Tag archive: Hybrid

Acura has unveiled its NSX Concept car at the International Auto Show in Detroit, revealing it to be a considerable stylistic departure from its famous predecessor, and that it'll use a V6 hybrid powerplant. The resurrection of the NSX name has been rumored for some time, and now we've seen it for real, it does indeed appear that Tony Stark will be adding one to his collection of toys in the upcoming Avengers movie. Like the… Read More

The Vice President of Toyota's Brand Sales in the US, Bob Carter, has given a hint of the company's plans for a new hybrid model set to be released this year, while speaking at the Automotive News World Congress currently being held on Detroit. Already flying high thanks to the announcement of the Prius C, or Aqua as it's known in Japan, Mr.Carter said that before the end of this year Toyota would introduce a hybrid car with… Read More

Toyota has officially unveiled its Aqua compact hybrid car, set to be called the Prius C when it comes to the USA. It's the first spin-off of the popular Prius brand, and is similar in size to the Toyota Yaris. The concept appeared at the New York motor show back in April, then again as a leaked set of press shots in October. In-between time, the car lost the barking mad headlights and the steeply raked roofline, which made it look more… Read More

The word “hybrid” was first used hundreds of years ago. When two animals mated (say, a pig and a wild boar) they created a hybrid. With cars, the word has almost lost its meaning. There are plug-in hybrids like the Ford Escape, electric cars with gas engines like the Chevy Volt, mild hybrids like the 2012 Buick Lucerne, and a wide mix of “full hybrids” like the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. Most of these cars have either two motors (one gas and one… Read More

Announced at the Green Drive Expo in Richmond, California earlier today, the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid utilizes a new 4.4 kilowatt-hour Lithium ion battery pack and allows owners to charge the vehicle with a standard wall outlet. Using a custom made charging pack, owners can fully recharge the vehicle in under three hours with a standard 120-volt outlet and cut that time in half using a 240-volt outlet. Toyota estimates that the Prius… Read More

Auto manufacturing giants Ford Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. announced today plans to collaborate on the development of a new rear-wheel-drive hybrid system for pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles. The preliminary partnership deal follows the Obama administration's recently announced plans to drastically increase fuel-efficiency standards over the next 15 years. The plan between the two car companies, both of which are… Read More

How is it possible for a hybrid car to travel 1,554.1 miles on just half a gallon of gas? Leave it to Chevy battery systems engineer Andy Oury to find out. The Chevy employee, who leases a Volt, shared a video showing off his badge of honor. By driving in electric-only mode for several months, Oury’s Volt displayed a maintenance warning informing Oury that the engine has not been run in quite some time. In order to keep the engine… Read More

Are you still trying to decide between a new hybrid car or an all-electric vehicle? If so, then you might be in the minority of consumers. The results of a survey released today depict a bleak outcome for alternative fuel vehicles. The survey asked consumers what alternative fuel they preferred between gasoline-electric hybrids, compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen fuel cell (HFC), and electric vehicles (EV). Not surprisingly, gas-powered… Read More

Researchers at Michigan State University have developed a prototype of an entirely new type of engine that is partially powered by shock waves, which some in the auto industry believe could greatly reduce the fuel consumption of hybrid vehicles, reports New Scientist. So far, the auto industry has struggled to fine energy efficient and cost effective ways to re-tool the fuel-hungry internal combustion engine, which has been widely used since… Read More

Acer's take on mobile: go big or go home. Today, the PC maker announced its new Iconia Smart handset at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The phone touts a 4.8-inch screen with a very high resolution of 1024 x 480 pixels. Acer calls this widescreen ideal for movies due to its 21:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the Iconia Smart runs on a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor–a bit slow compared to the dual-core processors powering… Read More

Third year’s the charm. Samsung first pried its way into the crowded notebook computer space two years ago, and despite establishing a solid foothold with vanilla netbooks, the company looks to be spreading its creative wings for the third year in the States. On Wednesday, the consumer electronics giant showcased an ultralight, aerospace-inspired notebook, as well as a hybrid tablet that slides open to reveal a full-sized keyboard. A wing and a… Read More

The patron saint of weekend racers everywhere just took a step up in the world with a few extra cylinders under the hood – and a whole extra digit tacked onto its price tags. On Monday, Lotus announced the Elite, a V8-powered supercar that will rocket the British manufacturer of pint-sized racers into competition with the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin. Unlike the current lineup of ultralight, low-slung coupes powered by four-… Read More

The first mainstream electric vehicle to hit American roads is almost here. After years of incubation, GM will begin selling the long-awaited Chevy Volt in November of this year. The company has been hyping the concept since all the way back in 2007, when its raked-back stature and muscular body lines suggested “green” cars didn’t have to look like wedges with wheels – and they could come from America, too. Time and concessions to safety, space… Read More