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project car hell

Project Car Hell, Arc-Weld Your Soul Edition: Electric 911 or Electric Spitfire?

Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Yesterday, we saw the triple-'49-Mercury deal obliterate the six-four by what may be the biggest-ever margin in Choose Your Eternity Poll history: 80-20 for the Mercuries in the Low And Slow Edition poll. Today we've become so excited over the possibility that the $30,000 $40,000 Chevy Volt will be on the street in the not-so-distant future that we're going electric, and we're not talking about golf carts or even AMCs here- no, we mean electric vintage European sports cars!
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5:20 PM on Thu Jul 24 2008
By Murilee Martin
1,547 views, 48 comments

Latest by thunder: Almost forgot; my vote went to the Triumph. Almost tied up! more »

ford f-150 plug-in hybrid

HEV Technology Builds 41 MPG Plug-In Hybrid Ford F-150 Pickup Truck

Rather than make yet another Mustang derivative, Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies has done something relevant and managed to install a plug-in hybrid system in a Ford F-150 pickup truck. The resulting vehicle achieves a combined fuel economy of up to 41 MPG, up from a combined 16 MPG on the 2WD version of the truck. HEVT will now offer the technology as a retrofit on a limited basis as they conduct further testing in an effort to put it into mass production. See, how hard was that? More »

3:20 PM on Thu Jul 24 2008
By Wes Siler
1,499 views, 43 comments

Latest by MR42HH: @No_Brakes: 16 mpg --> 41 mpg = 250% (+ or -) increase. Pretty impressive. Check their math: They don't say "41 mpg", they say "41 mpg for a typical day of driving" I bet that means something like "20 miles on battery more »

saturn vue plug-in hybrid

Saturn Vue Plug-In Hybrid On The Way

Larry Nitz, General Motors' executive director for hybrid powertrains, speaking yesterday at the Plug-In 2008 Conference in San Jose, confirmed that the company is developing a plug-in hybrid Saturn Vue. The announcement comes as GM looks for ways to disseminate Chevy Volt-like technology through its other products. They're not telling when the plug-in Vue will be ready, but in the meantime, Saturn will launch a FWD two-mode hybrid Vue next year, and GM is also thought to be developing a plug-in hybrid based on the Saturn Flextreme concept. More »

2:00 PM on Thu Jul 24 2008
By Wes Siler
755 views, 23 comments

Latest by n/a: What a bunch of shit. The Vue weighs way too much to begin with, I can't imagine that adding batteries and electrical hardware would improve this. GM is seriously fucked in the head. more »

nissan x-trail

Nissan X-Trail Fuel Cell Jumps Nurburgring Shark

There is no good reason at all for Nissan to take their fuel-cell-powered X-Trail to the Nordschleife, but that's what they've gone and done. An 11-minute, 58-second lap time and putting a fuel cell-powered SUV on the 'Ring are both patently ridiculous. Enough. Nissan, it was great when you blasted round the 'Ring with the GT-R, but now you've just Fonzied yourselves. [EdmundsInsideLine]

1:20 PM on Thu Jul 24 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
604 views, 30 comments

alternative energy

Plug-In Hybrid Pickup To Get 100 MPG, Sticker Of Calvin Peeing On Our Foreign Oil Dependency

Motor maker Raser Technologies will team up with utility provider PG&E for a pickup truck that can get 100 MPG, according to the company's press release. The plug-in hybrid utilizes full battery power for the first 40 miles, then lets a gas-powered generator kick in enough juice for another 300 miles. Through the process of simple arithmetic, the truck has a total range of 340 miles on a full tank/charge. More »

10:20 AM on Wed Jul 23 2008
By Matt Hardigree
1,798 views, 39 comments

2009 th!nk city

Th!nk All-Electric City Car Coming To US In 2009

Ever-struggling long-experienced electric car maker Th!nk is planning on bringing the City to our cities in the US next year, allowing you to go gas-free, Norwegian-style. The little car has a 126-mile range on an overnight charge, and if you give the batteries a workout, the City will top out at 65 MPH. It's going to take a while to get there, though: Despite its top speed, they've only listed a 0-50 time of 16 seconds, leaving us to assume their stopwatch doesn't read high enough to record a proper 0-60 time. More specs and full release after the jump. More »

