M&M’s senior vice-president (product development), automotive sector, Arun Jaura revealed that the company is test-piloting Scorpio’s mild-hybrid variant and full-hybrid variant and have plans to launch them early next year. No misgivings that both variants would be priced higher than the existing Scorpio petrol and diesel models.

Just like other hybrids, the full-hybrid version of Scorpio will run on electricity and petrol. In the mild-hybrid version, the engine will have the option of being turned off whenever the car is braking or stopped, however able to revive quickly and cleanly. When the engine is off, accessories can run on electrical power.

Honda Siel Cars India is also offering its premium Civic hybrid in India next year. The cars would be imported as completely built units (CBU). Again, the engine would run on electricity-petrol combination.

Auto-giants like Toyota and Ford are dotty about bringing their models in India. However the speculations are that it can happen only if Government is ready to provide subsidies to hybrid vehicle makers. Arvind Mathew, managing director, Ford India said that the company will continue to monitor market demand in India before they launch any hybrid vehicle.

The Society of Automobile Manufacturers Association India (SIAM) has urged the Government to increase the use of hybrid vehicles. To reduce the cost, the support from the Government could come by cutback in taxes or other alternative fuel vehicles.

The Automakers believe the Government would provide manufacturing support to players for hybrid vehicles and also extend some tax sops if hybrids are imported as CBUs. The Government is also expected to widen its support providing enough CNG, LPG, clean fuels and electric charging stations.

In many countries, hybrid car owners are offered exemptions when they file income-tax. Such initiatives give customers a reason to buy the hybrid making them more aware to the environment.

Courtesy: Economictimes

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Saab, Rendered Speculation

At this point, it’s not a certainty that Saab or even parent company General Motors will still be in the car business in the year 2012, but let’s not let that tidbit get in the way of an interesting concept car. Authored by Mayeul Walser, a fourth year design student at Creapole-ESDI, the Saab Fashionista is a 2+2 sport coupe that is reportedly inspired by the designs of Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel.

More importantly, this concept is based on the underpinnings of the Chevrolet Volt, which means there’s a range-extended electric powertrain hiding under its shapely bodywork. Since it only exists on paper, Walser took some liberties by ditching the eco-friendly drivetrain’s stock four-cylinder engine and replacing it with a more powerful V6.

In reality, a more powerful internal combustion engine wouldn’t make the Fashionista any faster than the Volt since the electric motor is the only power source driving the front wheels. No matter, it’s an interesting concept nonetheless. We especially like the nine-spoke blade-like carbon fiber rims.

[Source: Mayeul Walser via Carscoop]

Rendered Speculation: Chevrolet Volt-based Saab Fashionista originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Solar electric hybrid vehicles visit White House for Earth Day – San Francisco Examiner
Some of the most promising electric and hybrid cars are being engineered and produced in cities not called Detroit, Tokyo or Stuttgart. And Earth Day — today — April 22 — is a great day to show them off to the US Congress and the White House

China Aims to Lead the Electric Car Revolution – ?? ????
TIANJIN, China – Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that

Seattle partners with Nissan on EV program – CNET News
The City of Seattle has partnered with Nissan North America to promote the development of an electric vehicle charging network in anticipation of Nissan’s release of its highway-legal EV, Renault-Nissan Alliance and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels

Roundarch Technology Amps Up Tesla’s Model S – PR Inside
Roundarch : , a digital agency focused on designing and building enterprise class Web sites, Web applications and next-generation “screen-based” experiences, announces its involvement in the launch of Tesla Motors’s : Model S : – an all

Four-seater electric car launched – Channel 4 News
The UK’s first four-seater electric car, with a range of 60-70 miles, has been launched. But the 60mph vehicle, called the Citroen C1 ev’ie, will set purchasers back £16,850. Made in Bedfordshire by the Electric Car Corporation (ECC), the car is

5 Current Electric Cars You Can Buy – San Francisco Examiner
Electric car awe. It usually comes up in a conversation: “How many purely electric cars are there on the U.S. market today?” So the early 2009 challenge is on, what 5 electric vehicles EV are currently available on the market right now? The gist is

New motor giant emerges – Stuff
SHANGHAI SHOW: A new city car for popular Chinese brand Chery. RIICH M1-EV: A plug-in electric car from the Chinese which, in theory, can drive 120km on a single charge of its lithium-ion battery. I’m yelling down the Nokia, not in a fit of silicon

Is the Future of Electric Cars in China? – Time
Like drowning men grasping the only piece of buoyant driftwood in sight, top executives from the world’s beleaguered auto industry arrived in Shanghai this week for the city’s 2009 auto show, unveiling their newest brands in the only car market in

