Think of it as a giant version of the 2010 Toyota Prius's solar sunroof combined with those foldable cardboard windscreen shades with sunglasses printed on them. It could simultaneously protect your interior from the Sun's harmful rays, reduce the amount of power needed to run the A/C on max when you eventually climb back in and even, like the Prius, provide power for a fan to run while the car is parked, keeping the interior cool. Plus, the wing makes this Chevy Impala look totally bitchin'.

And by "bitchin'" we mean, of course, silly as all get out. [DesignBoom via Hooniverse]

Assuming you pay taxes, the Enertia can be even cheaper, qualifying for a 10% federal income tax credit that brings the price down to just $7,195. Best Buy will even finance one for you.

I've ridden the Enertia and think it could be the ideal way to commute in and around cities. I managed 65mph up a hill and the tall, slim seat makes it an ideal platform from which to dodge cagers. Unlike a lot of other electric bikes, this one's way overbuilt with a reliable brushless motor (road grime won't foul it like it will a brushed design) and fancy motorcycle components like 41mm Marzocchi forks. It makes 18 HP and 28 Lb-Ft of torque and the battery lasts about 42 miles on a full charge. Running costs, including fill ups, will amount to pocket change.

This is sort of a watershed moment of electric transportation which, in the last year, has been gathering far more steam on two wheels than it has on four. Taking the running costs and super cheap insurance into account, the Enertia now has price parity with many gasoline-driven motorcycles. If electric vehicles are going to find mass market acceptance in the near future, this is the vehicle that's going to do it for them. [Brammo via HFL]

This doesn't mean Chrysler isn't still working on electric cars, but as Kicking Tires points out, they're just not working on the three battery-electric vehicles — the ENVI program — they unveiled to great incredulity at this year's Detroit Auto Show are DOA. [Automotive News, Kicking Tires]

All that could have a huge impact on the future of transportation, allowing for more powerful, yet smaller computers, supercapacitors, cables, batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, composite materials and electronics.

All that hinges on the ability of carbon nanotubes to be created with metallic conductivity. In the past, that's achieved a 25-50 percent success rate, Honda has achieved a 91 percent rate, much closer to the being production feasible.

Here's the press release:

NANO TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED BY HONDA OPENS NEW POTENTIAL IN ELECTRONICS
Microscopic carbon nanotubes a hundred thousand times thinner than a human hair may have the potential to transport electricity faster and over greater distances with minimal loss of energy, according to new research that will be published today in Science magazine.
The research was led by Honda Research Institute USA, Inc., in conjunction with researchers at Purdue University and the University of Louisville.
The findings open new possibilities for miniaturisation and energy efficiency, including much more powerful and compact computers, electrodes for supercapacitors, electrical cables, batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, artificial muscles, composite material for automobiles and planes, energy storage materials and electronics for hybrid vehicles.
Microscopic carbon nanotubes are grown on the surface of metal nanoparticles, taking the cylindrical form of rolled honeycomb sheets with carbon atoms in their tips. When these tiny carbon nanotubes exhibit metallic conductivity they possess extraordinary strength compared to steel, higher electrical properties than copper, are as efficient in conducting heat as a diamond and are as light as cotton.
"Our goal is not only the creation of new and better technologies and products, but to fulfill Honda's commitment to environment sustainability," said Dr. Hideaki Tsuru, project director from Honda Research Institute USA.
Past research efforts to control the structural formation of carbon nanotubes with metallic conductivity through conventional methodology resulted in a success rate of approximately 25 - 50 per cent. Honda has worked in the field of carbon nanotube synthesis for almost a decade, and has achieved a success rate of 91 per cent metallic conductivity.
"This is the first report that shows we can control fairly systematically whether carbon nanotubes achieve a metallic state. Further research is in progress with the ultimate goal to take complete control over grown nanotube configurations to support their real world application," said Dr. Avetik Harutyunyan, principal scientist from Honda Research Institute USA, and the leader of the project.
"Our finding shows that the nanotube configuration which defines its conductivity depends not only on the size of the metal nanocatalyst used to nucleate the tube as was previously believed, but importantly also is based on its shape and crystallographic structure, and we learned to control it," said Dr. Harutyunyan, whose team of Honda scientists included Dr. Gugang Chen and Dr. Elena Pigos.
"We are excited about our teamwork and collaborations with researchers at Purdue and Louisville, who helped achieve this advance," he said. Researchers at Purdue, led by Professor Eric Stach, used a transmission electron microscope to observe nanotube formation, revealing that changes in the gaseous environment can vary the shape of the metal catalyst nanoparticles from very sharp faceted to completely round. Researchers at Louisville, led by Professor Gamini Sumanasekera, produced the nanotubes in larger volumes and made careful measurements to determine whether the nanotubes achieve a metallic state.
Honda's innovative research and development efforts during the past decade have yielded diverse innovations such as humanoid robotics, walking assist devices, the HondaJet, fuel cell technology, increased rice crop yields, and thin film solar cells, in addition to the design and development of automobiles, motorcycles and power equipment products.
Honda has conducted consumer product related R&D in the United States since 1975 at Honda R&D Americas, Inc. For the purpose of researching future technologies, in January 2003, Honda Research Institute USA, Inc. (HRI-US) was founded along with HRI-EU (Europe) and HRI-JP (Japan). U.S. offices are located in California, Ohio and Massachusetts and include a computer science research division focused on human intelligence technologies and a materials science research division focused on functional nano-materials.

