Posts Tagged ‘alternative power’
Startup claims it can produce 250,000 units.
by Michael Strong on May.09, 2013
Elio Motor's three-wheel vehicle will be on roads in 2014.
Elio Motors, a small startup automaker operating out of an old GM plant, introduced the key suppliers for its three-wheeled, two-seat car while revealing a few more details about the vehicle and one of the prototypes yesterday.
The 800-pound three-wheeler will sell for $6,800 and the company already has 13,000 orders. There are two markets for the car, according to Paul Elio, the company’s founder and CEO, first-time car buyers and someone with a larger vehicle, like a Cadillac Escalade, who is looking for an inexpensive commuter vehicle.
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The company took over a portion of GM’s former plant in Shreveport, La. earlier this year and expects to begin production of the car, which they say will get 49 mpg city and 84 mpg highway and get a five-star crash rating, next June.
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Tags: 3-wheelers, GM Shreveport, TheDetroitBureau.com., alternative power, auto news, battery cars, car news, elio motors, gm news, gm trust, high-mileage cars, michael strong, thedetroitbureau
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“The realization of a dream.”
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Apr.04, 2013
CEO Albert Lam pulls the covers off the new Detroit Electric SP:01 sports car.
Detroit has become home to a fourth U.S. automaker, albeit one with modest if promising ambitions to do things quite differently from the familiar Big Three.
Reviving a brand name that last built cars nearly three-quarters of a century ago, a small group of automotive and consumer electronics veterans have resurrected the old Detroit Electric badge and promise to have their first new product, the SP:01 sports car, in production by late this coming summer.
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Made of exotic lightweight materials including bonded aluminum and carbon fiber, officials promise the Detroit Electric SP:01 will be the fastest battery-electric vehicle, or BEV, on the market, launching from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds and topping out at 155 mph. They also promise a range of up to 180 miles per charge.
And while the first offering will carry a steep price, $135,000 before federal and other credits, the start-up maker is promising to follow up with four more mainstream models, including two due next year that will come in at barely a quarter of the SP:01’s price.
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Tags: albert lam, alternative power, auto news, battery car, battery sports car, car news, detroit battery car, detroit electric, detroit electric lotus, detroit electric news, detroit electric sp01, electric vehicles, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, sp01, tesla motors, thedetroitbureau
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Elio promising an affordable 3-wheeler by 2014.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jan.04, 2013
Elio plans to sell the tadpole-shaped 3-wheeler for just $6,800. It promises up to 84 mpg.
A small start-up that hopes to begin producing a new high-mileage automobile in mid-2014 has taken over an abandoned General Motors plant near Shreveport, Louisiana.
Elio Motors plans to use about a third of the 1.8 million square foot facility, one of 89 properties GM shuttered in the wake of its 2009 bankruptcy. The company hopes to begin hiring the first of 1,500 new workers about a year from now, though it is unclear whether it will seek out the employees who previously staffed the GM facility.
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“We go into production 18 months from now, and so we will begin hiring around 12 months from now,” said Elio CEO Paul Elio.
The plans call for the production of a significantly different vehicle than what GM had previously built in Shreveport, which included a small Hummer SUV and, just before the factory’s closure, the midsize Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups. Elio is developing a tadpole-shaped 3-wheeler that promises to deliver high mileage for a low price tag.
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Tags: 3-wheelers, GM Shreveport, alternative power, auto news, battery cars, car news, elio motors, gm news, gm trust, high-mileage cars, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, paul elio, thedetroitbureau
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Judges swayed by mix of powertrain options.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.29, 2012
Ford plans to play up its Green Car award in spots coming soon to a TV near you.
Despite the popular media’s fixation on battery power, automotive insiders are quick to caution that there is no “silver bullet” solution, no single technology that will likely meet all the needs for tomorrow’s clean and efficient automobiles.
That message was hammered home by the choice of the 2013 Ford Fusion as the Green Car of the Year, an award designed to focus the spotlight on the latest clean-tech automobiles.