GM’s Volt mistake – St. Petersburg Times
Story Tools WASHINGTON — General Motors has announced a plan to stave off bankruptcy that includes cutting 21,000 jobs, reducing its dealer network and eliminating its Pontiac division. “I’m a believer in dealing with reality,” GM chief executive

MI Districts Join Renewable Energy Purchase Initiative – The Journal
Clean Green Energy (CGE) announced that eight more high school districts in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have signed long-term power purchase agreements for integrated renewable energy systems at their schools as part of the Project EverGREEN Schools

UK Government green goals face failure – Times Online
Government plans to generate more than a third of Britain’s electricity from green energy sources, such as wind and solar power, by 2020 are doomed to failure without a dramatic increase in state support, according to a leading energy research group

INVESTING IN RENEWABLES – Der Spiegel
European renewable-energy players such as Enel Green Power and Iberdrola Renovables look to take advantage of stimulus spending with US projects. As the White House hammers out how to spend some $80 billion in stimulus money aimed at kick-starting

Vail Resorts, WhiteWave Foods on EPA’s green-energy top-50 list – Denver Business Journal
Colorado’s Vail Resorts Inc. and WhiteWave Foods Co. are on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ‘s latest list of the nation’s 50 biggest consumers of “green” energy. Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN) ranks No. 25 and WhiteWave is No. 35. Both Broomfield

Obama’s ‘Cap and Trade’ Plan Likely Will Raise Energy Prices for – CNS News
(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama’s “cap and trade” plan is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that allegedly contribute to global warming. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told

NDP wrong about ‘green power’ projects – Abbotsford News
The B.C. New Democratic Party’s proposed energy policies stated in their election platform would slam the brakes on the generation of new green power and jobs in British Columbia. The NDP is wrong in stating BC Hydro is not permitted to build new

Europe’s green energy vision puts UK in dark – Times Online
It is a dazzling vision of a clean energy future. An entire continent powered by solar panels, wind and wave turbines, geothermal and hydroelectric power stations — and all stitched together by a European “supergrid” stretching from the

California Bill to Turn Waste Into Energy Passes First Key Hurdle – Best Syndication
(Best Syndication News) SACRAMENTO — Assembly Bill 222, introduced by Assemblyman Anthony Adams (R-Hesperia), which would encourage, enable and expedite the production of advanced, non-food derived biofuels, green electricity, and other biomass

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green

	First Drive: Chevrolet Volt powertrain mule We get our chance to really see what GM’s been up to these last 28 months, and we’re impressed.		Ford Fusion hybrid hypermiles, goes 1,445 miles on a single tank In other news, America’s bladders give a collective shiver today.
	Shai Agassi talks about Better Place, $20,000 EV, batteries extra The man with the battery-swap vision keeps forging ahead – and who wouldn’t with a plan to sell everyone an electric car?	Other news: Ferrari 599XX may not have hybrid powertrain now, likely will in the future Elon Musk to show the Tesla Model S on Letterman Wednesday night Spy Shots: Mission Motors TTXGP entry snapped at Infineon

AutoblogGreen for 04.29.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Ford

The team that set out this past weekend to cover 1,000 miles on a single tank of gasoline succeeded and then some. When the team of race drivers, engineers and hyper-milers crossed the 1,000-mile mark a little after 9:00 am on Monday morning, there was still more than a third of a tank left. Over 47 hours of running the team led by NASCAR driver Carl Edwards and including record braking hyper-miler Wayne Gerdes averaged over 80 mpg.

The plan is to drive the bone stock Fusion until the tank runs dry. Along the way team members are running public clinics to help teach people how to drive more efficiently, even if they can’t necessarily match the antics of Gerdes, while simultaneously raising money for the Juvenile diabetes Foundation. While it’s obviously possible to achieve these kinds of lofty mileage numbers in the Fusion, it isn’t something most people will do on a regular basis, but Ford set out to prove it could be done and the team succeeded. Kudos.

Continue reading UPDATE: Ford Fusion Hybrid travels 1,000 miles with 1/3 tank left, team still going

UPDATE: Ford Fusion Hybrid travels 1,000 miles with 1/3 tank left, team still going originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green

	Is mobility sustainable? Not the way we’re running it today The future of the automobile is small and shared, no two ways about it.		Norway still considering a ban on all cars powered by fossil fuels Unless you’ve got biofuels, a plug or something else fancy in the tank, forget it (maybe).
	EEStor “permittivity” follow-up by someone who knows New phrase alert: “Hype Maintenance.” For more info, see ZENN Motors.	Other news: Buy a villa, get a free Tesla Roadster Tesla Motors buying Long Beach Boeing building? GM ends Saturn brand in restructuring; PHEV Vue, we hardly knew ye

AutoblogGreen for 04.28.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Work under way on Wrexham energy firm’s ‘super-green’ HQ – Evening Leader
CONSTRUCTION work has started on a new “super-green” headquarters for a company involved in wind energy. Read Construction Holdings Ltd, of Wrexham, has just broken ground on the £1.7 million development for West Coast Energy Ltd at Mold, which will

