Feb

10

Can Diesel Hybrid Be the Transition to Full Electric Drive?

February 10, 2011 | 3 Comments

Volkswagen first showed its XL1 diesel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle prototype during the last week of January. The prototype, representing the third evolutionary stage of Volkswagen’s 1-liter car strategy features, according to VW, combined fuel consumption of 0.9 L/100 km (261 mpg US).  The plug-in hybrid system consists of a 0.8L two-cylinder TDI engine (35 [...]

Nov

26

Big Money Flows to the Raser Series Hybrid

November 26, 2010 | 2 Comments

Raser Technologies, Inc. has finalized a deal with a group of private investors led by California investor Carl E. Berg that forms a new electric automotive company intent on building pickup trucks and SUVs for fleet customers. Kraig Higginson, Chairman of Raser Technologies explains, “We have been successful in the development of a very promising [...]

Aug

12

The Electric Vehicle Age Begins in Earnest

August 12, 2010 | 10 Comments

This year will see the GM Volt and Nissan Leaf go on sale and likely deliver to buyers following the Tesla Roadster success with electric motors connected to the driving wheels.  The two are of three very different designs representing the three main manufactured groups of choices we’ll see.  Then there are the Do It [...]

Aug

5

Micro Turbines Headed for Hybrid Trucks

August 5, 2010 | 7 Comments

Capstone Turbine Corporation a leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems announced last week that it has initiated a demonstration project with a major U.S. manufacturer of Class 5 through Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. The demonstrator will utilize a Capstone 65kW microturbine as a clean, efficient range extender in a hybrid electric drive system. [...]

Dec

29

An Electric Hybrid Bulldozer Goes On Sale

December 29, 2009 | 11 Comments

With a little fanfare Caterpillar announced last week they’re shipping a diesel engine driven generation set to electric motor hybrid drive bulldozer.  The D7E model is in the upper midsize range with the Cat C9.3 ACERT(TM) diesel engine rated at 235 net horsepower (175 kW) driving a powerful electrical generator that produces AC (alternating current).  [...]

Sep

30

Building a Cheaper Hybrid Car

September 30, 2009 | 5 Comments

Hanna Plesko, a doctoral student at the Power Electronic Systems Laboratory of ETH Zurich has worked out a better and less costly to produce power electronic converters for hybrid cars. Plesko says, “It’s rumored that hybrid vehicles can improve your image, but in some cases the automobile companies have difficulties to cover their costs.”  With [...]

Sep

25

The Super Sexy Swedish Electric Stunner

September 25, 2009 | 5 Comments

Perhaps you remember when Volvos looked like they were carved from wood by an axe while other manufacturers were going windswept and aerodynamic.  Then they finally switched to svelte a decade or so back and improved on that while others have moved on to muscular, angular and blocklike.  One wonders who is leading whom. Volvo [...]

Sep

16

A New High Efficiency Vehicle Electric Motor

September 16, 2009 | 5 Comments

Oxford University in the UK has spun-out a new company, Oxford Yasa Motors, set up to commercialize a lightweight energy efficient electric motor developed at the Department of Engineering Science. The new technology promises to help firms build more efficient electric vehicles. Astute readers will realize that power to weight and the size issues of [...]

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