10:00 AM on Mon Jul 21 2008
By Mark Arnold
1,829 views, 44 comments

Latest by Bad Juju: @yellofury * * * * *: Thats not just the ZENN thats limited to 25, but anything classified as a 'Neighborhood Electric Vehicle' What steams me, though, is that they're allowed to drive on streets with up to 35 mph more »

ssc ultimate aero ev

Shelby SuperCars Makes Ultimate Aero EV Official, Plans 1000 HP Version

News of Shelby SuperCars' intention to build an electric version of its record breaking SSC Ultimate Aero TT leaked out yesterday prompting the company to make the news official. The company expects the SSC Ultimate Aero EV to be ready by late next year, saying that it will initially feature a 500 HP electric motor and revolutionary batteries capable of holding their charge for "years." Additionally, the vehicle will use a 6-speed transmission and once the first model is out, they'll be exploring ways to fit two of the motors into the engine bay, resulting in a 1000 HP model. It's tempting to call shenanigans on this, but when you've made the world's fastest car, beating huge German companies in the process, you suddenly gain a lot of credibility. SSC are keeping additional details hush hush, but click through to read their full performance claims. More »

1:14 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Wes Siler
1,844 views, 29 comments

Latest by pharago: this article is full of awesome, i hope it can keep up to the hype more »

alternative energy

NICE Ze-O: Production Electric Car For $28,000, Ugly For Free

The NICE Ze-O is yet another all-electric vehicle set to be unveiled at this month's British International Motor Show. The only difference here is the Chinese-built bucket of ugly will be leapfrogging the likes of Nissan and GM, and going on sale in autumn to the Brits at a whopping $28,000. NICE is an acronym for "No Internal Combustion Engine," but it's a bit of a misnomer considering the looks. With a range of only 65 miles and top speed of just 55 MPH, the Ze-O is kind of a bitter pill to swallow, especially considering we don't even know how much power that blender motor has. [Paultan]

3:30 PM on Thu Jul 17 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
943 views, 17 comments

Latest by NovaloadMissesPolar: @Tomsk: "Structural failure or electrocution?"Why not both? Actually, there's a legitimate question here. Given the poor quality track records --and outright danger, like the heparin contamination--there's also no real legal recourse here to stop Chinese defective products, for instance, suing the more »

ssc ultimate aero ev

Shelby SuperCars Wants Ultimate Aero EV To Be World's Fastest Electric Supercar

After making the fastest production car in the world, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT, Shelby SuperCars is now planning to make the world's fastest electric car. The Ultimate Aero EV will be based on the company's current Aero, but with the 1183 HP V8 replaced by an electric powertrain. The electric driveline would consist of either a 500 HP electric motor, or a 1000 HP setup using a pair of motors, possibly driving all four wheels. So where are they gonna get the juice for that sort of power? More »

10:40 AM on Thu Jul 17 2008
By Mark Arnold
3,473 views, 33 comments

Latest by sos10: I don't know why and could be completely wrong, but this Shelby company smells like anything but petrol to me. more »

new honda hybrid

Honda's New Hybrid Prius-Fighter Caught Desert Testing, Listening To "Eye Of The Tiger"

No, it only looks like the Toyota Prius. The crafty car spies of KGP caught up again with the Honda engineering team in the hot desert sands out west. Just in the nick of time to take an exclusive first set of shots of Honda's new Prius-fighting hybrid. We don't know much about it other than we knew the boys from Honda had something in development to sit on top of Honda's hybrid hierarchy — in the slot just above the 2009 Honda Civic hybrid sedan we saw earlier today. We also know it'll be a global model. Otherwise, you're on your own. Hit the jump for the spy report.

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Spy Photos

6:30 PM on Wed Jul 16 2008
By Ray Wert
21,844 views, 126 comments

Latest by n/a: Is it just like technologically impossible to make a hybrid that actually LOOKS COOL?!!?!? Shite man... everyone wants to save bucks, but some people like the car to actually like something other than a tennis shoe :-/ PRIUS SUCKS!!! THIS SUCKS more »

industry news

Chrysler Minivans To Get Hybrid, Diesel Power According To Windsor Daily

A recent report in the Windsor Star claims the cars Chrysler plans to hybridize by 2013...will be minivans. On top of that, they're even looking at a diesel version of the soccer mom-mobiles, with both to be built at the company's Windsor, Ontario plant. More »

12:45 PM on Wed Jul 16 2008
By Andrew Stoy
1,639 views, 23 comments

2009 honda civic hybrid

2009 Honda Civic Hybrid Sedan Gets A Face Lift

The quick-to-the-snap spy photographers at KGP caught this facelifted 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid sedan out sunning itself in the California desert. This newly nipped and tucked 'lectrified Civic looks like it's getting a new front bumper with a three-intake design rather than the current single-holed intake. And check out that grille opening surrounding the big Honda "H." Yup, it certainly looks more angular to us. Check out the rest of the subtle changes below the jump in the full spy report.

