Toyota Australia Unveils Hybrid Camry Concept Vehicle at Melbourne 2009
February 23, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Toyota’s Australian arm will begin producing its own Camry Hybrids one year from now. To mark the new contract, Toyota Australia has created a new concept called the HC-CV (Hybrid Camry Concept Vehicle), and it has just debuted at the 2009 Melbourne Auto Show. Starting with the refreshed 2010 Camry Hybrid as a base, the HC-CV features a redesigned front fascia that’s highlighted by vertical fog lights and a lower grille with a random pattern said to be inspired by nature. Read more
List of All 2008-2009 Hybrids Eligible for Tax Credit
February 9, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
A list of 2008 and 2009 model year hybrid vehicles eligible for a tax credit, and the amount of the available credit. The full credit begins phasing out after the manufacturer sells 60,000 hybrid cars or light trucks. Read more
VW To Use Heat Recovery Systems
Volkswagen has shown a prototype vehicle equipped with a thermoelectric generator according to the International Thermoelectric Society website. The system recovers the dissipated heat energy and converts it into electricity. The prototype has been shown at the “Thermoelektrik - Eine Chance Für Die Atomobillindustrie?” meeting held in Berlin in October 2008.
The thermoelectric generator is reportedly able to gain about 600W from a car running on a highway, meeting about 30% of the car’s electrical consumption requirements. For the moment, the thermoelectric generators haven’t been embedded in a hybrid car, although VW says with the current setup it can save about 5% of your fuel consumption Read more
5,000 Hybrids Added to Enterprise Rent-a-Car Fleet
February 3, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is going to add up to 5,000 additional gas/electric hybrids to its nationwide fleet, this will nearly double the amount of hybrids the company owns. This in what was already one of the largest fleets of fuel-efficient vehicles in the world.
The company will designate nearly 80 rental locations across the country as “hybrid branches.” These designated hybrid branches will have a high concentration of the new hybrids available and, customers will be able to reserve them by phone, or online for the first time. Read more
Mindset Electric Cars Running on the Road
February 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
After all the electric car concepts we’ve seen lately, it’s really nice to see one actually out on the road and meeting it’s deadlines. The Mindset electric car was revealed to the press just under a year ago, and at that time, company founder Murat Günak, who previously worked for Volkswagen, suggested that he’d like to see full-scale models by the end of 2008 and running proof-of-concept vehicles in 2009.
He has succeeded in that first goal, and he has also managed to hit the second deadline as well. With a Mindset now being driven on public roads by a member of the press, namely Hauke Schrieber from Germany’s Auto Bild. He is reportedly quite impressed with the performance of the little coupe. Read more