The Bochum University of Applied Sciences (Germany) yesterday presented a new solar car, they call the "BOcruiser" — named for the Bochum University of Applied Sciences that built it. A team of around 30 engineering students built this four-wheeled solar car.

Photo Credit: VOLKER HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

As you'd expect, energy efficiency was the BOcruiser's top goal. Its body is streamlined and in addition to the car's proven prize-winning technology, such as its battery management system, other innovative components were used as well. For instance, the workshops and labs at the Bochum University of Applied Sciences engineered an in-wheel motor that will power both the "BOcruiser" and other vehicles in the pipeline. This involved solving a whole range of problems, because the new vehicle is propelled by two motors. According to the scientists, for weight and efficiency-related reasons, it was not possible to use a mechanical differential transmission. Instead, electronics and software are to determine the variability of the wheels' peripheral speed in curves. As with the predecessor, six square meters of solar cells provide electric power. In this area too, the technology used is becoming more viable for everyday use. Silicon has replaced the costly gallium arsenide in the solar generator.

Photo Credit: VOLKER HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

In order to reduce weight, only the bare minimum of paint was to be applied, a demand not unlike those posed for Formula 1 racers, for which every ounce counts. For this project, the Lennartz spray-painting team chose Glasurit 22 Line HS 2K Topcoat. "No more than one and one-half layers of paint, but nevertheless fulfill the basic functions of the paint finish, like protection, durability and design," Lennartz said. In comparison, a new car is generally finished with four coats of paint (e-coat, primer, basecoat, clearcoat). Lennartz applied the primer to only some parts of the vehicle's exterior before topcoating it with 22 Line, which has a high degree of hiding power, allowing him to dispense with a clearcoat.

The solar car will have its first real-life test in October at the World Solar Challenge, cruising 3000 kilometres (1,864 miles) through the Australian outback. Project manager Professor Friedbert Pautzke commented: "Our motivation for building this car was not to be first to cross the finish line at the race. The BOcruiser is part of our series of solar vehicles that is consistently taking the next innovative step toward everyday use. It will be proving its ability to take to the roads for the first time in the race Down Under."

Photo Credit: VOLKER HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

[via ATZOnline, PresseBox]

Here's the data he runs, based on the "peak" horsepower available, which ignores that most vehicles don't frequently use their peak horsepower:

I decided to run the numbers for today's overpowered vehicle fleet. (The math is below.) Turns out we have something on the order of 51 billion peak horsepower sitting in our driveways. That's an incredible 38,276 gigawatts of power available. That absolutely dwarfs the nameplate capacity of our electrical power plants, which total up to a mere 1,087 gigawatts. In fact, each week of 2008, a horrible year for car sales, almost 38 gigawatts of capacity rolled into the streets of America.

Unfortunately, this is where things go awry. After pointing out that we were able to defeat Hitler with 80% less horsepower, which makes little sense, he comes to three conclusions.

