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At Witz' End: Notes from "The Business of Plugging In"

EV business may be booming soon I dropped by the Center for Automotive Research's (CAR) "The Business of Plugging In" conference in Detroit recently and came away with a collection of quotes and useful information from movers and shakers working to make vehicle electrification happen. Most reasonable observers understand that electric vehicles will not replace liquid-fueled vehicles in large numbers any time soon due to their three key disadvantages of high battery cost, limited driving range and long recharge times. But everyone ... Read more →

It's Friday: Swedish automatic PHEV charging prod gets a big WTF? from us [w/VIDEO] Sebastian Blanco

Is it too harsh to say that the Trinnovator is a solution without a problem? At the very least, we don't think that a flexible, extendable prod coming out of the front bumper of a plug-in car and ...

Editorial: Henderson's fuel cell 10X cost comments are out of context Sam Abuelsamid

The other day we reported on an interview with General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson published in the Washington Post. While most of the discussion focused on the bailout and bankruptcy, from the ...

STUDY: Market share for plug ins, hybrids set for huge growth by 2013 Sebastian Blanco

Reports that hybrid vehicles would continue to be popular are nothing new and seem to be coming true. But a new study by NextGen Research paints a picture that might be a bit too rosy. Maybe. ...

Studies Say: a wrap up from the green car front: "Internalize the Externalities," more Sebastian Blanco

This is a particularly busy time for studies trying to understand the impact of green vehicles. Here's a quick round-up: Paul Scott writes that, for anyone to fairly compare driving plug-in ...

PEV 2009: GM's Lauckner wishes for bigger incentives to get drivers out of gas-powered vehicles 21 days ago on Autoblog Green

At this point, it's no secret that the Chevy Volt and other plug-in vehicles are not going to come cheap. The least-pricey full-speed electric vehicle may very well be the Nissan Leaf, which after incentives might drop into the $27-28,000 range before the extra cost of leasing the battery. While the ...

Lists? Yeah, electric vehicles get on lists. Hopeful, hopeful lists 23 days ago on Autoblog Green

Here are five technologies that "could change everything": Advanced car batteries Carbon capture and storage Space-based solar power Utility storage Next-generation biofuels This is the list culled by the Wall Street Journal, and we note that plug-in vehicles benefit/are tied to ...

Webchat with Tony Posawatz and Felix Kramer, 3:30pm EST today 27 days ago on Autoblog Green

Readers of this site are probably quite familiar with the names of Felix Kramer and Tony Posawatz. Kramer is the founder of the California Cars Institute (CalCars) and major proponent of plug-in vehicles. Posawatz is the vehicle line director for the Chevrolet Volt and has been part of the team ...

Bientôt Electrique Association offers plug-in kit for the Prius 27 days ago on Autoblog Green

The French pro-EV association, Bientôt Electrique (which means "electric soon") is offering a kit, guaranteed for two-years, that converts a regular Toyota Prius into a plug-in hybrid. The kit can be obtained without a battery for €1,499. If you want to add to the Prius' standard ...

Tokyo 2009 Preview: Suzuki Swift hybrid plug-in concept 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

2010 Suzuki Swift hybrid plug-in concept - Click for high-res image gallery The Suzuki Swift is a competent subcompact that the Japanese marque sells both in Japan and Europe. In the latter, the little hatchback is available with a solid 1.3-liter diesel dubbed DDIS. To make things even cleaner, ...

Frankfurt Preview: More on Toyota's new lithium-ion Plug-in Prius 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Toyota's new-generation plug-in hybrid Prius will be shown for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, and now we've got some new images and details. As expected, the PHEV Prius will be equipped with a lithium-ion battery pack. The hybrid synergy drive system has been upgraded for ...

Survey says... nearly half of Americans want to buy something like the Volt, but do they want to pay? 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

The Chevrolet Volt is a data driven design in many ways. The shape is driven by aerodynamic data. Its conception was in part driven by public perception data. Its powertrain architecture was driven by empirical data about how drivers actually use their cars. For example, roughly three quarters ...

