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LostMyBeaver writes "I have been considering the purchase of an electric or hybrid vehicle for some time. The biggest problem I have currently is that both technologies make use of rechargable batteries. The same tree-huggers telling me gasoline is bad are telling me that batteries are bad too. I'm only partially knowledgable in this area, but it appears the battery technologies are generally based at least on lithium ion, nickel metal hydride, lead acid and nickel-cadmium. I was hoping someone on Slashdot would be knowledgable enough to explain the environmental cost of recycling these batteries. If I understand correctly, after...

Confronted by multi-dimensionsal changes in its underlying ecosystem, automakers should focus on five key areas of differentiation to position themselves for success in 2020 and beyond. Summary The automotive ecosystem is in the midst of significant change, with increasing challenges in consumer demands, technology development, globalization, integration and collaboration. A new era is rapidly approaching in which the very definition of personal mobility will change. Multi-modal transportation will become increasingly common, and intelligent vehicles will cater to diverse consumer needs for information, environmental responsibility and safety. Automotive companies are racing to develop new business models to help them maintain responsible...

The Chevrolet Silverado is arguably the best half-ton truck for towing and the Two-Mode hybrid version is arguably the best half-ton Silverado for towing. It's absolutely amazing watching a Silverado pull a 5000 pound trailer and not hearing anything as the rig pulls away. If you're gentle with the gas, you could make it to 30 mph before the gasoline engine fires up. The silent operation is eerie, but the big news is how smooth this half-ton truck feels with a trailer in tow. Some may think of hybrid systems as being fragile or only useful for improving fuel...

Basic design of a two-piston RoundEngine. The external combustion chamber. Canada’s VGT Technologies, the developer of the RoundEngine, has started development of a “plug-in” compressed air hybrid vehicle using the RoundEngine technology. In this application, “plug-in” refers to connecting to an external air compressor to top off the storage tanks. The RoundEngine is a novel variable geometry toroidal (VGT) engine. The gasoline/air hybrid vehicle is similar to a gasoline/electric hybrid vehicle but uses compressed air instead of electricity for an auxiliary drive. In the first phase of development VGT will focus on the air drive using the RoundEngine technology...

Toyota Motor Corp. said today that its first quarter net income dropped 28.1% to 353.6 billion yen, or $3.2 billion, mainly due to the impact of exchange rates between the yen and the dollar, higher raw material costs and the turbulent U.S. market. While Toyota worked to cut costs and said global vehicle sales increased by 24,000 to 2.19 million vehicles, it wasn't enough to overcome a plunge in sales in the United States and Western Europe. For the three months ending June 30 Toyota's total revenue declined by 4.7% to 6.22 trillion yen or $56.9 billion. "The financial results...

General Motors is back at the scene of the crime. When the Detroit automaker pulled the plug on its unprofitable electric-vehicle program in 2000, it became known, in the words of a popular documentary, as the company that killed the electric car. Its love affair with the Hummer didn't help either. Now the company is betting big bucks — most of its current research-and-development budget — that the internal-combustion engine's time is running out. By spearheading a new generation of electric automobiles, the beleaguered giant also is hoping it can reclaim from Toyota the title of world's top carmaker.

Looking for a new car? Maybe you have your heart set on something fuel-efficient because of $4 gas? Or perhaps you had a good year and feel you're ready to move up to something with a touch of style, luxury or class? Get in line. Despite tough times for the auto industry in general, there are some car models--across a broad range of classes and sizes--that are so popular that auto manufacturers are selling them faster than they can build them. The range of hard-to-get vehicles is as diverse as consumer tastes and budgets in general. Case in point: As...

Remember methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), the green gasoline additive that was supposed to save the planet but was an environmental, public-health and economic disaster? Remember ethanol, the green gasoline additive that replaced MTBE and was supposed to save the planet but has been an environmental, public-health and economic disaster? Well, now Gang Green is pushing the hybrid vehicle. The jury remains out on whether it will be an economic and environmental disaster — it has some of the earmarks — but hybrid drivers already are saying their green machines are dangerous to their health. Writing for the Heartland Institute,...

