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ClipperCreek now taking orders for EV charger with new J-1772 coupler
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, USA 
If you are looking for an electric vehicle charger with the new North American standard plug-end (SAE J-1772) for either your own garage or for the convenience of your customers, ClipperCreek has just announced that they are now taking orders for that very beastie. With delivery set for May, the company's American-made CS-40 connects to a 208V - 240V feed and puts out a continuous 32 amps and should retail for about $3,000. Founded in 2006, ClipperCreek is not only the exclusive Level 2 charging equipment supplier for Tesla Motors and the BMW Mini E program but also works with the likes of Mitsubishi, Ford, Mercedes, GM and Nissan.
ClipperCreek also recently appointed four new sales executives with lots of industry experience who, strategically placed about the country, are ready to offer their customers the proper support necessary in this blossoming field. Please find a pair of press releases awaiting your personal perusal after the break.
[Source: ClipperCreek]
Continue reading ClipperCreek now taking orders for EV charger with new J-1772 coupler ClipperCreek now taking orders for EV charger with new J-1772 coupler originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Report: All Bentley Continental models going flex-fuel in June
Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Bentley  2010 Bentley Continental Supersports - Click above for high-res image gallery
It may not be the most interesting news you read all week, but we now have a date at which all Bentley Continentals will be able to gulp down whiskey with the best of 'em: June. Well, not exactly whiskey, but ethanol's pretty close. Bentley had made the announcement (sans date) at the Geneva Motor Show when it showed off the Continental Supersports Convertible.
Bentley sees this move as a big first step in reaching its stated goal of offering an entirely biofuel-capable lineup by 2012. In its latest form, Bentley's twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 offers up 621 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. That's sufficient to push the big Conti' to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and on up to a top speed of 202 mph.
As the Continental is Bentley's most popular model line by far, this means that over half of all cars the luxury brand sells this year will be flex-fuel models. For those keeping track, the Brooklands coupe (which will soon be discontinued), Azure sedan and the soon-to-be-released Mulsanne sedan (the replacement for the long-running Arnage) are still not yet biofuel capable. According to Automotive News, the Mulsanne will be E85-capable shortly after its launch later this year.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]Report: All Bentley Continental models going flex-fuel in June originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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It's Friday: Try Voltex, a chemical cure for range anxiety
Filed under: Etc., Hybrid, Podcasts 
While there are those who say range anxiety is not really a problem for them, there are clearly many who plan on going down the whole "extender" route to avoid the possibility of one day being embarrassed by a sudden lack of go-power. But, instead of continuing to depend on mechanical backup, perhaps there is another approach to consider: pharmaceuticals.*
Our good friends over at EVcast may have un-earthed video of a commercial for a product called Voltex that claims to finally put an end to the curse of range anxiety. At least, it can if your stomach happens to be less than 80 percent full or more than 20 percent empty. And you can handle the potentially bizarre side effects. Curious? Hit the jump to check out the video and possibly discover if Voltex is right for you.
*ABG strongly recommends not taking any prescription medications without the explicit advice of your physician. ABG does not mean to imply that Voltrex (or any other medication) will work for you or that it's a prescription medication. Reading glasses are recommended for examining the fine print on any product.
[Source: EVcast]Continue reading It's Friday: Try Voltex, a chemical cure for range anxiety It's Friday: Try Voltex, a chemical cure for range anxiety originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Honda CR-Z enjoying high early demand in home market?
Filed under: Hybrid, Honda, Japan  2011 Honda CR-Z - Click above for high-res image gallery
The new Honda CR-Z has only been on sale in Japan for two weeks, and already the automaker has received over 7,000 orders for the small hybrid. This represents about 60 percent of the 12,000 units that Honda anticipated to sell domestically in the hatch's first year of production. If this trend continues, Honda may have to ramp up production of the CR-Z in Japan to meet the high demand.
The CR-Z's fortunes in other markets will be every bit as interesting to watch, of course. In the United States, for example, doubters (full disclosure: ourselves included) question whether Honda's idea of a sports hybrid that takes just under 10 seconds to hit 60 miles per hour might not be what the doctor ordered, especially when paired with surprisingly disappointing fuel economy figures. Of course, that's largely just what the online enthusiast community is saying at the moment, and not necessarily any indication of the car's eventual marketplace success whatsoever.