The Tata Nano Argument
One, the current size and power of our cars and trucks is just stupid. The Tato Nano, with its 33 horsepower engine, is the way to go. (If all of the world's cars looked like that, going electric would also be a lot easier.) Let's merely note here that the average American passenger car has 7.5 times as much horsepower as the Nano and yet both vehicles will get you to the grocery store or to Nevada or wherever.

Technically, this is true, but with a top speed of 65 MPH it's not going to get there as quickly. Nor does the Tata Nano have to carry the same amount of safety equipment as a comparable car built in Europe or the U.S., so if that Nano gets into an accident the chance of injury is much, much higher (but none of his arguments work if you factor in progress). And if we're concerned about energy efficiency, the new Toyota Prius gets approximately the same mileage as the Tata Nano and will get there faster and with more comfort, more safety equipment, and more style.

The We Don't Need It Argument
Second, the people of just one hundred years ago would be awed by the amount of horsepower every American has access to. The funny thing - the irony, perhaps - is that we no longer need that amount of horsepower to do anything useful. The people of the prairie were scratching and clawing for every kilowatt hour of useful work they could wring out of some oil or the wind. The people of Omaha these days don't need anything like the direct energy services of their forerunners.

Yes, pity the poor people of Omaha with computers, air-conditioning, live-saving equipment like MRIs, and televisions. Clearly, it would be better if we went back to living without as much electricity.

The Insanity Argument
Third, and here's the hopeful part - no sane country would encourage its consumers to get on the technical and performance treadmill that led us to this point. Who would want this piece of the American technological infrastructure and set of consumer expectations? It's resource inefficient and expensive. I wouldn't expect the Chinese to follow our path to the American car anytime soon.

First of all, the Chinese are in fact doing all they can to mimic American cars and it is a growing market for American cars. So, they're apparently as crazy as we are.

But what's really missing here is that American cars are becoming more efficient in large part because of power increases. Automakers are using lightweight parts, direct injection, turbocharging, and other technology to increase power and, at the same time, lower fuel usage. The 2010 Ford Flex with Ecoboost (direct-injections plus twin-turbo) nets 355 HP, an increase in power of 93 HP over the naturally aspirated V6 model, while actually improving the mileage of the vehicle. We've engineered V8 power with V6 fuel efficiency.

Better efficiency is a good thing, but so is comfort, safety, and reliability. People in India aren't buying Nanos because they've made the conscious decision to limit themselves to 33 HP, they're doing so because they can't afford anything else. They're going in the opposite direction by trading the efficiency of bikes and motorcycles for something bigger. Americans can afford bigger, nicer, safer, more powerful cars for the simple reason that we, as an economy, have sought out progress, not rejected it. [Greentechhistory]

This story's still developing, but if our sources are correct, it would blow the Toyota Prius out of the water. Heck, it'd blow every other vehicle currently on the market out of the water with the exception of the Tesla roadster — and that's no four-door mid-size sedan. So for GM this represents a huge marketing coup — the ability to claim the most fuel efficient vehicle in the world and a big blow to detractors who claim the big, sweaty 'merican manufacturer can't build quality products.

We'll have more out of GM's Warren Technical Center as the General holds their big product showcase event throughout the day.

According to a report by CNET, the Burger King franchise will partner with Maryland-based New Energy Technologies to install their MotionPower kinetic energy harnessing strips in the drive-thru lane. The energy would be stored and captured twice daily to power various appliances within the restaurant making this one very green Burger King.

According to Andrew Paterno, co-owner of the Burger King test site; "More than 150,000 cars drive through our Hillside store alone each year, and I think it would be great to capture the wasted kinetic energy of these hundreds of thousands of cars to generate clean electricity."

