XL Hybrids has been working with conversion systems to make hybrid electric vehicles out of trucks and Class 1 thru 3 commercial vans. The company will be conducting pilot runs of their system using 2500-Series vans of General Motors which includes GMC Savana and Chevy Express. The hybrid set up will decrease the emission of carbon dioxide of urban fleets by as much as 20% and will also lower fuel consumption.
The powertrain by XL Hybrids is made up of a 53 horsepower electric motor that depends on a 2kWh lithium-ion battery which works smoothly with the V8 4.8L internal combustion powerplant and its automatic gearbox.
The hybrid setup will add some flexibility for the commercial trucks and vans, operating them using either application, although the fuel savings will also depend if the fleet will be taking urban or suburban routes. The electric motor can beef up the torque of the vehicle by as much as 240 ft-lb when accelerating, allowing the trucks and vans to improve their efficiency and performance.
XL Hybrids is collaborating with possible contractors that can install the hybrid system to old and new vehicles. The company eyes firms whose fleet of vehicles travel a minimum distance of 25,000 miles annually via suburban and urban roads.
By next year, XL Hybrids will also make the hybrid powertrain as an option for fleet leasing companies. Business owners will be able to save in operational costs without having to worry about up-front capital.
At the moment, experts estimate the savings to be at least $1,500 to about $2,500 every year on fuel expenses. Fleet customers can expect the return of investment in as early as three years. Installation of the hybrid system is also done in a few hours time.
Posted by admin at 1:05 pm on October 27th, 2011.
Categories: Electric Vehicles, Hybrid Cars. Tags: Electronic Vehicles, Hybrid Cars, XL Hybrids.
Plug in and electric car owners will be able to travel the whole length of the United Kingdom soon by making use of the new network of solar powered charging stations ideally located near the motorways. According to the company which built the network, Ecotricity, the anxiety problem has been removed from electric car owners in the UK.
The top up stations will be getting their energy from the solar parks and wind parks of Ecotricity which are spread around the UK. The first station was installed at the service station at South Mimms along Welcome Break while 12 more will be finished by the end of September. The planned 27 service stations at Welcome Break will be completed.
Users can make use of the charging station with the swipe of a pass card that comes for free. Electric cars will be able to top up in a matter of 20 minutes utilizing the 32 amps rapid recharge system. Full charge can be achieved in around two hours using the two sockets of the post. Those who will use the single socket 13 amp system will be able to charged their electric vehicle overnight.
Ecotricity is trying to address the infrastructure issues with regard to range anxiety and the concentration of chargin stations only in London. Studies show that electric vehicle owners need to recharge their electric cars while on longer journeys in between towns and cities.
The company hopes that the installation of the top up stations will give way to the take over of electric vehicles of the streets of the United Kingdom.
Posted by Maurice at 5:36 pm on August 17th, 2011.
Categories: Car Industry, Electric Vehicles. Tags: charging stations, Electric Cars, EV charging station, green car news, UK charging stations, UK electric cars.
Shell Oil Products has been market-testing its brand new product—the Shell Nitrogen Enriched Diesel, which claims to lower the fuel consumption of big vehicles like trucks and vans. The Shell Nitrogen Enriched Diesel can be bought on a trial period that kicked off last January 31, 2011.
This new product comes with a powerful cleaning technology that is successful in protecting diesel-powered vehicles from the build-up of carbon deposits. We all know that these gunk deposits could affect the fuel flow and increase CO2 emissions which are bad for the environment.
In a demonstration that was participated by trucks, the Shell Nitrogen Enriched Diesel was able to render a 4.8% and 1.3% reduction in fuel consumption in many strict stop-and-go services in the city and other less strict counterparts respectively.
The Shell Nitrogen Enriched Diesel will be available for commercial use and even retail car owners in Richmond, Northfolk and Virginia Beach, Baltimore, and Nashville. As for Atlanta, the Shell Nitrogen Enriched Diesel is only offered commercially.
The Shell Nitrogen Enriched Diesel is effective in guarding the engine against corrosion and prevents wear and tear of the injector thanks to its powerful lubricating agents. For winter time, a pack of anti-gel agents are also sold. If the Shell Nitrogen Enriched Diesel is effective in lowering fuel consumption to even the biggest heavy duty automobiles, your car would surely benefit from it especially if you want to cut down on fuel consumption and keep your engine in tip top shape.