Developing “Green” Plastics: Brazil in the Lead – Environmental News Network
Brazil is a world leader when it comes to renewable energy: some 45% of the South American nation’s total energy supply is produced using renewable resources, and it has yet to get serious about developing its wind power resources. That compares to 7

Christina Larson’s blog – Foreign Policy Blogs
Over at  The New Yorker, Evan Osnos has been writing about China’s “green-tech space race”   with the United States. PotentialTwitter version: Bushies, asleep at switch, drunk on oil, missed boat.”   Meanwhile, guess who’s taken up the emerald

2009 elections – WSLS
Clinton and gubenatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe hit on jobs and green energy in Richmond. Duo due in Roanoke at 12:15 p.m. The three men seeking the Democratic nomination for governor stopped in South Richmond last night to discuss jobs, education

Green energy jobs coming to Deming – Deming Headlight
A series of facilities aimed at creating “green” self-sustaining communities across the globe are coming to Luna County. The Viable International Technology Associates Corporate Cooperative Network (VITA CCN) is planning to break ground on the VITA

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green

	2010 Prius has plenty of tech, but doesn’t talk to your iPod A solar roof, automatic parallel parking ability, and 50 mpg. But forget about accessing playlists.		U.S. Cash for Clunkers deal likely Compromises still need to be made, but your old junker will probably soon be worth a lot more to trade in. Photo: dave_7, CC2
	VIDEO: Driving a Tesla-powered Smart Put the advanced electric drive system from a Tesla into a fortwo and this is what you get. Watch.	Other news: Childhood asthma. Another reason to quit carbon Mazda delivers Norwegian-spec RX-8 Hydrogen RE A peek at the truck stop of the future

AutoblogGreen for 04.27.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda Insight Hybrid Cars Offers 43 MPG To Honda Drivers – Newsoxy.com
American Honda Motor Co., Inc is one of many car manufacturers looking forward to enticing hybrid buyers by offering an affordable car with better fuel economy. The 2010 Honda Insight is one of those special cars which offers up to 43 miles per

Hybrid Cars 2010 Marks New Era For Hybrid Transportation – Newsoxy.com
The Ford Fusion Hybrid has a starting price of $23,975 and its cousin, the Mercury Milan, is priced at $21,180. The important distinction which separates Ford is that their hybrids can run up to 47 miles per hour in pure electric mode. The two

Lexington plugs in to battery research – Lexington Herald-Leader
Although U.S. universities and laboratories are among the leaders in testing ways to build more efficient batteries for electric cars, the country is getting collectively whipped by Asian firms when it comes to building them. Nearly all lithium-ion

Mom-to-be hit by car while fleeing bear is OK – Napa Valley Register
DENVER – A pregnant woman who was fleeing a bear when she was struck by a slow-moving car said she would honor the euthanized animal by giving her baby the middle name “Bear.” Ashley Swendsen, 26, said she thought the bear followed her more out of

Electric cars pose challenges – Akron Beacon Journal
President Barack Obama and others are calling for a boom in electric vehicle production, which seems simple enough on the surface: Build the cars and plug them in. If only it were that easy. When a Chevrolet Volt is plugged into a 240-volt outlet, it

ROCKVILLE, Md. – One Rockville company is looking to the past for the – WJLA
Genovation cars is serious about recycling, converting gas-powered 2001 Ford Focuses into electric cars. The gas tank has been replaced with rechargable batteries. While launching a car company at a time of dismal vehicle sales may seem gutsy

Electric car plan in ‘wilderness’ – BBC News
Electric or hybrid powered vehicles are being considered by a remote Highlands community in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint. The transport would be used on the Knoydart Peninsula, which is described as Britain’s last wilderness. About 44

Filed under: Motorsports, Hybrids/Alternative, Green

Researchers at the University of Warwick in England have embarked on an ambitious project to create the most environmentally friendly race car the world has ever seen. Not only must the car be green, it must also be competitive with other vehicles in its racing class. The result is known as the WorldFirstF3 racer.

One of the building blocks of the bio-racer is recycled carbon fiber that was provided by a company called Milled Carbon. Bits like the steering are made from carrot-based plastic and the side mirrors are molded from a polymer derived from potato starch. Other components, such as the wiring harness, are fashioned from recycled aluminum and plastics.

Powering the green racecar is a 2.0-liter turbodiesel from BMW that will run on biodiesel, waste vegetable oil or even waste from chocolate factories. Yum! The car’s designers say it’s geared to hit 140 mph and suggest that it wouldn’t cost any more than any other race machine to build.

[Source: Green Car Advisor]

University of Warwick creates Formula 3 bio-racer originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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