About a year ago, Maxwell Technologies told the world about the Chinese government using its ultracapacitors in various official vehicles. Another July brings another announcement, and so we learn that the city of Milan, Italy will soon be using Maxwell's ultracap modules in its hybrid and electric buses. The 125-volt BOOSTCAP ultracapacitor modules will store energy from the bus' brakes and then spit it back out for torque assist when the driver steps on the accelerator. Overhead electric lines or a diesel generator will supply the rest of the energy needed to move the public transit vehicles. Milan has ordered 70 buses from Vossloh Kiepe and Van Hool and will soon take deliver of the first 15. More details after the break.

[Source: Maxwell Technologies Inc.]

Mitsubishi has been showing off and field testing its iMiEV electric car this year in preparation for a limited production launch in 2009-10. To help spread the word, the Japanese automaker has launched a new micro-site dedicated to the battery powered micro-car. On the site, Mitsubishi explains some of the technology choices made for the oddly named car. The iMiEV uses a lithium ion battery pack mounted under the floor to provide a range of about 100 miles. The i that the iMiEV is based on features a rear mounted engine which is replaced with a permanent magnet motor driving the rear wheels. The batteries are coming from a new joint venture between Mitsubishi and GS Yuasa. The site also features videos about the car and a paper craft version that you can make for yourself. Domenick is evaluating that one in the AutoblogGreen garage right now and will have a full review shortly. Thanks for the tip Yanquetino!

[Source: Mitsubishi]

A somewhat mysterious message arrived the other day via the ABG comments from someone calling themselves "B.T." It consisted of a link to pictures of a Toyota Corolla station wagon with an admonition to check it out, as well as the sentence, "There has to be an interesting story behind this." This seemed like a challenge so we took it up and discovered there was an entertaining bit of back story once we started uncovering the clues.

Looking at the pictures more closely revealed "Seabury Engineering" printed across the front of the car and a license plate from Hawaii. We knew the comment also originated from the island we discussed the other day as being a perfect place for electric cars like this one. Our good buddy Google soon put us on the straight and narrow path leading directly to Seabury Hall, which is a small "Blue Ribbon School" on Maui affiliated with the Episcopal Church where, among other things, they are teaching kids how to turn sinful gas burning cars into green-haloed electric ones.

A little more digging found the car conversion blog which had lots of pictures and posts by different students. It shows the class opening a highway project with Hawaii governor Linda Lingle and getting "celebrity" visits from such folks as the Tesla Motors co-founders, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. The exact fate of the car itself may remain a mystery. the blog was last updated in early June with a post talking about the NiMH batteries arriving. Perhaps it remains for next years class to put on the final touches and let us know what kind of performance they have achieved with their seraphic conversion. Thanks for the tip, B.T.

Click above for more images of the electric bike train

Recently, while searching the net for the most interesting forward-thinking ideas around, we stumbled across a design for an electric bicycle which works sort of like a train. Sure, that sounds confusing, but a quick glance at the pictures below will likely make the concept easier to understand. While we in no way believe that a device such as this would make any real dent in global emissions or congestion, we do think that the idea has some merit for cyclists. Consider, for example, how expensive tandem bicycles are. With a vehicle such as this, a single rider can go his merry way alone or attach extra helpers bikes as needed. Additionally, the electric machine is collapsible, which should make it easier to store when not needed. Pretty cool stuff from designer Jiang Qian in China. A quick glance at his accomplishments makes us believe we're not the only ones impressed by his work.


[Source: Coroflot.com]

As difficult as it may be to believe, interest in alternative fuel vehicles actually pre-dates the launch of AutoblogGreen a little more than two years ago. Another fact that may be tough to swallow is that the BBC's Top Gear was not always the hour of silliness we see today with Clarkson, Hammond and May. In fact Top Gear's current format only began in 2002. Going back in time it had a more staid magazine style format with hosts such as William Woollard. Way back in 1990, Woollard did a pair of segments on alternative fuels and the threat of Global Warming from increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Watching these 18 year old segments, it seems not a lot has changed. Woollard looked at hydrogen with an early prototype of the BMW Hydrogen 7, methanol, CNG, solar powered EVs and even hybrids. The GM Impact, the precursor to the EV1, even makes a brief appearance while discussing battery electric vehicles. In that pre-lithium ion era, sodium sulfur batteries seemed to be one possible solution to range and weight problem of storing electrons. Although such batteries were tested by automakers, the high operating temperatures (up to 350 °C) limited their usefulness. Nonetheless, the similar Zebra batteries are still being evaluated today and used in some applications. Check out the videos after the jump. Thanks to Joseph for the tip!

