Although our German isn’t too great, Auto Motor und Sport, the automotive publication of record in Germany, is reporting that the Hyundai i30, also known as the Elantra Touring, will get a plug-in hybrid version in 2013.

Hyundai has hinted at a competitor to the Toyota Prius before, and the i30, designed with the ultra-competitive European market in mind, is a stylish product that attracted attention from Volkswagen’s CEO at a recent car show due to its outstanding build quality. Such a product would be a great platform for a plug-in hybrid, which would serve as a halo for Hyundai’s “green” image.

Although Hyundai has previously stressed that hybrids and electric cars wouldn’t play a major part in its portfolio, hybrids are an undeniable image booster and plug-in hybrids are exempt from congestion charges in major urban centers like London. With this in mind, Hyundai would be wise to bring a product like an i30 plug-in to market, and hopefully the Korean company will decide to bring it to North America as well.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport]

Ford‘s designs have come a long way over the last decade, with practically their entire lineup looking sharp and attractive – but the Ford Evos Concept has just managed to move the bar substantially higher.

Revealed at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Evos looks like something that would have a V12 under the hood, but it actually packs the same 4-cylinder/plug-in hybrid powertrain as the C-Max minivan. Ford says that the powertrain can be hooked into “cloud computing” technologies that can tell the electric motor system when to increase or decrease energy flow based on changing conditions – a novel idea sure to give privacy advocates a good fright.

The Evos may never see production, but we’re happy that this is supposedly a sign of things to come for Ford’s styling. If only we could throw the Focus ST motor and drivetrain in there.

Gallery: Ford Evos Concept

Plug-in technology aren’t just the darling of shoe-shaped hybrids anymore. Ford’s F-Series heavy-duty trucks are getting the chance to ride the lightning, and it could mean sweeping changes in the commercial truck segment.

Don’t look for this on the popular F-150 yet, however. Think bigger. The commercial F-550 Super Duty will get the first plug-in technology from supplier Azure Dynamics, which is targeting a 2013 release date. The F-450 and F-350 Super Duties will be next.

“As interest in alternative energy products continues to grow, consumers are looking for more powertrain options that are both environmentally friendly and fit their driving needs,” said Rob Stevens, a Ford engineer. “The flexibility of our vehicle platforms and chassis allows Ford to develop our own alternative fuel products or work with partners, like Azure Dynamics, to deliver consumers with the power of choice when purchasing a greener, more fuel efficient vehicle.”

Previously, Azure worked with Ford to electrify the Transit Connect and Econoline. A commercial plug-in F-Series would target a market of 100,000 vehicles per year, and the conversion will be aimed at larger commercial fleets that will eventually trickle down to regional sales. Currently, the F-550 is available with a compressed natural-gas variant, as well as the usual array of diesel and gasoline engines.

Anyone who has played around with an electric radio-control car knows that power comes instantly and as a result acceleration is pretty rapid.

Expand the idea to a full-size vehicle, and the results are certainly thrilling. So far, all fully-electric vehicles have had a drawback, their single-speed gearbox, which tend to neuter the driving experience.

No one has been able to adopt a multi-speed gearbox to work reliably with an electric motor, but Henrik Fisker is working on just that for his Karma plug-in hybrid sedan.

Fisker believes he has a solution, which if it works reliably, would offer Karma drivers “Veyron levels of performance.” That means that the four-door sedan could accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 3-seconds.

No timeline has been given as to when this system will become available, but with such impressive performance figures, we can hardly wait.

[Source: Autocar]

There have been hybrids on our streets for some time, and even a few fully electric vehicles. However, the Chevrolet Volt is the first mass produced plug in hybrid to be offered to the general public.

It can either drive up to 40-miles on just electric power on a full-charge, or when this power source is depleted, it will revert to its on-board gasoline engine. The idea is, the gas engine is there to get you home, just in case you run out of electricity.

The advantages of this system is proving its worth to Volt owners, like Kory Levoy. He says he used to spend up to $200 a month filling up his Audi TT, but ever since he has bought the Volt, he has filled up only three times in 7500-miles of driving.

Levoy uses his 240-volt home charger to energize the car overnight, and also charges his car at work using the portable 120-volt charger. Since his total daily commute is only 50-miles, he has more than enough battery power to make the round trip.