Our question is — Will they lower prices on the double Whoppers since we're lazily doing some of the work to power the joint? [CNET]

If you'll remember, the Namir features a 0.8-liter rotary engine used to power four electric motors — one for each wheel. The combined motors will give the eco-supercar a top speed of 187 MPH, all-wheel drive, a 0-to-62 MPH time of 3.7 seconds and a 1,200-mile range (though probably not all at the same time). We've learned a bit more about the Namir in its current prototype form:

• For Goodwood, the car just used two motors out back powering the rear wheels.
• In EV-only mode the car can travel about 60 miles depending on driving conditions.
• Using the charger you can travel the full 60 electric miles without using the gas engine.
• All the hardware was developed in-house
• It's not purely vaporware as they intend to build and market a few of these vehicles, though the ultimate goal is to demonstrate the technology

Full press release:

Quantum-Jesse James Team Shatters the Land Speed World Record for a Hydrogen Powered Vehicle

IRVINE, California, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:QTWW) today announced that its advanced gaseous fuel injectors, fuel metering components, lightweight fuel storage system and powertrain engineering expertise successfully supported Jesse James in shattering the land speed record for a hydrogen powered vehicle. On June 16, 2009, Jesse James clocked 199.712 mph in the hydrogen 'Streamliner' at El Mirage Dry Lake Bed in the Mojave Desert, to beat the world record holder, the BMW H2R, which had attained 186 mph in Germany. This historic event will be shown as the season one finale of "Jesse James Is A Dead Man" premiering on Sunday, August 9 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) on Spike TV.

"Jessie James approached Quantum for our world-class expertise in hydrogen and advanced powertrain engineering," explained Alan P. Niedzwiecki, the President and CEO of Quantum. "This, I honestly believe, is world-changing," Jesse James said of the emissions-free race car. "We can't rely on gasoline forever. I'm paying it forward."

Jesse James' record setting run was supported by 24 Quantum hydrogen injectors that fuelled an 8-cylinder engine that was optimized to yield 704 HP. Quantum's patented fuel injector has been designed, tested and validated specifically for precision fuel metering and durable service with cleaner burning, dry gaseous fuels such as hydrogen and natural gas. With several years of R&D, Quantum's gaseous fuel injectors are featured in Ford's hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles and Prius and Escape hydrogen hybrid electric vehicles developed by Quantum.

The record-breaking Streamliner was fitted with 3 ultra-light weight, advanced carbon-fiber composite, polymer-lined 5000 psi Quantum hydrogen storage cylinders to help with vehicle performance and drivability. Quantum has supplied some of the lightest hydrogen cylinders in the world for weight-critical automotive and aerospace applications. Quantum has developed industry-leading 3600 psi natural gas on-board storage cylinders, and 5,000 and 10,000 psi hydrogen storage cylinders and related valves and pressure management systems.

The initial development of Jesse James' Streamliner was performed at Quantum's Advanced Vehicle Concepts Center in Lake Forest California. This facility is equipped with all disciplines and capabilities to take advanced powertrains and vehicles including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen, and natural gas vehicles, from concept to production. Over the past decade, Quantum's expert team has developed and built 20,000 natural gas vehicles, 2,000 hydrogen and hybrid systems and vehicles, as an OEM, and also in partnerships with world's leading auto makers. Quantum has designed advanced hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and powertrains for the US Army, and for Fisker Automotive, for the award winning Fisker KARMA, a luxury plug-in-hybrid car that was introduced at the Detroit International Auto Show in January, 2008.

The news is buried deep in a press release about solar panels on factory roofs, using recyclable implants in booth babe's breasts and all sorts of nonsense about CO2. But here's the key paragraph for ADD-addled readers.

At this point, Research & Development activities will continue in the following directions:

- decreasing vehicle mass
- improving combustion
- reducing friction
- Start-and-Stop systems
- hybrid drive train solutions
- biofuels

The Italian supercar maker has previously discussed the possibility of future hybrid powertrains, most likely on the Lamborghini Estoque, should it reach production. At last year's Paris Motor Show, Lambo President and fashion icon Stephan Winkelmann said about the Estoque, "a particularly economical, but nevertheless dynamic, variation would be a V8 with a hybrid module or an extremely high-performance TDI."

Since Lamborghini is owned by Audi, it's reasonable to assume that hybrid technology could be borrowed or adapted from cars like the Audi A1 Concept while a diesel engine would likely come from the Audi Q7 V12 TDI.

