Plug-in Hybrid


LA 2009: Toyota debuts its plug-in Prius for North America

Toyota rather unceremoniously parked their plug-in Prius hybrid prototype at its North American market debut during the LA Auto Show, while their new Sienna minivan got a royal welcome at its coming out party. At a show that saw the production-ish Chevrolet Volt appearing in public for the first time, it might have seemed likely that Toyota would have made a bigger deal of this model, but we just sort of stumbled upon it while checking out its big brother, the Lexus LFA. The company did issue a press release, which you can read in its ... Read more →

Buick Regal likely to be launch platform for next GM hybrid system Sam Abuelsamid

Last night, General Motors publicly unveiled the 2011 Buick Regal that goes on sale in North America in the first half of next year. The Regal will be Buick's new mid-sized sedan entry and is ...

GM's Lauckner wishes for bigger incentives to get drivers out of gas-powered vehicles Sam Abuelsamid

At this point, it's no secret that the Chevy Volt and other plug-in vehicles are not going to come cheap. About the least pricey full-speed electric vehicle may very well be the Nissan Leaf, which ...

REPORT: Mitsubishi Evo XI could get plug-in tech in 2013 Chris Shunk

The Mitsubishi PX-MiEV, scheduled for an official debut at the Tokyo Motor Show later this week, is jam packed with the best technology Mitsubishi has to offer. It's a series hybrid. It's a ...

Tokyo 2009 Preview: Suzuki Swift hybrid plug-in concept Xavier Navarro

2010 Suzuki Swift hybrid plug-in concept - Click for high-res image gallery The Suzuki Swift is a competent subcompact that the Japanese marque sells both in Japan and Europe. In the latter, the ...

Frankfurt Preview: More on Toyota's new lithium-ion Plug-in Prius 2 months ago on Autoblog

Toyota's new generation plug-in hybrid Prius will be shown for the first time next week at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and now we've got some new images and details. As expected, the PHEV Prius will be equipped with a lithium-ion battery pack. The hybrid synergy drive system has been upgraded for ...

BREAKING: GM cancels Buick crossover before birth, will add PHEV drivetrain to another vehicle 3 months ago on Autoblog

Surprising news comes by way of General Motors today as the automaker has already canceled its recently announced Buick crossover, which in reality was little more than an ex-Saturn Vue emblazoned with Buick's trademark chrome waterfall grille. And therein lies the rub. As confirmed to Autoblog ...

REPORT: Hyundai planning Blue-Will based sporty plug-in hybrid by 2012 5 months ago on Autoblog

Hyundai's first-ever hybrid automobile for the U.S. market will be based on the redesigned 2011 Sonata midsize sedan, but it certainly isn't the only fuel-saver the Korean automaker has in store. According to Automotive News, Yang Woong-chul, president of R&D for Hyundai-Kia Motors, has ...

REPORT: 115 Plug-in Toyota Prius test cars fail to crack 50 mpg average in year-long test 5 months ago on Autoblog

When Consumer Reports tested out the Hymotion L5 plug-in Toyota Prius conversion earlier this year, they weren't overwhelmed with the results. Sure, the mileage they observed was boosted to about 67 mpg over the first 35 miles of the drive, but that didn't match the claims of 100 mpg (or more) that ...

Volvo announces diesel plug-in hybrid for 2012 [w/video] 6 months ago on Autoblog

Volvo and Vattenfall have just made an announcement that should hurry the Swedish car maker along the hybrid highway. The two companies have partnered to develop a plug-in diesel hybrid that is expected to begin series production in 2012 with the first three demonstration vehicles to be ...

REPORT: Fisker planning third Karma variant, low-cost hybrid 6 months ago on Autoblog

Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker feels like the automotive world is at the beginning of a renaissance, and he believes now is the first time in 40 years that start-up automakers can compete and even thrive against the established OEMs. Fisker has already began to rage against the machine with the Karma. It ...

Early Chevy Volt mule drives reveal surprisingly good stuff in Cruze bodies [w/VIDEO] 7 months ago on Autoblog

General Motors has begun doling out test drives of its Chevrolet Volt prototypes to the salivating media. AutoblogGreen is scheduled for some time behind the wheel in short order, but some bigger names have already written up their first impressions of the car. CNN's short version: Promising, ...

