Xavier Navarro - Autoblog

If you think that crossing la Défense square on foot is tiring, you'll be glad to know that you might soon be able to do it while sleeping. How, you ask? Because Paris' largest business district is going to test self-guiding NEVs on the square soon. Hervé Bonnat, Director of the Etablissement Public de Gestion de la Défense (EPGD), the public group that manages la Défense, has announced a test involving several Cycab models, self-guiding NEVs developed by the Institut

According to Alain Visser, Opel's head of sales and marketing, Opel needs a minicar to compete. However, developing a new minicar is a huge expense, and even though Opel has set aside €250 million for this car, the company would like a partner. It's not unusual: Ford and Fiat share the Fiat Panda/

The French pro-EV association, Bientôt Electrique (which means "electric soon") is offering a kit, guaranteed for two-years, that converts a regular Toyota Prius into a plug-in hybrid. The kit can be obtained without a battery for €1,499. If you want to add to the Prius' standard battery, a 2 kW battery + kit is offered for €2,550 and the 4 kW battery + kit is €3,550. Bientôt Electrique will install it for €349. The battery is installed in the trunk and the two po

2009 Honda FCX Clarity - Click above for high-res image gallery

2009 Plug-in Hybrid Piaggio MP3 scooter - Click above for high-res image gallery

Hiroshi Shimizu, the Japanese EV specialist behind the spectacular, eight-wheeled Eliica has announced the creation of SIM-Drive. This new manufacturer intends to sell electric vehicles in Japan that cost less than ¥1.5 million (about $16,700 US), opening the door to low-cost electric motoring. As price-conscious readers may suspect, there is one small detail missing: the price of the battery w

2009 Toyota iQ - Click above for high-res image gallery

Jay Leno's Green Car Challenge Ford Focus EV - Click above for high-res image gallery

A Spanish ambulance company in the city of Zaragoza, Ambuibérica, is trying out bifuel vehicles to transport patients. The 10 Mercedes-sourced vehicles use bifuel powertrains that can burn both natural gas and gasoline. Turns out, the drivers aren't too happy with these models: they criticize the van's short, 250-km range (about 140 miles), lack of natural gas availability in town and lower speed compared to the diesel counterparts. While the city of Zaragoza itself has some natural gas f

The VW Touran TSI EcoFuel MPV is getting an additional compressed natural gas (CNG) tank that significantly improves the car's range. A new tank placed under the trunk increases the total CNG capacity from 18 to 24 kg. Since the Touran TSI Ecofuel uses 4.6 kg of CNG to run 100 km, the compact MPV can now be driven for 570 km (354 miles) before needing a r

Elektrobay charging station - Click on image for complete gallery

2009 Ford S-Max - Click on image for high-res gallery

The French minister for Environmental Alffairs, Jean-Louis Borloo, has found some stone tablets issued a set of 14 "commandments" for the successful introduction of electric vehicles in France. Borloo didn't hide the fact that he aims to make the French auto industry the leader in EV technologies, and this is how the French Goverment is going to help:

Renault Zero Emission line-up - Click for high-res image gallery

Xavier Navarro

When it comes to sugar and cars, there's a type of cellulosic ethanol made from sugarcane, much of which is produced in Brazil. However, researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) have developed a catalyst that breaks glucose molecules in such a way that electrons, and therefore electricity, can be obtained. This research means there is the possibility of a "sweet" type of fuel cell. The catalyst was obtained from a herbicide that helps break the sugar down and liberates electrons. The proces

The least alternative of the alternative fuels – LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) – has received some good news in the expanding market in France: Opel has decided to sell two factory-converted models there. The chosen models are the Corsa and the Meriva, even though the latter will be replaced soon. The Corsa version uses a 1.2-liter gasoline engine with a 34-liter tank. The model loses some power compared

2010 Suzuki Swift hybrid plug-in concept - Click for high-res image gallery

2009 Smart ForTwo Cabriolet – Click above for high-res image gallery