Green Cars Blog

During the recent auto show in Detroit, the auto world had a glimpse of the possible Volkswagen Beetle all-electric in the form of the e-Bugster Concept.

Next month, at the Chicago Auto Show, VW will be unveiling the eco-friendly Beetle. This will not be just a concept car but a retro styled VW Beetle with a TDI engine.

The carmaker sold cars with diesel engines before. For the New Beetle which was launched back in 1998, there were engine options running on diesel sold in several markets. There was even a diesel VW Beetle in the United States from 1999 thru 2006.

VW though dropped the turbodiesel option after the 2006 M.Y. After failing to meet strict regulations on emissions. So if you are a VW fan and a diesel fan, the come back of the Beetle with TDI engine is a very good news.

The return of the diesel dependent Beetle to the US though will be the roll out of a leaner, more powerful, and cleaner VW.

The specifics about the car has not yet been released by the car manufacturer but experts are assuming that this will be the same powerplant that gives a great fuel mileage to the 2012 Passat, 2012 Jetta, and the 2012 Golf.

Most likely the 2013 Beetle TD will have a 6-speed Direct Shift transmission and a 6-speed manual gearbox just like the current Golf TDI model.

We are sure VW will release more details as the Chicago Auto Show nears. We will update you by then.

Emily Volkswagen Beetle, Chicago Auto Show, Volkswagen, VW Beetle

Size does not matter, indeed. The 2012 Fiat 500, the smallest car on the lot, is the top pick for being the safest vehicle by the IIHS or Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The IIHS ratings are very important as it has been the basis of most car buyers, in addition to the ratings from the NHTSA or National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in recent years.

The title though only applies to Fiat 500 units which rolled out of the factories after July 2011. These Fiat 500 mini cars have received the modifications needed to make rear and frontal collisions a lot safer.

It is very rare for subcompacts to become the top pic for safety but the Ford Fiesta 2011 has also done it. To be considered as the safest car, the vehicle must receive the rating “good” for front, rear, side, and rollover road accident simulation tests. The vehicle must also have an stability control system in place but this is already a federal requirement since September of this year.

The test for front crashworthiness simulates an accident happening at 40 mph. You might be familiar with how this looks like as this has been shown on television and videos over the net on how the dummies with seat belts are affected by the collision.

The side crash test subject the car into a 31 mph ramming just like what happens when a mishap happens at an intersection when a driver ignores a red light.

The rear collision is simulated at 20 mph, and the crush test subjects the roof of the vehicle to four times its weight which what happens when the car rolls over violently.

Donate Car USA allows you to donate your vehicle and qualify for a tax deduction.

Emily Fiat Fiat, Fiat 500 IIHS Rating, Ford Fiesta 2011

Last Monday, a Ford rumor has circulated on the Internet about the delayed launch of one of its models. According to the widespread rumor, the much awaited launch of the 2012 Focus Electric on will be delayed in 17 initial markets in the US. The company has an initial 19 markets for the new model. Based on the rumors, Ford would also be offering limited units of the 2012 Focus Electric in New York and California sometime towards the end of this year.

To answer the rumors that were spreading all over the Internet, the marketing manager for Ford’s electric cars, David Finnegan, issued an email that was first published in their website.

According to Finnegan’s email, the company would focus on the California and New York markets during the first phase of their production. The Ford dealers in these areas would be the first ones to schedule the retail orders. Likewise, they will be the first two markets to receive the Focus Electric car. In the spring of 2012, the rest of the markets will follow through including Durham.

The American company already made an official statement answering to the rumors by stating that there would be no delays with the launch of the 2012 Focus Electric. The official Ford statement said that the California and New York markets getting the first taste of the new cars is part of their plan.
Moreover, the statement said that the initial delivery schedule for the 2012 Focus Electric towards the end of this year would push through.

Marc K. Ford electric car news, Electric Cars, Ford Focus Electric, Ford news, green car news

Perhaps some of you didn’t know that there are Emmy Awards for the year’s best commercials. Yes there is, and we are itching to see if Nissan Leaf’s Polar Bear TVC will bring home the bacon. But competition sure is tough this year what with Super Bowl’s “Born Of Fire” TVC, and American Express’ Conan O’Brien TVC. Let’s keep our fingers crossed then.