Good Karma: Fisker investors reportedly bring in $85 million in capital 7 months ago on Autoblog

Hybrid propulsion or not, wunder-designer Henrik Fisker couldn't have picked a worse time be to starting a new car company...especially in the United States. Fisker has been adamant that his company will get off the ground and begin production of its much-hyped Karma electric sedan and S ...

Fisker plans lower-cost model, may compete with Chevy Volt and Tesla Model S 8 months ago on Autoblog

It's probably a bit premature to be talking about future models from Fisker, considering the automaker's plug-in Karma and Karma S have yet to hit the market, but that's never stopped us before, right? According to Russell Datz, head PR man at Fisker Automotive, "One of the future products we ...

REPORT: Hyundai to offer plug-in hybrid in U.S. for 2012 8 months ago on Autoblog

Hyundai reportedly plans to put a plug-in hybrid into production for the U.S. by late 2012 that will be based on the oddly-styled BLUE-WILL concept that's currently being shown off at the Seoul Motor Show. We're not sure if features like the rooftop solar panels and headlamp bezels made from ...

Fisker Automotive signs up 32 dealers in 17 states 8 months ago on Autoblog

Running television ads. Taking orders. And now, setting up a network of dealerships. Fisker Automotive is starting to act like a real car company. The company announced today that it has signed up its first group of 32 retailers. These outlets will be located in 17 states – Alabama, ...

GM rebuts Carnegie Mellon Chevrolet Volt slight 9 months ago on Autoblog

Time to get out the popcorn and sit back for a good argument. Remember Carnegie Mellon's recent study on the merits of plug-in hybrids like the Chevy Volt? According to the University, a PHEV with a 3kWh battery pack would provide the best compromise between price, performance and environmental ...

Carnegie Mellon study says Chevy Volt may not be such a hot value 9 months ago on Autoblog

A new study by Carnegie Mellon University has found that the cost to create an automotive battery pack capable of providing a range of 40 miles per charge is prohibitively expensive. Coincidentally (or not), that's exactly the range that General Motors is aiming for with its upcoming Chevy Volt ...

Mitsubishi focuses development on 'green' cars, plug-in hybrid coming in 2013 10 months ago on Autoblog

When the average enthusiast thinks of Mitsubishi, the first thing that jumps to mind is likely the Evolution, but the Japanese automaker's bread is buttered by the sales of large SUVs. This means that profits are pretty tough to come by these days as anything that guzzles gas has rapidly seen ...

Toyota Prius plug-in tops 65 mpg 10 months ago on Autoblog

Toyota says that plug-in hybrid versions of its Prius hatchback are averaging 65 miles per gallon in real-world testing. For those keeping track, that's a 15 mpg improvement over the upcoming 2010 Prius. As with today's hybrids, the actual mileage figure is highly dependent on the driver's right ...

Detroit 2009: BYD e6 - world's first production dual-mode plug-in hybrid crossover 10 months ago on Autoblog

The "BYD" in BYD Autos stands for Build Your Dreams, and this Chinese company is dreaming big huge. BYD is bent on becoming the world's largest automaker, and in order to achieve that goal, it's launched a series of ambitious projects that it hopes will reach the streets before larger, ...

Detroit 2009: Production Fisker Karma debuts for 2010 [w/VIDEO] 10 months ago on Autoblog

It's been a scant 12 months since Henrik Fisker debuted the curvaceous Karma concept that bears his name, and today the former PAG design star returned to Detroit with a very similar looking production model and a business plan. It's been a busy year for the upstart luxury manufacturer, and in ...

Report: BYD plans two more electric cars in 2009 11 months ago on Autoblog

BYD, which stands for Build Your Dreams, is a Chinese company with huge ambition to become the world's largest automaker. If there's any chance of making that monumental task a reality, the company will need some amazing products, a stage to present them to the world and a little luck. At least one ...

Fisker offers up front view of production Karma PHEV 1 year ago on Autoblog

Fisker has just sent us a few more shots of the production-ready Karma plug-in so that we can get a better look at the car's newly revised face. The front intake has been mildly revised in order to let the GM-sourced 260-horsepower Ecotec engine breath a bit more fresh air. It's a subtle ...