He is not alone, as Carey Bailey, another Volt owner is also seeing the rewards of plug-in motoring. He used to spend roughly $500 a month on gas, and now he spends about $100. Bailey says he will probably see his fuel bills drop even more with time. The Volt roughly costs $1.10 a day to fully charge.

“About two-thirds of the more than 2 million miles driven by Volt owners to date have been powered by domestically produced electricity,” said Cristi Landy, Volt marketing director. “We are hearing from owners like Kory and Carey who are able to charge both at home overnight and at work during the day. These owners are able to maximize driving on electricity alone, seeing real saving at the pump and in their wallets.”

So if you’ve been frustrated by ever rising gas prices, perhaps the Volt really is a real-world answer.

Suzuki cars might not be the strongest selling product in North America, but that might just change if and when they introduce the Swift PHEV.

This Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) is planned to go into production in 2013 for the Japanese market, and rumors suggest it will be on sale in North America also, albeit at a later date.

The Swift PHEV has a range of 19-miles on just electric power, but also has a 660cc range extender motor. So it won’t be fast, but it should be economical to run.

Suzuki is also looking to attract customers with its price, which is rumored to be at $25,000 when it goes on sale.

So for those looking for a city commuter, this might just be the car they are looking for.

[Source: Nikkei via Left Lane News]

Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby announced that the Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid will come to the U.S. by 2014, with one major difference. While the European market V60 will use a diesel-electric hybrid system, the United States will get a gasoline-powered variant.

Jacoby said that the V60 has a target U.S. launch date of 2013 or 2014, since more engineering of the gasoline powertrain will be carried out in advance of the launch. The V60 joins the limited production all-electric C30, and an electric car with a hydrogen fuel-cell range extender in the near future.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Ford will sell its C-Max minivan as a hybrid model only, in an effort to further compete with hybrid offerings like the Toyota Prius V, Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf, which are all offered in 5-door bodystyles.

The C-Max will come only in a 5-seater configuration, with hybrid and plug-in hybrid variations offered. Ford originally planned to offer the car with both a gasoline engine and seven seats. Ford is looking to triple production of electric vehicles and hybrids to more than 100,000 models by 2013.

“Whether people want a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid or full battery electric vehicle, we have a family of vehicles for them to consider, providing a range of options to best meet their needs and support their driving habits and lifestyles,” said Jim Farley, Ford’s group vice president of marketing, sales and service.

Despite the ease with which Ford could produce a three-row or gasoline-only version of the C-Max, the move is likely a result of Ford’s desire to brand the C-Max as a “green” vehicle by way of its hybrid-only powertrain, in the same way that the Toyota Prius is synonymous with the term.

[Source: Automotive News]

With much of the electric car attention being drawn by the first mass-produced Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt, many have ignored the 2011 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan.

Fisker dealers in Los Angeles previously claimed the first deliveries to paying customers would take place in March or April of this year. But the cars never materialized, and the date was pushed into the third quarter of this year.

The first arrivals will likely take place sometime in July, according to Fisker, for a retail price of $95,000

[Source: Green Car Reports]

Chrysler is delivering  10 Ram 1500 Hybrids to the U.S Department of Energy for testing within the next week. The pickups will be delivered to Yuma, Arizona, as part of a $100 million research project. The program with the U.S Department of Energy will run through June 2014.

140 Ram 1500 pickups will be delivered by Oct. 1 across the U.S. These plug-in hybrid trucks we be put through grueling testing including extreme temperature testing with fluctuations from 25 below zero to 125 degrees.

The Ram trucks utilize 5.7-liter V8s making 345-hp. The engine is mated to a two-mode hybrid transmission manufactured by GM and a 12.9-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery. These trucks will be capable of traveling 20 miles on electric-power alone with a total range coming in at 655 miles. The Ram is capable of towing 6,000 pounds and has a 1,000 pound payload capacity.

[Source: egm Car Tech]

At the 32nd International Motor Symposium in Vienna, Austria, Volkswagen head honco Dr. Martin Winterkorn announced that the Volkswagen Group will launch a range of plug-in hybrids starting in 2013, calling electric vehicles the “task of the century” for the auto industry.

