All Hybrid Articles

BMW is recognized as a world leader in powertrain technology- and their efforts to create efficient performance have lately pointed them in the direction of diesel, hybrids and even hydrogen power.

Honda's new Prius fighter in production form will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show next January. The Japanese company expects to globally sell 200,000 of them each year, and half of them will find homes in North America.

GM Canada has announced pricing on the 2-mode hybrid variants of their award-winning Silverado and Sierra 1500 pickup models. Hybrid pickups? You read that right. The automaker's proven 2-mode hybrid drive system, popularized in the Tahoe Hybrid, will now be available in pickup form to offer owners about 23 percent improved combined fuel consumption figures.

The Kia Borrego FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) has just made its grand entrance at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It features a slew of innovative features, such as a fuel cell capable of delivering 154 hp, a 450-volt supercapacitor producing 134 additional horsepower as well as a conventional, 147-hp engine. The Kia Borrego FCEV offers an impressive 685-km operating range courtesy of its hydrogen tanks totalling 202 litres at a pressure of 70 MPa.

Honda's V-Flow fuel cell technology has found its way into a unique sports car called the Honda FC Sport. A design study model, (or concept, for short), the hydrogen-powered three-seat sports car was just unveiled at the LA Auto Show. Emphasizing the flexibility of the technology which is already employed by the FCX Clarity sedan, designers have configured the hydrogen system into a lightweight sports car with a very low centre of gravity and powerful electric motor.

BMW Management Chairman Dr. Norbert Reithofer recently made a statement about the international financial crisis and how it relates to BMW group's operations. "The international financial crisis has gained further momentum in the third quarter, and has now hit the real economy with full force" he said- before stressing that BMW is prepared to meet economic challenges and that they remain a strong performer with a solid foundation that will help to 'weather the storm'.

The new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and its Mercury twin, the Milan, will hit markets in the first quarter of 2009. To help their owners, who, incidentally, like to know their real-time fuel consumption and how their car is doing, Ford has developed a universal smart gauge system dubbed SmartGauge. The hybrids also boast another innovative feature, the EcoGuide, which allows owners to adapt their driving in order to optimize output.

New Brunswick's first hybrid school bus has been on the road since September. According to the province, it is the second vehicle of this kind to be operated in Canada. The purchase of the school bus, which will be transporting Moncton students, will help New Brunswick reduce its green house gas emissions.

Lotus has just received another award for its environmental research project. Dubbed HOTFIRE, it's a direct injection engine that reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 15%. With it, Lotus wanted to study the potential gains achieved by pulverising fuel directly in a conventional engine's cylinders rather than using an air/fuel mixture.

According to a noted automotive engineer, Ford Escape Hybrids used as Taxis in New York City are unsafe. A report by C. Bruce Gambardella says that collisions and rollovers involving 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid Taxis often end with driver hospitalization and a total loss of the vehicle.

Our very own Marc Bouchard and Bertrand Godin won the inaugural Rallye des énergies alternatives des Laurentides (alternative energy rally) that was held last year. However, the 2008 edition proved to be less memorable. The event was even bigger and more challenging, the team finishing in 11th place.

Volvo has devised a bold plan that will markedly reduce its vehicles' CO2 emissions before 2012. In 2011, the Swedish manufacturer will introduce a micro-hybrid technology with start/stop function for conventional engines. The new system will improve fuel efficiency by 4 to 5% in combined highway and city driving.

GM's Volt couldn't get all of the attention, could it? Chrysler recently hosted a conference call to talk to media about their plans for an upcoming electric vehicle system, as well as the products that could be using it in the very near future. Chrysler officials announced that the automaker's electric car efforts have led to several production-intent prototypes, and that one of them would be coming to market in 2010. The automaker's ENVI group is behind the development of the electric vehicles.

As a photographer I despise camera-phones! But that was all Reed Hecht had on him as he spotted a 2010 Prius prototype on the city streets. With Toyota's history of extreme camouflage, this may be all we're able to see until the Prius makes its official debut at the North American International Auto Show, in January.

In the run-up to the Mondial de l'Automobile de Paris beginning next week, BMW has announced the launch of the 7-Series ActiveHybrid Concept. This all-new concept is the answer to the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid unveiled earlier this week.