Hybrid car technology has the potential to cut America’s total consumption of gasoline by 30% within as little as 3 – 5 years. Hybrid cars, generally speaking, can get double the miles per gallon of a comparable old-style car. If half of America’s vehicles were replaced by hybrids getting double the gas mileage, U.S. oil consumption would fall by roughly 30%. (Note that this is not a mini-car...but the same size car with the same strength, safety, and sturdiness). Hybrid cars (and soon buses) use the same type of power train as a diesel-electric locomotive: A diesel engine generates electricity,...

Air Force Lt. Col. Darryl Sheets has been a pilot for 13 years, but when he switched to the new Osprey troop and cargo carrier, "it was like learning how to fly all over again." Even if you're just along for the ride, like civilians who got a demonstration Wednesday morning, the CV-22 Osprey takes some getting used to. Especially at the moment of truth, when this one-of-a-kind, helicopter-airplane hybrid switches from one mode of flight to the other - in midair. Critics disagree, but the Pentagon insists it worked out all the bugs for pilots such as Sheets during...

Mississippi State University, for the second consecutive year, earned top honors in the GM and US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Challenge X student engineering competition. Over the past nine months, the 2008 Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainability competition challenged 17 university teams from the US and Canada to re-engineer a Chevrolet Equinox that employs advanced powertrain technologies. The Mississippi State team designed a through-the-road parallel hybrid electric vehicle powered by a 1.9L GM direct injection turbo diesel engine fueled by biodiesel (B20). It used a GM F40 6-speed manual transmission and a Johnson Controls 300V NiMH battery pack in conjunction...

BREAKING NEWS May 19th, 2008: We are in the process of moving all operations to the state of Michigan. Once relocated there we'll finally be able to move ahead with development & production. The state of Michigan is offering a lot of perks if we relocate to their state. The perks include everything from low to no taxes and helping us fill our employee needs, to help with our various legal matters. Michigan has a gigantic pool of talented people that were laid off from the automotive industry - these folks, already familiar with the auto industry, will be a...

The Times of London May 19, 2008 MPs back creation of human-animal embryos The amendment to ban all admixed embryos was defeated by 336 votes to 176. The prohibition on true hybrids was defeated by 286 votes to 223 Mark Henderson and Francis Elliott British scientists will be allowed to research devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s using human-animal embryos, after the House of Commons tonight rejected a ban. An amendment to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill that would have outlawed the creation of “human admixed embryos” for medical research was defeated in a free vote by a...

MPs have voted to allow the creation of "frankenstein" embyros for research into tackling diseases. In the first of a series of free votes on the most controversial aspects of the Human Fertility and Embryology Bill, 336 MPs voted against the amendment to ban all use of human-animal embryos. Gordon Brown had encouraged members of all parties to halt the amendment and Tory leader David Cameron also voted against it.

We love our green sports cars here at Inhabitat, and we have plenty of room on our favorites list for more than one. While we’ve been raving for the last two years about the Tesla Roadster, the Fisker Karma has been doing the one thing Tesla has yet to do: bring a hybrid sports car to market. Created by noted car designer Henrik Fisker, the ultra cool Karma is a sleek, power packed eco-luxury ride. The Karma’s performance specs rev out at 0-60 mph in 6 seconds, and a top speed of 125 mph. At $80,000 USD, The car...

The motor of Renault-Nissan's electrically-powered vehicle, built on the Megane model, is shown to the media in Tel Aviv, 11 May 2008 Record high oil prices and sluggish sales are forcing the world's biggest automakers to turn to electricity to power their vehicles. Nissan Motor Company is the latest automaker to move in that direction, officially announcing Tuesday it plans to introduce an all-electric vehicle for sale in the United States and Japan by 2010. Nissan's chief executive officer says the company will mass-market electric cars globally by 2012. Nissan also forecast its profits will decline by 30 percent...