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A key to the decision was the fact that the new midsize sedan offers a broad range of powertrain alternatives, from conventional gasoline power up to an all-new plug-in hybrid.
“That’s an example of automotive democracy,” said Ron Cogan, publisher of Green Car Journal, the organizer of the annual award.
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Tags: 2013 ford fusion, Ecoboost, LA Auto Show, alternative power, ford fusion green car, fusion car of the year, green car journal, green car of the year, hybrid vehicles, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, prius c, thedetroitbureau
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Largest-ever purchase of battery vehicles.
by Joseph Szczesny on Nov.20, 2012
Ford will officially introduce the new C-Max Energi plug-in at the LA Auto Show.
General Electric plans to purchase 2,000 Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrids in what is described as the largest-ever plug-in electrified vehicle fleet sale.
The move is part of GE’s commitment to convert half of its global fleet to alternative fuel vehicles. The maker has also said it will purchase Chevrolet Volt plug-ins as part of that switch the battery power and other cleaner technologies.
“At GE, we are focused on providing our customers and our fleet with more economically and environmentally efficient vehicles,” Mark Vachon, vice president of ecomagination, said. “The Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid is a great addition to our expanding fleet of alternative fuel vehicles.”
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Ford claims the C-MAX Energi is America’s most fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid with a 108 MPGe city rating from the Environmental Protection Agency and a 620-mile single-tank range. That apparently appealed to GE since the vehicles will be used by the giant conglomerate’s sales and service professionals – many who drive more mileage daily than average commuters.
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Tags: Chevrolet Volt, Ford Ecoboost, alternative power, auto news, car news, ford c-max, ford c-max energi, ford news, ge battery cars, ge buys ford c-max energi, ge chevy volt, ge news, ge plug-in hybrids, joe szczesny, thedetroitbureau
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California drivers now can fill up on algae-based bio-diesel.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.16, 2012
An algae biofuel production system.
No, you can’t simply pump the green scum that forms on your swimming pool into your gas tank, but motorists in the San Francisco area now can fill up on a new biofuel derived from algae.
There are plenty of proponents searching for ways to replace petroleum with renewable fuels, though some alternatives, such as corn-based ethanol, have come under fire, especially in the wake of last summer’s nationwide drought. But the biofuel system developed by South San Francisco-based Solazyme, Inc. won’t tap the food supply.
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“We are putting a stake in the ground,” said Matt Horton, chief executive officer of Propel Fuels, which is supplying the fuel to four stations near San Francisco and which would like to expand distribution to “hundreds of stations like this in California.”
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Tags: Biodiesel, alternative fuels, alternative power, auto news, biofuel, california alternate fuels, car news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, solazyme, thedetroitbureau
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They look – but will they buy?
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Aug.09, 2012
Americans are showing a growing interest in hybrids - at least in the polls.
Hybrid vehicles have landed on the radar of a growing number of American motorists, according to a new Harris Poll. Nearly a third will consider buying one of the high-mileage vehicles and almost a quarter of those surveyed indicating they’re more interested in hybrids than just a year ago.
On the other hand, 59% of American motorists already expect to buy a conventionally powered vehicle the next time they’re in the market. And, if history holds true in the near future, the vast majority of those who now seem to be open to hybrids will stick with more conventional technology, as well.
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Nonetheless, “This survey shows that automakers are starting to win over consumer confidence in hybrid vehicles, especially with younger drivers,” said Mike Chadsey, Vice President, Automotive Solutions Consultant, Harris Interactive. “While this appears to be driven in large part by personal economic needs to reduce fuel expenses, automakers seem to be making a strong case for the performance and reliability of hybrid vehicles compared to traditional options.”
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Tags: Toyota Prius, alternative power, american motorists hybrids, auto news, car news, diesel survey, electric vehicles, hybrid buyers, hybrid sales, hybrid survey, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Protean offers radically alternative electric drive technology.
by Joseph Szczesny on Jul.13, 2012
Protean wants to revolutionize electric propulsion with its unique hub-mounted, or in-wheel, electric motors.
