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It has long been apparent that the more successful a talk radio host is, the less relevant the facts become. Case in point is this week’s apparent tirade by Rush Limbaugh against the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. No doubt the Volt’s sticker price came in higher than most of us had hoped at $41,000, and Limbaugh may have had a slight point there. However, suggesting that the federal $7,500 tax credit for plug-in vehicles like the Volt and the Nissan Leaf was there as an admission that no one wants these vehicles strikes us as disingenuous at best, especially when you recall the tax write-offs that were available to people buying Hummers and other large SUVs just a few years ago. As far as we know, Limbaugh also made no mention of the more palatable $350-per-month lease deal available for the Volt.

Limbaugh also ripped into the Volt’s 40 mile range, implying that the 40 miles of range from the battery is all that is available. He was either unaware of or chose to ignore the fact that in charge-sustaining mode, the car’s onboard engine-generator can keep the battery going for another 300 miles on a tank of gas. If you don’t have time to sit around while the battery charges, you can just take a couple of minutes to fill the tank and be on your way again, just as you would in a normal car.

Perhaps we should just give Limbaugh the benefit of the doubt and assume his cochlear implant was on the fritz.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Report: Rush Limbaugh tears into Chevy Volt, fails to understand how it works

	Plug-In 2010: Bill Nye, Chelsea Sexton return for public night panel Who loves electric cars? These folks.		2011 Chevrolet Volt requires… premium gas? Yup. What else would you put in a $41,000 car?
	Is the Toyota Prius’ history a way to predict the Chevy Volt’s long-term value? The question can only be answered by knowing about the batteries.	Other news: Plug-in 2010: GM talks details about the Volt’s $41,000 price tag Plug-In 2010: Evatran’s Plugless Power parking block puts proximity charging under your car Production of Nissan Leaf battery pack now underway in Japan

AutoblogGreen for 07.29.10

As of 2010, the Toyota Prius has been available in North America for a decade, and it remains by far the best selling hybrid both here and around the world. Since its Japanese market introduction 1997, drivers have bought more than 1.8 million of the gas-electric dynamos, with about half of those ending up in the United States (and apparently half of those landing on driveways in the San Francisco Bay area!).

The original Prius was a gawky-looking four-door sedan that was slow and often didn’t meet up with customer’s fuel economy expectations. It wasn’t until the second-generation model arrived in 2004 with a new teardop hatchback body style that the Prius really took off. By 2007, cumulative sales topped half a million, with the third generation model arriving two years later offering improved efficiency and better dynamic performance than ever. This year, Toyota has begun to deploy a test fleet of plug-in Priuses with lithium ion batteries with full series production of those versions coming in 2012.

While we wait for our future corded Prius models to give us even more pull with our eco-minded friends, we’ll join Toyota in celebrating the now-iconic green machine by checking out the historic gallery below.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota celebrates a decade of Prius

Toyota celebrates a decade of Prius

As we’re sure you’ve noticed by now, General Motors has been making lots of waves over the past few days with the pricing announcement (finally!) of its 2011 Chevrolet Volt. And, as you’re surely aware, GM’s plug-in hybrid is capable of traveling at least 40 miles per charge without using a single drop of gasoline. But what happens when the time comes to pump some good ol’ crude into the tank? You’ll be using premium.

Yes, you read that right. Premium gasoline only in GM’s mostly gasoline-free automobile. It seems a bit odd that The General would force its customers into using higher-priced gasoline if there wasn’t a good reason for it, but it certainly wouldn’t seem that the engine is highly stressed – 80 horsepower from 1.4 liters isn’t exactly bleeding edge.

There is a possibility, however, that the car’s engineers were able to wrestle a bit more efficiency from its constant-load engine/generator setup by using higher octane fuel. In any case, the automaker has not offered up any specific explanations on why premium is required or, for that matter, what kind of fuel mileage the Volt will attain when the gasoline-powered engine is in operation.

We feel compelled to point out that it probably doesn’t matter much that the Volt requires premium fuel considering how little gasoline the average user is likely to go through any given month. But naturally, your mileage will vary.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

2011 Chevrolet Volt requires… premium gas?

As expected, the Porsche supervisory board has approved the development of the 918 Spyder concept into a series production model. The 918 debuted as a concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show with a plug-in hybrid powertrain claimed to provide 78 miles per gallon.

The concept used a 500-horsepower V8 along with a pair of electric motors with 109 hp each and a lithium ion battery that can provide 16 miles of emissions-free driving from grid energy. The powertrain is not expected to be changed much for production and Porsche has not announced when 918 will be available. There has been speculation that the production model could cost up to €500,000 (about $650,000 USD), although if it comes to the States, it should be eligible for a federal tax credit. Even with up to $7,500 it still makes the Chevrolet Volt look downright cheap.

