Archive for Hybrids, Electric vehicles, fuel cells, alternative fuel

VW-owned Spanish automaker SEAT unveiled a prototype SEAT Leon that runs on a hybrid powertrain with a fully electric mode. The SEAT Leon Twin Drive Ecomotive has plug-in charging support, and is intended to go on full electric mode in cities and switch to the combustion engine on highways. The combustion engine can either be petrol or diesel powered. SEAT did not reveal any specifications on this car in the press release, but stated the first Twin Drive cars will appear in showrooms by 2014.

Look after the jump for 3 more photos.

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Essentially what you could consider a hybrid version of the Toyota Avensis, the new Lexus HS 250h is not exactly a dedicated hybrid version by that definition but in the Lexus line-up it does come only with a hybrid powertrain, which is what Lexus means by a “dedicated hybrid vehicle”. It is powered by the 2.4 liter Atkinson cycle combustion engine and electric motor hybrid system from the Camry Hybrid. This is vehicle platform and powertrain sharing at it’s best, one that rivals the Volkswagen Group’s. We’ve previously already taken a look at the HS 250h but for the 99.9% of us that did not get to witness the HS 250h’s unveiling at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, here’s the official launch video from Detroit, along with new photos.

Click here to read the rest of Lexus HS 250h Detroit Auto Show Unveiling Video

The new third generation Toyota Prius is rated at 50mpg, but its sales may not be exceedingly spectacular during these (temporary) times of low oil prices. Prius sales dropped 45% in the end of 2008, and things are so bad across the product range that they’ve announced that they’re suspending all vehicle production in all 12 Japanese plants for 11 days over February and March.

Even if oil prices don’t rise in the near future, Toyota is hoping for the whole “greening” of America to boost Prius sales, fueled by demand from environmentally-conscious buyers, as long as they don’t find out how damaging to the environment the production of a Prius is, despite the Prius itself being a greener car than a regular sedan or hatchback.

Toyota says the new Prius is roomier, quieter, more advanced and has more equipment. It even has a moonroof equipped with a solar panel located over the rear seating area. As previously speculated, the solar panels only powers the air circulation fan for the air conditioning system, not even the whole air conditioning system! This fan can function while the car is unoccupied, which means it can keep the car’s interior cool while it is parked under the hot sun.

As for styling, the original shape has been retained since it has become iconic, defining what a hybrid should look like so much that even Honda was “inspired” by it for the new second generation Honda Insight. But it is larger, with the original shape stretched and moulded to its new proportions. The front headlamps have a unique shape to them, okay maybe not exactly unique, we recently saw the exact same thing on the new Nissan 370Z!

The Atkinson cycle engine under the hood is now larger and more powerful, clocking in at 1.8 liters on the displacement scale and putting out 98 horsepower at 5,200rpm and 142Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. The electric motor puts out 80hp and 208Nm of torque, but combined output of the two systems are 134 horsepower. Power from the two “engines” go through an electronically controlled CVT transmission. The hybrid battery pack is still a NiMH (no move to lithium ion yet). The Prius can run in 3 modes – EV, Eco and Power. EV is an electric-only mode (which can run for about 1.6km, good for short trips to the shop or mamak), while Eco and Power should be self explanatory.

There are a few engineering improvements in the new Prius over the old one, especially in teh area of the Hybrid Synergy Drive system. The transaxle is now lighter and reduces torque losses by as much as 20%. The inverter has a new direct cooling system which results in a smaller size and lighter weight. A new brake energy regeneration system has also been fitted. The system also uses exhaust gas heat to help warm up the engine during startup for improved emissions and performance. This exhaust gas heat is also used to heat up the passenger cabin more efficiently. The body uses aluminium in the hood, rear hatch, front suspension axle and brake caliper to reduce weight.

Look after the jump for a high-res gallery of the new 2010 Prius.

Click here to read the rest of 3rd Generation Toyota Prius with Hybrid Synergy Drive: Official Details and Photos

Despite it’s somewhat concept-like looks, thanks to so many car manufacturers releasing concept cars that are near production models totally changing our opinion of what a concept model looks like these days, the new 2010 Lexus HS 250h is a production model that will debut in late summer this year. But despite being a production model apparently specifications are still preliminary, though it’s very likely most if not all of what’s been released at the Detroit show will make it into the car in the showrooms this summer. It will slot in between the ES and the IS as an entry level hybrid car.