Investors from China and Silicon Valley combined Wednesday to raise $84-million for a Detroit-based startup, Protean Electric Inc., which has developed technology to propel cars and trucks using motors mounted directly inside a vehicle’s wheels.
Protean, which bills itself as a clean technology firm, is considered a leader in so-called hub motor electric drive systems and the new capital will be used to bring the company’s technology to production by establishing manufacturing facilities in Liyang, China, executive said.
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“With this round of investment in place, Protean Electric is now positioned to move aggressively to production and into the market,” said Bob Purcell, chairman and chief executive officer of Protean Holdings Corp.
The timing could prove particularly significant as the China State Council has just announced plans to promote a rapid expansion in electric and other alternative propulsion systems between now and 2020. Protean hopes its alternative approach to using battery power will give it a leg up on more traditional electric motor suppliers.
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Tags: alternative power, battery cars, battery-electric vehicles, china electric vehicles, chinese battery cars, electric vehicles, joe szczesny, protean china, protean motors, thedetroitbureau
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Proponents push for shift to cheap, plentiful petrol alternative.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.06, 2012
Supplier IMPCO Automotive will handle conversions of GM vans and pickups to use low-cost, cleaner CNG.
It’s a good week for those who’d like to see American motorists shift from imported oil to the plentiful domestic supply of natural gas. Chrysler plans to announce today that it will offer an NGV option for its big Ram pickup – following the lead of General Motors which will offer bi-fuel packages for both its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra.
Momentum has slowly been growing for natural gas power after years of neglect. That appears to reflect several factors – notably the increased availability of the fuel from domestic sources, the fact that CNG produces less CO2 per mile than petroleum products, and the rapidly rising cost of gasoline.
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Until recently, Honda was the only maker marketing natural gas-powered vehicles – notably a dedicated version of the 2012 Civic model. But the list could grow rapidly – though the biggest challenge remains finding ready locations to fill up.
That’s led GM to go the bi-fuel route with the heavy-duty versions of its Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. Motorists will be able to choose between CNG and regular gasoline on the fly. When one tank runs dry they’ll be able to hot a switch and keep going, something that should be doubly appealing to work truck users who want to hold down costs but avoid service disruptions.
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Tags: alternative fuels, alternative power, auto news, car news, chevrolet news, chevrolet silverado cng, chevy silverado cng, chrysler news, gm cng, gm news, gmc sierra cng, honda civic cng, natural gas vehicles, ngvs, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, ram news, ram pickup cng, thedetroitbureau
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Spark also to debut new global family of small gas engines.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Oct.12, 2011
Chevrolet will offer both a battery version of the new spark and a conventional gas model using an all-new engine family.
General Motors will introduce its first pure battery-electric vehicle, or BEV, sometime in 2013, basing it off the next-generation Chevrolet Spark platform.
The Spark EV initially will be sold in “select” urban markets around the world, including Southern California. It will then roll out to other parts of the world, with GM officials anticipating a slow ramp-up of demand for the vehicle – and for electric vehicles in general.
The Spark minicar will also be among the first GM models to make use of an all-new line of 3- and 4-cylinder Ecotec engines GM plans to bring to market in an effort to both improve fuel-efficiency and expand its own economies of scale,
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Demand for the new Spark battery car “will be slow,” acknowledged Jim Federico, GM’s small car engineering chief, as “Customers need to get comfortable and used to” the new technology. Nonetheless, GM officials said they recognize that the global push for cleaner, higher-mileage products will require the expanded use of “electrification” in all its various forms.
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Tags: BEVs, alternative power, auto news, battery-electric vehicles, car news, chevrolet news, chevrolet spark ev, chevy battery car, chevy electric vehicle, chevy news, chevy spark battery car, chevy spark ev, electric cars, gm news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, spark battery car, thedetroitbureau
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