A sobering reminder of the hazards in adding plug-in capabilities to hybrids comes from reports that a plug-in Prius conversion was destroyed in a fire. The news spread quickly through the online community of plug-in enthusiasts, bringing calls for all known information to be publicized as quickly as possible.
GE is teaming up with Chrysler to help accelerate the latter's late move into plug-ins. Meanwhile, the U.S. government is finally putting some money into plug-in hybrid development—not a lot mind you—but it looks like industry has already sunk its own change into the program. Plug-Ins are coming. But how long will we have to wait, and will they be affordable?
The Chevy Volt concept car has been put out to stud. Its final public appearance was last week, at the Brookings Institute plug-in hybrid conference held in Washington, DC. GM has announced it will no longer be shown in public, and that the styling of the production Volt will be unveiled “soon." So what will the actual Volt look like? It will have to me much more aerodynamic, and from the few glimpses we've had thus far, the body design may just resemble that of the Toyota Prius.
Today, the Department of Energy announced a $30 million grant to Ford, General Motors and General Electric, hoping to commercialize plug-in hybrids by 2016. If you can't wait that long, a recent announcement may be encouraging: Hymotion will soon be offering a plug-in hybrid conversion kit for less than $10,000.
On June 11 and 12, the Brookings Institution and Google.org will host the biggest gathering of national powerbrokers discussing the role of government regarding plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. On the eve of the conference, HybridCars.com spoke with David Sandalow, energy and environment scholar at Brookings, about hybrid technology, oil politics, and government's role in changing how we power our cars.
The buzz around electric sports-car-maker Tesla Motors is sparking something akin to what happened in California 150 years ago—this time the rush is toward plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles. Undaunted by Tesla’s difficulties in delivering on early promises, small companies are charging forward with a “if they can build a car, why not us” attitude. Many claim that 2010 will be their year.
Oil surged to a new height today, almost reaching $114 a barrel. Retail gas prices rose to a new record of $3.38 per gallon. Diesel jumped to $4.19. And AAA is warning that these prices will continue to rise. The first reaction might be to panic, or make a mad dash toward a single technology solution. But a recent talk by John German, manager of environmental and energy analyses at American Honda Motor Company, suggested that we remain calm.
According to the latest forecast by J.D. Power and Associates, sales of hybrid and diesel-powered cars will more than triple by 2015. The new forecast includes specific numbers for the Chevy Volt, beginning with 11,059 sales in 2010 and growing to 70,000 units by 2014.
The vision of hundreds of thousands of electric cars buzzing along American highways and byways makes most utility companies downright giddy. It’s not just the opportunity sell a lot more electricity that gets them excited. “We think there’s a fundamental game-changer here. And that’s energy storage,” said Ed Kjaer, director of electric transportation at Southern California Edison. What will it take to get us there?
ZAP, the California-based electric car maker, is teaming up with Colorado-based Hybrids Plus to offer plug-in conversion systems for the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid.