Before you start looking in your couch cushions for a down payment, check out the official press release after the jump and our high-res gallery below.

[Source: Porsche]

Continue reading BREAKING: Porsche approves 918 Spyder for production

BREAKING: Porsche approves 918 Spyder for production

	2011 Chevrolet Volt to be priced at $41,000, $350/month lease for 36 months Time to pony up?		EPA sticker values for 2011 Volt likely to be interim, updated in 2012-13 The EPA’s only had four+ years to figure this out. Why rush?
	Plug-in 2010: Nissan announces Leaf rollout plans, 8-year battery warranty Details are the same as the Volt’s numbers, which is interesting.	Other news: Automotive X-Prize: finalists announced, X-Tracer now last team standing in Tandem class Plug-in 2010: Nissan says “we are very comfortable” with Leaf battery warranty level Opponents of E15 ethanol blend launch campaign calling for more testing

AutoblogGreen for 07.28.10

First Drive: 2011 Nissan Leaf doesn’t change the game, just the players

We finally score some seat time in a production version of Nissan’s all-new Leaf, and come to realize that an EV isn’t just a low-mileage toy.

Mini confirms entry into 2011 World Rally Championship with Countryman

For the last year, rumors have flown around that Mini was looking to re-enter the world of rallying, and today, it’s official: A race-spec Countryman is coming to the WRC in 2011. But can Mini’s soft-roader really be competitive, even with the help of Prodrive?

2011 Chevrolet Volt priced at $41,000* or $350/month for three-year lease

Chevy’s slapped a sticker on its extended-range plug-in hybrid, and not only can you lease the Volt, you can buy it outright.

Also of interest:

• Nissan announces Leaf rollout plans, 8-year battery warranty
• Austin F1 track location revealed
• Videos: 2011 Ford Explorer shows off its tech
• Spy Shots: 2012 BMW 1 Series five-door caught with rumored turbo’d four
  
• Report: Toyota to kill Sequoia, Tundra redesigned in 2014
• Spy Shots: Pagani C9 supercar gives up its gullwing doors
• Chevrolet Caprice police car to patrol America’s streets beginning April, 2011 [w/video]

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 7.27.10

At the Plug-in 2010 Conference in San Jose, CA today, Nissan North America’s executive vice president, Carlos Tavares, announced that the Leaf’s battery pack will be covered by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty – exactly what Chevrolet is offering on the Volt pack. He said that feedback from people interested in the Leaf was important in setting these levels, so that explains why Leaf hand-raisers received email surveys about the topic recently.

For what it’s worth, the official Leaf battery warranty is what about half of AutoblogGreen readers voted for in our unscientific poll on the topic. Almost 45 percent said the eight-year/100,000-mile level was good for electric vehicles, while a few more thought 10-years/150,000 miles was the preferred level.

In other Leaf news, Nissan has also announced its official rollout plans. As we already knew, the electric car will first launch in December, in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Tennessee. Firm orders from these five states, which make up the so-called EV Project, will begin in August.

Following that initial wave, the machine will be sent to Texas and Hawaii in January 2011. Next up will be North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and Alabama in April 2011. The rest of the nation will see their Leafs beginning in the fall of 2011 with availability in all markets nationwide by the end of that year.

There are plenty more interesting tidbits to glean from Nissan’s press release on the matter, which can be found in its entirety after the break.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Nissan announces Leaf rollout plans, 8-year battery warranty

Nissan announces Leaf rollout plans, 8-year battery warranty

General Motors‘ recently hired vice-president for sales and marketing Joel Ewanick took the stage at the Plug-In 2010 conference in San Jose, CA today and finally revealed that the 2011 Chevrolet Volt will have a base price of $41,000 (including a $720 destination charge) before federal and state tax incentives. While GM hasn’t gone as aggressive as most people had hoped on the sticker price, the real deal appears to be the $350 per month for 36 months lease. That matches the monthly payment that Nissan is charging for the Leaf EV.

The effective purchase price of the Volt will be cut to $33,500 with a $7,500 federal tax credit (hence the asterisk in the title), but buyers will have to finance the $41,000 and get the credit back on their next tax return. Lease customers will have the credit factored in to their payment. The Volt lease requires a $2,500 down payment (vs $2,000 for the Leaf), but GM is including a clause in the lease contract that allows leasers to buy the car at the end of their term so that the automaker don’t have another standoff with customers like it did with the all-electric EV1. Follow the jump to learn more about the Volt’s price and how the order process will go, but first take our informal poll below.