Nissan Leaf is the first mass-produced battery-electric car. Since the car is obviously emission free, it’s good for the environment. So maybe that’s where the polar bear, which is obviously threatened by the whole global warming issue, sets in. It has also been reported that Nissan Leaf is a cinch to drive, making you feel warm, comfortable, and maybe a little bit fuzzy. Thus, the polar bear again.

In the Nissan Leaf TVC, we see a massive polar bear making its way from the melting Arctic to the suburbs where a Nissan Leaf owner is preparing to drive off to work. The polar bear reaches to the man and gives him a big, warm, and fuzzy hug.

Like all controversial TVC, Nissan Leaf’s Polar Bear ad received conflicting reviews from experts on the field. The other side praise it, the other side bantered it vehemently.

Anyway, the 2013 Nissan Leaf will be launched in showrooms in selected areas later this year including Smyrna, Tennessee. With a new voice, that of Robert Downey, Jr. and a new tag line—Innovation for all—let’s hope that the Polar Bear along with other help the carmaker reach its target sales this year.

Marc K. Uncategorized

The Cygnet, a retrimmed and rebadged Toyota iQ of Aston Martin, will have a vital role as the car manufacturer tries to meet the stricter regulations on emissions.

The EU has come up with the standards for the allowable carbon dioxide average of vehicle fleets of carmakers. The Aston Martin Cygnet will allow the company to survive in their key European markets without having to alter the engineering of their range of sports cars nor do they have to go for a V8 instead of their V12s.

The Cygnet powered by a 1.3L 96 bhp engine will cut the CO2 emissions average of Aston Martin into half with an average of around 115g/km.

The European Union’s rule will take effect by 2012 and will have different stages spread into four years. Come 2012, 65% of a carmaker’s fleet must meet the set standards while moving forward to 100% by 2015.

Small-volume manufacturers like Bentley and Aston Martin which only has between 1,000 units to 10,000 units rolling out of their factories every year can go for two options. They can compute the CO2 emission average with the production of the bigger group which they belong to or like Aston Martin, which is not part of a bigger group, can stand alone.

EU will allow Aston to have a lower target than the set 130 g/km. The car manufacturer needs to negotiate with the EU. With the current aim of selling around 1500 Cygnets every year, Aston Martin might actually meet the goals but if the car industry rebounds increasing the number of sales to around 3,000 units, this will push them to do something about their other models.

Marc K. Aston Martin, Emissions Aston Martin, CO2 Emissions, Cygnet

A recent report stated that LG Chem will be supplying lithium ion batteries for the electric vehicles manufactured by Volvo Cars Corporation, the Swedish arm of Ford Motor Company. However, the company did not disclose exactly when they will be providing these battery packs. LG has already been signed up to provide batteries for five companies in their electric car ventures.

These companies include Hyundai Motor, which is South Korea’s top electric vehicle seller; CT&T, another Korean electric vehicle manufacturer; Chan’an Automobile Group which is China’s third largest automobile manufacturer; Eaton Corp. which is an American components maker for commercial vehicles; and US car manufacturer General Motors.

Peter Bahnsuk Kim, the vice chairman of the South Korean company, stated the LG is anticipating the move of four more companies to get them as the primary supplier of batteries for their electric vehicles. By July of this year, LG Chem will also start the construction of an electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan, USA. This plant will be used to mass produce EV batteries which should meet the anticipated demand by 2012.

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Emily Volvo Batteries, Chan’an Automobile Group, General Motors, LG, LG Chem, Lithium-Ion, Volvo

There are many alternatives nowadays to cars that run solely on fossil fuels. One such alternative car fuel is hydrogen. Although there are no cars that run on hydrogen as of now, researchers have taken the development of hydrogen fuel cells a long way and now this technology has become a viable alternative to fossil fuel based engines.