Frankfurt Preview: Toyota to show Auris Hybrid, Prius PHEV and two iQ variants 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

In addition to the LF-Ch from its Lexus luxury division, Toyota also intends to bring a few more environmentally friendly automobiles to the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, some seemingly close to production form and others as concepts to whet our appetites for the future. Included among these ...

BREAKING: GM cancels Buick crossover before birth, will add PHEV drivetrain to another vehicle 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Surprising news comes by way of General Motors today as the automaker has already canceled its recently announced Buick crossover, which in reality was little more than an ex-Saturn Vue emblazoned with Buick's trademark chrome waterfall grille. And therein lies the rub. As confirmed to Autoblog by ...

Fisker Karma at Laguna Seca update: even at 100 mph, PHEV used no gas 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Fisker Automotive has released a bit more information about that one lap that the Karma ran at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday. According to the start-up, during the silent (for proof, see the video) lap around the track, the luxury plug-in hybrid managed to hit 100 mph and didn't ...

Quick Drive: Buick/Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid prototype 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

We had a chance for a quick drive of a development prototype for Buick's upcoming plug-in hybrid crossover this week at the GM proving ground. The prototype was still wearing its Saturn grille and badging as that was the original intent of the program. When Rick Wagoner announced in late 2006 ...

Is retro-fitting older vehicles the solution to accelerating electrification? 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

Is the mass retrofitting of older vehicles the solution to a rapid transformation to an electrified vehicle fleet? Felix Kramer, founder of Cal Cars, certainly thinks so. The problem lies in the fact that there are nearly 250 million vehicles on the road in the U.S. with a median age of about ...

Breaking: Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid reborn as new Buick crossover 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

GM CEO Fritz Henderson may not believe in re-badging Pontiacs for other GM brands, but it looks like at least one Saturn model will live on. The mid-size Vue crossover will become a Buick in 2011, and a plug-in hybrid will be part of the program. The Two-mode hybrid system that was originally ...

Where is the government spending for plug-in hybrid conversions? 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

Fact 1: Over the last few months, we've seen the federal government spend all sorts of money to try and reach the twin goals of economic resurrection and a cleaner/greener society. In the auto industry, we have the CARS program, the ending (or not?) of the DOE's hydrogen vehicle program, the ...

REPORT: PSA says it's not working with Mitsubishi on plug-in hybrids 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

PSA, the parent company of Peugeot and Citroën, this morning denied a report that came out in the Japanese Nikkei business newspaper about a new tie-up with Mitsubishi. The paper had reported that PSA and Mitsubishi would be collaborating on plug-in hybrid vehicles. The two automakers are ...

REPORT: Toyota will launch series production PHEV Prius in 2012 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

According to Japan's Nikkei news agency, Toyota has decided to start series production of a plug-in version of the Prius hybrid in 2012. At launch, the automaker plans to build about 20,000-30,000 units a year of the plug-in hybrid. The report indicates that the model will be priced comparably ...

GM will do "heavy lifting" toward plug-in goal [w/POLL] 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

- It's going to be awfully tough to hit President Obama's stated goal of one million plug-in hybrids on American roads by 2015. After all, that's just over five years away and there aren't actually any affordable plug-in-capable vehicles available as of today from a major automaker that meet ...

REPORT: 115 Plug-in Priuses fail to crack 50 mpg average in year-long test 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

When Consumer Reports tested out the Hymotion L5 plug-in Toyota Prius conversion earlier this year, they weren't overwhelmed with the results. Sure, the mileage they observed was boosted to about 67 mpg over the first 35 miles of the drive, but that didn't match the claims of 100 mpg (or more) that ...

Hydro Quebec joins Ford Escape PHEV test program 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Ford's Escape plug-in hybrid test program has found another electric utility partner for its field test program. Hydro-Quebec has been selected by Ford and the Electric Power Research Institute to join the three-year program. Hydro-Quebec has received one of the 21 Escape PHEV's built by Ford ...

