Volkswagen's very impressive XL1 is the poster child for mpg to the max. We’ve been following this car’s development program for years now, hearing that it was a production-intent program but fairly skeptical that a vehicle with such a stratospheric fuel efficiency target could ever be built, at least beyond the prototype stage Yet, here we […]
Ford’s 3.7-liter V-6 equipped-150 pickup is now available with a factory-installed, gaseous-fuel prep package, making Ford the only manufacturer offering a CNG/LPG-capable half-ton pickup. The $315 engine prep package includes hardened valves, valve seats, pistons, and rings so it can operate on either natural gas or gasoline through separate fuel systems. The light-duty Ford CNG […]
The all-new NSX hybrid supercar, to be motivated by an advanced powertrain combining torque vectoring all-wheel drive with hybrid efficiency, was recently shown in prototype form by Acura. The prototype maintains the low and wide stance of the original NSX with the dynamic and alluring proportions of the NSX Concept that debuted in 2012. The […]
We are all enamored by the advanced technologies at work in vehicles today. And why wouldn’t we be? The incredibly efficient cars we have today, and the even more efficient models coming in the years ahead, are testament to a process that combines ingenuity, market competitiveness, and government mandate in bringing ever more efficient vehicles […]
Batteries remain the electric car’s most pervasive challenge. After decades of research and development plus billions of dollars of investment, an energy-dense and affordable electric car battery remains elusive. Automakers are acutely aware of this as high battery costs can mean significant losses on every unit sold. Ford is aiming to meet the challenge head-on […]
The long-awaited 2014 Cadillac ELR will emerge early in 2014 at a cost of $75,995, appropriate for high-end luxury cars but no doubt a bit steep for many looking forward to a step up from Chevy’s Volt. Still, there’s a lot here to justify the cost. Featuring a dramatic design and luxury touches throughout, this […]
How is biodiesel doing these days? Apparently pretty well. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that this past May, biodiesel production reached a record level of 111 million gallons, with this total coming from 116 active biodiesel plants with total operating capacity of 2.2 billion gallons per year. Some 449 million gallons was produced […]
Teaming up can be a good thing, especially when the goal at hand involves significant and disruptive change. That’s what is involved in bringing transportation into an envisioned hydrogen age, a goal for normally petroleum-focused automakers that are working hard toward this zero-emission future. Many automakers have had dynamic hydrogen vehicle development programs in motion […]
Challenges with advanced batteries have cropped up with automakers, aircraft manufacturers, and laptop companies alike in recent years. One of the most notable has been thermal runaway issues with lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries, the most advanced battery technology now in widespread use in transportation and consumer electronics. While appropriate engineering fixes have been made to move […]
Lightweighting vehicles is a big deal. The lighter the car, the less relative energy required to move it down the road. This thinking has been influencing car design and manufacturing for some time now as automakers strive to make models with higher fuel efficiency, but the momentum has increased because of the much higher mpg […]
Clean Energy Fuels has been hard at work building out a network of natural gas fueling stations along major trucking corridors across the country. The goal is to enable long-haul 18-wheelers to travel coast-to-coast, border-to-border on liquefied natural gas (LNG), a clean-burning and mostly domestic alternative fuel. To supply LNG for these trucks, Clean Energy […]
Mercedes-Benz says it will be bringing Car-to-X technology to the highway by the end of this year, enabling the exchange of information between similarly-equipped vehicles as well as between vehicles and traffic infrastructure. The move is part of Daimler AG’s ‘Intelligent Drive’ strategy’ that will make use of Car-to-X communication to alert drivers of potential […]
Hydraulic hybrid technology is already used in commercial trucks that travel at lower speeds and experience lots of starts and stops. Now, the PSA Peugeot Citroën Group plans to offer hydraulic hybrid cars in 2016, a first. It calls it technology ‘Hybrid Air’ because it uses compressed air for energy storage rather than the nitrogen […]
Smartphones are becoming an ever more integral part of motoring, especially for those driving plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). Virtually every PEV manufacturer has developed apps for mobile devices allowing remote access for monitoring charge status, initiating charging, pre-heating and pre-cooling interiors, locating charging stations, and much more. General Motors is basing its remote PEV access […]
For most Americans, our transportation choices are limited to the fuels offered at the local gas station. For generations, regular gas stations served our needs pretty well, but America’s transportation needs are changing. Every day we learn about new choices in alternative fuel vehicles, advancements in vehicle efficiency, and new, cleaner types of fuel, so […]
Available next month in California and Oregon, the new 2014 Spark EV 1LT can now be leased for as low as $199 per month for 36 months. Requiring a nominal $999 due at lease signing, which includes a security deposit but is exclusive of tax, title, and registration, now makes this small Chevy EV an […]
A variant of the highly functional and efficient NV200 cargo van will be sourced by GM as a Chevy product offering for the 2015 model year. This is in response to the need for a small van in the Chevy lineup to fill increasing fleet needs in that segment. The current Nissan vehicle’s cost of […]
Honda’s efforts in creating a showcase Honda Smart Home US goes beyond the expected attributes of zero-carbon home life. It includes, as one might expect, a mobility component that adds electric vehicle ownership as part of the mix. Honda is building its zero-carbon home on the campus of U.C Davis, located near California’s capital of […]