The idea behind hydrogen as an alternative car fuel is actually not a complicated one. The basis of this alternative fuel is the fact that if hydrogen and oxygen come into contact with each other then a reaction occurs that results in heat, electricity, electrical charge and water. In order for a car to be powered with hydrogen, a fuel cell is required and this functions just as a battery would and supplies the power when it is needed.

The greatest advantage of hydrogen fuel is that it is extremely clean, because the only byproducts are water and heat. The efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells are also very high and already average around 50%, which is more than double of what a fossil fuel powered engine manages. The sources needed to run hydrogen powered vehicles are readily available and sustainable which means that once this technology becomes standard, it most likely will be a very low cost fuel.

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Emily Hydrogen Alternative Fuels, Hydrogen

Americans may just soon get a chance to get themselves behind the wheels of small premium cars like the Audi A1 minicar which is scheduled to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Audi A1 have been previewed before in several auto shows the past years and we can say that the A1 is very similar to the MINI Cooper looking at the premium, small segment.

The A1 is expected to have a range of powertrains from 1.2 to 1.6L and may come as a convertible and a 3-door or 5-door hatchback.

The small premium car market has been doing very well in Europe. In the United States, premium and small might not really blend well. The North American market has a tendency to equate size with value and buying smaller vehicles is not how the consumers do business. Audi thinks this way of thinking can be change and they believe that their small cars have a market to supply in the U.S.

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Emily Audi, Micro Cars Audi, Audi A1, Micro Cars, Small Cars

BMW has a very ambitious dream when it comes to having their consumers drive hybrid vehicles. They want a non-hybrid to be hybrid. This simply means that they want a hybrid vehicle drive like non-hybrid. Salute to BMW as they bring in the ActiveHybrid X6.

The ActiveHybrid X6 is the most powerful hybrid vehicle on the planet today. The hybrid boasts of 485 horsepower and an amazing torque of 575 ft-lb. The figures come as a combo of a 407hp V8 twin turbocharged 4.4L engine and a electric motors with 91 and 86hp.

We are not here to tell you about the specs of the hybrid but give you a glimpse of how it performs:

Performance

The ActiveHybrid X6 zooms from 0 to 62 miles per hour in just 5.6 seconds. This is at par with the xDrive 50i. The transmission of the vehicle worked like any other automatic transmission with the engine reacting well with the shifting and throttle very well.

If you will depend only on the battery pack, the vehicle can run for 1.6 miles and cruise at 37 mph.

Fuel Efficiency

During a test drive on mixed road conditions, the ActiveHybrid X6 averaged 20.4 miles. This performs better than any other BMW X6 running with a V8 coupled with six-speed transmission. Cruising on the freeway plotted 21 mpg. The overall efficiency is 20% better than any other X6 in BMW’s fleet.

Other factors like the looks, handling, and other accessories get two thumbs up. BMW succeeded in making a BMW hybrid that is non-hybrid.

Emily BMW, Fuel Efficiency, Hybrid Cars BMW, Hybrid, Hybrid Cars, Hybrids

Daimler’s hybrid bus Orion VII has been making waves since its launch and has now accepted more 3000 orders for it. About 2200 hybrid buses from Daimler are already on the streets while about 850 units are being awaited for roll out. Backlog of orders comes from several municipalities from Seattle, Houston, New York, Ottawa, and Puerto Rico.

Daimler is now the global manufacturer of hybrid buses. Houston, for example, runs 56 hybrid Orion VII on their streets with pending orders for 120 more buses that are expected to come through 2011. Puerto Rico also placed their order for 40 hybrid buses.

The heart of the diesel-electric Orion VII is its propulsion system called HybriDrive made by a company from Johnson City in New York, the BAE Systems. The essential series of components of the Orion VII are the diesel engine with 6.7L displacement, the generator, the electric engine, and the storage system for the lithium ion batteries.

The different parts of the bus have been optimized for the operation of the Orion VII. The acceleration and deceleration is primarily dependent on the electric motor of the bus. This ensures greener and cleaner operation achieved through maximum efficiency.

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Emily Government, Hybrid Cars, Public transport Bus, Daimler, Daimler Orion Bus, Hybrid Cars, Public transport