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Bentley is bridging the gap between its formidable past and its alternative fuel future with the FlexFuel Supersports Convertible. This sporty convertible prototype is going to be presented at the Geneva Motor Show next week. Bentley used the name of its 1925 racing model to show that it is still committed to powerful and well-designed vehicles. The British automaker is taking a step toward alternative fuels with its FlexFuel system.
The Bentley FlexFuel system is designed ...
Volvo Trucks first introduced hybrid commercial vehicles in London this past summer with six hybrid buses. The automaker is preparing to roll out an as-yet-unnamed hybrid garbage truck in the London market by 2012 according a press release last week. Veolia Environmental Science will use these garbage trucks on daily routes throughout central London. Volvo Trucks conducted 18 months of testing in Stockholm and Goteborg before establishing this agreement with Veolia.
The key element of the Volvo Trucks ...
The United Kingdom’s Committee on Climate Change solicited reports from several consultancies last year to determine the region’s green vehicle future. The Committee on Climate Change received reports from Element Energy and AEA Technology last week that clear up the future of clean vehicles in the UK. The Element Energy report demonstrates the difficult balance between existing EV technology and the tendencies of commuters. The ...
Honda is using the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show to highlight advancements in its hybrid and all-electric vehicle lines. The Japanese automaker leads off its Tokyo Motor Show presentation with a production version of its CR-Z hybrid. The CR-Z hybrid first premiered in Tokyo in 2007 and Honda has spent the past two years turning the concept into reality. This six-speed manual hybrid will be ready to move from factories to sales floors by the end of 2010.
The Tokyo Motor Show may help launch additional ...
(Photo by constantly_Jair on Flickr)
The Department of Energy is using $777 million from its annual budget and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to invest in alternative energy research through 2013. Secretary Steven Chu officially released the list of 46 Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) that will receive research grants as part of this initiative. The DOE plans to supply funds in full to 16 EFRCs and spread ...
German automaker Opel’s future has appeared murky recently as parent firm General Motors struggles to stay alive. The company showed confidence in its long-term survival by unveiling five liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) models last week to be released in the European market. Opel will produce its Zafira, Astra, Meriva and two versions of its Corsa supermini powered with gas/LPG systems. Each model will feature a fuel switch to change from LPG to gas power and back with one push of a button.
Opel highlighted several ...
New York-based Ener1 Inc. will work with Volvo to manufacture PHEV demonstration versions of the automaker’s V70 wagon. Ener1’s lithium-ion batteries will be placed within Volvo PHEV systems for a duo of demonstration vehicles about to hit European roads this summer. Swedish utility Vattenfall is helping Volvo finance the battery purchase as well as the costs of running these tests over the next three years. The long-term goal for Volvo, Vattenfall and Ener1 is to get PHEVs on the road by 2012.
The ...
The familiar white box trucks that deliver packages and letters for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will get greener over the next five years. The federal government’s General Services Administration (GSA) recently purchased 6,500 replacement vehicles in an effort to remove old USPS trucks from the road. The USPS plans to add 1,000 E-85 trucks, 900 gas/electric hybrid trucks and 4,600 fuel-efficient gas trucks to its fleet by 2014. By simply swapping 6,500 gas-guzzling trucks for more efficient models, the USPS is taking huge leaps toward a cleaner ...
Commercial vehicle producers in the United States will have another source for hybrid drive trains if the recent announcement of a partnership between ZF Friedrichshafen (ZF) and ISE Corporation comes to fruition. The companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding last week that outlined future collaboration on development, implementation and marketing of parallel hybrid drive systems. California-based ISE Corporation and Germany-based ...
(Photo by Alex Johnson on Flickr)
President Barack Obama continued his efforts to encourage efficient and eco-friendly vehicles in the United States with last week’s announcement on fuel mileage and emissions. Obama announced plans for a minimum miles per gallon (MPG) rating of 35.5 MPG for every car, truck and SUV sold in the United States by 2016. This average rating takes into account a 39 MPG rating for cars and a 30 MPG rating on light-duty trucks and ...