It was something that had never occurred to Jane Flannigan, until she got the call Sunday that her eight-year-old son had been hit by a car while biking with a friend. Owen Erickson was not badly hurt, though he did end up on the hood of the car. But when the car's driver moved his Toyota Prius from the street to the curb, Flannigan noticed something. "I saw the car, but I could not hear anything," she recalled about the hybrid vehicle which was operating on battery power at the time. "It is totally silent." That's when it dawned on...

They may look like any three-day-old embryos, but in fact these are hybrids Scientists at Newcastle University have created part-human, part-animal hybrid embryos for the first time in the UK, the BBC can reveal. The embryos survived for up to three days and are part of medical research into a range of illnesses. It comes a month before MPs are to debate the future of such research. The Catholic Church describes it as "monstrous". But medical bodies and patient groups say such research is vital for our understanding of disease. They argue that the work could pave the way...

Are hybrid cars too quiet for their own good? Jana Littrell certainly thinks so. Littrell, who is blind, was walking through a bank parking lot in the East Bay town of Albany a year ago when her foot was run over by a Toyota Prius backing out of a parking space. She wasn't injured and the driver apologized effusively, she recalled. But the experience shook her up. "It has definitely put me more on my guard," said Littrell, who teaches Braille to newly blind adults. "But I don't know how much good that's going to do me if I can't...

It’s hard to say what sounds better: 100 miles-per-gallon, $1 a gallon fuel, or a car you only have to fill up once a month. All that is the promise of a new type of car, and this one isn't a far off pipe dream, it’s something you should be able to buy in just 2 years. And it runs on fuel made in the USA. The long yellow extension cord isn’t the only thing that makes the Toyota Prius Bob Breeze, and his co-workers, drive special. The Austin Energy Company's fleet cars have the one feature everybody wants. “Definitely,...

The Embryology Bill has provoked a bitter split between religion and science THE cries of a baby were the only other sounds to be heard as Cardinal Keith O'Brien delivered his Easter Sunday sermon to a packed St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh yesterday. It was perhaps a fitting interruption as Scotland's most senior Catholic clergyman delivered his much-trailed blast at the government's controversial embryo research legislation. Accusing Prime Minister Gordon Brown of "an unprecedented attack on the sanctity and dignity of human life", he warned that the research could lead to the creation of hybrid babies and experiments of "Frankenstein...

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill has provoked furious dissent from MPs and Church leaders. Hybrid embryos The Bill permits the creation of hybrid or "chimera" embryos, where human DNA is inserted into an animal cell for research. Implanting them into a woman or animal will be forbidden and embryos must be discarded after use. Pro-life campaigners and Catholic leaders are bitterly opposed. Abortion The Bill has provisions to allow amendments to the Abortion Act 1967. MPs are expected to push for a reduction of the 24-week limit to 20. Embryo screening Embryos created in fertility treatment can be screened...

Hybrids are made using an animal egg mixed with human genes Leading charities have written to every MP urging them to support the controversial embryo research bill, the BBC has learned. Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation are among more than 200 charities in favour of the creation of human-animal hybrids for research. The prime minister is facing dissent over the bill, from some of his Labour MPs and leading Catholic clergy. But Health Secretary Alan Johnson said an "accommodation" would be found. The letter, written by the Association of Medical Research Charities, says although there are ethical...

Not making a hybrid car like the Prius was a "mistake," outspoken General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz told a room of Chevy Volt "fan boys" at the New York Auto Show this week. "We had the technology to come out with a hybrid at the same time as Toyota," Lutz said Tuesday. "In hindsight, it was a mistake. ... We made the mistake and we won't make it again." "I think the whole company has learned when you step out and do bold things, you win and when you're cautious and let other people do the bold things, you...

If the public ever stopped to think for themselves, the 'eco-friendly' hybrid would be banned from our highways. They are not 'green.' They are, in fact, blacker than Hitler's bastard heart. Do any of these bunny-hugging, sign-waving morons stop to think about what it takes to make just one of those big-assed batteries? Come to think of it, do any of these idiots stop to think about what it takes to recycle one- which is necessary every five years!? Of course not. And you can bet your sweet ass that none of the proponents of these toxic deathtraps is about...

