AutoblogGreen

Having just recently returned home from the TTXGP at the Isle of Man, where its race bike managed a very respectable second-place finish in its class, Barefoot Motors has officially opened its doors. The event, complete with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony, took place June 25th in Ashland, Oregon.

Barefoot Motors' new $12,000 Model One electric Earth Utility Vehicle was present and accounted for, and initial ride reports have been highly favorable. According to the company, its machine makes 40 horsepower and can hit speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.

With enough capacity from its lithium iron phosphate batteries to travel for up to 40 miles, which translates into roughly four hours of constant use or eight hours of intermittent use, the Columbia Daily Tribune reports that Barefoot Motors believes its new EUV should be a hit with farmers and vineyard growers.

[Source: Barefoot Motors]

Considering the two fledgling automaker's past history, it's not terribly surprising that Henrik Fisker would want to distance his company from Tesla Motors. Recall that Fisker had originally been tasked with penning the design for the Tesla S electric sedan but later unveiled the Karma after being dismissed by the Silicon Valley automaker. There was a lawsuit, which was ruled in Fisker's favor by an arbitration court.

Speaking at a meeting of the Western Automotive Journalists Assoction, Fisker said, "The full-electric car [like the Tesla Roadster] is a niche market. Plug-in hybrids have a much bigger market." Of course, not everyone agrees that PHEVs are the way to go. Fisker goes on to say that his company's latest business plan will lead to profits at just 5,000 annual sales, though the goal remains 15,000 sales per year.

What about the Chevy Volt, which uses a similar range-extended electric architecture as the Fisker Karma? Somewhat disparingly, Fisker suggests that GM's future EV won't really be competition for the Fisker, saying only, "It's a Chevy." He's got a point, though, as the Volt is likely to cost about half what Fisker plans to ask for the Karma and surely won't fit into the same luxury category as Fisker's green machine.


[Source: Hybrid Cars]

The popularity of BMW's MINI E test program in the United States has evidently prompted the company to expand production beyond the original 500 cars and add a smaller test fleet in Europe. The original plan, as announced last fall, was for 500 of the battery-powered MINIs to be made available in the U.S. and split between Southern California and the New York/New Jersey area. According to MINI USA spokeswoman Nathalie Bauters, there will be 450 of the cars in the U.S. with an additional 105 cars in Europe. Of the European fleet, 50 will go to the German capitol of Berlin, 40 to the British capitol in London and the last 15 will be used in and around Münich, hometown to BMW. That makes a total of 555 electric MINIs in a year-long (and controversial) field test. In all likelihood we will be hearing something about the next phase of BMW's electrification plans within the next 12 months, possibly at the LA Auto Show this fall where we first saw the MINI E last year.


[Source: BMW, Bigblogg.Motoring]

Now that hybrid cars have taken the top sales spots in Japan for the last few months, that country's Transport Ministry is reportedly launching an investigation to determine if it's wise to require hybrid automobiles to emit an artificial sound when operating with the internal combustion switched off. The thinking is that hybrids may be more dangerous to the blind due to their quiet operation under electric power.

According to an unnamed official, the government's 13-member panel – consisting of a diverse group of scholars, vision-impaired groups, consumers, police and automobile industry officials – "decided to consider introducing a sound-making function" on all hybrids at its first meeting on Thursday, July 2. The panel hasn't yet decided what sound hybrids should make. We'll cast our unofficial vote in the direction of cowbells.

The issue is well-known in America, where the government has launched Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Acts in each of the last two years to study the supposed problem. Naturally, there is some opposition to artificial noise generators on hybrids. "On the other hand, we should pay attention to residents (along roads) as hybrids are excellent in reducing noise," added the Transport Ministry official.



[Source: AFP via Google]

Yokohama debuted its new ADVAN ENV-R1 orange oil-infused racing tire at the Porsche GT3 Challenge at Sebring a few months back. At the time, the company promised to have new tires using the eco-friendly technology on the market for consumer use in short order. Apparently, that time is now. According to Dan King, Yokohama vice president of sales:

The eco-focused dB Super E-spec mixes sustainable orange oil and natural rubber to drastically cut the use of petroleum, without compromising performance. It also helps consumers save money at the gas pump by improving fuel efficiency via a 20-percent reduction in rolling resistance. With these innovations, the dB Super E-spec could very well be the most technologically-advanced tire ever produced.

At launch time, the new green orange tires will be available in four sizes. Not coincidentally, those sizes will fit popular hybrids like the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid/Civic GX NGV, Toyota Camry Hybrid and Honda Accord Hybrid. Click past the break for the official press release.

