Toyota is updating its figures for the Prius Plug-in Hybrid model ahead of the car’s launch, with improved numbers for both the MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) rating and the remaining hybrid drive mpg rating. Previously Toyota had claimed the plug-in Prius would achieve 87 mpge using the electric mode and a 49 mpg once the battery pack energy is depleted and the car resumes operation as a conventional Prius.

The new numbers announced by Toyota Division Group VP and GM Bob Carter at a launch program for the Prius c put the plug-in model at an improved 95 mpge, while the regular hybrid drive operation has increased one mpg to 50. That MPGe number is now just one shy of the Chevy Volt.

The Prius Plug-in Hybrid will get a 15 mile range on electric energy alone, at speeds of up to 62 mph. In addition, the car will gain a AT-PZEV emission rating meaning it will qualify for access to California’s HOV lanes.

First deliveries of the Prius plug-in hybrid to customers will take place in March.

The U.S. could have a plug-in hybrid from Volkswagen in the relatively near future. The company already has a hybrid Jetta on the way for the 2013 model year, but this version of the car would take electrical implementation to the next level.

We’ve known about the possibility of a plug-in hybrid for quite some time, but details have been sketchy at best. Watching each automaker deal with the growing demand for fuel efficiency has been interesting to say the least, but for the most part Volkswagen remained firmly in the diesel segment. That’s all set to change with the 2013 model year marking the hybrid Jetta’s release, but that isn’t the end of the story according to Car and Driver.

An article they published suggests that the fabled plug-in hybrid we reported briefly back in May of last year is relatively close to release. They report that the car will feature the same 1.4-liter turbocharged inline four cylinder making 150 hp. Of course, the plug-in will have, well, a place to put a charging cable meant to replenish the larger battery paired to the car’s electric motor.

Though it isn’t clear which car will surface with the plug-in setup, a Volkswagen executive told Car and Driver that it will be in a mass market segment: in other words one of their top sellers. That means something along the lines of the Jetta, Passat or Beetle, though we don’t know which yet.

[Source: Car and Driver]

A couple weeks back, we saw the first teaser of Toyota‘s upcoming NS4 Concept Plug-in Hybrid vehicle that is set to debut at the upcoming 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Now that the show is just around the corner, Toyota has shared a video about its new advanced plug-in hybrid.

Little is known about the NS4 other than that it’ll show off Toyota’s next-generation of plug-in hybrid technology. But based on the video, the concept is clearly very futuristic, with its interior details really getting us excited for its debut.

The NS4 Concept will debut alongside the Prius c Hybrid at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show.

See the video below:
Continue Reading…

Mitsubishi has achieved decent amounts of success with the i-MiEV electric car in its home land, and also in Europe, where this model is also sold badged as a Peugeot iOn.

Next month, the i-MiEV will be going on sale in America (called simply the “i” in our market), which will no doubt increase sales numbers of this innovative commuter car.

Not ones to rest on their laurels, Mitsubishi has announced an ambitious plan to electrify themselves, by producing eight electric-vehicles by 2016.  These will include plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles.

Part of this new plan is to produce small SUV’s and light trucks which will attract farmers, contractors, and others who use light trucks as part of their work.

Mitsubishi is well under way with this new project, and expects to put its electric truck on sale globally by April 2013. It’s not clear if the light truck will be part of Mitsubishi’s North American line-up, but its other electric vehicles will be available here.

Mitsubishi hopes to sell 42,000 electric vehicles in 2012, double the number it moved this fiscal year. The American market is a crucial part of Mitsubishi’s goals. The “i” car as mentioned before will go on sale soon with a starting price of $29,125, minus the Government rebates.

[Source: Automotive News]

The struggles of the electric car are well documented, and it appears that the struggle is not going away anytime soon.

According to the latest news, the Federal Government will pull its funding to ease the cost of buying an electric vehicle charger. Up until now, the Fed’s have been discounting these units as an incentive to get the public to buy an electric vehicle. In 2010, the deductions covered 50% of the cost, and in 2011 it was reduced to 30%. Now it seems that from 2012, no deduction will be offered to those buying these charging units.

If you use electric vehicles for commercial use, the savings were good for up to $30,000; but that will no longer be the case either.