View Poll

Continue reading 2011 Chevrolet Volt priced at $41,000* or $350/month for three-year lease

2011 Chevrolet Volt priced at $41,000* or $350/month for three-year lease

	Report: Nissan considers relaunching 200SX as a fuel-efficient, affordable fastback Will Nissan introduce an efficient, budget-friendly fastback? Please.		PICC’s latest converted plug-in Prius boasts 40-mile electric range, 245 mpg A 12.5 kWh li-ion battery helps with the electric drive part.
	BYD misses the mark, hybrid and electric future called into question Announcements that go nowhere seem to be par for the course.	Other news: General Motors to announce Chevy Volt pricing/ordering on Tuesday Report: U.S. House Committee considers 20% reduction in ethanol subsidy Report: China to require mild hybrid technology on all new vehicles by 2012

AutoblogGreen for 07.27.10

The three-year-long wait for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt’s official U.S. price tag will finally be over in less than 24 hours. At the Plug-In 2010 Conference in San Jose, California on Tuesday, GM VP of Marketing Joel Ewanick will announce pricing details and the ordering process for the Volt. Following the announcement, there will be a live online webchat with Volt Marketing Director Tony DiSalle.

While we’re waiting for the official announcement, you can through to the jump for a brief press release and then take our poll below.

View Poll

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading BREAKING: General Motors to announce Chevy Volt pricing/ordering on Tuesday [w/poll]

BREAKING: General Motors to announce Chevy Volt pricing/ordering on Tuesday [w/poll]

Porsche has been ramping up its vehicle electrification program, ranging from the plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder concept and the 911 GT3R Hybrid racer to the new Cayenne hybrid that recently went into production. The latest addition to the electric drive program is a trio of experimental Boxsters that are powered purely by electrons.

Porsche has yet to reveal any technical details about the three drop-top EVs, but they will be used to test the drivetrain systems as well as infrastructure needs. Porsche has indicated that it’s interested in a production version of the 918 Spyder and is likely using these Boxsters to evaluate the battery systems, along with the motors and power electronics. Full details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Porsche]

Continue reading Porsche testing three electric Boxsters in 2011

Porsche testing three electric Boxsters in 2011

When Fisker received $189 million in funding, the company gave a production target date for its long-awaited Karma of February of 2011. That release date has been delayed more than once, so Fisker held a second coming-out party at its Santa Monica dealership to stoke the fires, during which dealer principal Mike Sullivan began to color in some details of the run-up to February.

Sullivan said that at the LA Auto Show this November the upstart automaker will have full-sized Karma mockups on the floor to show off color and interior combinations. Immediately after the show, prospective customers can go to the dealer and take the new plug-in sedan on test drives, and with production beginning in Q1 of 2011, the deliveries would begin in March and April. Get all the details in the video after the jump.

[Source: WebRides]

Continue reading Video: Fisker dealer says Karma test drives and ordering start in November

Video: Fisker dealer says Karma test drives and ordering start in November

A United States Senate bill that would provide a further $3.6 billion in funding for plug-in vehicles has made it past the first of many hurdles toward passage. The Senate Energy Committee approved the legislation, put forward by Senator Byron Dorgan, (D-ND) that would create so-called deployment communities around the country and subsidize the purchase of electric vehicles (EVs) and the installation of infrastructure.

By focusing on specific areas for deployment of EVs and charging stations, the bill would take care of the well-known chicken/egg issue of which is needed first, EV chargers or the vehicles that need them. It would also allow for the evaluation of what happens when you have large numbers of EVs in a concentrated area. Of course, there are already regions around the country that are planning for large numbers of EVs – like southern California and New York – and it’s not clear if the bill would support these regions or move to get other areas plug-in ready.

There is no guarantee that the Dorgan bill will be passed by the full Senate or even the House of Representatives, but it is one more step on the way to setting the stage for electric vehicles. Dorgan rather enthusiastically hopes that the results of the legislation will ultimately lead to half of the U.S. vehicle fleet being electrified by 2030.

[Source: Detroit News]

Senate panel approves $3.6B for electric vehicles and chargers

At a news conference yesterday in Japan, Honda chief executive officer Takanobu Ito outlined the company’s future plans to roll out advanced technology vehicles. Among the highlights: Ito revealed Honda will introduce both a mid-size plug-in hybrid and an electric commuter vehicle in the U.S. and Japan by the end of 2012. As part of the company’s global push to develop more-efficient vehicles, Honda will also introduce a small diesel-powered car in Europe around the same time that its battery-powered vehicles hit our shores.

Honda will also begin testing “next-generation electric personal mobility products, including electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, electric scooters and electric carts” in the Kumamoto and Saitama regions in Japan before the end of 2010. The purpose of the tests is to verify “the effectiveness of next-generation personal mobility products with electromotive technologies,” i.e., plug-in vehicles and how to best use renewable energy (solar) with these vehicles. Honda will test all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the U.S. once the Japan tests are underway. U.S.-based participants include Stanford University, Google Inc. and the City of Torrance, CA. Torrance will get a plug-in hybrid electric test vehicle by the end of this year. Honda said its first hybrid to get a lithium-ion battery will be the next-generation Civic Hybrid, coming in 2011. More details are available in the press releases after the jump.