[Source: YouTube]

The Wall Street Journal has been known to be a bit cynical when it comes to the Chevy Volt but does it really think GM is using a whole program just to angle cash out of Washington? That seems to be the what Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. is arguing in his article, "What Is GM Thinking?" According to the author, because GM's stock is at historic lows and the idea that the public would change their minds about the kinds of cars they want because fuel costs are rising is "crazy," the only reason GM would be pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into a car that is "guaranteed to lose money on every unit" is because the company can use the environmental cache of the Volt to give law-makers political cover to throw cash at the iconic American brand. We think that, while this kind of wild-eyed speculation is all very well and good for some amateur car blog to delve into, this is written up in the respected Wall Street Journal.

Although the main premise of the piece may be slightly awry, we can surely take heart that the writer knows a little about the vehicle he is writing about. Let's look at a few of his facts assumptions.

• "GM is saying now the Volt may need a sticker price of $45,000"
• "The car will be lucky to get 15 mpg under gasoline power"
• "A car with the Volt's narrow usability to sell would require an unlikely revolution in consumer behavior"

Hmmm, interesting. We know what we think of these statements but we'd like to know what you think. Try out our new and improved comments section to let us know.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

An enterprising man in New York has managed to build an electric motorcycle which he's referring to as the Battery Box. This term comes from the design of the frame, which is just large enough to house the battery components and is built from aluminum for minimal weight. The batteries are a lithium polymer chemistry and offer 48 volts with 40 amp hours of power. Based on the voltage, we assume that the two electric motors are DC. One motor is hub mounted at the rear and provides 6kW of power while an additional, smaller 3kW motor adds some additional acceleration when called upon.

Front forks from an Italian moped contribute to the Battery Box Motorcycle's light weight. The builder claims that this bike represents his first design and a second, more refined machine will be offered for sale for an expected price of $8,000. Check out the video after the break for some more information. Thanks for the tip, Mark!

[Source: Battery Box Motorcycle]

If you missed the story of this 1981 Ford Fairmont EV, click here.

Portland General Electric is gearing up to move Oregon into the plug-in vehicle future. The utility will be installing a dozen charging stations for EVs in Portland and Salem in the next two months. Sure, that might not seem like a lot, but this is just the demonstration part of the project; the utility is laying the foundation for mass adoption of plug-in vehicles in the next two to five years. An ambitious timeline? Sure, but that's what we need right now and public charging stations are vital to allowing people who don't have a garage at home to fill up their new electric cars.

Back in May, PGE got approval from the Oregon Public Utility Commission to install a lot of smart meters (850,000, to be exact) in people's homes. For the public vehicle chargers, PGE is working with ODOT to install the devices and let people know what they are. The Daily Journal of Commerce claims that there are already 400 EVs registered in Oregon.

[Source: Daily Journal of Commerce]

Our friend John McElroy isn't the only person out there who thinks that General Motors should dust off the old EV1 program and re-release it for public consumption again. Apparently, a passionate electric car enthusiast copied Mr. Bob Lutz himself on a letter suggesting that the EV1 needs to be brought back with its original lead-acid batteries. Remember, though, that Lutz is extremely involved in the Volt project, so it's not too surprising that he had plenty to say in response to the letter. In fact, Lutz echoes many of the sentiments expressed by our own Sam Abuelsamid, who recently wrote about the difficulties of reviving the long-dead program. Lutz highlights the fact that the General lost one billion buckaroos on that program the first time around and balks at the suggestion that lithium ion batteries are not yet ready for primetime. According to Lutz's response, the Volt's battery pack will not delay its launch. For our part, we're content to see the Volt picking up the pieces left by the loss of the EV1.

[Source: LA Times]

If you're looking to get into an all-electric truck soon - and don't mind doing a bit of work - then eBay has got the Ford Ranger EV for you. The current bid on the 1998 truck is $4,000, but the reserve isn't met and there are over six days left. If you think that price if a bit low, the seller's vehicle description explains why: "The battery pack on this truck is depleted and the truck does not run. It was running perfectly until June 26th, 2008 when the battery pack wore out."

Still, for the price of some new batteries, you could be driving around in a zero-emission truck with "QUIETER" on the license plate and a iPod-ready Sony CD sound system in the clean interior. Perhaps more importantly, an HOV access lane sticker is included and you'll never need to go get a smog check if you keep the truck in California. The truck has 61,000 miles on it and is in Santa Cruz, California. The seller is throwing in two 220V 40 amp Avcon charging stations. h/t to Mike!


