REPORT: GM considering hybrid Corvette, other mileage tweaks

Filed under: Hybrid , Chevrolet , Lightweight Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept – Is a hybrid powertrain in the Corvette’s future?

Friedman in the fray: gas tax redux

Filed under: Legislation and Policy , USA The idea of implementing a gas tax is becoming as regular in the national debate as the seasons. Those in favor: the Wall Street Journal and Bill Ford, Jr

Martin Eberhard and Elon Musk reach settlement in lawsuit

Filed under: Tesla Motors About a month ago we heard that Martin Eberhard had decided to drop his defamation and breach of contract lawsuit against Elon Musk and Tesla Motors. Now comes word that Eberhard and the defendants have actually reached a settlement. Given the ruling of the judge in the case that the suit could proceed, apart from the claim that Musk was falsely claiming a role as co-founder, the settlement should not come as a surprise.

Unseen benefit: Underwriters Laboratories working on standards for electric car batteries

Filed under: Emerging Technologies , EV/Plug-in While no one will mandate that the new Underwriters Laboratories 2580 standard be applied to all advanced electric vehicle batteries, the fact that there will soon be a UL listing for “large batteries in electric vehicles” is a good thing. UL’s unsurprising focus on the standard will be to “help mitigate the potential risk of fire and electrical hazards and enhance the overall safety of batteries for electric vehicles.” UL said in a press release that the upcoming increase in EVs increases the “potential for fire, electric shock and other safety hazards.” Therefore, UL will run the 2580 standard requirements through a comprehensive review process and a consensus body of made up of people representing “consumers, government agencies, regulatory authorities, manufacturers and other knowledgeable interested parties that develop and maintain effective product safety standards.” No timeline was given for when the standard would be ready, nor were specific batteries chemistries mentions in the press release.

REPORT: Fisker looks to 2011 for profits; color us skeptical

Filed under: Fisker Fisker Karma – Click above for high-res image gallery Anyone that has watched either the auto industry or technology startups knows how hard it is to achieve profitability. Blend the two together and you more often than not have a recipe for financial disaster.

REPORT: Toyota looking to apply Prius name to other hybrid vehicles, but not as a sub-brand

Filed under: Hybrid , Toyota Not long ago, we wondered just how steep the hill of customer acceptance is for a new technology like the Volt is. The question was how well the Chevy Volt and the Voltec powertrain could compete with the established Prius brand ? Toyota, for its part, apparently thinks it’s worth spreading the Prius name around a bit onto other hybrid vehicles

Frankfurt 2009: German goverment plugs in for EVs

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Legislation and Policy , Frankfurt Motor Show , Germany Before the Frankfurt Motor Show brought us the latest models and concepts from automakers, it was opened by German Chancelor Angela Merkel. The inauguration speech by the Chancellor included describing her country’s support for electric vehicles: Germany expects that there will be up to seven million EVs, including plug-ins, and about 18 million hybrid cars in 2020.

It’s Friday! Border Collie + hamster wheel = go! [w/VIDEO]

Filed under: Etc. , Transportation Alternatives Bordercolliebil – Click above to watch the trailer after the break While there seems to have always been jokes about cars driven by hamster wheels (especially during the Chevette era), to our knowledge no one had ever created an actual vehicle powered by an animal running in place

What kind of sound does a LEAF make as it descends?

Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Nissan 2010 Nissan Leaf EV – Click above for high-res image gallery While advocates have long heralded a reduction in noise pollution (in addition to lowered air pollution) as an advantage of electric vehicles, not everyone is convinced that silent cars are a good thing. We use our senses to navigate through life and when one or more of them are diminished, we rely on the others. Such is the case for blind people who must use their hearing to make up for some visual deficit (see archived posts on the topic here and here ).

Environmentalists treat Jeremy Clarkson’s driveway to a steaming pile of manure

Filed under: Etc.

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