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Some cars to be as clean as electric train travel by 2020

Autoblog Staff — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:02:00 +0000

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, MPG

Ex-Ford engineer Richard Parry-Jones is now chairman-designate of the UK's Network Rail. Having looked into the futures of both car and train development, he believes that by the end of this decade the most Earth-friendly internal-combustion engine cars will be about as polluting, on a per-passenger basis, as high-speed electric trains.

Parry-Jones says carmakers are targeting 40g/km of CO2 tailpipe emissions by 2020. If the "average" occupancy of 1.6 people-per-vehicle stays the same in eight years, that would equal 25 gm per person per kilometer and put such cars in the same environmental category as the cleanest mass transit.

Since the emissions of electric cars and trains is usually given as zero, we're assuming he means diesel-electric high-speed trains; life-cycle emissions wouldn't be a valid comparison since those aren't factored into a car's tailpipe number. According to The Guardian's table of emission numbers by transport, right now you'd have to load four folks in a small diesel topped up with ultra-low sulphur fuel to get down to 42 grams per passenger per kilometer (gpkm), which would put you right with one of Virgin's Voyager class diesel-electric trains at 75-percent capacity. If you want to go all the way low, though, you'll need a 50cc two-stroke and a passenger: at that point you're rocking just 19.5 gpkm. Slowly.

Some cars to be as clean as electric train travel by 2020 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some cars to be as clean as electric train travel by 2020

Autoblog Staff — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:02:00 +0000

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, MPG, Transportation Alternatives

Some cars to be as clean as electric train travel by 2020 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Renault could sell low-speed Twizy; Nissan considering Leaf battery leases

Danny King — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 22:08:00 +0000

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Renault, Lightweight, NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle), UK

If anyone wondered what right-hand-drive donuts in a really light electric-vehicle looked like, we all may soon find out.

Renault may launch a low-speed version of its battery-electric Twizy in the UK next year in an effort to capitalize on a law allowing for unlicensed drivers for some smaller vehicles, according to UK's Autocar.

The EV, called the Twizy 45, would be able to be legally driven by unlicensed drivers who are at least 16 years old if the EV is limited to a top speed of 28 miles per hour (that's 45 kph and gives the car its name) and weighs no more than 350 kilograms (770 pounds), or about half the weight of a Smart ForTwo, Autocar reported, citing Andy Heiron, who runs Renault UK's electric-vehicle operations. The EV may cost about £6,200 ($9,900), though a teenager may have to pay another two-thirds of that total during the first year in the form of insurance premiums.

Renault and sister company Nissan have invested a reported $5 billion developing lines of electric vehicles for both companies, including the Nissan Leaf. Nissan's only sold about 600 Leafs in the UK since the model's launch there last spring, Heiron told Autocar, adding that Nissan is considering allowing Leaf buyers to lease the car's battery instead of buying it in order to cut the cost of the car.

The Twizy got some additional attention earlier this week by being included in the new "Plug Into The Positive Energy" exhibit at the L'Atelier Renault stage on Paris's Champs Elysées, where the EV is moved around vertically as part of a so-called "dance routine." Renault this month started selling three variations of the Twizy, with the lowest-price Urban starting at £6,690 ($10,702 U.S. at today's exchange rates) and the top-of-the-line Technic priced at £7,400 ($11,838).

Renault could sell low-speed Twizy; Nissan considering Leaf battery leases originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Renault could sell low-speed Twizy; Nissan considering Leaf battery leases

Danny King — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 22:08:00 +0000

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Renault, Lightweight, NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle), UK

Renault could sell low-speed Twizy; Nissan considering Leaf battery leases originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ampera, the Chevy Volt’s Euro sibling, wins Monte Carlo’s alt-fuel rally

Danny King — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:56:00 +0000

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, GM, Opel, Europe/EU, UK

The Chevrolet Volt's European sibling took home a checkered flag that might as well have been green instead of black and white.

The Ampera extended-range plug-in hybrid vehicle won the this year's alt-fuel version of the Rally Monte Carlo on a combination of strong driving performance and minimal consumption of fuel and electricity. In an announcement timed with the event, General Motors' UK-based Vauxhall division said it will soon sell an entry-level version of the extended-range plug-in Ampera, in addition to the two other versions already announced.

The Ampera, which will be sold as a Vauxhall vehicle in the UK and under GM's Opel division in continental Europe, beat out vehicles such as the Tesla Roadster - which won the previous two rallies - and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV (sold in the U.S. as the "i") battery-electric vehicle. In all, about 130 vehicles took part in the Rally, with Amperas also placing third, seventh, and eighth. The race, which requires that its cars emit no more than 115 grams per kilometer of C02, covered more than 500 miles over two days.

Earlier this month, the Ampera, along with the Volt, won the 2012 European Car of the Year award. Opel, like Chevy with the Volt, says the 150-horsepower Ampera can travel as far as 35 miles before a gas-powered on-board generator starts powering the electric motor.

As for the new model, details are also minimal at this point. UK-based Autocar says Vauxhall will start selling an entry-level version of the Ampera this summer that will bring its base price to £29,995 (about $47,900 U.S., at today's exchange rates), including the UK-government's 5,000-pound "plug-in grant." Trim details are not yet available.

Continue reading Ampera, the Chevy Volt's Euro sibling, wins Monte Carlo's alt-fuel rally

Ampera, the Chevy Volt's Euro sibling, wins Monte Carlo's alt-fuel rally originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daimler’s car2go car-sharing service will launch in UK this fall

Danny King — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:28:00 +0000

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Transportation Alternatives, SMART, Daimler

Daimler's about to find out of its car-sharing service translates to left-hand drive.