The reason both Ferrari and Lamborghini are suddenly hoping on the hybrid bandwagon is increasing pressure from US and European governments to raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for all automakers over the next decade. Even though Ferraris and Lamborghinis make up only a fraction of one percent of vehicle miles driven and therefore don't contribute significantly to pollution, they could get factored in to the overall average of their parent companies Fiat and VW, respectively. Like the performance-oriented Ferrari Hybrid, we'd expect any eco-friendly Lambo to be big on badass and short on the emasculated wimpyness of cars like the Toyota Prius.

The press release follows:

LAMBORGHINI ANNOUNCES NEW, AMBITIOUS PROGRAMS FOR REDUCING CO2

• 35 million Euros investments
• The construction of a large photovoltaic plant, combined with an energy-saving project, will achieve a 30% reduction in the factory's CO2 emissions by 2010
• Modifications to vehicles will result in a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2015

Automobili Lamborghini announces its intention to complete its program of environmental sustainability in record time by presenting new plans which will enable the company:

• to achieve a 30% reduction, by the year 2010, in the CO2 emissions produced by its factory
• to achieve a 35% reduction, by the year 2015, in the CO2 emissions produced by its vehicles

The plans for reducing emissions will thus involve two areas: modifications to the Lamborghini factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese, and development in vehicle design.

To redefine its industrial processes in accordance with its policy of environmental sustainability, Lamborghini has just begun a project to complete installation of a large photovoltaic system by the end of 2009.

The roof-top plant will produce 1,582 Megawatt hour (MWh) of "green" energy per year, which translates into a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions (-1,067,820 Kg/year) by 2010.

The photovoltaic systems will have a total installed power rating of 1,4 Megawatts and will extend over 17,000 m2 throughout the entire industrial area. The new system will be built by Sinergia Sistemi S.p.A.

At the same time, an equally important energy conservation project involving insulating the production facility's whole roof, improving lighting and heating and introducing destratification systems for heated air will be completed, thus resulting in a 10% energy usage reduction by 2010.

These projects represent the next step in a program that began last year with the opening of the new Lamborghini
Logistics Center. The Center has already contributed to diminishing the impact caused by heavy truck traffic on the roads between Anzola and Sant'Agata Bolognese. It is calculated that this facility has achieved a reduction of emissions by over 75 kg per annum, and nitrogen oxide by over 750 kg (Sources: Standard Euro 3).

In April 2009 Lamborghini obtained the UNI EN ISO 14001 certificate, meeting the international environmental standards. It is also the first firm in the Italian automotive sector to be close to registering for the EMAS environment certificate, having successfully completed the program: EMAS regulations are set by the European Union to support organisations in their effort to evaluate and improve their own environmental efficiency.

These recent achievements support Lamborghini's commitment to protecting the environment in which it operates, and its desire to make all stakeholders aware of its actions in a transparent manner.

With regard to Lamborghini vehicles, the CO2 reduction plan aims for an additional 35% decrease in emissions by the year 2015.

The program reached its first milestone with the Gallardo LP 560-4. Introduced last year, the new car's technical advancements resulted in an 18% reduction in CO2 emissions.

At this point, Research & Development activities will continue in the following directions:

- decreasing vehicle mass
- improving combustion
- reducing friction
- Start-and-Stop systems
- hybrid drive train solutions
- biofuels

Lamborghini's commitment and its sense of social responsibility regarding the environment is evidenced by the numbers and by the sheer size of the investments that are planned. 35 million Euros will be appropriated over the next five years for this purpose.

Stephan Winkelmann, the President and CEO of Lamborghini, has said, "Despite the difficult situation in today's global economy, Lamborghini is committed to its policy of environmental management, since we are well aware of the great opportunities that derive from it. We have an objective to reduce CO2 emissions to the greatest possible degree. We have also set compulsory annual goals that are part of an integrated approach both considering the automobile as an element which is more considerate of the environment, in terms of emissions and the use of resources, to the accomplishment of a series of corresponding measures such as modifications to our factory. This is an important action for Lamborghini and a central opportunity for our long term corporate and product development."

