2011 Lexus CT 200h

The Lexus CT 200h is a full hybrid luxury vehicle through and through. Introduced at the Geneva Auto Show, the hybrid Lexus provides full luxury in a compact vehicle hybrid. The 1.8 litre motor is paired with an electric generator to provide power in four different drive modes. Each mode allows the driver to choose how he wants the hybrid to respond. Sport, eco, ev, and normal. To maximize fuel efficiency, the outer design was selected to minimize...

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Jaguar C-X75 Extended Range Electric Vehicle

Jaguar C-X75Jaguar has introduced the C-X75 plug-in concept. The Extended Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV) from Jaguar has two gas micro-turbine from Bladon Jets along with two switched reluctance generators from SR Drives. The generators move the car along, while the gas turbines are there to recharge the battery that powers the generators. Along with the above, four traction motors located on each wheel provide a total drive power of 580 kW/780...

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Volvo Wants to Charge Up Your Car in a Different Way

Image from MotorTrendVolvo, and nine other corporations, are looking to put the battery pack you might find in a plug-in vehicle (either electric or plug-in hybrid electric into a different place.By using composite materials, they are examining the possibility of putting the battery into the body of the car.  The fun image they have at MotorTrend shows how much of the body would be taken up.The composite material consists of carbon fiber and...

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Honda IMA Hybrid for Less in Europe

2011 Jazz Hybrid to Debut in ParisHonda is debuting the Jazz Hybrid at the Paris Auto Show. Due out as a 2011 model, the newest IMA hybrid is built using the Honda hybrid system used in the sporty CR-Z hybrid and Insight. The Jazz hybrid will still have the same interior space, despite the addition of the electric motor and battery pack. The control unit and battery have been placed under the boot floor. The 'Magic Seats' still fold entirely...

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Kelley Blue Books Says Now is the Best Time to Buy a Used Hybrid

Kelley Blue Book (KBB) says now may be the best time ever to buy a used hybrid. That is, if your intent is to reduce emissions and greenhouse gases, but not necessarily if you want savings at the pump.Used hybrid car prices have started to normalize, as consumers have more choices than ever. That means the appreciation of comparable segments have outpaced hybrid cars in the past year.New hybrid sales are down (mostly due to the spike from the Cash for Clunkers program) and values have leveled off. Along with steady gas prices (higher gas prices...

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Toyota Outlines Plans for Future Hybrid Development

Toyota has ambitious plans when it comes to hybrid and other alternative cars. By 2012, they will launch the plug-in Prius and a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle by 2015. Along with those more exotic introductions, they will also launch six new hybrids by the end of 2012.Toyota is aiming for 20,000 plug-in sales in the first year, with a cost of $3,000 - $5,000 more than a Prius.Four of the new hybrid vehicles will be Toyota and two will have Lexus branding. Toyota continues to focus on hybrids because they are more cost and range effective than pure...

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Report Card for Cars, What Grade Will Your Car Get?

New Fuel Economy Sticker for Plug-in Hybrid Electric VehiclesThe EPA and DOT are working together to create a new fuel economy sticker to be placed on new cars. They have proposed two different labels, which while different, are both designed to let the buyer know just what kind of car they are buying.The first label gives a letter grade to the car, based on its fuel economy. Electric cars would get A+ ratings, while no van would get over a C+....

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