Posted by Maurice at 5:14 pm on March 6th, 2011.
Categories: Diesel. Tags: alternative fuel, diesel, new fuel nitrogen enriched diesel.
In the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, Honda Motor & Co. LTD. President and COE Takanobu Ito announced that the company will be selling the hybrid models Insight and CRZ to the public by the end of 2012. These hybrids were produced in Japan. In addition to this, Ito added that Acura will be producing its first hybrid model in the next three years.
Just last year, Honda broke the sales record in China by selling 580,000 units. This certainly puts the Japanese car manufacturer in a good light. Honda introduced its crossover premium utility vehicle, the Crosstour, during the Beijing exhibition. According to reports, the Crosstour will be produced locally by the Guangqi Honda branch. Sales for this vehicle should begin by the end of 2010.
Also in the exhibit was Honda’s concept model Li Nian. Guangqi Honda owns this brand. Late this 2010, Honda sets its eyes on presenting the mass-produced Li Nian to the public through the Guanzhou Motor Show. Li Nian is produced specifically for the Chinese market, and there’s no news about its global release just yet. In English, the term Li Nian can be translated as “idea”.
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Posted by admin at 1:00 pm on April 29th, 2010.
Categories: Honda, Hybrid Cars. Tags: Acura, Dongfeng Motor Corporation, Honda, Honda CR-Z, Honda Insight, Hybrid Cars.
Nine months to go before its launch, no one from the media has ever driven a 2011 Karma. Its maker Fisker decided to reveal the space frame of this plug-in sports sedan during the Geneva Motor Show.
The space frame is designed to play a vital role in distributing the hybrid powertrain throughout the Fisker Karma. The frame holds the engine-generator under the hood of the car.
The lithium ion battery pack of the 2011 Karma is positioned at the spine of the car. This battery makes use of iron-phosphate cells manufactured by A123 Systems. The battery pack is located at the least vulnerable space if ever the driver meets a road mishap.
The 403 horsepower electric motor can be found just behind the rear seat a bit in front of the rear wheels.
The founder of the company noted that the focus of the design must be on torsional rigidity and adaptability to new styles of the car’s body foreseeing the coming of the 2012 Karma S which will have a retractable hardtop.
The space frame is very strong according to Henrik Fisker himself. He explains that the components are joined by about 260 feet of MIG welding spots and about 1,000 rivets. The car is also said to have great resistance to angled roads with about 33,000 N-m for every degree.
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Posted by admin at 3:03 pm on March 9th, 2010.
Categories: Electric Vehicles, Fisker. Tags: Electric Cars, Electric Vehicles, Fisker, Fisker Karma.
Recent press releases have detailed that you can try the Audi e-Tron on a virtual drive through your Play Station. Before you do that, let us give you some info about the Audi electric supercar that impressed the crowd during the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany.
The e-Tron from Audi features technologies that might be pointing to the direction of how electronic vehicles must be in the future. The e-Tron is based on the platform of the R8 supercar and includes four electric motors connected independently to each of the wheels of the vehicle. It truly lives up to the Quattro tag just like the other range in the Audi fleet.
The output of the motor is just 313 horsepower but has an astounding torque of 3,319 lb-ft. It can zoom from 0 to 62mph in just 4.8 seconds and blast from 37 to 75 mph in a blink of 4.1 seconds.
The car depends on a 53 kWh lithium-ion battery pack for its power. Like in other EVs the battery makes up a big bulk of the weight at 1,036 lbs. Audi managed to keep the weight of the e-Tron to just about 3,527 lbs.
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Posted by admin at 7:26 am on January 31st, 2010.
Categories: Audi, Electric Vehicles, Exotic Cars. Tags: Audi, Electric Cars, Electric Vehicles, Exotic Cars.
Selling a car is not a piece of cake. It is not as easy as stepping on the pedal and zoom from 0 to 100. Even for Ford, marketing their upcoming electric vehicles can be a daunting challenge. An excellent advertising campaign, press releases, and other marketing magical formula are needed for the sales figures to hit their target.