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Spy Photos

7:42 AM on Wed Jul 16 2008
By Ray Wert
20,924 views, 31 comments

Latest by NovaloadMissesPolar: I've seen a hybrid on its side and there are big danger warnings underneath for rescue/first responders where the voltage is. From the side, this Honda looks like an Altima. Weird. more »

industry news

Two European Automakers Meet Decade's "Voluntary" CO2 Targets; Success!

Only two companies achieved the voluntary average CO2 target of 140 g/km that European automakers set for themselves in the late 1990's to avoid actual government sanctions. Fiat and Mini were the big winners with emissions of 138.2 and 139.6 g/km, respectively. The worst offenders were Porsche (275.6 g/km), Land Rover (249.2 g/km) and Jeep (218.7 g/km). More »

1:20 PM on Tue Jul 15 2008
By Matt Hardigree
760 views, 11 comments

2010 fisker karma

Fisker Karma Gets Approval To Go Finnish

Valmet Automotive, based in Finland, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Fisker Automotive to build the Fisker Karma. With this announcement, we also get further details surrounding the hybrid luxury sports car: According to Valmet CEO, Ilpo Korhonen, the Karma, which we have seen testing before, will be capable of traveling 50 MPH before the engine kicks in to charge the batteries. It has a maximum all-electric range of 62 miles, and the starting price tag for the US may be bumped up an extra five grand to $85,000.

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9:20 AM on Tue Jul 15 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
1,015 views, 17 comments

Latest by stopcrazypp: 50 MPH sounds a little disappointing, that's worst than the Prius prototypes that are out (62mph). I think you might want to check the translation on that. Except for the mustache it looks good. more »

industry news

Opel, Vauxhall Versions Of Volt Electric Cars To Take Advantage Of Currency Valuation, Get "Made In USA" Sticker

Opel has announced plans to launch two electric cars in the European market sometime early next decade utilizing GM's E-Flex hybrid banner and be built in the United States for export to Europe. One of the models would be based on the Segway-pooping Opel Flextreme concept and the other, a Vauxhall version of the same vehicle. As of now we're unsure whether the Vauxhall version will poop Segways.

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10:40 AM on Mon Jul 14 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
936 views, 12 comments

alternative energy

BMW To Build 500 Electric Minis To Combat Californian Smog With Smug

Automotive News is reporting that exactly 500 electric Minis will be built for California, with 490 to be sold to celbutards the public and 10 to be reserved as show cars. It's part of BMWs attempt to meet California's new requirement for all automakers to offer zero-emissions vehicles. No word yet on specs or pricing. More »

7:00 AM on Thu Jul 10 2008
By Mark Arnold
1,163 views, 36 comments

alternative energy

2009 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Brings Smug to Seoul

Hyundai, the Korean company out to take over the auto industry, has announced they will be releasing a hybrid version of the 2009 Hyundai Elantra, expected to be on sale by July 2009. What's more impressive, this mild hybrid will be the first vehicle to utilize lithium polymer batteries. Supplied by LG, these batteries are said to be an improvement over existing lithium-ion batteries due to their higher energy density, lower manufacturing costs, resilience to physical damage, and ability to withstand more charge cycles before exploding losing storage capacity. More specs and full release after the jump. More »

1:00 PM on Tue Jul 8 2008
By Mark Arnold
1,523 views, 25 comments

Latest by battra92: Well, if it's an Elantra it will probably be roomy, affordable, practical and boring. I love my Elantra, don't get me wrong. I just want something for a Saturday driver. more »

question of the day

What Car Would You Like To See Get Electrified?

GM thinks that buyers are going to want a small, economical electric/hybrid car, a la the Chevy Volt — and much like the EV1, actually. Tesla thinks we'd like what is basically a responsibly green Lotus, though they also acknowledge our desire for more room with the Whitestar. Nissan thinks we want an Electric Cube, and, you know, we sort of do. We certainly sing the praises of the Se7en Electric; that's a no-brainer. But what car, or what type of car, would we like to see electrified? Cheapo small cars aren't a bad start, given the lower weight and lower cost, but is that going to move the market? What do you want? What should they build?

11:40 AM on Tue Jul 8 2008
By Matt Hardigree
1,926 views, 101 comments

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