European Parliamentarian Guido Sacconi, President of the European Commission on Climate Change, recently paid a visit to Lamborghini headquarters in Sant'Agata. At that time, he said that, "The commitment shown by Lamborghini with its efforts to reduce environmental impact and develop vehicles with less polluting technologies confirm the company's goal of following the right path toward complying with the directives of the European Union. To safeguard the DNA, history and technology of niche car manufacturers on a European level, a series of exceptions have been passed for manufactures of 'specialty' vehicles (with fewer than 10,000 new cars made per year) who run their own production facilities and design centres, even though they are part of a group of associated producers. This is the exact situation in which Lamborghini finds itself. We have been particularly satisfied with the actions it has taken thus far, because they illustrate this company's desire to embrace a new industrial vision which combines competitiveness and performance with social responsibility."

[source: Lamborghini]

These six patent filings are variations on a theme, with the constant thread being a gas engine powering the rear wheels separately from an electric motor or motors driving the front wheels. While such an arrangement will necessarily bring with it the added weight of the batteries, it eliminates the transfer case and driveshafts normally used on AWD cars.

Speaking to some guy at Car and Driver named Eddie Alterman, Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa said to expect a Ferrari hybrid concept "Not at Frankfurt, but shortly thereafter, probably at an American show." Ferrari isn't just developing a hybrid to recapture the lucrative celebrity market from the Toyota Prius, but to enable it to meet draconian new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards from the US and Europe. Ferrari's current range understandably sucks at sipping gas, with the new Ferrari California only averaging 15mpg in the EPA cycle.

While the hybrid system should be capable of operating on electricity-only at very low speeds, Ferrari has said it wants the system to be a performance aid before anything else. Potentially allowing customers to select between two and AWD at the flick of a switch, the electric motors powering the front wheels could increase speed and safety in slippery conditions or alleviate part of the douche bags crashing expensive cars pandemic.

In addition to eliminating mechanical complication, this arrangement could also do away with frictional losses associated with AWD as the gas engine would never have to power anything but the rear wheels (as it does in all Ferraris now) and presumably recharge the batteries when its power wasn't required for posing.

While the idea of a hybrid Ferrari initially saddens our purist hearts, we're actually pretty happy with how this system appears to be coming together. If it means we can keep our high-strung Italian engines in an age of increasing pressure for high economy, they have to be a good thing. The prospect of adding performance and control through AWD, while retaining the character of RWD is also encouraging. A Ferrari Hybrid? We think we could live with that.

European Patent Office via Car & Driver and MotorAuthority

Protoscar estimates the Lampo costs a million Euro. Larger production volumes would probably bring the price down to a third of that, but Protoscar is no car maker, so there are no plans to actually produce the car for sale. The purpose of the Lampo prototype is to showcase what can be done with available and nearly available technology. Obviously it would be extremely unfair to evaluate it the same way you would a regular car from a known manufacturer, so let's do just that.

Driving the Lampo is not that different from driving any other car, apart from the lack of a gearbox. The "central selector," as it's called here, allows you to choose forward drive or reverse. There's also an "E"-mode where the car will brake using mainly the torque of the electric motors, maximizing the energy recovery. This is not intended for regular braking, but works brilliantly holding speed constant or slowing down while driving downhill. The Lampo's main problem is that this is basically the only feature of the car that works as it's supposed to.

If you spend a six-figured amount on a car, you'll want it to fire on all cylinders or whatever that translates to in EV-speak. The Lampo doesn't. In theory its twin motors and battery packs running the front and back wheels separately are good for 268 HP and 325 Lb-Ft of torque, but for "technical reasons" the power output has to be limited to somewhere in the region of 60 % during our test drive. Maximum speed is supposed to be over 125 MPH, but it's been restricted to 75 MPH. Hard acceleration is also out of the question, as that may upset the batteries and cause all sorts of problems. Problems like fire.

Add to that the fact sharp right turns will make the inside of the fender eat into the right front tire, the giant red emergency stop button is cleverly placed on top of the armrest, right where your arm rests, and the seriously multifunctional dashboard display, which is completely unreadable unless you pull over to take a closer look at it. The multi-function screen in the mid-console should be able to show remaining range after calculating the road's undulations, but is, in fact, not able to do that at all. What it will do is let you turn power steering on and off, if you can find the right submenu.