Mercedes-Benz will launch the S 400 BlueHYBRID at the 2008 Mondial de l'Automobile de Paris scheduled for October 2 to 19. This high-end hybrid sedan is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 kicking out 279 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque. Combined with the electric engine, the output jumps to 299 hp and the torque to 283 lb-ft. Mercedes-Benz has equipped its BlueHYBRID with a 7-speed automatic transmission.

GM's teamed up with Chrysler and BMW to develop a hybrid system for its large trucks that can save owners some 25 percent on total refuelling costs. The Two-Mode hybrid technology is already on sale in some of the automakers models, and it's being fitted to the high-luxury Cadillac Escalade as well.

To commemorate General Motors' 110th birthday, the American manufacturer has lifted the veil on the much anticipated Chevrolet Volt. The Chevrolet Volt is powered by an electric engine producing 150 hp and 370 lb-ft of torque. The energy required to power the engine is accumulated by lithium-ion batteries. This drive train allows the Volt to reach a top speed of 160 km/h and to travel 64 km in electric mode.

As of October 2, visitors of the Mondial de l'Automobile de Paris will be able to admire Honda's Insight concept. It's a 5-door hybrid that looks very similar to the Toyota Prius, its future rival. Extremely versatile, the Insight also integrates the most recent hybrid technologies.

These days, manufacturers are striving to produce fuel-efficient vehicles. To do this, they develop engines that consume less energy by using new technologies like direct injection or even hybrid systems. Certain manufacturers, such as Lotus, are more concerned by the weight of the car. A light vehicle is indeed easier to move; its engine isn't called upon as much and it consumes less fuel.

Nissan's got an ambitious plan to help Mother Nature: the introduction of an all-electric vehicle by 2010 and mass marketing of said vehicle globally by 2012. It's all part of the automaker's NISSAN GT 2012 business plan- which outlines a commitment to leadership in zero-emissions vehicles.

The Chinese car manufacturer Chery Automobile Company has teamed up with Ricardo in order to create 50 hybrid vehicles that will be used during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. These are the first batch, and the vehicles will go into production one month after the Olympics.

Here's a big problem with hybrids and electric vehicles: they don't make any noise. This can pose a safety concern for those around the car, who won't hear it pulling away from a light, backing out of a parking space, or cruising down a residential road. It's the driver's job to make sure they operate the vehicle safely, but the sound of a vehicle can act as a warning to pedestrians in certain situations.

The race to create the first hydrogen-powered vehicle is still on, and several companies are already well on their way. It's the case with Honda and its FCX Clarity, for example, and with GM and its Chevrolet Equinox assembled in Oshawa, on the outskirts of Toronto. But the Germans, far from lagging behind, are ahead of the field, thanks to the Hydrogen BMW 7 Series among others, around 100 of which have been driving the world's, but mostly North America's, roads for nearly two years.

Honda's FCX hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle is now officially in the hands of a few celebrities who are leasing it over the next few years. American Honda Motor Company has announced that Ron Yerxa and Annette Ballester have accepted delivery on Friday, July 25th at Honda of Santa Monica. Yerxa and Ballester are the world's first FCX customers, and are the first of about 200 others who will lease the machine in Japan and the USA over the next several years.

Most drivers have become sick and tired of rising gas prices, which is why they are increasingly turning to more fuel-efficient vehicles. Consequently, hybrids such as the Toyota Prius are more popular than ever. According to Reuters, demand for the Prius is so strong that the Japanese automaker decided to increase production capacity by 70 percent. A total of 480,000 units will be built annually.

Hybrids are becoming more and more popular among consumers. They are much more fuel-efficient, low on greenhouse gas emissions and increasingly trendy. Most automakers are offering or developing such vehicles. The latest is none other than Hyundai.

On Friday, Mazda Motor Corporation received permission from Japan's Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) to test the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid minivan on public roads. The innovative hybrid system increases the vehicle's power by 40 percent and doubles the hydrogen fuel range to 200 kilometers. Mazda aims to complete the road trials and start commercial leasing in Japan during fiscal year 2008.

With gas prices steadily rising, more and more drivers are turning to hybrid vehicles, which offer greater fuel economy although they're fairly pricier than regular models. The question is: are gas savings in a hybrid enough to offset its higher sticker price?

Lotus Engineering, the automotive consultancy division of Lotus Group, has just signed a business agreement with the U.K. government as part of the latter's funding initiative for 16 low-emission vehicle development programs.