I am now considering replacing my vehicle and I was doing an ROI/Break even analysis on a conventional power vs a hybrid to see if the additional cost was worth the effort. So I built the table below in Excel and have come to the conclusion that even with today's gas prices ... it simply is not a smart move. My assumptions and math is below. If I'm wrong would someone point out my error?

The Toyota hybrid is hailed as an eco-paragon, so how does it fare against a big BMW? To find out our correspondents go on a run to Geneva. The Prius, like the iPod, is more than a piece of clever technology. It symbolises something bigger – a responsible attitude, a healthier way of living. Toyota has sold more than a million examples of the car since launching it in 1997 and it has attracted a worldwide following led by Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz and much of the rest of Hollywood. It’s classified by the American government as the “most fuel-efficient...

I think you will enjoy this YouTube about the Toyota Prius. Keep in mind that this is the first generation. WHAT IS A PRIUS GOOD FOR?

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday that the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) will require ‘black cars’ that service corporate clients to increase fuel efficiency standards to levels currently achievable only by using hybrid technology, though these (25 mpg by 2009, 30 mpg by 2010) could be met by some European diesel cars if they were permitted. The plan to improve the fuel efficiency of the 10,000 black car fleet was envisioned as part of the Mayor's PlaNYC 2030, a set of 127 initiatives aimed at reducing New York's carbon emissions. In December last year, the TLC...

Emergency Responders At Risk. hybrids may also hold a hidden danger if they are involved in a serious accident... a risk of electrocution. "If you don't know what you're doing you can be hurt seriously, if not killed by the voltage," said hybrid-certified mechanic Kevin Klein."There's 330 volts of electricity running through the lines," ... It only takes 50 to 100 volts to kill a person. "My coworkers know when I set these up, nobody's allowed in here but me," said Klein as he set up orange cones around his work area. "We have to wear face protection in case...

Hybrid electric vehicles not as green as they are paintedHybrid electric vehicles that run on both conventional gasoline and stored electricity can be no more than a stop gap until more sustainable technology is developed, according to researchers in France. Writing in the Inderscience publication International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, they suggest that the adoption of HEVs might even slow development of more sustainable fuel-cell powered electric vehicles. Jean-Jacques Chanaron Research Director within the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Chief Scientific Advisor at the Grenoble School of Management and Julius Teske at Grenoble, question strongly...

Most people are lucky to experience one life-affirming moment while they're on this earth; I experienced mine last week. AutoblogGreen's Sam Abuelsamid called to ask if I was interested in accompanying him on his exclusive First Drive of the Tesla Roadster. Aside from the company's own employees, only a few customers and the major automotive print publications have driven the Tesla Roadster so far. But you won't have to check your mailbox or drop $4.95 at Barnes and Noble to read about what it's like to drive this truly revolutionary vehicle. Follow the jump for our full road test (with...

January 15, 2008 Buying a hybrid is currently a pastime for early adopters and those who are prepared to pay to salve their environmental conscience . Do the return-on-investment (ROI) math and you’ll realize that the fuel savings never bridge the economic rationale gap because of the higher initial cost of hybrids. That appears about to change! Ultra-capacitor-based energy storage systems have long promised a breakthrough for the automotive industry and AFS Trinity’s announcement of the real world performance specs of its plug-in hybrid system is landmark. The company’s patent-pending Extreme Hybrid (XH) technology employs a proprietary dual energy storage...

The Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is as provocative and political a vehicle as you'll see this year. Why, it's practically a polemic. And those are just the "P's." By way of a fantastic exertion of technology and human capital -- which I hereby honor and praise even as I question them as misallocated -- GM has managed to give one of its behemoth SUVs marginally better fuel economy. Here are the relevant data points: The two-mode hybrid Tahoe returns an EPA estimated fuel economy of 21 miles per gallon in the city, 22 mpg highway; the 4x4 version gets an even...

