A new Harvard study has found that electric vehicles won’t be accepted by the American public until gas hits $4.50 per gallon. The study also found that surprisingly, over the life of the car, plug-in hybrids like the Chevrolet Volt cost $5,377 more than gas powered cars. The story is the same for the Nissan Leaf which is $4,819 more expensive.

The aim of the study was to determine if Americans will buy electric cars and the study concluded that the answer was “yes-but only if the electric vehicles are competitive with conventional cars on cost, range and fueling convenience.”

The U.S Energy Information administration is predicting that gas in 2012 will cost around $3.65 per gallon and that $4.50 per gallon is not a likelihood in the near future.

The study was released just before President Obama is to outline higher fuel economy standards. Ultimately, the standards are expected to reach 54.5 mpg by 2025. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the following on the White House website, ”This program, which builds on the historic agreement achieved by this administration for model years 2012-’16, will result in significant cost savings for consumers at the pump, dramatically reduce oil consumption, cut pollution and create jobs,”.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

BMW has developed two new hybrid vehicles that the German automaker says  have redefined the understanding of personal mobility with a focus on sustainability.

The i3 concept,  previously know as the Megacity,  is an all-electric car that focuses squarely on the mobility challenges in urban areas. The i8 hybrid concept is a “forward-looking, intelligent, and innovative” sports car with both an electric drive system and a fuel efficient combustion engine. The i3 is built for four passengers, and BMW’s LifeDrive architecture conjures up a feeling of space inside the car more generous then even the latest conversion vehicles can offer. The i3 features wide-opening opposing “coach” doors, and trunk capacity of around 200 liters. The electric motor is over the rear axle and can produce 170-hp with 184 lb-ft of torque. The i3 can achieve a 0-62 mph time of just under eight seconds. The i3 can achieve what BMW calls an “everday” driving range of between 130 and 160km on a single charge, with a standard charge taking six hours, although with the right equipment, an 80 percent charge can be done in one hour.

The four seater i8 concept “embodies the vision of a sustainable contemporary sports car brought to life” according to BMW. The plug-in hybrid system combines the modified electric drive system from the i3 fitted over the front axle and a high performance three cylinder engine at the rear. The engine can produce 220-hp and 221 lb-ft of torque delivering a 0-62 mph time of just under five seconds. The i8 delivers 94 mpg or three liters per 100 kilometers. The i8 can also run purely on electric power, with a driving range of 35 kilometers (20 miles) and the battery can be fully recharged in two hours at a standard power socket.

GALLERY: BMW i3 and i8

Toyota is clearly acknowledging how successful the Prius model has been for them when they originally announced the model’s expansion at the Detroit Motor Show this year. Now it looks like the Prius will be getting another addition to its family, including a Sports Coupe model that will be rear-wheel-drive with a manual transmission – clearly looking to compete against Honda‘s CR-Z. The Sports Coupe is rumored to be based on the upcoming Lexus GS platform. In addition, it will feature a next-generation plug-in hybrid setup featuring lithium-ion batteries.

Alongside the Sports Coupe’s possible debut in 2014, Toyota looks to add a Prius SUV to the lineup based on the RAV4. This is already in addition to the Prius C Concept (pictured above). With all the additional Prius models that will be hitting the market in the near future, Toyota also has plans of developing standalone dealerships and showrooms for the Prius brand name.

[Source: Auto Express]

Audi is a company that prides itself on cozying up to celebrities and it looks like the latest name they’ll be working with is rapper Eminem…. by court order. Don’t jump to conclusions though, it’s not Eminem who’s being forced to do anything, but rather the flashy German automaker.

In early June, 8 Mile Style, which handles Eminem’s copyrights, filed suit against Audi in Germany over a video that it allegedly (and rather obviously) ripped off. The promo piece for the new Audi A6 Avant used a rendition of the award-winning “Lose Yourself” song and even aped Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit” commercial, which was created for the Super Bowl.

8 Mile Style has announced a settlement has been reached and showing some serious class, rather than a big cash settlement, the arrangement will see Audi lending a hand to, “support the revitalization of Detroit by contributing to selected social projects.” Making this settlement all the more poignant is the fact that in the past few years Audi parent company Volkswagen turned its back on the Motor City, moving it’s U.S. headquarters to Washington, D.C.

Details of exactly how Audi will be helping-out Detroit are expected to be announced soon.

[Source: FreeP]

Watch the original “Imported from Detroit” ad, plus the copycat Audi one after the jump

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Toronto-based Conquest Vehicles has announced the pricing and options available for their 2012 Knight XV fully-armored luxury SUV. The 2012 model will have a starting MSRP of $629,000 but will come with several standard features that used to be options on the previous model. For 2012, Conquest Vehicles revamped their Knight XV by redesigning the interior and cockpit, and now includes front and rear commercial-grade air ride suspension, front power windows, and a 360-degree roof mounted, joystick controlled searchlights. In addition, the vehicle has been widened and lengthened to go along with its freshened front end design.

