Need an audio guide to the electric vehicle world while you wait for the Who Killed The Electric Car sequel? Internet entrepreneur and author Bo Bennett along with his EV co-host Ryan Levesque think that their new electric car podcast - EVcast - is just what the doctor ordered. The free show is available at the website or in iTunes and the first episode will be released today at 1 pm EST via a live stream (podcast version to follow). According to a release sent out by Bennett, the show will "inform the American public on the benefits of the emerging technology of electric cars in a non-technical and entertaining way."

Bennett had the idea for the show after he started looking around for a new car about half a year ago and realized that EVs are the best option for the future. He recognizes EV's "shortcomings," but the show's "ultimate goal is to spread the adoption of the electric vehicle, but at the same time help consumers make smart decisions when comes to buying a pure EV, hybrid, or even sticking with a gas powered vehicle for now." Whether the duo will be able to "cut through the crap, figuratively speaking" remains to be heard.

[Source: EVcast]

For Episode #22 of the AutoblogGreen podcast, Sam and Sebastian recap the AVFI show in Las Vegas, and enter into a discussion focusing on diesel. Still on the diesel tip, Sam talks excitedly about the Volkswagen TDI Cup racing series before moving on to the much more charged topic of EV infrastructure. Our interview this week isn't so much a one on one as it is a speech from T. Boone Pickens, he of oil magnate status, about how oil is not going to last forever. Thanks for listening, see you again soon!

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Episode 20 of the AutoblogGreen Podcast has us recapping Geneva mere days before we head to New York. There were lots of exciting things over in Switzerland, and we touch on a few of them. Th!nk's new Ox will be a Tesla-magnitude achievement if it hits the market doing what the company says it will. GM rolled out the new version of its mild hybrid system that will be propagating across virtually all models in all brands to help boost CAFE. Better efficiency for about half of what a sat nav option costs? We'll take it. Speaking of hybrids, there was a lot of talk from BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen ,and others about upcoming Euro-branded hybrids, and diesel hybrids at that. Mercedes will debut li-Ion batteries in a production hybrid, while Toyota has yet to see a compelling argument for diesel hybrids. Rest assured that if people want it, Toyota will build it, though. Before closing, we look forward to the couple of things we know about in New York, like the debut of the Acura TSX/Honda Euro Accord which will sport a 50-state legal diesel, and the Automotive X-Prize folks will be holding a press conference, as well. 32 minutes this time around. Stay tuned, we'll surely be abuzz when we return from New York.

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Right on the heels of GMNext, GM Canada has started a purely green public outreach effort, the Green by Design podcast. The first episode says there will be 10 'casts, all about green topics such as hybrids and fuel cells. For the most part, these types corporate programs are usually extended commercials telling us things we've heard before, but one thing seems new here. Thirteen minutes into the 20-minute podcast, someone says, "We have about 10 hybrids in the pipeline at General Motors. We are going to be introducing a new hybrid every 3 months for the next two years."

Two years? GM Chairman Bob Lutz has said "sixteen hybrids in the next four years" and GM CEO Rick Wagoner said "one new hybrid coming out every quarter for next four years." So, they meant 16 hybrids including the ones released in the last year or two? Whatever they mean, in two or four years or how many hybrids total (16, 20 or 24), GM will probably have more hybrid brands than any other car maker for many years.

Fellow blogger Sam Abuelsamid notes that as with most automakers, GM doesn't have exactly the same model lineup in the smaller Canadian market that it does in U.S. The smaller Canadian market with its higher gas prices tends to skew more toward smaller cars than the U.S. market. It's possible some duplicate models with different branding might not be offered north of the border. For example, GM Canada might sell the Silverado Hybrid but not the Sierra hybrid. Unless GM in the U.S. says anything about a change in plans, what the Canadian side says should not necessarily be taken to reflect U.S. plans.

[Source: GM Green By Design]

We're in Detroit now, but Sebastian and Sam took some time to chat about a few things before leaving for the show. Rick Wagoner's CES keynote was historic, as was the appearance of the Cadillac Provoq at that show. Coming up at Detroit we'll bring you details on all of the alternative and fuel-efficient vehicles like the Hummer HX that signals a wholesale move to E85 capability and the first ever unibody Ford Explorer. Sebastian brings us an interview with Bill Roe of Coskata Energy about their exciting work on biofuels and we wrap up by touching on the Tata Nano. We'll be back again soon, see you then!

UPDATE: transcript of the interview with Bill Roe available here.