The new Lexus HS 250h is a front wheel drive sedan which has similiar proportions to the UK’s Toyota Avensis in terms of height, width and length, and in fact it shares the same 2,700mm wheelbase. In comparison, the Lexus ES/Camry’s wheelbase is 2,776mm while even the wheelbase of the IS is longer at 2,730mm. It’s amusing how a luxury American C-segment car can have a longer wheelbase than an European D-segment car, but the latter have traditionally been smaller than its American counterparts anyway. I guess that’s how superminis survive/thrive in Europe. I believe the HS is classified as a front-wheel drive non-sporty hybrid counterpart to the IS in the Lexus range, just like what the ES is to the GS (but the ES does without dedicated hybrid engine). Frankly I wonder if this is just a reskinned Euro Toyota Avensis with the Camry Hybrid’s powertrain thrown in, with the interior then loaded up with high-specs.

The drivetrain in the HS 250h is lifted from the Toyota Camry and thus retains its 2.4 liter Atkinson cycle engine, the electric motor, front wheel drive layout and CVT transmission. The engine and electric motor combination puts out a combined total output of 187 horsepower, but no torque figures have been released at this time. The engine is rated as a SULEV engine thanks to low emissions even on 87-octane gasoline. The combustion engine uses cooling piston oil jets, an optimized balance shaft rate for improved NVH properties, and a hot-air venting system mounted behind the radiator. An exhaust heat recovery system reduces the amount of time it takes to warm the engine up, thus enabling earlier activation of auto-start-stop functions.

As hybrid screams futuristic, it’s not surprising to know the interior has a decent amount of “innovations”. For one, the interior uses plant-based, carbon-neutral “Ecological Plastics” or bio-plastics in specific interior areas, or approximately 30% of the interior and luggage area. The in-car entertainment system features Bluetooth, sat radio, HDD-based sat nav, voice recognition, USB and iPod connectivity, a high-contrast multi-info display, the new Lexus “Remote Touch” iDrive-like controller, a heads-up display, a class-leading 10 airbags, and a lane keep assist system which detects lane markers on the road and adds steering torque to keep the vehicle in the center of a lane.

Look after the jump for a hi-res photo gallery of the new HS 250h.

Click here to read the rest of 2010 Lexus HS 250h dedicated hybrid with Camry Hybrid powertrain makes production debut!

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We first heard of a joint study between Mitsubishi and PSA Peugeot Citroen to evaluate a potential cooperation between the two companies on the supply of electric vehicles back in June 2008. The study also included evaluating the feasibility of shared production sites for producing components for electric vehicles.

Japanese newspaper The Nikkei (the same guys who reported the Suzuki Kizashi would be axed) now reports that the deal went through and Mitsubishi will supply the French company up to 10,000 electric cars a year by the year 2011. This could include the Mitsubishi i MiEV, which is shown above as an artist’s impression with Peugeot styling (look after the jump for a Citroen version).

PSA would benefit by getting electric car technology fast, while Mitsubishi would benefit from PSA’s vast distributor network in Europe, which would be beneficial for Mitsu’s coffers anyway since they are the supplier, despite the cars not having Mitsubishi badges.

Source

Click here to read the rest of Nikkei: Mitsubishi to supply 10,000 electric cars a year to PSA Peugeot Citroen?

Here we go again, low-res product photos of soon to be unveiled products always get leaked out a week or two before their official proper unveiling date, and this time it’s the new 2nd generation Honda Insight hybrid. The Insight will make its debut at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show in March, but here we get to see full details of the production version more than 2 months earlier. In the photo gallery after the jump you will be able to see many angles of the exterior as well as close-ups of the car’s features, but they are far from high-res though. Also shown is a close-up of the car’s digital speedometer which changes colour according to your driving pattern in order to let you know whether you are driving fuel efficiently or not. Honda calls this the Ecological Drive Assist System.