As fans of the long-gone CRX, we sincerely hope that the new CR-Z carries the torch in a way that does not appear to be conveyed by these early performance numbers. Either way, watching the CR-Z's long-term sales prospects both at home and in other markets will be far more important to the model's fortunes than an early sales boom in Japan and pre-launch online skepticism.
[Source: MarketWatch]Honda CR-Z enjoying high early demand in home market? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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ALTe's plug-in hybrid Ford F-150 unveiled at the Work Truck Show
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Ford
Putting a bigger battery and a plug-in hybrid powertrain into a pick-up truck isn't exactly a new idea (see here and here for just two examples). Of course, sometimes, old ideas are worth keeping around.
At the 2010 National Truck Equipment Association Work Truck Show this week, ALTe LLC, based in Michigan, showed off a Ford F-150 that has a plug-in hybrid powertrain installed. Of course, because everybody's got to make their mark, ALTe calls their system a range-extended electric powertrain (REEP). File this along with General Motor's extended-range electric vehicle (ER-EV) as a different name without a meaningful distinction. These are all plug-in hybrids.
In any case, the demonstration truck uses a 25 kWh lithium-ion manganese oxide polymer battery pack and 82 kW Remy DC drive motors that provide a 52-mile all-electric range. When needed, a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder normally aspirated gasoline engine generates power for the battery. In this charge-sustaining mode, reports Green Car Congress, the truck's fuel economy is about 32 miles per gallon. The powertrain offers 295 pound-feet of torque and has a towing capacity of 6,500 lb.
[Source: Green Car Congress]ALTe's plug-in hybrid Ford F-150 unveiled at the Work Truck Show originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Report: California to amend 'Cool Cars' legislation over... criminal activity?
Filed under: Legislation and Policy, USA 
Is CARB backing down on its so-called "cool cars" regulation? On May 7, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will have to turn in its final draft of the controversial regulations, which calls for automakers to build cars and trucks with windows that prevent 45% of the sun's energy from entering a vehicle by 2014 and 60% by 2016. Vehicle manufacturers have argued that it will be expensive to meet the requirements, and other groups are complaining for their own reasons. Heck, there was initially concern that off-roaders might lose their beloved Jeep Wrangler altogether. Thank goodness they came to their senses.
While several different groups have significant concerns about the proposal, it looks like CARB might finally be listening to one group in particular - law enforcement. It seems that California's sheriffs, police chiefs and crime victim groups are calling for the plan to be amended... and CARB is actually listening.
According to The Detroit News, The California Police Chiefs Association, California State Sheriffs Association, Crime Victims United of California and other groups are concerned that the required window glazing needed to meet the new regulations will seriously degrade cell phone signals, as well as those from ankle monitoring bracelets. We wouldn't want to lose track of felons now, would we? The other big concern is that 911 calls might not get through if the window treatment prohibits a strong signal. That seems to be sending CARB back to the drawing board, with suggestions coming that the plan will be revised before the May 7 deadline. As a refresher, the idea behind the "cool cars" regulation is to save gas and reduce emissions. Cooler cars reduce their air con use, and with California's overflowing freeways, that could mean a significant drop. In fact, CARB is predicting that the regulations will save 700,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2020 - the equivalent of parking 140,000 cars a year.
[Source: The Detroit News]Report: California to amend 'Cool Cars' legislation over... criminal activity? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Elkhart, Indiana shifting from RVs to EVs
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Manufacturing/Plants  Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (left) and Think CEO Richard Canny - Click above to enlarge
Earlier this year, Think announced it would build electric cars in Elkhart, IN. On its own, this is just one announcement from one company about one town. But, electric vehicle (EV) supporters know that making EVs in the U.S. is a big deal, and that the Think announcement fits into a larger picture alongside the plans from a lot of other automakers. Examples include Tesla and Coda in California, Fisker in Delaware, as well as the plug-in vehicles from Ford and GM. Even looking into the near future, though, doesn't give us the whole picture.