Winterkorn didn’t specify which models would get a plug-in hybrid variant, and the move comes as slightly surprising considering how heavily invested Volkswagen is in diesels while offering comparatively little in the way of conventional hybrids. “The electric car will impact the future of individual mobility in crucial ways – and Volkswagenis spearheading this technology. Over the mid-term, the plug-in hybrid offers great potential,because it combines the best of two worlds in one vehicle,” said Winterkorn.

VW also released two diesel engines at the show, a 1.4L and 2.0L TDI engines, with the 2.0L meeting strict American emissions standards.

President Barrack Obama’s initiative for government fleet vehicles to be able to run on alternative fuels like E85 ethanol, could result in higher gas consumption, rather than reducing it. That means, this project could end up doing the opposite of what it was set out to achieve.

Only 1-percent of gas stations offer E85 in the United States, so only very few government fleet vehicles can take advantage of this fuel. So most fleet drivers end up using regular gas.

And they end up using more of it, because the vehicles they drive, the ones that can run on both regular gas and E85, are not the most fuel-efficient vehicles sold in the country. So while this initiative had its heart in the ‘green’ place, it could ending up increasing green-house gasses.

In order for the President’s plan to work, the infrastructure needs to improve vastly which would increase the availability of alternative fuels.

President Obama recently said that by 2015 he wants to see more fuel-efficient of alternative fueled vehicles to be used in fleets, as part of the plan to reduce dependency on foreign oil. However, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric vehicles aren’t as widely available and cost more to buy. Plus they lack the durability that is required by some government fleets.

In 2009, the first year of the Obama administration, government vehicles increased gasoline use by 3-percent. Figures for 2010 are to be released later this year.

[Source: Automotive News]

The Nissan Leaf outsold the Chevrolet Volt in April, reversing March’s sales numbers where the Volt handily outsold the Leaf. Nissan moved 573 Leaf EVs in April, while 493 Volts found a home amongst buyers.

Whie the Volt has been leading in total sales with (2,029 sold, compared to 1,044 for the Leaf), if April’s trend continues, we may see the Volt backslide into second place while Nissan’s fully electric hatchback takes the lead. It’s worth bearing in mind that both vehicles have yet to have a full nationwide rollout, and are still being sold in selected markets. The national launch may add another dimension to the sales race, especially considering the fickle tastes of consumers in the coastal launch areas.

BMW and Chinese automaker Brilliance have joined forces to create a plug-in hybrid version of the 5-Series long wheelbase sedan sold in the Chinese market.

Set to be revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show in April, the 5-Series plug-in will back an unspecified displacement turbocharged engine making 215 horsepower and a 94 horsepower electric motor. The car can travel 47 miles on pure electric power at a speed of 37 mph. The 5-Series plug-in will be produced in 2013, but it will not be sold in other markets, as the car was specifically designed for the Chinese market and their needs.

[Source: Carscoop]

In the midst of Earth Week next month, a motorcade of battery-powered, hybrid, and fuel-cell vehicles will drive through Washington D.C. to showcase alternatives to oil dependence.

Earth Week is scheduled from Friday, April 15 through Friday, April 22. The parade of cars and trucks will take place on Tuesday, April 19, and be part of the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) conference. Twenty-two companies will participate, including AMP Electric Vehicles, BMW, Coda Automotive, Edison Electric Institute, General Motors, Mitsubishi, Tesla, Toyota and VW.

It will be begin with a 10 a.m. press conference presided over by U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and will terminate at the EDTA Conference Ride, Drive and Charge at the Washington Convention Center.

Plans for the next day are for U.S. DOT Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to open the 2011 EDTA conference.

With federal officials looking on, the EDTA has said it is hopeful to make a positive impression in promoting solutions for the worsening energy crisis. “We are excited to show consumers and policymakers how many electric drive choices are available and how rapidly innovations are being brought to the market place,” said Brian Wynne, president of EDTA. “These cars and trucks, and the technology that supports them, are helping to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, reducing driving costs and pollution, improving our national security and creating advanced energy jobs.”

For more information about EDTA and its members, visit EDTA’s Web site. For consumer information about owning and operating electric vehicles, click on GoElectricDrive.

And they don’t know much more about hybrids, either. A study by London-based market research firm Synovate found that new vehicle buyers hardly knew that hybrids contained batteries, used gasoline, or couldn’t be plugged in.

