge technology from the current combustion engine to electric drive," he said. "The biggest point in electric cars is still the battery. If somone offers a battery that is the szie of a 50-liter [13.2-gallon] gas tank with the same energy content with the same weight that you can recharge it in three minutes, everyone would drive electric." But those vehicles aren't here quite yet. "That's the reason we think there is a need for this bridge technology becuase it guarantees you you will get home, even if you run out of electricity. You only need a small battery, which drives the cost down." Because, if you take some of the cost out of the pack and put it into the KSPG range extender, you can still use your car as an EV most days and retain the ability to go on a road trip when you want to.

KSPG began working on the range-extender project about a year ago, Kleinert said, adding that after the engine's introduction at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2011 KSPG began talking to three potential customers about using this engine in their EVs. If that comes to pass, KSPG's production capacity could be 10,000 units a year, to start, Kleinert said. A full vehicle prototype is due in the summer of 2012 to try and generate more interest. Kleinert wouldn't say how much the engine would cost, just that it would be at "an acceptable price."

General Motors has prepared an advertising campaign that would be launched in the event that more reports of Chevrolet Volt fires generate public interest or a Congressional hearing, USA Today reported, citing GM Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick. The advertisements are "honest" and "straightforward" and would direct people to a website that would spell out why the automaker believes the extended range plug-in hybrids are safe, Ewanick told the newspaper.

GM's been in damage-control mode since a Volt fire occurred at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) facilities early last summer. NHTSA had done a side-impact test on a Volt in May, then parked it outside. Three weeks later, the car caught fire. The battery was determined to be the cause because its coolant line was ruptured during the side-impact test. That led the NHTSA to consider a ruling forcing hybrid and electric-car batteries to be drained after a wreck. Since then, the Volt has been tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and retains the IIHS's "top safety" rating.

Last week, GM announced structural and cooling system "safety enhancements" that are intended to more properly distribute the car's energy load from a crash and, thus, better protect the battery from potential fires. All Volts will get the fix for free, but Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, said at the time that the decision wasn't officially a recall because it's a voluntary customer satisfaction issue. After the original fire incident came to light in November, GM offered to buy back Volts from owners who felt that the car was unsafe. Only "a handful" of owners took GM up on the offer, USA Today said, citing Ewanick. Last month, GM sold 1,529 Volts, a record monthly total, and sold 7,671 Volts for all of 2011.

Attendees of the 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon might have been forgiven for thinking that a certain Toyota Prius on display was under attack from a giant marshmallow from outer space. In fact, the only assault taking place was one on their visual senses, as that large mallow-looking mass integrated into the top and hindquarters of the hybrid was actually purposely added to create a new camping vehicle from Camp-Inn Japan.

The Relax Cabin (code-named "Space Shuttle" for, perhaps, obvious reasons) was created by adding a fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) module to a 2012 Toyota Prius. The reconfigured vehicle keeps the mechanicals intact and stretches the bodywork out to 4980mm (16.34 feet) from stem to stern. The enlarged interior comes equipped with sleeping mats as well as a small removable table.

The configuration sleeps four – five, if they are previously well-acquainted – and will reportedly sell for ¥4,000,000 ($52,016 U.S. at today's rates). Besides offering shelter for those occasional wilderness excursions, the Relax Cabin should also make finding your vehicle in the shopping mall parking lot a whole lot easier.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has confirmed the Obama administration didn't ask the government agency to delay announcing potential safety issues with the Chevrolet Volt. According to The Detroit News, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was briefed about Volt fires that occurred after two crash tests in September, three months after the first extended-range hybrid began smoldering. According to the report, the office of the president was then informed of the fires shortly thereafter, as well as being notified of NHTSA's intent to investigate whether the results of the tests could be replicated.

The Detroit News quotes NHTSA administrator David Strickland as saying no one within the office of the president "requested or in any way suggested that NHTSA delay public release of information related to the Volt fire."

That seems to be a fairly definitive answer to the three house Republicans who asked General Motors and the Obama administration whether the White House had called for any delay in publicly disclosing the Volt fires. A House panel plans to undertake a hearing on the Volt controversy later this month.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said tax incentives for plug-in electric vehicles have been an effective way of boosting consumer interest in cars like the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in and the Nissan Leaf battery-electric vehicle, even though the two models had weaker sales than expected, Reuters reported.

