Car Pool Lane Extension Likely in California

December 31, 2010 is the last day hybrids will be allowed as solo drivers into the carpool lane in Calfiornia, unless the current bill on extending the privilege passes in the legislature.Lawmakers are working on a bill extend HOV access to 'alternative fuel vehicles' including electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and CNG vehicles into the diamond lane.The reprieve for hybrid owners in the current bill would extend the end date to July 1, 2011.Considering how much those car pool lane stickers are worth to owners, this is a big deal to hybrid car...

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New Standard for Measuring Hybrids and Plug-ins Fuel Economy

The trouble with measuring fuel efficiency of a vehicle that doesn't necessarily use gas is a tough one. Just look at the ridiculous numbers floating around for the Volt (230 mpg) and the Nissan Leaf (an electric vehicle!). I mean, really, what does an MPG rating for an electric vehicle mean to anyone? You quickly get the idea that some sort of standard needs to be worked out. And not the same one that works for gas-only vehicles. Plug-ins or Electric Range Extended Vehicles (E-REV), in particular, are tough. If you can drive 40 miles on...

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Tesla IPO, the First Car IPO in 50 Years

Tesla announced their IPO at $17 a share, beginning today on NASDAQ. That's a dollar more than what was reported yesterday. It puts their market capitalization at nearly $1.6 billion.In comparison, Ford who was the last car company to go public in 1956, was selling just under $10 this morning.The company is still losing money and will continue to do so until they start selling the Model S in significant numbers. That doesn't bother the CEO, though."We are a Silicon Valley company. Closer to an Apple or Google than to a GM or Ford in the way...

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Tesla CEO Selling Million Shares During IPO Tomorrow

Tesla founder and CEO is adding an additional 909,212 of his personal shares to the IPO in one day of Tesla. Musk will still be the largest shareholder, with 28.4 percent, after the shares are sold. (Source: Techcrunch)He and others (including Musk's family) are looking to cash out on some of their shares during the IPO. Shares are expected to sell between $14 and $16.Other major shareholders include Daimler (through an investment arm called Blackstar Investco) with 8 percent of the shares, and the third largest will be the government of Abu...

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2010 HS 250h Safety Recall

The 2010 Lexus 250h is under recall for the possibility of excess fuel leak in an accident.During a crash test, when the vehicle was rotated on its longitudinal axis to each successive increment of 90 degrees, fuel spillage exceeded a set amount limit. Since fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire, the HS has been recalled.Toyota has not provided a remedy for this campaign or has not determined when the safety recall is expected to begin. owners may contact lexus at 1-800-255-3987. Or owners can contact the...

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Honda Fit Hybrid Will be the Cheapest Hybrid by Far

If this is true, the new Fit Hybrid really would become the hybrid for the rest of us (unlike the Insight).Reuters has a report out of Japan putting the new Honda Fit Hybrid at 1.5 million yen ($16,570). That's 400,000 yen less than the Insight and only 200,000 yen more than the Fit.That sort of pricing is exactly what people had hoped for when Honda said the Insight was going to be the hybrid for everyone. And it's exactly what most people hope for when they see a truly small hybrid car appear on the mark...

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Hyundai Hybrid News Goes Wild the Past Couple of Days

Hyundai has been in the news a few times the past few days, indicating very positive things for the car company (if you're into fuel economy and hybrids).A couple of days ago, Hyundai chief executive officer John Krafcik let it be known they expect the Sonata hybrid to hit 40 mpg. That would, if it's true as well as the rumours on the price tag ($26,000), make it fiercely competitive with the Ford Hybrid.Also, Hyundai will introduce a dedicated hybrid (no gas-only version) starting in 2012, with a plug-in version in the works for 2013. Both the...

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Lotus Range Extender Becoming More Real

The Lotus Range Extender Engine is moving from concept to production. If it sells, it will provide manufacturers a much faster method of moving into the Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV) market. That means they can move to lower emissions and higher fuel efficiency for less money than developing their own system (like GM and the Chevy Volt).Lotus Engineering and Fagor Ederlan completed a joint technical and market study analysing the best...

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2011 Honda CR-Z Price (MSRP) Announced

Honda announced the base price on the 2011 Honda CR-Z.  At $19,200, the base model will be one of the least expensive hybrids available for some time to come (excludes $750 destination and handling charge).  The all new 'sporty' two seat hybrid coupe will be on sale at the end of August.The hybrid CR-Z, unlike what you might expect, is designed for performance, not fuel efficiency.  So, despite being a small two-seater, the fuel efficiency...

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Concepts Dominated by Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

Nissan Leaf Takes Top Spot in Concept AwardsThe 2010 North American Concept Vehicle Awards were 'dominated' by hybrid and electric cars. The Nissan Leaf, Audi E-tron and BMW Vision EfficientDynamics won the awards.No US automaker, who were too busy dealing with bankruptcy last year, won any of the awards. The number of awards were dropped from 5 to 3 for the same reason.Despite that, these awards are a good indicator of how automakers are thinking...