For 2012, Conquest Vehicles has also streamlined their upgrade packages offering a Luxury Group, Security Group and a list of Stand Alone Upgrades. For the Luxury Group package, the Knight XV will be outfitted with electrostatic tinting, rear power windows, retractable ballistic glass partition, retractable flat screen television, siren, 2-way PA system with loud speaker, hidden front VIP strobes lights, forward and reverse parking sensors, an external intercom communication system, a Playstation3 or Xbox entertainment system, and a cigar humidor.

The Security Group package further reinforces the Knight XV with an under vehicle explosive protection system, opaque floor armor protection upgraded, undercarriage magnetic attachment detector, security safe, fire extinguisher, exterior surveillance camera system, positive pressure defense system against gas attacks, oxygen survival kit which offers protection against tear (CN/CS) as well as solid, liquid and gases contaminants.

[Source: MSNBC]

Ford concealed documents pertaining to a case it won in 2010, according to a Florida judge who has thrown out its verdict.

In 2003, two people were injured in a 1991 Aerostar that suddenly accelerated into a telephone pole, seriously injuring them. The case went to court in 2010, and during the trial Ford argued that it was simply a driver error (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?) that caused the minivan to crash. The jury voted in Ford’s favor.

But according to the plaintiff’s lawyer, Ford withheld documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that suggested the cruise control system, not the driver’s foot, did cause and was capable of causing sudden acceleration. Judge William T. Swigert handed the victory to the plaintiffs after he found out, stating that “had Ford disclosed them, the government would have discovered years ago that electronic failures of the cruise control system is a cause of sudden acceleration.”

Unsurprisingly, Ford disagrees. They plan to appeal the case.

[Source: New York Times]

Ford will invest over $1 billion in new factories located in northwest India, to better capture its growing market.

The plants will build around 250,000 cars aimed at two sectors Ford lags in sales, the Asian and African markets—including India itself, where car sales grew 29% in the last year, with 2.5 million cars. Ford only claims 3% of the car market there: compare this to Brazil, where Ford enjoys a 10% hold on new car sales.

Ford will build two factories by 2014 that will employ 5,000 people and be able to build 240,000 cars and 270,000 engines. The northwest state of Gujarat was chosen for Ford’s investment because of its pro-business regulations as well as easy access to international ports. Further south in India, Ford already has a facility that also employs 5,000 people in manufacturing and another 5,000 in office work.

[Source: New York Times]

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to remove its controversial red light cameras, citing difficulties in enforcing them.

According to the photo-enforcement law, paying its tickets was merely “voluntary,” which is an excuse that might not work for your next school-zone speeding ticket. Only 60% of tickets issued were actually paid. Naturally, accusations of revenue generation rather than safety were raised, for reasons that weren’t entirely unfounded.

The cameras were allegedly installed at intersections more suited to raising money rather than improving safety. The council issued a boycott of Arizona businesses in 2010 as a protest against that state’s immigration laws, but allowed Scottsdale-based American Traffic Solutions to continue operating cameras in LA. The cameras came under fire only when city accountants found that the cameras were generating far less than they should for the city—and in fact cost over $1 million to keep the program running.

The final nail in the red-light coffin was when the LA Superior Court found issue with giving out citations, as they were mailed to the vehicle’s owner rather than the one actually driving the vehicle at the time.

Currently, there are 32 red-light cameras in the whole of Los Angeles. The future of these is uncertain, but for drivers in Los Angeles County, there’s one less excuse for a traffic ticket.

[Source: New York Times]

GM has spent a not-insubstantial sum on Sunlogics, a manufacturer of solar energy systems, in order to supply its Chevrolet dealerships with environmentally-friendly charging stations.

GM’s cash injection will also provide over 300 jobs in Detroit and Ontario for when Sunlogic expands their manufacturing bases. In addition, GM’s facilities will install solar arrays en masse to offset some of its power consumption.

Ultimately, GM aims to double its global solar output by 2015, from 30 to 60 megawatts, “which is equivalent to powering 10,000 homes annually,” said Mike Robinson, GM’s vice president of Energy, Environment and Safety Policy. ”Not only does renewable energy make good business sense, it helps us continue to reduce the impact our facilities have on the environment.”

GM already has three of the world’s largest rooftop solar installations in America, as well as the world’s largest one at its assembly plant in Zaragoza, Spain.

[Source: Silicon Republic]