The $7,500 federal tax credit, which critics say has been used mostly by people wealthy enough to afford such vehicles without an incentive, "is real money and people have utilized it," the wire service said, citing LaHood's statements to reporters at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. President Barack Obama has predicted that, all told, a million electric vehicles will be sold in the U.S. by 2015. Last year, Pike Research said Americans will buy about 300,000 BEVs and PHEVs in 2015, up from about 50,000 in 2011, while Michigan's Center for Automotive Research projected in early 2011 that U.S. electric-drive vehicle sales will increase to about 140,000 units in 2014 from about 30,000 last year.

Critics of the tax credit have questioned its effectiveness largely because of relatively low sales of electric vehicles in the U.S. so far. While Nissan sold almost 10,000 units during the model's first full year in the U.S., General Motors sold just 7,671 of the plug-ins last year. And more than half of the buyers of those cars had an annual income of at least $150,000, Reuters said, citing Edmunds.com.

Additionally, a Volt fire at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) facilities over the summer and a battery recall of the Fisker Karma extended-range plug-in have caused some to question plug-in vehicles' safety.

Recently, green-technology research firm Pike Research reported that the percentage of Americans showing interest in buying an electric-drive vehicle has fallen during the past two years, as car buyers say the continued premium charged for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles doesn't offset the effect of lower refueling costs. Forty percent said they were either "extremely" or "very" interested in purchasing a plug-in vehicle, down from 44 percent a year earlier and 48 percent in 2009.

Want to advertise a new plaything for the wealthy? The front windows at Harrods are the place to be. That's where Aston Martin once displayed the Cygnet city car, and where Lexus showcased its hybrids a short while after. Little wonder, then, that Fisker has opted to park the Karma at the swanky London department store.

The Karma display gives prospective British buyers the chance to see the car and register their interest with a local dealership. It's the first time the Karma is being displayed in a retail location in the UK, but something tells us the purveyor of luxury hybrids may have gotten a break on the price for this prime advertising space: Qatar Holding, which owns Harrods, also happens to own part of Fisker.

Americans showing interest in buying an electric-drive vehicle has fallen about 17 percent during the past two years, as car buyers say the continued premium charged for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles doesn't offset the effect of lower refueling costs, according to green-technology research firm Pike Research.

Of the more than 1,000 people surveyed by Pike Research late last year, 40 percent said they were either "extremely" or "very" interested in purchasing a plug-in vehicle, down from 44 percent a year earlier and down from 48 percent in 2009. While respondents, on average, were willing to pay about 19 percent more for an electric-drive vehicle than for a conventional car with similar amenities, that difference is less than the premium automakers typically charge.

"Price is the most significant barrier to consumer interest in electric vehicles," said John Gartner, research director at Pike Research, in a statement. "About two-thirds of our survey respondents who stated they would not be interested in purchasing a PEV said that they felt such a vehicle would be too expensive. Others said that they would want to wait a few years until the technology is more proven, and almost half said that a PEV would not have sufficient driving range for their needs."

Last year, Pike Research predicted Americans will buy about 300,000 BEVs and PHEVs in 2015, while Michigan's Center for Automotive Research has projected that U.S. electric-drive vehicle sales will increase to about 140,000 units in 2014. Earlier this week, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu estimated that plug-in vehicle battery costs will have dropped 70 percent between 2008 and 2015 and will fall another 58 percent between 2015 and 2020, giving hope to electric-drive vehicle advocates that the price premium for plug-ins relative to conventional vehicles will narrow during the next few years.

Still, electric vehicles are largely falling short of expectations. Last year, about 80 percent of Americans surveyed by Deloitte's Australia-based Motor Industry Services group expected an electric car to have a single-charge range greater than the approximately 100-mile range currently offered by the Mitsubishi and Nissan. As for price, 78 percent of Americans polled expected an electric vehicle's purchase price after government incentives to be less than $30,000, with more than 90 percent expecting less than a $40,000 pricetag.

Saying the Toyota 2000GT holds a special place in our hearts is akin to calling oxygen and water kind of important to our survival. The long-nose two-door was envisioned as a suitable competitor to the likes of the European sports cars rolling out Italy and the UK at the time, and in many ways, the Toyota was far superior. Built at a time when Japan Inc. wasn't exactly known for beautiful automobile designs, the 2000GT may have been influenced by European cars of its day, but it has stood the test of time as one of the country's all-time design greats. The low-volume coupe is a piece of automotive legend, which is exactly why choosing to use a 2000GT as a platform for an electric conversion strikes us equal parts blasphemous and awesome. But that's exactly what Japan's Crazy Car Project has done.