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2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, 41 MPG is official

2011 MKZ HybridFord announced the EPA has certified the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid will get a 41 mpg city/ 36 mpg highway rating, making it one of the most fuel efficient cars on the road. And it will be the most fuel efficient compared to its competitors, specifically the 2010 Lexus HS 250h, which gets 35 mpg city/ 35 mpg highway. The 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid goes on sale in the fall.Press Release follows:DEARBORN, Mich., June 16, 2010 – Lincoln’s first-ever...

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Toyota Building the Corolla in Mississippi, not the Prius

Toyota has restarted their plant construction in Blue Springs, Mississippi, in another indication the recent recall hasn't ruined their business. If they're willing to expand production, they must be planning on selling those extra cars.Which is good news for the 2,000 people Toyota plans on hiring in Mississippi. But, unfortunately for those of us who are interested in hybrids, Toyota will be building the Corolla instead of the Prius. As of now, every Prius sold in the states is built in Japan. Which means the sales rush there (the Prius is...

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Valeo Turns Off Your Car

Valeo will be providing their stop-start system to PSA Peugeot Citroen. The second generation start-stop system, called i-StARS, will be integrated into the Peugeot and Citroen models with HDi diesel engines. Valeo says that by 2013, a million vehicles will have the system in place.That's good news. A start-stop system can increase fuel efficiency by up to 15% in congested urban areas according to their estimates. The system turns off the engine when the car comes to a stop, say at red lights or in congestion.An average decrease of 5g/km in...

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Prius Halo is Starting to Erode

The Prius halo is starting to erode. No, not because of recalls.  Instead those who want to project a green image are contemplating the next big thing. With the advent of the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, I'm seeing more and more stories on how people, towns, or companies are looking to buying an electric or plug-in electric car, not just a hybrid.For instance, the city of El Paso is buying 20 hybrid vehicles to create a 'Green Fleet.' But they are already planning on buying a Leaf to 'test it out' while installing charging stations.Marty...

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Hybrid Trucks, Who Are They Good For

It's a bias I have. I don't see any real use for hybrid trucks and SUVs like the Silverado, Yukon, Sierra or Tahoe. I do get the appeal of the Escalade Hybrid, an upscale SUV built for the show-stoppers made 'greener' to help project an image the buyer wants. Yes, he or she is driving a monster SUV with all the 'bling' but he or she still cares for the environment.Verizon buys 576 Hybrid Silverados: USA Today, Nitrobahn, GM Press Release.But I never understood who GM could market the Silverado to. In my mind, the person buying a large truck...

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Nissan Leaf Ad Hits the New iPhone

The Nissan Leaf ad is pretty cool, if you're into geeky stuff or electric cars, or the chance to win an electric car.I love the graphic showing the distance you can travel on a dollar, but I'm guessing there's little about how far you can travel on a battery ;-)From Engadget: "Wow, actually a pretty amazing ad. If you're a geek, you will love it."The ad will go live on July 1st and give new iPhone owners a chance to win a Nissan Leaf (unless Steve...

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2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Gets Tax Credit

$900 Tax Credit an Incentive?The $103,000 BMW 7 ActiveHybrid just got a little less expensive. The federal tax credit was announced to be $900. Not much of an incentive, I guess.  But if you qualify, something is better than nothing.And I might add, it's not wrong. The Beemer Hybrid may be expensive. The tax credit may be going to people who can afford the car and don't need it. And this hybrid was designed for power and speed, not fuel...

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Prius is Number One For One Year

The Prius was once again the top selling car in Japan. That makes it one year since Toyota and their small hybrid took it away from the Honda Insight, just after the new generation Prius was launched.According to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA) and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association, Toyota sold 27,208 Prius in Japan last month. And there's still a six month waiting list, so Toyota will continue to dominate for some time to co...

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China Sets Subsidies for Electric Cars

China is getting into the electric car game the same way the US and Japan did, using subsidies. The Chinese government is offering 50,000 yuan (over $7,000) to those who buy a plug-in hybrid car, and 60,000 yuan (over $8,500) to those who buy an all electric car. Those who just buy more fuel efficient cars (smaller engines of 1.6-litres or less) can get 3,000 yuan. (Source: Reuters)The subsidies are available in five cities and are an effort to cut back on pollution and fuel use. The subsidies are set to expire after 50,000 cars are soldUnlike...

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Toyota to Move Highlander Hybrid Production to Indiana

Toyota is moving production of the Highlander Hybrid into Indiana. This will free up the production in Japan to go elsewhere and allow for an increase in sales here.When sales spiked in Japan, hybrid car components and cars were so backed up that it has impacted the number of hybrid cars Toyota can sell in the US. With the vehicle production being moved here, that should improve. Although, since the engines will still be produced in Japan, there's a limit on how much can be done.About 7,000 units are produced a month at the Indiana plant, and...

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Fisker Raises Another $188 Million to Launch Karma

Fisker has raised another $188 million, including $115 million from the US government. The money will be used to begin producing their plug-in hybrid electric car, the Karma. The total includes $35 million they raised in private equity.The launch of the Karma has been delayed a couple of times, as Fisker has worked to increase the funding it needs. Fisker plans on selling the Karma for $87,900, while the lower cost 'family sedan' Nina will cost almost half of that. The Nina will be built in 2012 at an old GM pla...

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