The automaker's Car2go will debut in the UK this fall when it starts service in Birmingham, England. Birmingham's city council approved a plan for car2go to supply as many as 250 Smart Fortwo gas-powered two-seaters, which residents can rent within a 30-square-mile radius around the city.

The service is part of Birmingham's effort to improve air quality and cut traffic. No rental rates have been disclosed.

Car2go, which has about 70,000 members throughout North America and Europe, is debuting in Washington, D.C., and Portland, OR later this month. The service, which launched in 2009 in Austin, Texas, also operates in cities such as Chicago, San Diego, Amsterdam, Vienna and Ulm, Germany.

Continue reading Daimler's car2go car-sharing service will launch in UK this fall

Daimler's car2go car-sharing service will launch in UK this fall originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mugen unveils electric superbike to contest 2012 TT Zero, announces John McGuinness as rider [w/video]

Domenick Yoney — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:50:00 +0000

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Honda, On Two Wheels, UK, Racing

The 2012 edition of the TT Zero just got a whole lot more interesting. Mugen, the Japanese performance firm who, rather significantly, lists some of its main clients as Honda Motor Co., Honda R&D Co., and Honda Motorcycle Japan Co., announced they would enter the SES TT Zero Clean Emissions Motorcycle Challenge on the Isle of Man a couple weeks ago. Now, Team Mugen has revealed both its electric superbike and rider.

John McGuinness is the chosen one, and with 17 wins on the famed 37.7-mile Snaefell Mountain Course to his name, clearly has more than just a passing knowledge of the world's most deadly asphalt circuit. When he takes to the saddle of the Mugen machine - named Shinden, meaning god of electricity - he will be aiming to be both win the race and make history by being the first to surpass the 100 mile per hour average speed aboard a battery-powered bike. This mark was just missed by Motoczysz in 2011.

Given the close relationship between Mugen and Honda, it had been widely speculated that the entry would be based on the RC-E concept debuted at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. While that bike was, indeed, quite beautiful, Shinden also has much to recommend it. Under the grasped-lightning-bolt paint lies a 3-phase, 90-kW (120.7-horsepower) DC brushless motor with 162 ft lbs of twist cradled in a lightweight twin-spar carbon fiber frame. Its 573-lb curb weight and 370-volt system suggests that it has a battery somewhere in the 14 kWh neighborhood of its competitors.

The entrance of such a high profile team and rider is sure to elevate and add legitimacy to the electric competition at the IoM Tourist Trophy races. It should also concentrate the minds of their American rivals Lightning Motors and MotoCzysz, making victory for the newcomers anything but certain. Hit the jump for footage of the unveiling of the Mugen Shinden and its race track debut demonstration.

Continue reading Mugen unveils electric superbike to contest 2012 TT Zero, announces John McGuinness as rider [w/video]

Mugen unveils electric superbike to contest 2012 TT Zero, announces John McGuinness as rider [w/video] originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Translogic drives a poo-powered car

Jeff Sabatini — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:55:00 +0000

Filed under: Volkswagen, UK, Videos

Translogic has driven a lot of interesting vehicles over the past two years. Our sister site filmed some of the first seat time in a Chevrolet Volt, drove Local Motors' Rally Fighter, got behind the wheel of an electric DeLorean, turned in the first test drive of the Lightning GT supercar, tried out the YikeBike, and even found a wacky wood-powered car called the "Beaver." You'd think there wouldn't be anything more outrageous for those guys to find seat time in. Yet they've managed to find yet another crazy transportation project with an alternative power source to top them all: human waste.

While we've written about Geneco's Bio Bug before, this episode of Translogic features an actual road test, filmed onsite at the Wessex Water waste treatment plant in England. The plant produces biogas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide gas that's used to power this Volkswagen New Beetle. The conversion sounds pretty straightforward, and is similar to adapting a gasoline engine to run on propane.

Click past the jump to see the full episode.

Continue reading Translogic drives a poo-powered car

Translogic drives a poo-powered car originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Translogic drives a poo-powered car

Jeff Sabatini — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:55:00 +0000

Filed under: Volkswagen, UK, Videos

Continue reading Translogic drives a poo-powered car

Translogic drives a poo-powered car originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK includes electric delivery vans in rebate plan; Renault Kangoo ZE now eligible

Danny King — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:49:00 +0000

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Legislation and Policy, Renault, UK

The UK's inclusion of battery-electric delivery vehicles in its alt-fuel rebate program makes Renault's Kangoo Van Z.E. eligible for the incentive, the French automaker said.

With the new plug-in program providing a rebate of as much as 20 percent of a new EV's price, Kangoo Van Z.E. buyers may get a refund of as much as 3,398 British pounds (about $5,400 U.S. at today's exchange rates) from the UK government. The Renault is one of seven battery-electric vans deemed eligible for the program, and all three versions are also exempt from the London congestion charge.

Last month, the UK government extended its electric-vehicle tax credit to 2015 and added electric vans. Personal EV buyers get as much as a 25 percent credit, up to 5,000 pounds ($7,880), making the incentive slightly more generous than the $7,500 tax credit provided by the U.S. government to EV buyers. The commercial EV credit is as much as 20 percent of the purchase price, up to 8,000 British pounds ($12,600).

The Renault differs from EVs such as the Nissan Leaf in that consumers pay for the vehicle without the battery, then rent the battery for as little as 60 British pounds a month.

Continue reading UK includes electric delivery vans in rebate plan; Renault Kangoo ZE now eligible

UK includes electric delivery vans in rebate plan; Renault Kangoo ZE now eligible originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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