Toyota to lease 200 PHEV Priuses in Japan starting in late 2009 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

They won't look like the second-generation Prius plug-in pictured above, but Toyota has announced the first of its non-European leasing programs for its new PHEV (see here). Starting late this year Toyota will start leasing 200 plug-capable Priuses to government and commercial fleets in Japan. A ...

Volvo and Vattenfall team up to develop plug-in hybrid [w/video] 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Volvo and Vattenfall have just made an announcement that should hurry the Swedish car maker along the hybrid highway. The two companies have partnered to develop a plug-in diesel hybrid that should begin series production in 2012 with the first 3 demonstration vehicles to be completed this ...

Modified PHEV Prius setting out on 1,100-mile, one-tank drive - but why? 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

File this one under slightly sketchy (AFS Trinity style). A Florida Toyota dealer is taking a Prius on what he calls an "epic" 1,100-mile trip to Washington, D.C. and he wants to do it on only one tank of gas. Since the tank of the Prius is 11.9 gallons, that'd be quite a mileage feat. 92.4 mpg ...

Americans "need" big trucks, says Sen. Hatch, and the Raser Hummer EV is just right 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Worried that the Obama Administration's latest CAFE requirements will put the hurt to big trucks? Fret not, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has got your back. At an event held in the nation's capital, Hatch got the chance to pilot the extended-range electric HUMMER H3 from Raser Technologies that ...

Andy Frank gets Neil Young soundtrack in music video tribute 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

We've talked to and about Dr. Andy Frank many times here on AutoblogGreen, but we haven't yet made a music video tribute to the man behind the plug-in hybrid. Thankfully, Paul Steinbroner, of EnergyRush TV, has rectified our oversight by making a musical tribute to Dr. Frank, aka the father of ...

Officially, official: Toyota will lease 150 plug-in Priuses in Europe starting in late 2009 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

We heard in March that Toyota would bring 100 plug-in Priuses to Strasbourg, France. The company has now spelled out more of its European PHEV Prius roll-out plans, and the highlight is a total of 500 new-generation plug-in Priuses in operation in Europe, Japan and the US by 2010. In Europe, ...

REPORT: Fisker planning third Karma variant, low-cost hybrid 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker feels like the automotive world is at the beginning of a renaissance, and he believes now is the first time in 40 years that start-up automakers can compete and even thrive against the established OEMs. Fisker has already began to rage against the machine with the ...

Obama, DOE slash hydrogen fuel cell funding in new budget 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

The message has been hinted at before, but the federal government is now serious about shifting the focus away from hydrogen and onto plug-in vehicles. In an important statement yesterday, Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu said that hydrogen vehicles are still 10 to 20 years away from ...

Fisker plans lower-cost model, may compete with Chevy Volt and Tesla Model S 7 months ago on Autoblog Green

It's probably a bit premature to be talking about future models from Fisker, considering the automaker's plug-in Karma and Karma S have yet to hit the market, but that's never stopped us before, right? According to Russell Datz, head PR man at Fisker Automotive, "One of the future products we ...

"Eco-facilities" are coming; Fisker Automotive signs up 32 dealers in 17 states 7 months ago on Autoblog Green

Running TV ads. Taking orders. And now setting up a network of dealerships. Fisker Automotive is acting like a real car company. The company announced today that it's signed up its first group of 32 retailers. These retailers can be found in 17 states – Alabama, California, Colorado, ...

St. Petersburg to test 'plug-in' hybrid cars in green partnership 7 months ago on Autoblog Green

The city of St. Petersburg, Florida isn't part of Ford's plug-in hybrid test program but it will soon be testing a PHEV Escape anyway. Progress Energy will be partnering with the Florida city to convert one of the 14 Escape hybrids in the city fleet to plug-in capability. $28,000 of the $37,000 ...

Locavolts? Food sourcing issues coming to the energy discussion 8 months ago on Autoblog Green

If you're at all familiar with the hardcore environmentalist mindset, then you know that there is really no limit to how far you can take thinking about your impact on the world. Locavore, the 2007 New Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year, for example, means someone who only (or mostly) eats food ...

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