Only two-thirds of people surveyed knew that hybrids used both battery and gasoline power (hence the “hybrid” name), and only one-third knew that hybrids could run on the electric motor by itself.

It gets more distressing. Those surveyed about plug-in hybrids didn’t know that they still required gasoline. Less than half knew that plug-ins, like their regular hybrid brethren, could also run in electric-only mode.

The survey was conducted from Oct. 22 and Nov. 2 of last year, among 1,898 Americans who were about to buy a new car or intended to do so. Synovate concluded from these results that a lack of buyer knowledge could affect vehicle sales, before going on to prove the aqueous qualities of dihydrogen monoxide.

“This low level of understanding about the way in which electric powertrain vehicles work will have profound consequences for vehicle sales,” said Stephen Popiel, senior vice president of Synovate Motoresearch. “In the short term, dealers will have to spend an inordinate amount of time explaining the workings of PHEVs and BEVs to interested buyers. We have to wonder if consumers will become disillusioned when they understand the actual requirements of electric vehicles.”

Ultimately, “whose job is it to educate consumers about these powertrains?” Popiel asked. Is it the manufacturer’s responsibility? The media’s? Or even the government’s? Synovate didn’t suggest anything. Either way, “long-term success of the electrification of the fleet will only come about with a better-educated consumer,” said Popiel.

Certainly, shelling out for the second most-expensive consumer purchase in one’s lifetime merits even basic knowledge of its functions. You may not have to read the owner’s manual cover to cover (unless you’re a nerd), but if you don’t remember to put gasoline in your hybrid, then it’s back to the drawing board.

[Source: Edmunds]

A few months ago, BMW announced that it will introduce a new sub-brand, that will focus its energy on electric and hybrid vehicles, and this new division will simply be called “i.”

Now comes a report that suggests BMW hopes the “i” brand will be able to sell 30,000 of its i3 electric model per-year. That number matches that of the lower production Mini models. The i30 is also expected to cost around 40,000 Euros (roughly $56,000), so it won’t be cheap.

This won’t be the only model under this brand, an i8 hybrid sportscar based on BMW’s Vision Efficient Dynamics concept will also be introduced around the same time. So it’s worth keeping an eye out on this upcoming Bavarian brand.

[Source: Autoblog]

Plug-in automotive upstart Fisker Automotive have had their share of delays, but the company is still working on expanding its product portfolio, even though the first customer cars have still not been delivered.

While many were hoping to have taken delivery of the Karma plug-in hybrid sedan last year, delays have pushed that date to later this year. But they are getting closer, as Henrik Fisker allowed a few European journalists to have a go in a pre-production model earlier this year, and the latest version was sitting pretty at the recent Geneva Motor Show.

Now Henrik’s business partner Barney Koehler has given a little more insight as to what the company is upto. Speaking with Automotive World, he said; “After Karma, there will be another car, which we are launching in Frankfurt this year, and selling six months later. Then there will be Sunset (convertible), one year later. We have one platform for Karma and two derivatives, meaning a total of three body styles. … We want to keep it under wraps. It’s a good-looking car, and our dealers are going crazy about it. They love it, and they love the fact that it will be available so soon.”

Koehler added that this new model will also be built by Valmet in Finland.  He also mentioned that Fisker expects to sell 7000 vehicles this year and about 15000 in 2012. We wish them all the best, and guys, feel free to drop us a test car or two at the AutoGuide office.

[Source: Automotive World]

While Volvo was apparently set to discontinue North American sales of all station wagons – arguably the vehicle they built their reputation on – in favor of crossovers. But that looks like it will change starting in 2012, with the launch of their V60 plug-in hybrid.

Unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show, the V60 Plug-In uses a 215 horsepower 2.4L diesel 5-cylinder engine to drive the front wheels, with a 70 horsepower electric motor powering the rear axle. Three power modes are available (one pure electric, one for hybrid driving and one for an extra boost, appropriately named “Power”). All-wheel-drive can also be engaged, with both motors driving all 4 wheels when traction is limited.

In electric mode, the V60 can go as far as 30 miles without using any diesel, and can be charged in as little as 3 hours. 60 mph comes up in only 7 seconds. We can’t imagine this car not coming Stateside. With Volvo exces previously commenting on their customers affinity for eco-friendly products – and the lack of such offerings in Volvo’s lineup – this one looks like a no-brainer.