Genevieve Cullen, the vice-president of the Electric Drive Transportation Association said that: “The timing of this couldn’t be more unfortunate”. Cullen and her supporters have been urging congress to extend the tax deduction, but it doesn’t appear to be working at this moment. However, if you buy an electric car now, you will still get the $7,500 tax credit offered by the government. So if you are thinking of buying an electric car, buy it before the government pulls its support from that program.

In 2011, the electric car and plug-in hybrids accounted for less than 2% of new car sales in the States.

[Source: Left Lane News]

It caused quite a stir back at the Geneva Auto Show in March, now Volvo is in the process of causing another one, having announced that the production version of its V60 Plug-in Hybrid wagon is heading to dealers next year as a 2013 model, albeit in the fourth quarter.

The V6o Plug-in Hybrid uses a 2.4-liter five-cylinder turbo diesel and a six-speed transaxle to power the front wheels, while the rears are turned via an electric motor that makes the equivalent of 70 hp. The electric motor receives its power from a 11.2 kilowatt per hour lithium-ion battery pack located underneath the floor of the car.

The V6 Plug-in Hybrid can operate in three different modes; Pure (electric), Hybrid, and Power (diesel only). In Pure mode, provided the battery is charged, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid can deliver a range of up to 32 miles on electric power alone.

In Hybrid form, both the electric powertrain and diesel engine are engaged, which happens automatically on vehicle startup. In this mode, the two power sources collectively aim to provide an ideal balance between low emissions, fuel economy and power when needed.

In Power Mode, where the turbo diesel engine is exclusively engaged, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid can accelerate from 0-62 mph in around 6.2 seconds, aided by 215 hp and some 324 lb-ft of torque.

As a Plug-in vehicle, the V60 PIH can be charged using a 230-volt outlet on 6, 10, 16 amp current cycles, though Volvo says a full charge using a 10 amp cycle takes approximately 4.5 hours (an hour less with 16A).

Other interesting features on the V60 Plug-in Hybrid include an electrically activated on-demand all-wheel drive system, that uses a central control unit to transmit power between the diesel driven front tires and the electric rears when needed (the electric motor also tops up the battery pack in AWD mode to ensure there’s adequate energy supply for the rear wheels); plus a two-stage braking system with regenerative action on the rear anchors that serve as the primary brakes (the hydraulically activated fronts are only engaged when additional braking force is required).

In addition, there’s also both electric and diesel engine operated heating systems, a further nod to maximizing overall vehicle efficiency in cold weather.

Volvo says it plans to build just 1,000 V6 Plug-in Hybrids next year, all will be aimed exclusively at European customers and all of them will be finished in just one exterior color; Electric Silver.

Other standard features include 17-inch alloy wheels, gloss black accents and small, discreet “Plug-in Hybrid” logos on the front fenders and rear liftgate. Volvo says it expects around 80 percent of sales to be company car orders, while 30 percent of total production will be targeted to Nordic customers (Sweden, Norway and Finland). Once the initial batch of 1,000 cars has been sold, Volvo says it plans to up production for the 2014 model year, to around 4,500 plus units. Given that the projected price (in the UK at least) is close to $80,000 ( minus government subsidies) it will be interesting to see if Volvo meets its sales targets with the vehicle.

At present, there’s been no word of offering a V60 Plug-in Hybrid in North America and given our market’s preference for gasoline engines, as well as ultra-strict diesel emissions requirements, if one does eventually materialize it will likely be different to the version offered in Europe.

In the 1960′s there was the muscle-car wars, and in the 1980′s it was all about who can sell the most minivans. Now its time for the green-car wars, to see who can sell the most plug-in hybrid or fully electric cars.

The two biggest rivals at the moment are the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt. While the Leaf is a fully electric vehicle, the Volt in a plug-in hybrid, so when the battery dies, you can still keep moving, provided you have some gasoline in its tank.

These two vehicles have been going head to head all year, and in America, it is the Leaf that is winning by quite a margin. Nissan has moved 8,720 Leafs thus far, while Chevy had moved just 6,142 Volts in the U.S.

