Hybrid Cars Enter the Mainstream Au... Aug 22, 2009
There are many reasons that consumers would purchase a hybrid electric car or hybrid SUV, not least being the greater fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions such vehicles produce. A Wedge Analysis of the U.S. Transportation Sector published by the EPA in 2007 estimates that with a 30% market penetration, hybrid electric vehicles could be responsible for a 40% vehicle fuel economy improvement. (Suite101.com)
UVM Studies Hybrid Electric Car Aug 16, 2009
Shortly after his inauguration, president Obama called for setting an environmental goal -- a million plug-in hybrid electric cars on the road by the year 2015. A group of researchers at the University of Vermont looked into just how realistic the goal will be. (WCAX.com, VT)
Judge Approves GM Asset Sale Jul 7, 2009
GM has several new cars coming to market next year, including the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid electric car. The Volt might be a promising vehicle, but with an expected $40,000 price tag it might only be a niche player, said James E. Schrager, clinical professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. (Fox News)
Smart grid buzz of the power industry Jun 16, 2009
What smart grid visionaries see coming are home thermostats and appliances that adjust automatically depending on the cost of power; where a water heater may get juice from a neighbor's rooftop solar panel; and where on a scorching hot day a plug-in hybrid electric car charges one minute and the next sends electricity back to the grid to help head off a brownout ... The home has a laptop-controlled electricity management system that integrates a rooftop solar panel with grid-supplied power and... (MSNBC -- Technology)
An old friend comes to the rescue at Lynas May 4, 2009
The biggest hope for rare earths comes from their use in powerful, rechargeable batteries, thanks to the success of the Toyota Prius hybrid electric car ... 5 million hybrid electric cars a year by 2011 and Toyota was rumoured to be planning to triple its production target for 2014. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
India's electric car captures imagination Apr 6, 2009
Maini, who has a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford, where he led a hybrid electric car project, has helped develop six electric, solar and hybrid cars in India and the United States. He moved to Bangalore in 1999 after the California Air Resources Board reversed a 1990 mandate that 10 percent of new cars sold in the state be nonpolluting. (San Francisco Chronicle)
American auto at crossroads Apr 1, 2009
Wagoner once championed the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid electric car that G.M. plans to introduce in 2010. That is too late for him. (People's Daily Online, China)
Need to know: Derwent; Disney; Tr... Mar 18, 2009
Toyota: The Japanese carmaker said that it would probably have to reduce the price of its flagship Prius hybrid model or risk Honda s Insight stealing the momentum as the world s most recognisable hybrid electric car brand. Caterpillar: The US heavy equipment maker said that 2,365 of its support and management staff were being laid off for at least six months and 89 workers were being made redundant. (New York Post -- Business)
Battery breakthrough means rarely having to recharge Mar 13, 2009
In theory, a large battery that would be used to power a plug-in hybrid electric car could be recharged in just five minutes, compared to up to six or eight hours at present. But this would only be possible if a beefed-up electricity supply were available. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Technology)