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We're back for AutoblogGreen Podcast #16. In this installment, Sebastian updates us on some of the really amazing things he saw while at EVS23 in Anaheim. Speaking of really cool stuff, our interview this time is with Beau Boeckmann of Galpin Autosports. Sebastian and Beau talk in depth about the crazyawesomelywild hybrid F450 that was done up for Pimp My Ride, while Sam got to see the Chevy Volt showing a little leg on a recent tour of the E-Flex design studio. We take some time to discuss the Volt and E-Flex in depth, touching on some of the discoveries that have been made as the platform gets developed, as well as how far along the E-Flex is, which is surprising. We're looking ahead to NAIAS in Detroit in a few weeks, for now, enjoy this installment, clocking in at 43 minutes.

UPDATE: Read the transcript and view a picture of Beau's truck here.

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Sebastian and Sam are back for episode 15 of the AutoblogGreen Podcast. We start with a recap of what Sam got to see at the LA Auto Show - the Honda FCX Clarity, Porsche Cayenne Hybrid, as well as the GM 2-Mode Hybrid trucks. While in LA, Sam got to take a thrilling ride in a Tesla Roadster with Daryl Siry of Tesla where they discuss Tesla's future plans, and the challenges you face when bringing a viable EV to market. Sebastian had the chance to talk with Jonathan Williams about a "tri-brid"fuel-cell mini-bus that also has batteries and ultracapacitors on board. There will be more on this when Sebastian reports from EVS23 next wee. The podcast clocks in at 57 minutes this week, enjoy!

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We're back for AutoblogGreen Podcast #14. In this installment, we recap the Santa Monica Alt Car Expo and many of the interesting things we saw at that show. Everything from converted Russian hatchbacks as NEVs to excessively fast electric drag racers. Sam is currently covering the LA Auto Show for us, and in this show we discuss details on the GM hybrid trucks and cars, as well as everything else with a green tint at the show. Finishing up this episode, Sam's also got an interview with Larry Nitz, executive director of hybrid powertrains at GM, part of the team that developed Allison's two-mode hybrid system. Thanks for listening to all 45 minutes, we'll see you again soon!

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It's the lucky 13th episode of the Autoblog Green Podcast, just in time for Halloween. More importantly, just in time for the Santa Monica Alt Car Expo. The Alt Car Expo starts soon, and Sebastian will be there. It's one of the largest green car shows in the world, and admission is even free. There's always lots of really innovative and clever things to see. Last year, a group of folks converted a 1957 Triumph to EV power during the show. We'll be there rubbing elbows with all of the movers and shakers in the green car world. Our interview this week is with the Society for Sustainable Mobility, who will be in Santa Monica, and we talk about the Open Source Green Vehicle Project (check back later today for the transcript of the interview. UPDATE: here it is).

The Tokyo Motor Show is coming up soon, as well, which will be full of alternative fuel vehicles that push design innovation. There's a real alphabet soup of concepts heading to Tokyo, and the vehicles are as strange as their names. Both shows provide us with good podcast chatter for 42 minutes - enjoy!

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Better late than never, right? It's totally my fault that AutoblogGreen Podcast #12 is so late in coming, but here it is! Episode 12 is a Frankfurt recap show, and John Neff from Autoblog.com joins Sebastian and Sam to talk about some of the highlights of the dual-personality (green and not so green) Frankfurt Motor Show. There's lots of discussion about the coming E-Flex versus Hybrid Synergy Drive smackdown, the 17 new models coming from Mercedes by 2010, many of them diesels, the Volvo C30 Efficiency kicks off discussion about plucking the low-hanging efficiency fruit, and the 'cast wraps up with further punditry about Diesel regs in the US versus the EU. It's a wide-ranging discussion clocking in at 41 minutes, enjoy!

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As we head toward the Frankfurt Motor show, AutoblogGreen Podcast #11 is filled with talk about what we'll see at the show. There've been lots of developments from European manufacturers, and we're eager to see those cars up close. Sam also got the chance to attend a GM Powertrain event at their Milford proving grounds where he was able to drive some of the new engine technologies around, including HCCI. While there, he also snagged interviews with Paul Najt and Uwe Grebe talking about the work they've been doing developing new GM powertrains. It's 36 minutes this week, and we've fixed the RSS and audio issues from the last couple episodes. Thanks for listening!

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This week, Sam brings back two interviews - one with Ford's Scott Staley about what's going on in Hybrid land, which is then balanced by a conversation with John Lapetz that pulls back the curtain on the hydrogen research that's been going on in Dearborn. Also touched on are the Chevy Volt and the EFlex architecture itself, set to go into series production in 2010. Things move from the EFlex to the challenge of bringing Li-Ion batteries to market. Ford also announced that there will be an experimental program with Southern California Edison, which will essentially serve as a real-world test for plug-in capable Escape hybrids. It's 53 and a half minutes this week, dig in!


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