For a generation of Americans, Elkhart was known as the place where RVs were built and the city was nicknamed the "RV Capital of the World." Now, as MSNBC reports, the city is trying to switch RV into EV, all part of the big push across Indiana to make electric vehicles a big part of the new economy (see also, Bright Automotive). With a big pool of trained autoworkers looking for work, access to traditional auto suppliers and a rich automotive history, Indiana is a good place for electric car companies, the CEO of LC3, which makes neighborhood electric vehicles in the state, told MSNBC. Of course, all of those aspects exist in Michigan, too, even if Indianapolis can claim to be the home of the GM's EV1 back in the day. If all goes to plan, Think will make around 20,000 vehicles in Elkhart a year by 2013.
[Source: MSNBC]Elkhart, Indiana shifting from RVs to EVs originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Report: Unintended acceleration Prius case gets twist involving debt, technology
Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota, Green Daily  Second-gen Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery
The unintended acceleration case of the second-generation Prius belonging to James Sikes now officially has an interesting backstory. Apparently, according to USAToday, Sikes' "case against Toyota is starting to look shaky." Why? Two reasons. First, and most important, is the technical argument. Toyota is saying that Sikes' Prius has a brake override system that should have slowed the car down in the situation Sikes has described to the media and to investigators. Also, looking at Audi's history with a similar problem back in the 1980s, it's often driver error that led to the acceleration, not a problem with the vehicles themselves.
Second, and only to consider possible motives for pretending something was wrong when there really wasn't, Sikes is apparently deep in debt according to financial records uncovered by Jalopnik. He has said repeatedly that he doesn't plan on suing Toyota, but he has retained a law firm.
As we said yesterday, there is no obvious explanation for why Sikes' Prius (and a similar model in New York a few days later) sped up and there's a case to be made that the hype is getting out of hand. Still, something happened, and the sooner we get the facts here, the better off we'll be. For now, we'll just have to file this under "Ongoing."
[Sources: Jalopnik, USAToday, Autopia]Report: Unintended acceleration Prius case gets twist involving debt, technology originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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All-electric Atomik 500 sends us to the moon
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Fiat, Europe/EU  Atomik 500 - Click above for high-res image gallery
While there is still no word on whether Fiat/Chrysler will bring an electric version of their famous 500 to market, it appears that someone else will. Atomik Cars has taken the Abarth version of the retro-metro machine and made it meaner and cleaner. The new company, which will be showing off their primogenial wonder at 2010 Top Marques Monaco in April, has attempted to create a zero emission vehicle with supercar performance in a city car package whilst adhering to their motto, "Anticipating the future." They may well have succeeded.
With output from its AC brushless synchronous motors said to be equivalent to that of a 300 horsepower engine, the Atomik 500 dishes enough power to each of its four fat sticky tires to sling it to 60 miles per hour in 5.6 seconds. It has lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries in unknown quantity, a ceramic heating system to warm its passengers and a "Peltier A/C module w/o gas" to cool them. More details will forthcoming as its debut draws near, but we can tell you that it will be a rare machine with around 50 copies available for purchase. Check out the gallery below for more shots of this far-out performer.
[Source: Atomik Cars]All-electric Atomik 500 sends us to the moon originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Renault sends 110 electric cars to German test fleet
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Renault, Germany  Renault Fluence Z.E. concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
 A group of German companies is working with French company Renault to see just how practical it would be to install a large network of electric vehicles and networked charging stations between the Rhine and the Ruhr. The test program involves 110 electric cars leased from Renault, including the pre-production models Kangoo Express Z.E. utility vehicle and the Fluence Z.E. mid-range family sedan and some Fiat 500s, Fiat Fiorinos and Karabag 500 Es that have been converted to electric drive. The German government is providing €7 million for the project.
Why so much? Well, aside from the cost of the vehicles, there's this:
The goal of this joint project is to integrate electric mobility into the everyday commuter traffic along the urban nexus of the A40 motorway. This metropolitan area, often blighted by traffic jams and concertina traffic, provides the ideal environment for testing the strengths of these clean and silent-running electric vehicles. With the focus on the towns of Mu?lheim, Essen and Dortmund, RWE is to construct a comprehensive charging infrastructure by mid-2011. In addition, data will be collected to enable the development of marketable products such as GPS devices with a clear charging station overview and route planning.
Sounds good, and expensive.
[Source: Renault SAS]
Continue reading Renault sends 110 electric cars to German test fleet Renault sends 110 electric cars to German test fleet originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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