EPA Lists the Most Climate-Friendly Cars for 2010 Posted on December 31st, 2009
In brief: The Environmental Protection Agency has released it’s Green Vehicle Guide for 2010.
The word
The guide has two sections: SmartWay and Smartway Elite. The list results for either choice will also vary by state, since different states have different EPA requirements.
The results are tabulated using a sliding scale of 1-10 on two criteria. The first scale measures fuel economy (EPA rating of MPG) and the second measures CO2 output. To qualify as a SmartWay, the car must achieve a 6 on both scales and a total score of at least 13. To qualify as a SmartWay Elite, the car must achieve a 9 on each scale.
On our list below are California (the most stringent EPA rules) cars with a SmartWay Elite rating. This produced 12 winners. They are listed by ranking and alphabetically for ties.
The following were rated 9.5 and 10:
- Ford Fusion Hybrid
- Honda Civic Hybrid
- Honda Insight (2 models)
- Mercury Milan Hybrid
- Toyota Prius
The following were rated 9.5 and 9:
- Ford Escape Hybrid
- Lexus HS 250h
- Mazda Tribute Hybrid
- Mercury Mariner Hybrid
- Nissan Altima Hybrid
- Toyota Camry Hybrid
And so …
Impressive list and a great site to check before going to the dealership to look atnew cars.
Photo credits: Ford Motor Company
Zero Motorcycles Gets EPA Certificate of Conformity for 455mpg! Posted on October 19th, 2009
Zero Motorcycles issued a press release today announcing that they’ve received their Certificate of Conformity from the Environmental Protection Agency and have been rated equivalent to 455 miles per gallon under EPA standards!
That’s great news, as this means the Zero S and DS (no word on the Zero X) are now fully street legal machines nationally, as they have already received Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards certification and even have the equivalent to that in Canada.
The other big news is that this puts them into qualification for a 10% federal tax credit and any state tax credits also available. That changes the street price from $9,950 to $8,996 for most U.S. buyers.
Pretty awesome news from Zero.
Global Green Cars – Affordable American-Made Electric Vehicles Posted on October 14th, 2009
Meet the G-3, one of three models currently offered by Global Green Cars. This one is my favorite, though I’m not sure if the cargo is included in the sale price or not. You’re looking at the most American-made small pickup truck on the market. Bar none.
The company that builds these started in the 1990s under BAT International (as subdivision Green Star Products Int). They were one of only four companies at that time which had a working prototype electric on-the-road vehicle. They comprised three of the seven vehicles offered for testing to the government’s EV America program in 1994.
Located in Kentucky, the company makes three vehicles: a proprietary 2-seat coupe, a converted SUV, and a proprietary small (1/2 ton equivalent) pickup truck.
The G-1 (pictured above) is a coupe designed from the ground up to be a low-cost, first or second car and commuter. It has a top speed of 100mph and a range of 100, 160, or 250 miles per charge depending on your package.
Now get this: the MSRP on this car is $18,000 for the 100 mile option, $25,000 for teh 160 mile option, and $30,000 for the 250 mile option. $18,000 for a working, freeway-capable battery electric?! Holy crap!
The G-1 has a front and rear trunk, is shown without color as the wheels, colors, seat types, etc. are all fully customizable on order, and it has a steel safety cage and all the requirements for USDOT highway use. It’s currently being sold in Asia in several markets.
The G-2 is a converted SUV. It’s obviously a Mitsubishi, which the company sources without motors or transmission and then adds electrical components to. It has a 100 mile in-town range, a speed of 50mph, and sells for $26,950. It’s obviously not freeway capable, but is meant for the around-towner and the suburbanite.
Finally, we come upon the G-3. This one, as I said, is my favorite. It has a range of about 125 miles, carries two passengers (jumper seats in the ex cab, but they aren’t counted), and a top speed of 80mph. It comes in yellow or white and with your choice of bed style: 3-side fold-down, flatbed, dumper bed, standard pickup bed (w/ tailgate), and a box van or refrigerated van.
It’s capable of about a half ton in carrying capacity (1,000 pounds or so), and seems very capable. I’d be more than happy with one of these (even without the great cargo in the pics) and, for the record (hint), I prefer yellow.
The G-3 is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with a small gasoline generator on board. It gets 100mpg(e)+ in this configuration.
Global Green Cars seems to be the quiet EV company that nobody’s heard about, but with great products. I hope to see more of them on the road. They are currently awaiting FMVSS and NHTSA approvals for their two proprietary forms, but are taking interested buyers’ queries.
Killer DIY Electric Motorcycle Becomes Creators Resume Posted on October 10th, 2009
In two months, a bare frame became this awesome ride. That’s all it took Tom Micelito build his electric motorcycle, which he calls the Ion. Now, it’s his resume as he looks for a career in industrial design. The Ion was his senior project at Appalachian State University. Hope he got an A+.
The bike started as a 1996 Kawasaki ZX6 Ninja. Tom stripped it down, took his measurements, and began his design and build. With several CAD model iterations, motorcycle magazine cutouts, and some real talent for aesthetics, he finally had what he wanted on paper.
To make it real, he had only two months if he wanted to get the grade. He started work on the chassis, adding 24 40Ah li-ion phosphate batteries (about 3kWh), a 95lb-ft torque motor (AC), a controller, and a quick test ride to make sure it all worked. At that point, the bike was weight equivalent to the original Ninja. Exactly as planned.
His weight distribution put the center of gravity at roughly bottom-center, just as the original had.
Miceli then began on the body work and street-legal components (lighting and so forth).
The bike’s top speed is 70mph and it has a range of up to 60 miles on a charge, which takes about six hours at 110v. Miceli continues to tweak the Ion, post-graduation, as he uses it to find himself a new job as a moto-designer.
With the help of his father, an electrical engineer, the graduate is planning some serious upgrades to the bike. He doesn’t think the acceleration is as good as it could be and he wants more speed and range. So he’s going to upgrade to 60Ah batteries and will ad a self-designed 2-speed transmission that will get up to about 50mph in first gear and double that in second. Yep. 100mph.
And yes, he got an “A” from his professor for the bike.
Big Rigs Going Electric – Freightliner and Balqon Posted on September 29th, 2009
We’ve talked about electric and hydrogen-powered big trucks before, of course. There are some updates on what’s happening with the new wave of greener, electric-based trucking now. One goes into production and gets lithium batteries and the other is a new concept based on another design.
Balqon has their electric drayage truck called the Nautilus that is seeing active duty at the San Pedro Ports right now in California. That truck uses lead acid battery packs. Now that they’re ready to go to production and start selling these yard hostlers, the company has announced that there will be a lithium-ion battery option for the units.
The new units with lithium batteries began testing in June of this year and have now been approved and are ready for action. While the lead-based batteries before sported a range of up to 60 miles, these new li-ion packs boost that to 120 miles.Otherwise, the specs have stayed the same with the exception that these batteries are in single packs putting out 300kWh.
The battery packs are still hot-swappable, have fast charging capability, and otherwise perform similarly.
The other news is with Freightliner, one of the largest truck makers in the world. Not long ago, we talked about their hydrogen fuel-cell trucks that they’ve been experimenting with, both for short and long haul use.
Well, taking that in another direction, Freightliner is also working with pure battery electrics, teaming up with Enova Systems, which builds hybrid and all-electric vehicle systems. The plans is to make medium, heavy, and large duty (up to Class 7) trucks for the market. These will compete with other electric truck makers like Smith Electric.
