Report: Traditional, new automakers met at White House today for plug-in hybrid talk
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Tesla Motors, Legislation and Policy, USA, Fisker
What do the Detroit automakers, Tesla Motors, Fisker Automotive and Honda have in common? Today, someone from each of these companies met with representatives from the Obama administration at the White House. On the table was a discussion of electric vehicles and how utility companies can/will play a role in the roll-out. Even though Obama himself supports plug-in vehicles, he was in Iowa for a health care rally. We don’t know what was said in D.C., but the meeting was apparently headed by auto industry task force chief Ron Bloom. Discussing the realities (and potential) of the plug-in vehicles with companies that are making it happen certainly fits with some of the Administration’s previous actions, like giving out DOE loans and $2.4 billion for electric vehicle projects. We’ll be looking for reports of what was said at the White House today. If you’ve got any inside information, let us know.
This is not the first meeting of this sort. Back in 2007, President Bush met with the the CEOs of the Big Three to discuss the future of domestic vehicles, including the prospects for alternative fuels.
[Source: Detroit Free Press via Green Car Advisor | Image: ~MVI~ - C.C. License 2.0]
Report: Traditional, new automakers met at White House today for plug-in hybrid talk originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Toyota Redirects its Mojo from F1 to Grassroots Racing
To see recall-plagued Toyota staging a public track day this coming weekend at Fuji Speedway, where it will run several of its recently revealed Nurburgring-inspired road-going concepts including a supercharged iQ, is a step in the right direction. Weighed down by reports of unexpectedly accelerating cars and dubious brakes, not to mention its untimely withdrawal from F1, the world’s No. 1 car company has taken a beating of late. But this fresh new batch of creative concepts is evidence that CEO Akio Toyoda’s directive to produce more-fun-to-drive Toyotas is starting to sink in.
Now that I think back, there seems to be a clear correlation between the company’s F1 withdrawal and its launching of a bunch of fun new cars, while simultaneously focusing more on its Nurburgring racing program.
At a function for the Japan Car of the Year jurors last September, rumors started flying about a possible F1 withdrawal. Walking into a large hotel room in central Tokyo, we noticed the walls were filled with photographs and posters of Toyota’s racing program. But there was not one mention of F1 anywhere. Every poster on the wall was shot at either the Nurburgring or Fuji Speedway and was dedicated to the company’s in-house racing team, Gazoo Racing. Not surprisingly, there was a special reference to the LFA and IS F — Toyoda-san had strapped himself behind the wheels of both cars and competed in the last two Nurburgring 24 Hour classics.
Hummers are for Horses: Artist reimagines the monsterous SUV [w/video]
Filed under: SUV, Hummer, Humor, Specialty
![hummer coach Hummers are for Horses: Artist reimagines the monsterous SUV [w/video]](http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2010/03/hummer-coach.jpg "Hummers are for Horses: Artist reimagines the monsterous SUV [w/video]")
Horse-drawn Hummer H2 – Click above to view the video after the jump
When the internal combustion engine finally helped the automobile pass the horse-drawn carriage as the chosen method of transportation for a majority of citizens in the United States, that a step in the right direction. Right? Moving forward about a hundred years… when the behemoth Sport Utility Vehicle that never actually seems to venture off the beaten path passed the minivan in the hearts and minds of families across the country as the people-mover of choice, was that a step in the right direction?
If you answered no to either of the above questions, perhaps you’ll enjoy the video pasted after the break. Created by artist Jeremy Dean (read about our initial post on the project here), the converted Hummer H2 is called Futurama and is pulled by two white horses named, appropriately enough, Duke and Diesel. Hummers are for horses? See for yourself.
Gallery: Jeremy Dean’s Hoover H2
Hyundai Verna Prices in Bangalore
Price of Hyundai Verna in Bangalore
All prices (indicative) ex-showroom as of Feb 2010, prices may vary
Verna 1.6 VTVT – Rs 6,53,566/-
Verna 1.6 SX VTVT – Rs 7,29,631/-
Verna 1.5 CRDi VGT – Rs 7,76,952/-
Verna 1.5 SX CRDi VGT – Rs 8,27, 692/-
When will a plug-in vehicle outsell the Toyota Prius?
Will the plug-in Prius ever outsell the conventional Prius?
Why did GM kill the Cadillac Converj, a plug-in based upon the same Voltecs hybrid drive as the upcoming Chevy Volt? Wouldn’t making as many range-extended EVs across as many models as possible help bring down costs quicker?
“Sure, each Cadillac Converj would not lose as much money as each Chevy Volt,” reports MotorTrend’s Todd Lassa. “But it still would lose money, and the best way to limit losses from new technology is to limit volume. “This Cadillac doesn’t lose as much money as this Chevy” isn’t a business case. Volt is designed to be a “volume” model, eventually produced in the tens of thousands, but it will be years before we see that.”
Years before we see tens of thousands of Volts produced per year? The Toyota Prius is already selling in the hundreds of thousands, so the Volt seems at least a decade away from topping the Prius. Then again, the Volt? Unfortunately, we’ve known about GM’s limited production numbers for some time, so I doubt the Volt will be the first plug-in to contend with the Prius.
Besides, the Nissan Leaf has been the real plug-in story these days……..
2009 KW Dodge Challenger
The 2009 KW Dodge Challenger has been able to mark its place in the KW books with their development of the car to make it one of the most unique performance cars on the market. They have been able to refine the Dodge as they have taken the earlier models in to consideration for them [...]
Via Supercars – Sweet & cool car site for super fast sport car
Spied: Hyundai’s new Veloster Coupe
AutoExpress has obtained the first close-up spy shots of the upcoming Hyundai Veloster, a radical three-door coupe that will replace the Hyundai Tiburon (Coupe). While the “Veloster” name is not official, the upcoming coupe has already been previewed in concept guise at the 2007 Seoul Motor Show, and little is expected to change for the production model.
Taking on a small but growing (e.g. Honda CR-Z) segment, the Veloster is Hyundai’s answer to the VW Scirocco. It is a similar size to the Scirocco, measuring 4285mm long and 1790mm wide, and will share much of its platform with the front-wheel drive Hyundai i30. The Veloster can also be regarded as a modern incarnation of the famed Honda CR-X/Ballade that took the compact front-wheel drive 3-door hatchback segment by storm when it was on sale in the 80′s.
“The production car will have quite dramatic styling – even more so than the concept car,” said a source. “Hyundai wants it to be a car that’s bought for its looks, and it has been built with the Scirocco firmly in its sights.”
The 2+2 Hyundai Veloster will come standard with a 1.6-liter four cylinder with direct injection making 140 hp. It has been confirmed to achieve over 40 mpg. Reports also indicate that the Veloster will be available with a turbocharged version of the normally-aspirated 1.6L engine, producing 175 horsepower, that first appeared in the Hyundai ix-onic concept in Geneva last year.
The Veloster has been tentatively scheduled for release by the end of 2011.
Incoming search terms:
- veloster coupe