[Source: Honda, Reuters]

Continue reading Honda announces plans to sell plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle by 2012

Honda announces plans to sell plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle by 2012

	Tesla Roadster owner wins vanity plate war with LOL OIL Who’s laughing now?		Jay Leno a Chevy Volt intender? Umm… not so much He says, “It’s meant to be a people mover, not a people impresser.”
	Honda CEO announces plans to sell plug-in hybrid, EV in U.S. and Japan beginning in 2012 Finally.	Other news: Business groups ask President Obama to set up electric vehicle task force DOE estimates 100-mile automotive batteries will cost just $5,000 in 2020 Audi produces 10,000th TT TDI

AutoblogGreen for 07.21.10

	Let Them Drill: Poll shows 73% of Americans oppose ban on offshore drilling (or does it?) What’s that about statistics and damn lies?		AN columnist on plug-in vehicles: “Electricity is not sexy” Um, what?
	Report: Fiat developing 500 TwinAir hybrid that could eclipse 100-mpg mark Could be U.S.-bound by late 2012.	Other news: 2011 Ford Explorer to get 30% mpg bump from 2.0L Ecoboost Automotive X-Prize: Finals Stage begins, Edison2 remains only team that can win mainstream class, $5 million Toyota, Severinsky headed to ITC over patent battle, company’s hybrids could face import ban *UPDATE

AutoblogGreen for 07.20.10

According to Autocar, an admission by a Mercedes-Benz engineer proves that the company is working on a nine-speed automatic transmission. That isn’t exactly new, since talk of such a beast has been broached before. The difference this time is that Autocar’s sources says the gearbox will be “introduced on large-capacity engines.”

With no numbers for context we can’t be sure what’s meant by “large-capacity.” However, Motor Trend reported that the baby SLS would get a nine-speed double-clutch transmission for it’s twin-turbo-V6-hybrid engine, and Automobile said that all of the next generation S-Classes, arriving in 2012, would “have hybrid powertrains and a new nine-speed automatic transmission.”

We don’t expect any of those engines to be of particularly large displacement, especially now that the SSK AMG appears to have gone from a twin-turbo V8 to a V6 twin turbo with electric assistance. Still, we have no doubt we’ll see a nine-speed transmission somewhere. And when the Mercedes engineers opine that “nine ratios is the maximum that is technically possible, as well as being the most that customers will be able to cope with,” we believe they’re wrong. A company is really going to leave double-digit transmission bragging rights on the table? Uh, no. Can I get a ten-speed… anyone…?

[Source: Autocar]

It Will Never End: Mercedes-Benz reportedly working on nine-speed automatic

When you’re already known for producing what basically amounts to the smallest vehicle currently available for public consumption, what do you do for an encore presentation? Go even smaller, of course. In the case of the Smart brand, that means cutting the total wheel count in half. That’s right, a scooter.

According to Autocar, Daimler’s littlest auto brand is planning to debut a new plug-in electric scooter at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. According to a “senior Mercedes-Benz official”:

Smart was originally established to tackle the need for improved mobility, especially in congested city environments. Up to now we have concentrated our efforts on four-wheel solutions. The next stage is to look at how to expand beyond this with other environmentally friendly vehicles.

If true, this electric scooter may be seen as a response to longtime German rival BMW’s efforts in the two-wheeled arena. In fact, BMW recently showed off an electric scooter concept of its own called the C1-E, which was based on its previous production C1 covered scooter.

Just one last question: What are the chances this electric scooter will be called the ForOne?

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Smart to reveal electric scooter at Paris Motor Show

Apparently the product planners at Mercedes-Benz and AMG have decided that both cheaper and more expensive derivatives of the gull-wing SLS coupe would be too problematic and have instead opted for something completely different. AMG is now reportedly developing a mid-engined SLM to take on the likes of the Audi R8 and a possible BMW supercar.

While reusing components from the SLS would have been preferable from a purely financial perspective, it could cannibalize the SL, while something even more upmarket from the SLS might prove too hard to sell in the current economic environment.

The SLM is expected to focus on light weight and a smaller boosted engine, possibly paired with electric motors. The front wheels could be driven by the same motors used in the battery-powered SLS E-Cell while the engine would drive the rears. If this hybrid configuration is utilized, the SLM would also theoretically be a direct competitor to a production version of the Porsche 918 Spyder.

[Source: Automobile]

Rendered Speculation: Mercedes-Benz SLM, possibly plug-in hybrid