The engineers behind the exercise ditched the standard 2.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine in favor of a 161-horsepower electric motor. A 35-kWh lithium-ion battery provides the system with power, and the hood has been covered with photovoltaic cells to help keep the car going. Likewise, the back glass is covered in a transparent solar panel. All told, the system can propel the vehicle to around 124 mph.

Inside, the 2000GT SEV features a modernized interior with plenty of tech-laden gadgets. The vehicle was built in cooperation with Toyota and debuted at the 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon. Let's hope they started with a real basket case, eh? Hit the jump to see a video of the car in action.

Tesla is promoting 2012 as the Year of the Model S, but things are starting off with a bit of a set-back. Tesla spokesman Ricardo Reyes revealed that both Tesla vice president and chief engineer Peter Rawlinson and Nick Sampson, the Model S vehicle and chassis engineering supervisor, have left the company. The news caused TSLA stock to drop a record 19 percent, Bloomberg reported, and forced Tesla CEO Elon Musk to do a bit of damage control. On Twitter, Musk said, "Sometimes, it is not super fun to run a public company. The exec departure news at Tesla was way overstated."

Not everyone is convinced. 2953 Analytics Inc. principal consultant Jim Hall told Bloomberg that no matter why Rawlinson and Sampson left (Reyes said Rawlinson left for personal reasons while Sampson was finished with his work on the Model S before he left), "it doesn't look good. And for Tesla, looks are very important at this point."

Tesla has already found replacements. Jerome Guillen will take over for Rawlinson while Eric Bach will help the "the final stretch of bringing Model S into production," Musk told Bloomberg.

Sears and wireless electric vehicle charging station maker Evatran have reached an agreement for Sears' home-installation division to distribute and install Evatran's Plugless Power stations.

The agreement allows Evatran to sell its stations at a single price in which both the product and installation will be inclusive. Upon receiving a request for a Plugless Power station, Sears will contact the customer within one business day and will make the necessary pre-installation visits to ensure that the customer's home has the necessary equipment for the charging station. Sears and Evatran will initially tailor the product and installation services for owners of Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in vehicles and Nissan Leaf battery-electric vehicles this year.

Evatran and Sears are banking on both increased plug-in vehicle sales and a larger number of customers seeking the convenience of having EV charging stations that don't require a cord. Globally, revenue generated from wireless chargers specifically for electric vehicles will increase to about $1.5 billion in 2020 from a negligible amount in 2011, green technology research firm Pike Research said in a report released in late 2010.

Last June, Evatran and Yazaki North America – a Tier 1 automotive supplier that specializes in electrical distribution systems and connectivity solutions – signed a joint development agreement aimed at quickly commercializing Plugless Power technology. Under terms of the agreement, Evatran and Yazaki are teaming up to complete the development of a hands-free charging system to be used in residential, commercial and industrial applications. Evatran has been looking to pitch its Plugless Power technology to automakers as either a factory- or dealer-installed option. The Plugless Power system utilizes induction technology to transfer up to 3.3 kilowatts of power at efficiencies of up to 90 percent, allowing plug-in vehicles to recharge as quickly as they would with some Level 2 conductive (wired) chargers.

Meanwhile, tech giant Qualcomm last November acquired U.K.-based wireless charger maker HaloIPT and said it would start London's first wireless electric-vehicle charging station trial this year in a project that will support as many as 50 electric vehicles. Other companies that are entering the wireless-charger market include smaller companies like Massachusetts-based WiTricity as well as tech giant Siemens AG. That company last fall began testing its wireless chargers on BMW's ActiveE electric vehicles.

Consumer advocates said Thursday that the U.S. public is generally in favor of the stricter fuel-economy standards the federal government proposed last year for 2025 and that the average driver would typically save money in the form of lower refueling costs, even if vehicle prices rise as a result.

Representatives with Consumer Reports and the Consumer Federation of America, which held a joint press conference to release their recent survey results, said that the car-buying public wants more fuel-efficient cars and light-duty trucks and will purchase them in greater numbers as fuel prices continue to rise. David Champion, director of auto test division at CR, said 80 percent of those recently surveyed were in favor of federal regulations that would require about an 80 percent increase in fuel efficiency by 2025, while more than half of those polled are considering buying vehicles with advanced powertrains. Mark Cooper, director of Research for Consumer Federation of America, estimated that, factoring in both the higher price of hybrids and more fuel-efficient vehicles, customers who buy cars with a typical five-year loan would immediately save money in the form of lower refueling costs. "Gasoline prices have been clobbering households," Cooper said, adding that vehicle-refueling costs have leapfrogged home utility expenses. "The whole structure of the cost of driving has changed."