North of the border, there is a different story developing. The Volt is actually outselling the Leaf. Chevy has moved 243 Volts thus far, while only 111 Leafs have found homes in Canada.

Part of the reason the Leaf is having a harder time selling in Canada is because there are only 27 Leaf Certified Dealers in the country, and even they will only sell a car to someone who lives within 42-miles from one of those dealers. The Volt on the other hand is sold through all Chevrolet dealers.

Chevrolet has been dealing with a lot of negative publicity regarding the Volt in recent weeks due to its battery issue, which could result in a fire. This little sales victory in Canada might give the bow-tie boys something to cheer about.

[Source: Auto North]

The Chevrolet Volt was a big part of the restructuring deal General Motors had with the Obama Administration, when it applied for bail-out money.

Now that the vehicle is here, it is not without its problems. Sales of this plug-in hybrid have not been great, and these days, everyone is talking about the recent crash-related fires.

In the last few months, some Volt’s have caught fire and many believe it was linked to its battery system.

Now GM is working on a solution to prevent any future fire issues with the battery. The proposed solutions include laminating the circuitry in the battery, reinforcing the case around the battery pack, and better protecting the coolant system from leaks in a severe accident.

The cost of fixing the issue will cost GM roughly $1,000 per Volt, or about $9-million. This solution, if it works, will still be a lot cheaper than it would be to redevelop a new battery from scratch.

Many believe that the government knew about the risks involved with the Volt, but hid the information to give this car a chance to sell. Negative publicity is never a good thing for a new product, especially one it’s banking its future on. A U.S. Housing committee will meet in January to investigate this matter in more detail.

Meanwhile, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) said on Monday that it does not plan to change its five-star rating for the Volt. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also has no plans to change its five-star rating for the Volt. Consumers look at results from both these parties to determine which vehicles are safe.

Meanwhile, GM’s CEO Dan Akerson said that the company would buy back any Volt from a concerned customer, or provide any loaner vehicle to its customer while the Volt is being fixed. Will this gesture work? Time will tell. But since the Volt wasn’t flying out of the showroom’s in the first place, the current negative publicity could really damage its future sales.

[Source: Automotive News]

For nearly two decades, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (more commonly known as just the ‘Evo’) has been the benchmark sports sedan around the world. It might have arrived a bit late in the American market, only going on sale in 2003 with the Evo VIII model, but it has well-established itself as a giant killer in the industry and is currently the only Mitsubishi product with an enthusiasts following.

However, earlier in the year there were rumors that the Evo might get killed off. Thankfully, those are not true but according to company insiders, a plug-in hybrid Evo will be launched within three-years time.

It is believed that the hybrid Evo will make do with a diesel-electric combination to further cut down on its environmental footprint. But since diesel is not very popular in markets like Japan and America, it might also very well be available with a gasoline-electric system. So the next Evo might offer different mechanical specifications for different markets.

The new Evo will also get an updated version of Mitsubishi’s S-WAC all-wheel drive system for even better handling, and like the current model, will be the halo model for the company.

[Source: WhatCar?]

Along with a new lineup of direct-injection gasoline engines and a performance-oriented electric SH-AWD equipped V6 hybrid model, Honda has announced a new two-mode hybrid system that will come paired with a 4-cylinder engine. Replacing the brand’s out-dated Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) single-mode hybrid system it will allow for an electric-only range at low speeds, as well as a full gasoline mode and a combination hybrid mode.

Using an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack mated to a new 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine Honda is promising it will be the world’s most efficient hybrid drivetrain, while also making the bold statement that it will deliver “enhanced driving performance.” Whether or not that means it is capable of topping the Prius’ 50-mpg rating and offer reasonable power remains to be seen.

Regardless, we’re not likely to see the system used in a small hybrid with Honda creating the two-mode hybrid to first be used in mid-sized vehicles. We saw the first example of this with the new two-mode hybrid (a plug-in version) being used in an Accord model (above) during a technical presentation and driving event held at the company’s Twin Ring Motegi race facility.

A new Honda hybrid system has been rumored and reported on for quite some time, but now the wait is over – almost. Honda has announced a car using the new plug-in hybrid powertrain will begin production next year, with a non plug-in version arriving 12 months later in 2013.