Automotive Archives - Page 2 of 4

This Bus is Powered by Your Waste. Holy Sh*t!

New York City was first with it’s No-Idling laws, but the UK, it seems, won’t settle for #2. Unless of course it’s the #2 (Human waste) that just happens to be fueling the first-of-its-kind city bus. The 40-seater Bio-Bus runs on fuel generated from treated sewage and food waste and helps improve urban air quality as it produces fewer emissions than traditional diesel engines. The bus can travel up to 200 miles on a full tank of gas generated at Bristol sewage treatment works – a plant run by GENeco, a subsidiary of Wessex Water. Up to 10,000 passengers are expected to travel on the Bio-Bus each month. It’s not petrol, bio-diesel or natural gas. It’s Biomethane, and can even be used to power up to 8,500 homes, and although the bus's graphics seem to imply it’s a moving shitter, the fuel is actually a product of Bristol sewage treatment, which treats around 75 million cubic meters of sewage waste and 35,000 tons of food waste through a process known as anaerobic digestio…

A Tesla in Norway? King of the Road for 1/2 Price.

In the United States, a @TeslaMotors will run you $70,000 or so. But Norway is an ideal market for Tesla because of the country’s embrace of electric vehicles, the fact that it’s a wealthy country and because the government heavily taxes gasoline-burning luxury cars. Because the Model S is electric, Tesla can take advantage of a Norwegian tax regime that makes the Model S the least expensive luxury sedan in the market. At half the total price of comparable luxury cars like the Porsche Panamera S or the Audi S6, a Model S bought in Norway is a bargain. No tax for EVs Free Charging Free Parking No Tolls World traveler Rick Steves explains in this video from Norway this week.

As a percentage of total market share, electric cars are more popular in Norway than anywhere else in the world. So it’s no wonder Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) made the country the focus of its global expansion plans early on.

It’…

100% Electric Vehicles & Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Sales Have Record Month

Originally published on EV Obsession. As you can see in the table above, 100% electric cars, plug-in hybrid electric cars (PHEVs), and conventional hybrid electric cars continue to do better and better. 100% electrics were up 457.48% in August 2013 compared to August 2012. And they were up 515.51% January through August 2013 compared to January through August 2012. PHEVs are also up considerably, as are conventional hybrids. The increases for each of the above (compared to 2012) are quite similar to the increases we saw in July. August was clearly the best month ever for 100% electric sales in the US, as well as PHEV sales. It’s also the best month I’ve seen for conventional hybrid vehicle sales, but I haven’t been tracking those long enough to know if it was indeed the country’s best month ever in that category. Who Are The Big Movers & Shakers? Not much has changed as regards the leaders in EV and hybrid sales. The Tesla Model S continues to do exception…

Why Americans Aren’t Buying more EVs

Are we worried we'll be stalled on the side of the rode with a juiceless ride? Do we balk at the sound of a quiet car? Maybe we're afraid we'll miss the smell of burned petrol. Here's a new study that shows why more Americans are not plugging in and jumping on the EV bandwagon. Nino Marchetti for Earthtechling Are we as Americans so addicted to our gas guzzling vehicles that we are unwilling to consider the benefits of more environmentally friendly forms of transportation, such as electric cars, unless it can be proven to us in a dollars and sense kind of way? That’s one take away to be considered from a recent global survey of electric vehicle opinions by research firm GfK. In its study, GfK found only 36 percent of Americans think highly of electric vehicles, which ranks us a little above China only amongst six national markets looked at. Those who outrank us in terms of “very or mainly favorable opinion” were Japan (82%), Russia (72%), Spain (65%) and France (61%). …

GM Drops Sticker Price For Chevy Volt For 2014

Nino Marchetti for Earthtechling General Motors is set to debut the 2014 Chevrolet Volt, and with the new model year of what’s noted as being the best selling plug-in vehicle in America comes a price drop. The extended range electric vehicle will start for $34,995 which, with a federal tax credit of up to $7,500, could drop the starting price to $27,495 before one applies other price reductions such as green vehicle rebates in select states. GM is looking to broaden the vehicle’s exposure to price-sensitive prospective buyers, especially in regards to trying to make the Volt competitive against lower cost gas-powered sedans. Those who pony up for the car will be joining those, according to the automaker, who, when charging regularly, drive 900 miles between fill-ups and visit the gas station about once a month. The 2014 Volt will continue to provide owners with [a] fuel economy of 98 MPGe (electric) and 35 city/40 highway on gasoline power without any need to change thei…

Clemson’s Deep Orange 3 A Striking Hybrid Design

by Nino Marchetti by earthtechling Clemson University in South Carolina is known for its International Center for Automotive Research, and in particular the Deep Orange sustainable mobility program. We profiled one of the program’s first concept vehicles designed by students back in 2010, and now those involved in it have just unveiled their third next generation ride known as Deep Orange 3. The Deep Orange 3 vehicle, according to Clemson, is a Mazda concept vehicle designed in collaboration with the automotive company. It sports what’s described as a unique hybrid powertrain that automatically chooses front-, rear- or all-wheel drive and consists of a downsized turbocharge 4-cylinder internal combustion engine mated to an electric motor with peak output of 80 kW that all total offers a combined horsepower of 208 hp. The motor is powered by a 2.4 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack. image via Clemson University Offering drivers a five-speed manual transmission, th…