Renew News » hybrid

NPR Talks About Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles

Mark — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:45:40 +0000

A nice article about the details of near-future plug-in hybrids (PHEV). Good ol’ NPR.

Read the article here.

New X-Prize for Super-Efficient Automobiles

Mark — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 04:20:00 +0000

The X Prize Foundation has announced several new X Prizes, and one of them is “To inspire a new generation of viable, super-efficient vehicles that help break our addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change.”

The winner gets a HUGE amount of glory and, of course, $10 million. The gauntlet has been dropped, so get those creative juices flowing.

Find out all the details for the Automotive X Prize here.

Discovery’s Future Car TV Show Talks Fuel

Mark — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 06:23:54 +0000

The Discovery channel is 3/4 of the way through their four part series on the car of the future, appropriately called Future Car. The most recent episode was about fuel and hit on everything from ethanol, bio-diesel, hydrogen and solar all the way to having a car powered by air.

A few of the finer details are a little off, but all in all the shows have been great. It’s really cool to see what the designers are thinking about, and what is on the way. Perhaps the most interesting thing for me in this episode on fuel is that a lot of the future is already available now. Of course they showed prototype cars that can do some amazing things, but really the near future of fueling our vehicles is not so much about bringing in new technology, as it’s about getting more people on-board with the advances that are already commercially available like ethanol, biodiesel and hybrids.

One of the great things about cable is that you get more than one chance to see a good show. If you missed any of Future Car, check out the schedule for your second chance.

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Gotta pay the bills:

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The Holy Grail Accessory for the Toyota Prius: Solar Panels

Mark — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 06:38:54 +0000

This is the accessory that I have been dreaming about ever since we bought our Toyota Prius: integrated solar panels. Of course, isn’t this always the way it works? Now that I’ve found the product I’ve been hoping for, it is temporaily unavailable. I have emailed Solatec, and I will post any further info I get from them.

Solatec Roof Top Solar Panels of the Toyota Prius

“Greenest” and “Meanest” Cars: Top Ten list Released

Mark — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 05:39:27 +0000

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy released it’s annual list of “Greenest” and “Meanest” cars once again. Topping the list are well-known and highly publicized hybrids Toyota Prius and Honda Civic, but there are some other interesting appearances as well.

The White House Talks Green… With a Few Notable Exceptions

Mark — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 07:12:08 +0000

In his recent State of the Union address, George W Bush talked about, and seemed to support, many of the most promising areas of renewable energy. With the current global political climate, and our war in Iraq (that seems to be becoming more about oil every day), it is no surprise that the White House would want to address the security of the nation’s energy supply. The Bush administration does not have a good track record with environmental issues, but it may just be that we have reached a point where the goals of the environmentalists and the politicians have finally met. Despite my natural optimism, my political views combined with history make it very difficult for me to believe the goals of the Bush administration. However, with two major exceptions, if the White House sticks to its stated intentions, the US might finally be on the right track with its energy policy.

The points I’m most excited about:

Reducing gasoline consumption through improved vehicle efficiency, gasoline alternatives (like ethanol), and reductions in commuting and congestion.
More research into hybrid vehicles, especially plug-in hybrids.
Increasing the supply of renewable fuels.

The points that make me cringe:

More nuclear energy. First, it’s not a renewable resource, and second, it creates toxic byproducts that last for hundreds of years. People are starting to talk about nuclear as green energy and that makes me crazy. It is so NOT green.
More domestic oil production, especially in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge. Aside from my feeling that we should protect the few wild places we have left, I don’t like a policy of bleeding our country dry of oil first. If anything, we should preserve what oil we have while we develop renewables further to take the place of foreign oil imports.

Some people think that any State of the Union address is nothing but lip service regardless of who delivered it. I don’t agree with that. I have to say that I am very impressed with the majority of the stated goals set out in the new energy policy from the Bush White House, but it’s much easier to talk about doing things than it is to actually do them. We will see if this administration puts its money where its mouth is.

Check out the full policy here.

Indianapolis Using Biodiesel Hybrid Buses

Mark — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 20:07:16 +0000

Being a top soy bean producer, it is in Indiana’s economic as well as environmental interest to use soy-derived bio diesel. Indygo, Indianapolis’ mass transit company has recently introduced hybrid buses that burn fuel produced right here in Inidana.

Read about Indianapolis’ first winter Ozone Action Day here.

Hybrids and Clean Cars Starting to Get Preferential Treatment

Mark — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 15:56:23 +0000

It’s only a start, but it’s something. Cities around the country are starting to give a wider array of incentives to drive a clean car: like free parking.

Respect the Hybrid!

Toyota Reads My Mind: Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Mark — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 04:52:45 +0000

I love it when a product I want that doesn’t exist yet suddenly appears on the horizon. My wife and I have the cruel ability of thinking of things we want about a year before anyone makes them, but this time Toyota is only a step behind me. They are talking about making a plug-in hybrid car.

When we bought our Prius one of the big selling points was that you don’t have to plug it in. From the get-go this seemed like a disadvantage to me. I want to have the option of plugging it in. Think of all the rechargable things you use everyday as it is. For me it’s: cell phone, ipod, razor, beard trimmer, portable speaker (for performing), batteries, and camera. What’s one more thing? Especially if it’s going to give me better mileage and cost less. Read the article here.

Calcars.org already promotes and offers plug-in conversion, and has a great article about the benefits and current progress of the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) movement.

Better Mileage (and cool tricks) From Your Toyota Prius

Mark — Thu, 25 May 2006 23:00:14 +0000

There is a new breed of hot rodders sprouting up these days: techies. All kinds of people are finding new ways to hack and modify their Priuses to make them have incredible mileage (100+ mpg) or do cool tricks (like maintain your 12V battery with a solar panel).
Read the CNET News.com article here.

Get your own parts and Prius mod kits here.

Even though most of these modifications are not really about renewable energy, conservation is an important part of the big picture. And besides, it’s only a matter of time until we have hybrid or full electric vehicles covered in solar panels.