[Source: eBay]

The only place we can think of that is more perfectly suited for electric cars than an island is an island paradise far, far away from the mainland. Hawaii, for instance. It seems the thought also occurred to them as they have already been in talks with Project better Place and still keep the first EV in Hawaii on hand. Now, to help them out with their electric-car contemplation comes a grant of 50,000 big ones from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. Obviously not a king's ransom, the money is better, to paraphrase Frank Sinatra, than a kick in the pants.

Actually, Hawaii and the Department of Energy are partnered in the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative which aims to have 70 percent of the islands energy derived from renewable sources and the money is in support of that program. Governor Linda Lingle also sees the economic advantages in moving transportation in this direction. She says, "This grant will help Hawaii build the foundation needed to transition to electric vehicles and help reduce the need for expensive gasoline...". And expensive it is, with people paying as much as $4.75 a gallon for regular within the past few days.

[Source: Pacific Business News]

While many automakers are getting a bit bullish about diesel cars in America (see Mercedes, Nissan and VW), a board member of parts supplier Continental AG told Handelsblatt (via Thompson Financial) that an overall downturn in diesel interest in the U.S. means his company is looking more toward electric cars than diesel-powered ones. Board member Karl-Heinz Neumann said, "Regarding diesel fuel, I'm more sceptical by now. There's not much happening in the U.S. The opportunities of the electrical car have surprised all of us."

Neumann's stance is bolstered by Ford's recent decline in diesel truck sales and, more importantly, by a recent Conti study that showed high consumer interest in zero-emission vehicles. Making the shift to EV support is not a problem for the supplier, because Conti is well into setting up advanced battery deals with some automakers. The lithium-ion battery in the upcoming Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid will be from Continental and then there's that whole Chevy Volt thing.

[Source: Thompson Financial]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Opel Flextreme

A while back, there were rumblings from Opel that the European brand from GM was considering entering the micro car segment currently occupied by vehicles like the smart fortwo and the upcoming Toyota iQ. That rumored vehicle was to be powered by a repurposed motorcycle engine, much like what has been said concerning the budding Toyota model. Now, though, it sounds as if those plans have been scrapped as Opel now sees the largest growth markets coming from normal entry-level vehicles and über-luxury vehicles, classes which bookend the auto industry.

According to GM of Europe's leader, Carl-Peter Forster, Opel is still hard at work on its hybrid model, which was previewed by the Flextreme concept. GM's head in America, Rick Wagoner, echoed that comment but added that there could be more electric vehicles coming from Opel than just the Flextreme. All of these electric vehicles would be based on the E-Flex drivetrain which will underpin future GM vehicles like the Flextreme and Chevy Volt.


[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]

The former chairman and CEO of Intel Corp., Andrew Grove, thinks that energy and transportation have reached a strategic inflection point. That's a term that Grove coined years ago to describe a point in time when conditions in an industry have changed sufficiently to force a sudden and dramatic change of course for a company. Grove believes that the confluence of oil prices, environmental concerns and economic conditions now demand a rapid move from internal combustion to electrically driven vehicles.

Grove is now pushing to find a way to retrofit the tens of millions of older vehicles on the road with hybrid drive systems. Grove is pushing for tax incentives to help fund battery and conversion kit development. While automakers support the call for battery development help, they have been less enthusiastic about conversions. The concern is that converting existing vehicles to hybrid or electric drive could undermine the safety and durability of those vehicles. Automakers expend a great deal of effort on integrating systems to ensure reliability. With conversions, it's difficult to guarantee the robustness of the integration. Nevertheless, Grove will devote the next semester of a business school class he teaches at Stanford to finding ways to make EVs possible.

[Source: Associated Press via Detroit News]

Subaru's electric kei car, the Stella plug-in, is about to be introduced at the G8 summit in Hokkaido. When the initial release went out, it was said that five cars would be built, four of which would shuttle various dignitaries around the summit while the last one would sit on display. According to a report on Just-Auto (sub. req'd), though, there is yet another vehicle which will be delivered to Japan Post. You may recall that the Japanese mail delivery service had recently announced that it will switch over to a fully electric fleet as soon as possible. Though the Stella uses the same powertrain as the R1e, it houses it in a much more practical body style. Reading between the lines a little bit, which doesn't always prove all that accurate... but whatever, we wonder if Subaru specifically had the mail carrier in mind when it decided to show off this particular electric vehicle.

[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]