Gallery: Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid

Volvo fans can rejoice now that the famous station wagon variant, the V60, is back (in North America), but it couldn’t be further from the rugged, mechanically simple station wagons of the past.

The V60 Plug-In uses a 215 horsepower 2.4L diesel 5-cylinder engine to drive the front wheels, with a 70 horsepower electric motor powering the rear axle. Three power modes are available (one pure electric, one for hybrid driving and one for an extra boost, appropriately named “Power”). All-wheel-drive can also be engaged, with both motors driving all 4 wheels when traction is limited.

In electric mode, the V60 can go as far as 30 miles without using any diesel, and can be charged in as little as 3 hours. 60 mph comes up in only 7 seconds, but you’ll have to wait until 2012 to buy one for yourself.

[Source: Volvo]

Gallery: Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid

Volvo has unveiled a plug-in diesel hybrid version of its V60 wagon ahead of the Geneva Auto Show, which promises to do for fuel spending what Atkins did for bread consumption.

The diesel hybrid takes Volvo’s 2.4-liter inline-five turbodiesel, pumping out 215 horsepower and 324 lb-ft of torque and adds an electric motor to the back wheels: a 70-horsepower motor powered by a 12 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, controlling what Volvo calls the Electric Rear Axle Drive (ERAD).

With two engines and AWD, the V60 hybrid can run on “Pure” mode for 32 miles on just the electric motor. With “Hybrid” mode activated, it’s good for a range of 746 miles, and in full-attack “Power” mode the V60′s two engines hustle to 60mph in 6.9 seconds. That’s what 472 lb-ft of torque combined will do for a family hauler.

The V60 hybrid will debut in Geneva in a few weeks. Click the jump for video of the diesel-hybrid.

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Any time a hot new car is released, the inevitable race to squeeze every last dollar from consumers starts almost immediately, and the Chevrolet Volt is no exception.

With supply extremely limited and demand strong, Chevrolet dealers seem to be taking advantage of market conditions. An investigation found that prices ranged from $46,923 in Michigan to a whopping $65,590 in Florida. Since dealers are independent franchises, they’re technically free to set whatever prices they want, and the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price is just that.

[Source: Ward's Auto via Autoblog]

Last year, the Obama Administration heavily backed Detroit’s automakers with a big helping of government funding. The bail-out money that was partly provided to General Motors and Chrysler, was for these companies to develop and sell hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles. The end result was the hardly amazing Chevrolet Volt.

However, the Obama administration still wants to help the electric and hybrid car industry, and their latest move to help move such products is to cut funding for clean-diesel and fuel-cell technology.

So while $80-million was budgeted for clean-diesel development in 2010, for 2011 that budget is cut down to zero. Congress had originally promised $500-million over 5-years for this project. Similar cuts have been made towards the development of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

The money that is being cut from clean-diesel and fuel-cell vehicles will now go to plug-in hybrid vehicles. Under the new plan, the $7500 tax break will be given to the customer at the dealership, not when taxes are claimed at the end of the year.

So while this might be great news for anyone who is looking to buy a plug-in hybrid vehicle, this will have an effect on manufacturers who had invested in other technologies. Essentially, those who manufacture clean-diesel or hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles will see marketing their vehicles in North America pointless.

[Source: Bloomberg Photo Credit: egmCarTech]

An estimated 14,000 taxpayers claimed $37 million in tax credits meant for buyers of plug-in or electric vehicles, while attempting to pass of vehicles like the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Camaro and “golf cart” as worthy of the credit.

Among the most ignominous offenders were 88 prisoners and IRS employees who attempted to claim the credits. With an estimated $7,500 credit per vehicle, the program is intended to add an incentive to buyers considering the Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt. The IRS said that $130 million of the $163 million given out was legitimate. On the other hand, some claimants listed their vehicle as merely “bicycle”, “taxi” or “golf cart”.

In light of the attempted fraud, the IRS will enact new regulations for trying to claim the credit, including supplying the Vehicle Identification Number on their tax forms, and selecting the vehicle information from a specific list on electronic filing forms.

[Source: The Detroit News]