Neanderthal-human hybrid 'a myth' Monday, 10 December 2007 Jennifer Viegas Discovery News This 29,000 year old skull belonged to a hominid with slightly heavier eyebrows than an average person. But this is not enough to convince anthropologists it's evidence of a human-Neanderthal hybrid (Source: Dan Grigorescu) Did modern humans interbreed with Neanderthals and, if so, did the mating result in a half-human, half-Neanderthal hybrid? The answer is possibly 'yes' to the interbreeding but 'no' to the hybrid, according to the authors of a new study that is already making waves among anthropologists. At the centre of the study, published online...

One of Ford's most important debuts at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show is the new 2009 F-150. While Ford doesn't have a gas-electric hybrid system suitable for big trucks like GM's Two-Mode system, they will have offer some technology to improve fuel economy and emissions. Back in 2002 at the Detroit Show, Ford showed a concept called the F-350 Tonka. The Tonka truck featured a technology called hydraulic-launch-assist (HLA) which will debut on the new F-150. The HLA system functions in much the same way as the hydraulic hybrid system we saw on an experimental UPS delivery truck earlier this...

For more than a century, mankind has been struggling to make its prime portable power source -- the battery -- a smaller, lighter and longer-lasting package. It's a pivotal factor in the quest for everything from a practical electric auto to a silent army Jeep to a power lawn mower that's as light as a garden rake. So far, it has been rough going. But a hardy band of engineers in Peoria now has scored scientific breakthroughs that are making that quest attainable. Beyond the portents for all of us, a notable aspect is that this group was spawned not...

WITCHITA, Kansas (CNN) -- On a beautiful, crisp late fall afternoon, rock icon Neil Young took his 1959 Lincoln Continental for one last spin before a team of mechanics ripped out its gas-guzzling engine to make way for an electric motor. Car buffs may think it's sacrilege to tear apart an automotive classic, but Young wants it to have a new life as a fuel-efficient hybrid. "If we're going to make a difference, truly make cars more environmentally friendly," Young said, "we have to make that emotional connection." Young said everyone has a connection with an old car like the...

Aptera has officially introduced the all-electric and plug-in gasoline series hybrid (extended range electric vehicle, EREV) versions of its Typ-1 three-wheeled vehicle. (Earlier post). Both versions will be priced at less than $30,000. The all-electric model has a range of 120 miles. The plug-in series hybrid has achieved more than 300 miles per gallon with a total range of more than 600 miles. All-electric range is between 40 and 60 miles. The electric version is slated for delivery in 2008, with the EREV model to follow. Since the Typ-1e (electric) and the Typ-1h (plug-in series hybrid) have different battery...

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Chevrolet rolled out the Chevrolet Fuel Solutions initiative designed to aggressively promote the fuel-saving technologies available in the brand’s current and future lineups. An accompanying parade of vehicles included a gasoline-powered subcompact (Aveo); a hydrogen fuel cell crossover (Equinox fuel cell electric vehicle); extended-range electric vehicle (Volt); and three hybrids. The event included the world premiere of the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid pickup truck, which will go on sale in North America later next year as a 2009 model. Chevrolet also revealed the all-new Malibu Hybrid sedan, arriving in North American dealerships this month....

Cadillac announced the world premiere of the Escalade Hybrid, the world’s first hybrid applied to a large luxury SUV. Powered by the GM 2-Mode Hybrid system (earlier post), Escalade Hybrid will deliver more than a 50% improvement in fuel economy in city driving. GM’s patented 2-Mode Hybrid system consists of an advanced electrically variable transmission (EVT) and 300-volt nickel-metal hydride Energy Storage System (ESS). These systems work in concert with the standard 6.0L V-8 Gen IV gasoline engine with Active Fuel Management (AFM) and late-intake valve closing (LIVC) technology. AFM enables the V-8 engine to seamlessly shut off half of...

Transport Canada confirmed Friday it has authorized a Toronto-based electric carmaker to produce a vehicle for the Canadian market. The ZENN (zero emissions, no noise) electric car has received the National Safety Mark, a legal label that indicates the vehicle meets Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The ZENN electric car seats two people and is roughly the size of a Mini-Cooper.The ZENN electric car seats two people and is roughly the size of a Mini-Cooper. (Courtesy ZENN Motor Company) Toronto-based ZENN Motor Company makes the 100 per cent electric car, which is built in St. Jerome, Que. Roughly the same...

