The crossover SUV market is hot, to the point where these highly-functional vehicles have become one of the most desired of all models on the highway. Joining the ranks is Toyota’s stylish and new Venza Hybrid that definitely rates consideration.
Ford has redesigned its F-150 pickup for the 2021 model year and it will be easy to spot thanks to a tougher, bolder look. Among its new design features are a power dome hood, higher front fenders, and wrap-around bumpers.
Can you build cars with advanced 3D printing? A demonstration 3D printed car was created at the SEMA Show, then students at NTU in Singapore created a race car. Now a California company is building a production hybrid supercar. Wow!
Today, we take the advanced batteries that power electric vehicles for granted. Lithium-ion batteries, which followed advanced lead-acid and nickel-metal hydride, is mainstream. Many exotic EV battery technologies were tried over the years, including the sodium-sulfur battery in Ford’s Ecostar.
The auto industry is in transition. This is evidenced by the high-profile move toward electrification by nearly all international automakers, motivated by increasingly tighter government regulation, concern about market share, and the need to craft long-term carbon mitigation strategies.
Noted designer and entrepreneur Henrik Fisker’s first effort at being an automaker focused on a stunning electric car. That didn’t pan out as planned, but provided important insights into how to successfully bring a new brand and vehicle to market.
Pickups and electric vehicles are top of mind these days. So why not put the two together? That’s exactly what Ford, GM, and a growing list of startup companies are focusing on today, promising great choices for pickup buyers ahead.
Not that long ago, alternatives like biodiesel, ethanol, methanol, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), and propane autogas (LPG) shared equal billing with electric and hybrid vehicles. Now these other green technologies get little media focus. What happened?
Public charging has been provided for free at many retail locations and parking garages as a way to encourage buying an EV, or to enhance an establishment’s environmental image. Now, pay-per-use chargers are increasingly the norm. But at what cost?
Featuring an innovative series-parallel hybrid system, the plug-in Mitsubishi PHEV brings a host of advanced technologies to bear that distinguish the model amid its peers. It’s all-wheel drive, features Level 1, 2, and 3 charging, and offers seamless electric operation.
Driving electric is cheaper than driving on gasoline, but how much cheaper? Calculating the cost of ‘tanking up’ on electrons is no simple thing and depends on whether you’re charging at home or on the road. Let’s calculate the numbers.
Many feel that a ‘hydrogen economy’ is likely in our future. Whether it will include cars, SUVs, and light trucks remains an open question, since most automakers are focusing future efforts on EVs with longer driving range, rather than hydrogen.
