The California state senate has approved two bills (AB-266 and SB-286) that extend existing programs allowing plug-in drivers to use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes until 2019. The Golden State is famous for its traffic jams, and access to HOV lanes is a particularly prized perquisite. A legacy vehicle must have a minimum of either two… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "US Hybrid"
Leonine Volvo plug-in coupé to prowl in Frankfurt
Volvo’s Concept Coupé, which will debut at September’s Frankfurt Auto Show, is the first of a series of three concept cars that will use the company’s new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA). So far, Volvo’s announcements about the new concept have featured plenty of braggadocio… “Think about the powerful calmness of a lion. He doesn’t have… Read more »
Bosch touts its compact and flexible electric motor
Bosch is singing the praises of its SMG 180/120 electric motor, a petite powerhouse that weighs only 32 kilos and “fits inside a typical school backpack” (a handy feature). The permanent magnet synchronous motor is already used in several production vehicles, including the smart fortwo electric drive and Fiat 500e EVs, and the Peugeot 3008… Read more »
Bosch and partners research powerline communications for battery management
German researchers have launched a new project to improve battery performance in hybrid and electric vehicles through smarter battery management. The focus of the project is on using the power lines in a battery pack to transmit the data that allows individual battery cells to be monitored and controlled, eliminating the need for separate data-transmission… Read more »
EVs take 1.1% of California auto market
EV sales have cracked the whole-digit mark for the first time. Battery electric vehicles accounted for 1.1% of new vehicle sales in California in the first half of 2013, according to California Auto Outlook, a publication of the California New Car Dealers Association. Hybrids took 7% of the market, up from 6.2% in 2012, while… Read more »
New Volvo engines are designed with electrification in mind
This fall, Volvo will launch a new line of powertrains that are designed to reach new levels of fuel efficiency – and to be ready for the transition to electrification. The Drive-E range of powertrains consists of two four-cylinder engines, one common rail diesel and one direct-injected gas version. They replace eight engine architectures on… Read more »
Tesla takes aim at rear-view mirrors
The latest automotive icon that Tesla is setting out to smash: side mirrors (wing mirrors to our British friends). Eagle-eyed EV watchers may have noticed that the original concept of the Model X had no mirrors, and neither does Volkswagen’s diesel hybrid spaceship, the XL1. According to John Voelcker of Green Car Reports, the rear-view… Read more »
New York to offer $19 million in vouchers for electric trucks
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced the $19-million New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program, which will subsidize the purchase of electric, hybrid and alternate-fuel commercial trucks. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), together with the non-profit organization CALSTART, will be managing the program. The program will include two voucher funds…. Read more »
New Panamera PHEV provides progress over its predecessor
Porsche’s new Panamera S E-Hybrid PHEV incorporates dramatic improvements over the hybrid model that it’s replacing, and the company expects that to drive dramatically better sales. Porsche is forecasting about 10,000 sales over the E-Hybrid’s life cycle, which represents double the figure for the company’s first-generation hybrid, and about 10 percent of all Panamera sales…. Read more »
Is Chrysler finally going to get charged?
Hope springs eternal that America’s #3 automaker will someday get serious about EVs, or at least bring a hybrid to market. A couple of media outlets seized on a Chrysler exec’s comment in a recent interview as evidence that the company plans to jump on the electric bandwagon. The Detroit Free Press recently published an… Read more »