Last year, Drayson Racing and Lola announced they would partner on an all-electric race car and now, at the 6th MIA International Low Carbon Racing Conference, the very impressive result of their collaboration has been revealed. The Lola-Drayson B12/69EV is an 850-horsepower (640-kW) monster that will seek to destroy many an electric vehicle speed record this year, while simultaneously serving as a development platform for a different design Drayson Racing will bring to the 2013 FIA Forumula E series.

If, however, a racing series is announced that will accept the Lemans-style prototype as is, they might very well campaign it. It should be interesting to see then, if the just-announced ALMS-IMSA-Quimera initiative might be a viable option for them. With projected acceleration numbers of 0-to-60 miles per hour in 3 seconds, 0-to-100 mph in 5.1 seconds, and a top speed somewhere north of 200 mph, it should be pretty competitive.

The B12/69EV gets all that motive power from four YASA-750 axial flux motors running on a 700-volt system. The 60-kWh battery setup that provides the asphalt-sizzling energy consists of three separate packs of A123 cells – cylindrical ANR26650M1-B's sourced through Mavizen, to be exact – that are structurally integrated into the Lola carbon fiber chassis. Charging is also appropriately high tech, using an inductive system from Qualcomm Halo.

Besides an incredible amount of power and torque, the racer weighs in at about 1000 kg (2205 lbs), which is within 100 kg of a typical internal combustion LMP1, so handling should be pretty similar. Of course, the proof of the racecar pudding is in the driving and we look forward to seeing this machine in action once video is dished out.

All automakers are under pressure to hit more stringent Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations, figures set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 1978, the CAFE standards were just 18 miles per gallon, but they have increased gradually each year. This summer, the bar was raised high when automobile manufacturers were told to hit 54.5 mpg by 2025. While that is a very steep ladder to climb, Hyundai hit the 2016 CAFE requirements in 2011 – the Korean automaker seems to be jumping the rungs on the way up.

The announcement that Hyundai hit a 36 mpg average four years ahead of the requirement is impressive, but there is never good news without some controversy. A consumer protection group is standing behind its claim that the Hyundai Elantra doesn't meet its U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy in real-world driving. Hyundai acknowledges that consumers may not achieve EPA estimated efficiency, but the Elanta's discrepancy was consistent with the other vehicles in its segment when tested by Consumer Reports (and just about every vehicle on the road, says our experience).

It is interesting to note that, while the EPA has not altered its fuel economy ratings on the 2012 Elantra, the automaker has added its ActiveECO feature to the model that reportedly improves fuel economy up to seven percent.

Lithium-ion battery-pack maker A123 Systems, whose customers include General Motors, Fisker and ALTe, will make battery packs for two new BMW hybrid vehicles this year. Both vehicles, the 3 Series Sedan and ActiveHybrid 5 hybrids, were unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The vehicles, which BMW will start selling this year, will be equipped with A123's 32113 cylindrical batteries. The ActiveHybrid 5 hybrid will feature fuel-saving functions such as an "ECO PRO" mode which shuts off the gas engine when the car is coasting and a stop-start function when the car isn't moving.

The vehicles mark an attempt by BMW to boost its presence in the U.S. hybrid vehicle market, where it's had little success. The German automaker sold just 391 of its 750 ActiveHybrid sedans and ActiveHybrid X6 SUVs combined last year.

A123 is hoping the BMW agreement marks a turnaround of sorts for a company that's lately been beset by challenges. The company, whose batteries are also in the Via extended-range plug-in trucks that are also being unveiled this week at the Detroit Show, said late last month that batteries it made for the Fisker Karma were faulty and could cause coolant leaks. In November, A123 laid off 125 workers at two Michigan plants because of Fisker's delays in launching sales of the Karma. In November, A123 also cut its 2011 revenue forecast because of fewer-than-expected Karma orders. A123 reduced its 2011 sales forecast by $45 million to between $165 million and $180 million. The battery maker, which was founded in 2011 and went public in September 2009, has reported losses every quarter since 2008.