Click here to read the rest of Production Honda Insight Hybrid images leaked ahead of Geneva 2009 debut

Toyota is apparently working on an electric vehicle that uses solar panels installed on the vehicle to recharge itself, according to Japanese business daily The Nikkei. It is of course just one way other than brake energy regeneration to recharge the car’s batteries. The car will also support plug-in charging, which could also be solar-sourced via solar panels installed on a home’s roof.

This piece of news seems to coincide with the fact that it’s battery partner Panasonic will be acquiring Sanyo, which is supposed to be a leader in solar energy technology. However, The Nikkei did not cite any sources when producing the report.

First talk of a Toyota powered by solar panels surfaced in July last year, also from The Nikkei. That report was followed by another one by Reuters which claimed the solar panels would be sourced from Kyocera, and would only produce enough power to run a car’s air conditioning, which kinda makes sense – a car’s air conditioning unit is probably run at full blast during a hot day, with plenty of sunlight!

The Reuters report also carried a quote which said it would be very difficult for solar energy to power anything more than that in real time, so it is more of a symbolic gesture, one that will be eating into the cost of the car, so it will truly be only for the rich and green-conscious for the time being,

There are actually solar cars around, heard of the World Solar Challenge? Participants race across the Australian continent in solar cars that weigh only about less than 200kg, have good aerodynamics, are quite large because of the many solar panels that need to be installed on the car, and can typically go up to a top speed of between 130km/h to 140km/h. Also, a company called Solar Electric Vehicles based in the US provides a service that retrofits the Toyota Prius and other Toyota hybrids with solar panels that can provide up to 1200 watt hours a day of energy.

Pininfarina will stop doing contract manufacturing for automakers after its current manufacturing contracts expire in end-2011. It currently builds the Alfa Romeo Brera and the Ford Focus coupe-cabriolet, but volumes have been only about 25% of what was originally planned. It doesn’t mean Pininfarina will be shutting down its production lines though, as they will be used for its Pininfarina B0 electric car (pronounced B-Zero, image shown above), set to go into pilot production in 2010. The Pininfarina B0 is a joint development together with French comapny Bollore.

Everything seems to be going downhill for the Italian company ever since its chairman and CEO Andrea Pininfarina died in a scooter crash sometime last year. The Pininfarina family will no longer be in control this year, as 50.6% of its shares will be transferred to the banks that the company owes money to in exchange for writing off 180 million Euros of the total 597.7 million Euros that the company owes to the banks. The Pininfarina family shares in the company that bears their name will total to only about 4.5% after the share transfer. The banks will be the new controlling shareholder, however they will not ask for any board seats or management changes.

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A Youtube video seems to have surfaced on the internet with stills of a Japanese market Honda Insight brochure, revealing to us abit more of the production hybrid vehicle that Honda will be exhibiting at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show in January next year.

The shots also reveal that Honda has also gotten ready a Modulo kit for the Insight, for those who want to go green but still look stylish at the same time. Two choices of interior colour are available – something dark and the other is beige.

With the tax-exemption on hybrid cars in Malaysia right now, will Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd offer this here? It all depends on whether they see a market for it and whether they can get an allocation from Japan. Speaking of Honda hybrids, the Civic Hybrid has still not been priced properly yet!

Source

Click here to read the rest of JDM Honda Insight Hybrid brochures leaked in a YouTube video?

Lexus will be displaying a dedicated hybrid vehicle at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show next month. A dedicated hybrid vehicle is essentially a model that can only be had with a hybrid powertrain, unlike cars like existing Lexus hybrids which are hybrid versions of models that are also available with regular combustion engines (current Lexus hybrids are the RX450h, GS450h and LS600h).

The new Lexus dedicated hybrid is rumoured to be called the Lexus HS250h and will be exhibited in concept form, with a production version only due in North American showrooms in late 2009 as a 2010 model. The HS250h indicates a relatively small engine compared to the lumps in the 450h and 600h models.

The word is that the Toyota Camry hybrid’s 2.4 liter Atkinson cycle engine coupled with an electric motor will be used. That means front wheel drive, 147hp and 187Nm of torque from the combustion engine, and 40hp with 270Nm from the electric motor, or at least that’s what the motor makes in the Camry. It could be upgraded for Lexus use. If this is true, the new HS250h would probably be based on the Camry platform as well, turning it into a new hybrid-only “Lexus ES”.