Next year, Ford is planning to release the 2011 Focus EV but the team handling the marketing is having a tough time coming up with a great campaign. They are dealing with a different kind of market since there is the range anxiety that is needed to be dealt with properly when they push for their EVs. Its not that the marketing team don’t have enough juices flowing but they really have to work hard to success.
The car maker has also conducted several studies to know how EV buyers think and react to EVs in general. An interesting fact is that most drivers don’t exceed a 70 mile reading on a daily basis. The Ford Focus will not have a problem meeting that needed mileage but the company needs to assure buyers that the batteries will not run out while they are in the middle of nowhere, or anywhere to be more accurate.
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Posted by admin at 8:47 pm on September 27th, 2009.
Categories: Electric Vehicles, Ford. Tags: Electric Cars, Electric Vehicles, Ford, Ford Focus.
After the LRX concept caught the eyes and got great reviews as it toured the different motor shows, we are getting a confirmation that a hybrid variant of the LRX will go into production. The standard LRX got the go for retail last March.
The government of UK disclosed in March that they will be giving a $44 million grant to Land Rover for the assembly of the new vehicle. The production version of the LRX will make use of the Land-e Concept’s engine that can run on petrol and electricity.
The Hybrid LRX can bring occupants from point A to B using different modes like the usual petrol only, electric only, and the hybrid type. The project is looking an estimated expense of about $650 million and will take about two more years to release the hybrid system for the market to use.
Land Rover confirmed that the LRX will carry the Range Rover tag. The company is also looking into producing more fuel efficient fleet and the hybrid will be an essential member of the line up.
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Posted by admin at 1:26 am on August 23rd, 2009.
Categories: Hybrid Cars, Land Rover. Tags: Hybrid Cars, Land Rover, Range Rover.
Vanner Incorporated recently announced that they will be using BOOSTCAP ultracapacitor modules produced by Maxwell Technologies. The leading company of electric power conversion systems said that the Maxwell product will be used to surge power to its engine starter system contracted to be used in the modification of Chicago transit buses.
Tescate Industries, Maxwell’s partner, will be providing Vanner Inc. with 460 of Maxwell’s 16-volt BMOD0500 modules. The saud modules are 
designed to give the power that Vanner’s starter system needed.
The modification of the Chicago Buses was approved early this year. The $1.3 million contract entitles Vanner to purchase and install the company’s StartSentry system into buses handled by the Chicago Transit Authority or CTA. Sources say that 460 CTA buses will undergo the said modification.
The project is a response to the operation difficulties that CTA often encounters during the winter season. Due to the freezing temperature in the cold months, CTA’s bus batteries loose needed voltage. The lost power forces CTA to use an external jump start to start the vehicles. The buses’ engine myst also be left running for an hour before hitting the roads.
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Posted by admin at 5:44 am on July 11th, 2009.
Categories: Alternative Fuels, Maxwell Technologies, Vanner. Tags: Bus, Public Transportation, Tescate Industries, Vanner.
A performance test of the Proterra electric bus was conducted recently by the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. During the three runs done, the people mover had the best result of 29.23 MPGe and the worst at 17.55 MPGe.
The FCBE 35 from Proterra is powered by the UQM PowerPhase 150 engine. The engine produces a maximum power of 201 horsepower and continuous power rating of 134 hp. Other major features of the vehicle include regenerative braking, voltage and speed control, and optimal four quadrant performance.
The test simulated the duty cycle of the transport bus which traversed the make shift business district and the major transportation arteries. On the central business district phase, the diesel equivalency of the electric bus was marked at 21.35 mpg. The arterial phase returned a reading of 17.55 mpg while the commuter phase had a remarkable 29.23 mpg.
Each stage of the test simulated a central business district run with 7 stops on average per mile cruising on a top speed of 20 mph. The commuter phase had 1 stop with a top speed of 40 mph.
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Posted by admin at 1:10 am on May 28th, 2009.
Categories: Electric Vehicles, Fuel Economy, Proterra. Tags: Bus, Electric Vehicles, Fuel Economy, Fuel Efficiency, Proterra, Public Transportation.