BEIJING, Oct. 29 — General Motors announced on Monday that it would build an advanced research center in Shanghai to develop hybrid technology and other advanced designs, in the latest research investment in China by a foreign automaker despite chronic problems with purloined car designs. G.M. already has a 1,300-employee research center in Shanghai with its main Chinese joint venture, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation. The separate, wholly owned research center announced on Monday for the most advanced vehicle engineering and development could help G.M. keep greater control over new technologies than conducting the research through the joint venture. Kevin...

Michael Cook | Saturday, 8 September 2007 A new challenge for human dignity Britain's fertility regulator has just approved the creation of human-animal embryos for research. What's next? The creation of hybrid human-animal embryos for medical research, which has just been approved by the British government's fertility watchdog, pushes the needle on the "yuck factor" meter far into the red. But even more "yuck" is the deception and manipulation used to justify the decision. In the United Kingdom, experiments with embryos are closely regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. So when scientists began to lobby for the...

by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorSeptember 5, 2007London, England (LifeNews.com) -- The British government has opened a Pandora's box that worries pro-life advocates because scientists will be allowed to create clones consisting of human and animal parts. The decision is the first step in the approval process and now a licensing committee will review two applications to engage in the research.The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority considered the proposals from scientists at King's College London and Newcastle University. It said there was "no fundamental reason" to prevent the research."However, public opinion is very finely divided, with people generally opposed to this research...

Britain Set to Approve Human/Animal Hybrid Clones By Hilary White LONDON, September 4, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the government cloning and stem cell research regulator, published its public consultation on the creation of human/animal hybrid clones, in which it claimed the majority of people were "at ease" with the idea. It is expected to rule tomorrow on the proposal to create cytoplasmic hybrid cloned embryos from animal ova and human DNA. The HFEA had its consultation period open for a year, during which time it was subject to intense lobbying by research organisations...

The diesel 308 Hybrid HDi. Peugeot will use the Frankfurt Motor Show for the world premiere of its new 308 Hybrid HDi, a diesel hybrid which emits 80g/km of CO2 and reduces fuel consumption by 58% in the NEDC Urban Drive Cycle compared to a standard 308 HDi. The new 308 Hybrid HDi demonstrator represents another step on the path towards the planned commercialization of the technology in 2010. Further evaluation of the original Peugeot 307 Hybrid HDi demonstrator in 2006 (earlier post) has confirmed the choice of a diesel engine, instead of a gasoline engine, as the best...

I had a Honda Hybrid. The main battery keeps running down. When this happens the car will not start. Now this is not good. When you stop at a stop sign or stop light and the engine will not start you had a real problem. The car can't be jumped because the starter is powered by the main battery. Yesterday I had this car towed to the dealer. This is the third time this has happened. Does anyone else dive a Honda hybrid ? Has anyone had this problem?

Clone a Human, Get $500,000 says Aussie State Premier By Hilary White SYDNEY, August 20, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Premier Morris Iemma, Premier of the state of New South Wales, has offered a grant of $500,000 to the first researchers to successfully create Australia’s first cloned human beings.  This June, the state parliament of New South Wales voted to overturn the previous ban on creating cloned humans for research. The lower house voted 65-26 to reinstate cloning with the strict “ethical” proviso that the embryos would be killed and harvested for stem cells thus never allowed to come to term.  Iemma also...

WRITERS ranging from ancient Greek and Hindu poets to novelist Michael Crichton have all envisioned the fictional possibility of creating human-animal hybrids. ... Instead, policymakers should use the following simple principle as a guide: one should treat a recipient of transferred humanity with the same level of respect as an organism with inborn humanity -- in other words, a human being. ... But nearly everyone agrees that the capacities for language, consciousness, or rationality are probably among them. If a human-animal chimera (such as a monkey with a human-like brain) comes to possess any of these qualities, then it would...