[Source: Yokohama]

Read more →

The British Department of Transport has announced a new £30 million fund to help bus operators purchase low-carbon vehicles, like the new GM-Allison Two-mode hybrid system (pictured). A Low Carbon Emission Bus (LCEB) is defined as one that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent compared to a current Euro 3 diesel bus of the same total passenger capacity. These buses should also deliver at least Euro V emission standards. The fund also welcomes EV buses, but thus far, few options are available. The fund will be distributed on a very granular scale by giving operators 6 pence for each kilometer operated with such vehicles. Getting more LCEBs on the road is important because, despite improvements in fuel efficiency in bus technology, the Department of Transport found that CO₂ emissions from buses have increased significantly over the last 10 years.





[Source: Department of Transport]

Back in early April at the Denver International Auto Show, Lightning Hybrids' showed off its new biodiesel-powered hydraulic-hybrid LH4, the design of which was inspired by the classic 1963 Split-Window Corvette. Although the team had to scramble to get the prototype together in time for its unveiling, things have now settled down a bit and Lightning has managed to get the vehicle in running condition. Assuming everything goes to plan, the car – supposedly capable of hitting sixty mph in around six seconds and managing 100 miles per gallon – will be entered in the Auto X Prize competition.

Lightning Hybrids also plans to produce a three-wheeled vehicle using similar technology, appropriately called the LH3, as well as hydraulic-hybrid retrofit kits for everything from midsize sedans to fullsize pickups. Before any of that can happen, though, the group is seeking an investment of $5 million – surely not an easy task in this weakened economy. Click past the break for a short video of the Lightning LH4's maiden voyage.

[Source: Lightning Hybrids via Wired]

Read more →

Art may be the last thing in the world the average person thinks about when sitting idle in a major traffic jam, but Spanish artist Maider López apparently sees things the normal person doesn't. López put a call out way back in 2005 to anyone willing to intentionally sit in the largest possible non-moving traffic jam, and she got more than 400 responses from willing participants in 160 individual automobiles.

That conglomeration of cars and trucks all convened to purposely clog up some twisty roads in the Aralar Mountains in Spain, and the predictable results were caught on film for the Auto. Dream and Material exhibition at the Laboral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial in Gijón, Spain. According to the artist, this traffic jam illustrate the automobile's impact on the landscape. We'll take her word for it.


[Source: Inhabitat]

The Dutch website dedicated to electric and hybrid automobiles, ZERAuto, has been conducting a poll, asking its visitors to rank their favorite ride and offering 12 very nice entrants to choose from. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Netherlands-based DuraCar Quicc! Diva grabbed the top spot and now proudly sports the "Car of the Future" crown, even though it had competitors like the Tesla Roadster and the Pininfarina B0 BlueCar. Putting aside possible nationalistic motivations, it seems likely that the practical Dutch see the Quicc! Diva as a stylish yet pragmatic way of moving themselves and their stuff around the narrow streets of their city centers. The Chevy Volt, which had occupied the top spot, was deposed to 2nd place; the Th!nk City was also a bridegroom.

The honor did not go unnoticed by certain politicians and yesterday the Minister of Economic Affairs, Maria van der Hoeven, presented DuraCar CEO Steen Wim Bakker with a certificate denoting the accolade. Although the company recently declared bankruptcy, as did their intended builder Karmann, they plan on making a comeback and begin producing 25 cars a day in Q3 of 2010, more than a year behind schedule. For their part, Karmann may also be a zombie phoenix. It's been reported that they've landed a £10 million ($14 million) model-development contract from Volkswagen which will help them restructure and allow them to focus on electric cars. Hit the break for a Google translated press release as well as a bonus video of the Diva struttin' her stuff.


[Source: ZERAuto / Bloomberg]

Read more →

If an engine is not being fed any fuel and the crankshaft is not rotating, is it running? Of course not. But would you say it is stopped or paused? Both, it makes no difference. It's simply a semantic distinction with no difference in real meaning. Mazda has introduced a new kind of automatic start-stop system on the 2010 Mazda3 called i-Stop. Until now, such systems primarily consisted of using either a beefed up starter motor or an alternator integrated with starter motor functionality to restart the engine. These units have to be more robust in order to withstand the greater number of engine start cycles that are required compared to traditional engines.

Mazda's system takes advantage of direct injection and a crank position sensor to re-start the engine without a stronger starter. The engine is stopped/paused with one of the pistons in the middle of its power stroke. During re-start, fuel is sprayed directly into the cylinder and then ignited. The force of the expanding and combusting fuel pushes the piston down, taking the load off the starter. Thus, the engine can re-start more quickly and smoothly.
Gizmag calls this pausing the engine rather than stopping it, but Mazda never uses that term in any of its press materials. Currently the i-Stop system is not available on the U.S. market 3, but it will likely arrive eventually.


[Sources: Gizmag, Mazda]

Read more →