Toyota launches plug-in Prius hybrid in UK 1 year ago on Autoblog

Toyota has been testing plug-in versions of its Prius hybrid sedan on public roads in Japan for quite some time and the models have made it Stateside for testing, as well. Now Toyota has begun testing its PHEV in the U.K. Along with EDF Energy, the Japanese automotive giant and undisputed ...

Rumormill: Toyota working on hybrid iQ 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Toyota iQ. While we're clamoring for small, efficient transportation, Europe is already awash with micro cars, diesels, and hatchbacks. When Toyota designed and engineered the tiny iQ, it had to go smaller and greener than the competition, so the ...

Rumormill: Fisker planning four hybrid models 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the Fisker Karma Fisker Automotive is going to have its work cut out for it when it comes to meeting its self-imposed deadline of bring the Karma sedan to market by the fourth-quarter of 2009. To complicate matters even further, the automaker is now rumored to be ...

Maximum Bob: No plug-in hybrid race between GM, Toyota 1 year ago on Autoblog

The attention of the hybrid technology universe has been focused firmly on two vehicles: the Chevy Volt and the plug-in Prius. On the surface, these two vehicles are primed to be big-time competitors in the battle for mpg-conscious buyers. Not so, says the king of quote, Maximum Bob Lutz. According ...

VW to fleet test Twin Drive Golf plug-in hybrid concept in 2010 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the VW Twin Drive Golf Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has revealed a new concept today called the Golf Twin Drive. The Twin Drive is a plug-in electric hybrid that uses a powerful 82-hp electric motor and a 2.0L turbodiesel producing 122 hp. The electric motor ...

Lutz: Volt will cost $40,000, first-gen will lose money 1 year ago on Autoblog

Bob Lutz revealed to the Seattle Times that the price point for his company's Chevy Volt series hybrid electric vehicle will be $40,000, or around $10,000 more than originally estimated. Lutz also told the paper that the first-generation of the Volt would generate no profit for General Motors. ...

Ask and you shall receive (a little): DOE giving automakers $30mil for PHEV development 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click above for more shots of the Ford Escape PHEV In what seems like a convenient answer to Mark Fields' request just yesterday for government assistance for the development of plug-in hybrids, the Department of Energy has just announced that it will be granting up to $30 million for just this ...

Whoa, says Toyota. Plug-ins won't be that good 1 year ago on Autoblog

If you read our post yesterday that talked about a lithium Ion-powered plug-in Prius for 2010, thoughts of 100 mpg cars may have danced in your head. Well, take it easy, because the think tank over at Toyota doesn't want you to get your hopes too high. Toyota Advanced Technology manager Bill ...

Ford's Mark Fields calls plug-in hybrids a "national priority" 1 year ago on Autoblog

In these days of nearly nonexistent profits for every one of Detroit's Big Three automakers, R&D funds must be allocated very carefully. In contrast, Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda have been earning profits on a yearly basis. Not long ago, a mild spat arose regarding whether or ...

Next-gen Prius coming in January with more power, efficiency 1 year ago on Autoblog

The current Prius is baked from a refined recipe that results in a roomy, practical and efficient vehicle lurking under an eco-statement exterior, or at least we thought so. Five years on, it's still the most popular way to conspicuously consume under the guise of saving the planet. Toyota hasn't ...

AMG's future includes hybrids, twin-turbo'd V8 1 year ago on Autoblog

As we've heard before, the next generation of AMG-massaged Mercs will have to balance high output with low emissions. That means more turbos, less displacement and (gasp) hybrids. The big and bad 6.2-liter V8 won't be around much longer. Instead, AMG is turning its focus towards a new, twin-turbo ...

State intends to find out how much stress plug-in hybrids would put on grid 1 year ago on Autoblog

Judging by the vast array of plug-in hybrids at the past few auto show, it's reasonable to assume that at some point in the next ten to 15 years there could be millions of vehicles plugging into our nation's power grid. The Michigan Public Service Commission will be looking at this issue over the ...

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Autoblog Podcast #155: 'Twas the night before LA...

Chris, Dan, and Editor Paukert go over some LA Preview action and quietly whoop it up on the podcast.

 
 

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