Clean Fleet Reporthybrid & electric cars smart charged with renewable energy
Electric Car and Hybrid Car Sales will Triple in Next Six Years
Pike Research’s John Gartner forecasts that global sales of hybrid and electric cars will grow from 995,000 in 2011 to 2,870,000 in 2017. Half the hybrid cars and all of the EVs will use lithium battery packs by 2017. In fact, the latest hybrid cars from Ford, Buick, Honda, Hyundai and Kai use lithium batteries. In six years, cars with advanced batteries will triple and lithium automotive battery packs will grow over 100 fold.
From Sedans to SUVs, 2012, Year of the Electric Car?
2012 will see the introduction of a myriad of plug-in electric vehicles: sports cars, an SUV, compacts, hatchbacks, sub-compacts, and sedans. Over the next several years, up to 40 plug-in models will be introduced. Later this week, the California Air Resources Board will vote on improvements to strengthen the state’s Zero Emission Vehicle program that will provide automakers with the long-term certainty necessary to ensure this proliferation of vehicle choice continues. Soon, there will be a zero emission vehicle to fit every lifestyle, budget, …
Gartner Forecasts 100,000 Electric Car Sales in U.S. in 2012
Gartner, the largest technology market research firm, is forecasting 100,000 electric car sales in 2012 in the United States. Yesterday, I took in the presentation at the SV Forum and then talked with Thilo Koslowski, Vice President of Gartner’s Automotive and Vehicle Practice. He acknowledged that 100,000 is quite a jump from the 18,000 sold in 2011.
Ford Fusion Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid for Best Sedan MPG
The new Ford Fusion gives car owners unprecedented choice in powertrains and fuel economy. The Ford Fusion can be offered with an efficient EcoBoost engine or as a hybrid with better mileage than any midsized sedan or as a plug-in hybrid that allows many trips to use zero gasoline. Classic styling, smooth driving, and excellent fuel economy come together in this new five-passenger midsized sedan. Market research revealed that 2 out of 3 U.S. shoppers, before buying, consider a midsized sedan, SUV, or liftback.
Kia Optima Hybrid Car Test Drive and Review
It’s an ideal California day for this test drive of the Kia Optima Hybrid. As the day warmed, we would be able to open the sunroof, even though it is January. The drive will combine city streets, freeway acceleration, hill climbing, and navigating curves over steep cliffs descending to the ocean. It will be interesting to compare this to my test drives of other midsized hybrids including the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrid.
Think Small – Electric City Cars
Volkswagen’s “Think Small” is ranked as the most successful campaign in advertising history. Electric city cars are a great match for small car lovers. Most city drivers need far less than the range of smaller electric cars which may be limited to 50 miles on highways but double that cruising city streets and benefitting from regenerative braking. The electric city car sales leader is the Mitsubishi i. It can be purchased for $29,125, which is about $6,000 less than the larger Nissan Leaf.
Better Place and 100,000 Electric Cars for Israel
The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Better Place have signed an agreement to create a mass market for electric vehicles in Israel, an excellent target market for 5 reasons: (1) sales tax exceeds 60 percent for gasoline vehicles, (2) gasoline costs over $6 per gallon, (3) most driving distances fit the range of electric vehicles, (4) the nation does not want to be dependent on foreign oil, and (5) electric vehicles have strong government support.
Electric Bikes and 100 Million EV Riders
China has more than 450 million bicycles. Jonathan Weinert, working on his PhD at the Institute of Advanced Transportation Studies at U.C. Davis, reported from China, “In a thousand-year-old village in the Shanghai countryside, where people live on a couple dollars a day and the average home lacks a toilet, it hit me (well, almost). I was crossing the intersection and nearly got blind-sided by a surprisingly quiet zero-emission electric bicycle.” China went from selling 330,000 electric bikes in 2000 to selling 20 million in 2007.