Our initial plan was to give the miracle car from the future a good thrashing on badly maintained roads around Stavanger, Norway, but that was before we had to sign a paper accepting personal economic responsibility if we crash, abuse or destroy any of the half-magic/half-functional electronics. Adjusting plans to reality, we end up driving what turns out to be a still quite powerful, but only semi-functional EV around town with a brief run on the highway. That's still enough to reveal that the brakes aren't powerful enough and going at slow speeds it's hard to tell what the front wheels are up to through the steering wheel. Other than that the car is ok, but not anywhere near what the specs promise.

All in all, speaking in pure car terms, it's safe to say that Protoscar has done an epic job at wasting $1.4 million.

On the other hand, even at half power and with all sorts of malfunctions, the Lampo is one impressive ride. You just have to look at the bigger picture. The car itself is just one of the pieces in Protoscar and its partner's vision of the future. Along with the Lampo they're also developing stuff such like an intelligent charging system and in, Tuscany, Italy, they've even set up a solar plant producing energy for 62,000 miles-worth of driving per year.

It's this idea that producing a car also includes producing and providing the energy needed to run it that's the most important feature of the Lampo. As a product it's nowhere near market-ready, but as an idea of future green motoring, it holds promise.

- Ivar Kvadsheim

Ivar is the editor of the best Norwegian motorcycle magazine on the internet, MC24.no

Bob Lutz, who just dumped all his GM stock, is apparently taking issue with Letterman's mockery of the Chevy Volt's 40-mile EV range. Two weeks ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk used the advanced technology of his home planet to holographically project a 3D image of the Tesla Model S onto the Late Show's stage, tricking Letterman into believing that it was real. The comedian then drew upon his encyclopedic knowledge of the auto industry to rail against automakers for failing to bring an electric vehicle to market and disparaged the usefulness of the Volt's range, failing to mention the hybrid drivetrain.

Lutz, who had to surrender custody of Chevy Volt when he announced he would quit GM, got special permission from its new guardian, Barack Obama, to take it all the way to the Big Apple to appear on television.

Toyota to lease over 150 experimental PHVs in Europe

Toyota Motor Europe (TME) will lease over 150 units of its experimental Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV), to selected fleet customers across Europe as a critical next step towards commercialisation. France will be the first country to participate in the three-year pilot, with discussions ongoing in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. Based on Toyota's full hybrid technology, the new PHV will come equipped with a powerful lithium-ion battery, extending the vehicle's range in electric vehicle mode for a silent and zero-emissions drive. The first wave of PHVs will reach Strasbourg in late 2009.

‘In the future, the PHV will be the perfect complement to Prius. It offers a low carbon transport solution for customers wanting to drive longer distances using electricity, while still experiencing the traditional benefits of a full hybrid,' said Tadashi Arashima, President and Chief Executive Officer of TME. ‘There is no better time to put our new PHV through its paces. We have to assess its performance in a variety of markets with different infrastructure constraints, driving conditions and customer expectations,' he added.

Toyota's PHV overcomes the obstacles historically associated with electric vehicles – e.g. high battery weight and costs, and limited cruising range – while enhancing the benefits of Toyota's full hybrid technology. On the new generation Prius, these benefits include best-in-class CO2 emissions of just 89 g/km, exceptional fuel efficiency, seamless acceleration and quiet driving.

A PHV can be driven as an electric vehicle for city commutes, while for high-speed, long-distance journeys it operates as a full hybrid, with its petrol engine serving as both a power source and battery generator when required. The battery is charged during driving, deceleration or braking, or by connecting its plug to a standard electrical point at home or at work.

In partnership with EDF, Toyota has been road-testing a PHV (equipped with a Nickel Metal Hydride battery) in Europe since 2007. Around 100 units of the new lithium-ion PHV will be leased to selected fleet customers and public bodies in Strasbourg, France, for a period of three years.

Part of the Strasbourg-based PHV fleet will come equipped with an innovative charging system that ensures safe charging, communication between the plug and the vehicle, identification of the vehicle and automatic invoicing of electricity. A large number of charging points will also be established in users' homes, the offices of business partners, in public parking lots and on public roads.

Toyota will deploy over 500 new PHVs globally – including in Europe, Japan and the US – by 2010.