The Honda Insight is competitive with the Toyota Prius in terms of loyalty among green vehicle fans. Honda went further to cement this reputation with a report on Insight mileage improvements at last week’s 2010 SAE Hybrid Vehicle Technologies Symposium. Honda representatives indicated that Insights using the new Eco Assist System could improve fuel mileage between 10% and 20% over 300 drives. This fuel mileage study was conducted on 5,000 selected Insights around the United States from February to August 2009. ...





The Volkswagen Touareg has been a favorite among soccer moms and SUV fans since its introduction in 2002. This popular SUV has been given the hybrid treatment with Volkswagen presenting the Touareg Hybrid at Munich’s Postpalast last week. Volkswagen plans to introduce this hybrid SUV in Europe and North America in the near future to make inroads in the green vehicle market. The automaker claims that the Touareg Hybrid features a 20% improvement in fuel consumption compared to the standard model.

The heart of the Touareg ...





The city of London is following in the footsteps of Vancouver, Beijing and other Olympic cities in making its city look progressive. London’s 2012 Olympics bid has accelerated the timetable for introducing greener vehicles to city streets. Mayor Boris Johnson has spoken out about the need to reduce emissions by 2012. London is updating its ubiquitous double deckers with greener versions in the near future. Eco City Vehicles PLC, which produces the official taxi for London, took a step toward cleaner transportation last week with the introduction ...





Swiss automotive firm Protoscar introduced an all-electric sports coup called the LAMPO at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. The firm is looking to build on this demonstration vehicle with the LAMPO2 prototype at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. Both versions of the LAMPO sports car are currently being tested at Grand Prix courses throughout Europe. Protoscar is also interested in sending out both prototypes for public demonstrations, thus showing the potential for stylish EVs.

Protoscar cited ...





Kia Motors has been aggressive in the last year as it seeks to gobble up more market share amongst first-time buyers. The automaker’s Kia Forte has become ubiquitous on American streets as consumers look for affordable but stylish entry-level vehicles. The Kia Design Center America in Irvine, California is responsible for innovative models like the Soul, the Forte and the Forte Koup. Kia has also come out with innovative advertisements to attract consumers unfamiliar with the brand. The next step in Kia’s evolution is the Ray ...





Ford is expanding on previous announcements about its Transit Connect battery-electric vehicle (BEV) at the Chicago Auto Show. The company is pinning its hopes in the green vehicle market on the popularity of the Transit Connect along with the Connect Taxi. After the Transit Connect hits streets in late 2010, Ford plans to introduce an EV version of the Focus in 2011 and a plug-in hybrid in 2012. In the meantime, Ford seems to be catering to the commercial fleet market in order to build some credibility in the green ...





Yellow Cab Chicago signed a 10-year contract last week to receive compressed natural gas (CNG) and fueling equipment from Clean Energy Fuels Corp. The cab company wants to immediately incorporate 100 CNG taxis into a fleet of 3,000 taxis running under Yellow Cab subsidiaries like Yellow and Checker. CNG taxis in Chicago will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also decrease fuel costs in the long term.

The Yellow Cab Chicago/Clean Energy Fuels Corp. agreement includes provisions for two fueling stations at the ...





TH!NK made some splashes at the Washington Auto Show at the end of January. The EV automaker announced a partnership with AeroVironment Inc. on EV demonstration and commercialization projects in the United States. TH!NK plans to incorporate AeroVironment’s fast-charging system into future models of the TH!NK City EV. The company’s fast-charge unit uses a protocol from Tokyo Electric Power Company that streamlines electrical current for faster charges. TH!NK hopes that the AeroVironment charging unit ...





Keio University created SIM-Drive Corp. as a separate entity to develop electric vehicle (EV) technology. SIM-Drive Corp. representatives have already stated that they won’t produce vehicles but license technology and provide research to automakers. To this end, SIM-Drive Corp. recently announced a partnership with 34 public and private partners to develop a new EV prototype. In addition to local and state governments, SIM-Drive Corp. will work with Mitsubishi and Isuzu on an innovative EV design.

Researchers ...





The Renault-Nissan Alliance has spent the past decade developing partnerships with cities worldwide on clean vehicle infrastructure. The 2010 release of the Nissan LEAF EV gives this alliance a new asset to sell to cities and public utilities interested in such partnerships. Renault-Nissan added yet another city to its growing list of partners last week. The city of Orlando and the Orlando Utilities Commission will work ...


| All Contents Copyright © 2009