Building a Company: 0 to 60 in 4 Seconds
Martin Eberhard, then CEO and founder of Tesla Motors, arrived in a Tesla Roadster, a zero-emission vehicle that can accelerate from zero to 60 in 4 seconds. As I talked with him, it was easy to see why he was smiling. When I rode in the Tesla, I held on as it accelerated, then held on to my wallet as I left this dream sports car. Tenacity paid-off. Tesla brought its exciting Roadster to market. The breakthrough 300-mile range Tesla Model-S Sedan is being ordered by the …
Fueling Our Cars – Oil, Coal or Sunlight
Environmentally concerned car buyers worry that that switching to an electric vehicle does not help. They are concerned that instead of using one fossil fuel, petroleum, another will be used, coal. Many electric vehicles are three times more efficient than vehicles that run on gasoline. Mitsubishi Motors, an early leader in electric vehicles, estimates EV efficiency at 67 percent instead of 30 percent for a hybrid-electric and 15 percent for a normal gasoline vehicle.
Electric Car -How Does It Work?
Electric vehicles use electric motors not internal combustion engines. You can probably find a number of smaller electric motors in your house running everything from the washing machine to the garbage disposal. You might also have a cordless power tool that you charge and then run with power from the internal battery. electric cars use the same approach. Plug in to charge the batteries and then drive away.
Mitsubishi PX-MiEV Plug-in Hybrid AWD SUV
All-wheel drivers may soon get record fuel economy. Mitsubishi is showing a crossover SUV with AWD in Tokyo which is likely to go on sale U.S. in 2012 or 2013. The MITSUBISHI PX-MiEVⅡ is a midsized plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with a 500-mile cruising range. The PX-MiEV is a 5-door, 7-passenger SUV with all-wheel drive.
Electric Cars with Lowest U.S. Prices
Here are 10 pure electric and plug-in hybrid cars expected to be sold with starting prices between $29,000 and $39,000 in the U.S. in 2012. They will include small city cars, 5-seat hatchbacks full of electronic wonders, and a 100-mile range electric SUV. At the top of the low cost list, at least for now, is the Mitsubishi i electric car can now be reserved for $29,125. The following is our list of electric cars….
10 Hybrid Cars with Best Miles per Gallon
New hybrid cars can save you thousands of dollars in gasoline over the years that you drive. The Toyota Prius continues to top the list at 50 mpg. Surprise. There is now a Prius Family (Prii) including the new Prius v SUV. Lexus and Lincoln battle for premium hybrid leadership. Hybrid buyers have growing choices in sedans, hatchbacks, sports cars, SUVs and innovative new crossovers. This year’s top 10 all deliver 37 mpg or better in combined highway and street driving.
All-Wheel Drive Cars with Best Mileage
Ten all-wheel drive cars and four-wheel drive SUVs are compared, priced, and ranked by those that delivered the best mileage. Compare SUVs like the Lexus RX 450h Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Toyota Highland Hybrid, and the Subaru Outback. Compare sedans like the Subaru Legacy and the Audi A4 Quattro. Are SUVs important in snow and ice? Do you need AWD?
Best Electric Cars and Plug-in Hybrids for 2011 and 2012
The best selling battery electric car in 2011 will be the Nissan Leaf. The Chevrolet Volt will be the best selling plug-in hybrid. Both EVs will growing competition from global giants like Ford, Toyota, Honda and innovators like Mitsubishi, Tesla and Fisker. How will U.S. electric buyers vote with their pocketbooks for electric cars from the U.S., Japan, China, and Europe? See the list of Best Electric Cars and Plug-in Hybrids for 2011 and 2012.
2010 Cars with the Lowest Carbon Footprint
The cars with the lowest carbon footprint all save by using half the fuel of most cars. The Toyota Prius continues to the United States in fuel economy and lowest lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. This perennial favorite midsize 4-door hatchback delivers 50 miles per gallon (mpg) and is lowest on the list with 3.7 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent for the EPA annual driving cycle. The 2010 Clean Fleet Report of Lowest GHG includes many hybrids, one SUV, and one car that runs on CNG.
Ten Reasons for drop in Car Ownership
In the United States, we embarrassingly have more vehicles than people with driver’s licenses. AAA estimates that it costs $8,000 per year for each car owned, which creates a financial burden on cash-strapped Americans. To the rescue are 10 positive trends that helped Americans scrap 14 million cars in 2009, while only buying 10.5 million new ones. Ownership is declining because of 10 factors including urban density, transit, employer programs, and intermodal intelligence.
