Plug-In

BMW has recently unveiled concept versions of its upcoming i3 and i8 electric vehicles. The i3 is a subcompact hatchback, while the i8 is a sports coupe with a range-extender hybrid drive system. Intriguingly, BMW has designed the i3 with a range-extender version as an optional drivetrain. That model has been called the REx in BMW's press literature. The i3 is the fruit of the Megacity Vehicle project, which showcases BMW’s direction for the 21st century. The i8’s aerodynamic coupe form was ...

Late in 2011, Toyota Motor Corp will launch a hybrid sub-compact and broaden its electric car line-up. The vehicle will be available for 1.5 million yen, or $15,760. Government tax breaks, subsidies on cleaner technology, and an increasing demand for gasoline-electric vehicles have promoted EVs in Japan greatly.  Toyota may have future plans to produce the new hybrid model in France as well, to cater to a European market. According to a Japanese newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, the new hybrid compact by Toyota will ...

Not to be outdone by its competitors, Volvo has announced its own hybrid electric car due in... 2012.  This would put it behind four other auto companies we're tracking that have a release date of 2010, however in return for an extra couple of years of waiting, users will have the ability to drive a plug-in with a diesel engine. The engine will release less than 50 grams/km.  of carbon dioxide emissions (using the NEDC standard).  According to Volvo, this would qualify it ...

Honda Motor Co. President, Takeo Fukui, indicated in an interview on April 23rd that the current administration's incentives are causing the company to refocus their strategy.   "We understand the situation, in terms of government and incentives," he said.  "Naturally, we're going to have to accommodate that too." Honda had originally sought out to be the leader in manufacturing cars based on hydrogen fuel-cell technology.   They began leasing the FCX Clarity to drivers in California in 2008, the same year they built ...

The new concept car by Bright Automotive is set to be unveiled in a few days in Washington D.C.   Eschewing the design practices of traditional auto makers, the hybrid vehicle will be built with lightweight, aerodynamic engineering as its core concept. This means stearing clear of large steel purchases and focusing on reducing the size and weight of its battery back. The plug-in car is said to have a 30 mile all-electric range and will be coupled with a small ...

At the 2009 Seoul Motor Show (April 2-12), Hyundai released further details of its new hybrid concept.  With a release anticipated towards the end of 2012, this vehicle represents the latest company to catch up with the electric-vehicle movement. The "BLUE-WILL" is expected to have an electric-only driving distance of 40 miles (64 km). It contains a 1.6L direct-injection gasoline engine providing 152 horsepower coupled with a 100 kw electric-motor.   Like the Fisker Karma, the automobile will carry a panoramic roof fitted ...

Standing for P.ersonal U.rban M.obility and A.ccessibility, a prototype was released Tuesday, April 7th in New York for a public demonstration.  This unlikely off-spring of the two disparate companies is either a visionary solution for the crowded streets of urban areas around the globe (claims made by the earlier Segway owner), or a hail-mary project that the executives of GM hope can attract some positive coverage and help their current dismal situation. General Motors is currently preparing for bankruptcy,  as a ...

In an excellent preview of what we can expect out of the next generation Toyota Prius, New York Times editor, Jerry Garret, takes the 2010 model out for a spin. Before getting into his personal hands-on experience with the machine, he first mentions the "iconic" status of its predecessor:  asking the almost rhetorical question of, how can something that is a) comfortably bigger, b) faster, c) possessing an upgraded battery pack, and d) more energy efficient than a vehicle that already had so ...

Toyota has announced that it will be releasing about 100 plug-in hybrids in France in a serious effort to optimize its battery technology and learn more about the infrastructure requirements of a large-scale deployment.   EDF Energy, one of the UK's largest energy companies, will monitor all operational aspects of the charging process, taking into account safety, communication between the plug and the vehicle, vehicle identification as well as energy consumption. EDF, along with its subsidiary, Electricité de Strasbourg, will also be setting ...