September 2009
Honda to Debut MPV Hybrid and Near-Production-Ready CR-Z at Tokyo Auto Show
By Scott Doggett September 30, 2009Honda announced today that it will display at the Tokyo Motor Show next month a near-production version of the CR-Z (right), which will likely be the world's first hybrid sports car to employ a six-speed transmission when it goes on sale next year. Alongside the CR-Z Concept 2009 will be the EV-N (below left), a small, four-seat battery-electric vehicle inspired by the N360, the twin-cylinder, air-cooled 360cc micro car launched with a plastic trunk lid in the 1960s. The revival vehicle has solar panels on the roof that could be used to charge the battery. Honda said the EV-N more
2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Mitsubishi Extends MiEV Tech with Plug-in Hybrid Concept
By John O'Dell September 30, 2009Mitsubishi isn't resting on its laurels after the successful launch in Japan of its i-MiEV electric city car. The company plans to show two new concept EVs at the upcoming 2009 Tokyo Auto Show - a mini-cargo van built off the i-MiEV minicar platform, and a four-seat plug-in hybrid crossover it is calling the Mitsubishi PX-MiEV (right). The PX - Mitsubishi's nameplate shorthand for plug-in crossover - is the first big-vehicle use of the company's "Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle" technology, or MiEV. Quiet Carrier The i-MiEV Cargo concept is a pretty simple one: a slightly stretched i-MiEV with a more
Penske Breaks Off Talks with GM for Saturn; Saturn Goes Away
By Michelle Krebs September 30, 2009In a surprise move, Penske Automotive Group terminated discussions with General Motors to acquire Saturn due to its inability to secure agreements for the future supply of vehicles beyond what it had negotiated with GM. As a result, GM will wind down Saturn much as it is doing now with its Pontiac division. In a statement issued by the Penske Group late Wednesday, on the eve of the expected close of the deal, the auto retailing group cited "concerns directly related to the future supply of vehicles beyond the supply period it had negotiated with GM." Retailers who had signed franchise more
Brigham Young U. Scientist: Sugar + Weed Killer = Direct Carbohydrate Fuel Cell
By Scott Doggett September 30, 2009Researchers at Brigham Young University claim to have developed a fuel cell that harvests electricity from glucose and other sugars known as carbohydrates using a common weed killer as a catalyst. Lead researcher and BYU chemistry professor Gerald Watt (pictured) said in an article published in the August issue of the Journal of the Electrochemical Society that carbohydrates are very energy rich and that he and his colleagues sought a catalyst that would extract the electrons from the carbs and transfer them to an electrode. Watt said he and his colleagues discovered a solution in the form of a more
Top Electric Vehicle Executive at General Motors Leaves to Start EV Consulting Firm
By Scott Doggett September 30, 2009Bob Kruse, who recently led a team that played a key role in the development of the Chevrolet Volt and who crafted the automaker's long-term electric-vehicle strategy, has resigned effective today. Kruse, executive director of global vehicle engineering for hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries since early last year, left to focus on an EV consulting company he founded last month. He will provide automotive and vehicle electrification expertise for companies looking to seize a piece of more than $1.3 billion in federal grants available to Michigan and Detroit's major automakers. "My departure from General Motors has nothing to do more
2009 Tokyo Auto Show: Subaru 'Hybrid Tourer Concept' Keeps AWD, Boxer Engine
By John O'Dell September 29, 2009Subaru is set to unveil a new hybrid concept at the upcoming 2009 Tokyo Auto Show - a gull-wing touring car with technology features that presage the real thing the automaker is slated to put into production as early as 2011. The Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept - catchy name! - will combine Subaru's famed symmetrical all-wheel drive and horizontally opposed "boxer" engine with a next-generation automatic transmission and two-motor hybrid system. The automaker, owned by Fuji Heavy industries with Toyota Motor Corp. as a sizable minority stakeholder, isn't offering much detail about its hybrid system this early in the more
Nissan To Take Leaf EV Orders Next Spring, Expects 20,000 Pre-Sales
By John O'Dell September 29, 2009Nissan North America will begin taking orders for the company's new Leaf electric car (left) next spring and says it anticipates 20,000 pre-sales by the time the EV hits dealerships in the third quarter. "We are confident we will have 20,000 reservations for the Leaf by the time it goes on sale," Carlos Tavares, Nissan's chairman for the Americas, said at a breakfast meeting of Nashville, Tenn., business leaders this morning. The meeting was covered by the subscription-only industry journal Automotive News, which reported Tavares' comments in an on-line report. Tavares said Tennessee-based Nissan North America expects to make more
Toyota Urges Gen 2 Prius Owners to Remove Floor Mats to Avoid Stuck Gas Pedals
By John O'Dell September 29, 2009Record Campaign Involves Seven Other Toyota and Lexus Models; Recall Will Follow As part of a larger action involving an estimated 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus models dating back to 2004, Toyota Motor Corp. is urging owners of 2004-2009 Priuses to immediately remove the driver's-side removable floor mat to prevent possible accelerator pedal jamming. --------- NHTSA photo shows loose all-weather floor mat jamming accelerator pedal. ---------- In addition to the 2004-09 Priuses, the safety advisory and upcoming recall involve the following models: 2007-10 Toyota Camrys; 2007-10 Toyota Tundras; 2007-10 Lexus ES 350s; 2006-10 Lexus IS 250s and 350s; 2005-10 more
Zenn Motors Switches Strategies From EV-Making to Electric Drive Marketing
By John O'Dell September 29, 2009Canadian NEV-maker Zenn Motor Co. says it will stop making and marketing its $16,000 (U.S.) cityZenn low-speed neighborhood electric vehicle (right), drop plans for a highway-legal Zenn car and is switching its business plan to become distributor of an EV drivetrain. The company said it is partnering with EEStor, a secretive company that claims to have developed an ultracapacitor-based EV battery that can deliver up to 300 miles of highway-speed range on a single 5-minute charge. Zenn CEO Ian Clifford told the Toronto Star that it no longer makes business sense for the small company "to go into the more
Detroit Diesel Seeks Federal and California OKs for its BlueTec-Equipped Engines
By John O'Dell September 30, 2009Bye-bye to that old diesel smoke-and-choke? Federal and California standards for heavy duty diesels call for near-zero emissions of particulates and NOx in 2010 and beyond - the strictest big-rig exhaust regulations in the world. ---------- Freightliner Cascadia tractor uses both types of engines Detroit Diesel hopes to certify for 2010 emissions standards. ---------- They apply to all diesel truck engines built next year and beyond, and almost every truck and engine manufacturer has vowed to meet the standards. We don't write a lot about trucks, but when we're talking 450-horsepower and 1,600 ft.-lb. of torque...how could we resist? Besides, big more