As I said earlier, PHEV stands for what? Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Why? Because all of the PHEVs today started out as regular ole’ hybrids, like the Prius or Escape. In fact, most are Priuses or Escapes. Honda’s hybrid system makes conversions more difficult, but there are a few out there (getting tremendous gas mileage, btw).

An additional benefit to PHEVs (pronounced “fev” and yes, I did have to ask, and it was such a pathetic question that nobody answered, but I did find out eventually) is that they fill up at night while most energy demands are low, and can theoretically feed energy back into the grid during times of greater use. They do raise a lot of interesting issues though, and hopefully we can get into them here.

There’s a ton of information online about PHEVs, including an initiative by Google.org to get more on the road, and several organizations set up to promote development of conversion kits or just to share the joys of driving electric with the world. I could list all of them for you, but that doesn’t give you much incentive to visit any of the sites, really, so please just go to the sites I’m going to be covering in related posts, and I’ll try to link to them here. Okay? Good.

If you come by in the future and want to check out the latest on plug-ins, feel free to click either PHEV or Plug-in at the menu on the right side of the screen. People tend to use the terms interchangeably. Hey, you might even check back next Friday to see if we’re talking about plug-ins again … but I’m not promising anything. ;)

RechargeIT.org (by Google)

Post from: EveryJoe

Welcome to PHEV Friday!

1) If you don’t know the car is on, you’ll try to start it again. Repeatedly cranking your engine can’t be good. If you buy or rent a hybrid, please familiarize yourself on what it sounds/looks like when it’s turned on before you cost yourself a bundle in repair fees.

2) Pedestrians and drivers have to be more careful in situations where they’re close to one another. (Which is usually a great idea anyway, but – as they say – common sense, ain’t.

3) Legitimately, blind pedestrians face a challenge when it comes to quieter cars. We need to support the National Federation of the Blind in their campaign to equip cars with continuous noise emitters. Yes, it would limit the reduction of noise pollution to a degree, but it wouldn’t have to be significant. The safety of people with disabilities must remain a priority.

Post from: EveryJoe

More complaints about hybrids and noise

Meet the Alias

Features:

0 – 60 mph in 5.7 seconds

Max. speed of 156 mph

100+ miles per charge

Safety features are questionable at this point, but there is – surprise – a deposit program in place. You can stake your claim for the tidy sum of $5,000.00.

So, what do you think? The styling reminds me a little bit of a wasp. Or a silver Batmobile. I’m not a big fan of how it looks, maybe a little cheesy … or plastic-y. It doesn’t compare to the Fisker Karma or the Tesla Roadster, but then, it doesn’t compare in price either.

Post from: EveryJoe

$30k Electric Sports Car

Beginning in 2006, Federal regulation changed, preferring an air-bag system that could regulate deployment according to a passenger’s body size. Tesla has already lost so much money (a whopping $43 MILLION over 4 years) that company heads said they were ready to scrap the whole program rather than work the newer technology in. Personally, I think they’re full of it. They didn’t want anything else to push back their product release, especially with other luxury sport cars waxing environmental.

TAKE PART IN THE “NAMING THE CAR OF TOMORROW” CONTEST

Tesla has three years to work the new standards for advanced air-bag deployment technology into their design. Has the waiver bought them enough time to work it out? Possibly. Hopefully. As much guff as I give the company, they’ve created a link between environmentalism and the rich and famous that may wind up having untold benefits. We’ll see … apparently, by mid-March.

Sources:

San Jose Mercury News

Detroit Free Press

Post from: EveryJoe

Tesla Moves Deadline to Mid-March

Tesla’s got a fight on their hands now that luxury car design genius Pininfarina, creators of the Ferrari P4/5 and Maserati Granturismo, joins forces with the Bolloré Group to create a new electric car.

The French-based Bolloré Group developed a high-performance lithium metal polymer battery used in the BlueCar prototype. The car is planned to travel 155 miles per charge, with seating for four, and a top speed of 80 miles per hour.

They say the Pininfarina auto will be ready by 2009, and begin leasing in Europe, the US and Japan starting around $700 a month.

Sources:

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSL2138653520071221
http://jalopnik.com/336642/pininfarina-and-french-company-to-develop-electric-car http://news.monstersandcritics.com/business/news/article_1382568.php/French_Italian_companies_to_develop_all-electric_car http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/10/06/video-french-electric-la-bluecar-in-action/

Post from: EveryJoe

Pininfarina and Bolloré Group to Release Electric by 2009

Post from: EveryJoe

Electro Metro/Swift/Firefly – in electric blue!

In the face of Toyota’s criticism, GM has converted one of their technical centers into a station solely focused on the  development of their electric cars. Formerly the Warren Technical Center, in Warren, Michigan, the 8.2 million square foot  structure is now home to all Volt-related business.

Newest projects on the horizon? According to Bob Boniface, head of designers for the electric line, they have 45 designers and sculptures busy at work on a model that cuts down on air resistance while enticing customer interest … and still being familiar enough for most consumers to buy.

As is expected, they are still hard at work testing batteries and hope to have a working model available for testing in the middle of next year.

Read more here

It seems like GM is going the extra mile to ensure consumers they aren’t hitching their wagon to green innovations short-term. Of course, the mom in me is thinking “field trip!”

Post from: EveryJoe

GM Gets Serious About Electric Development

The facts:

* The G-Wiz is like many popular EVs. It’s not a four-wheeled car, and doesn’t need to meet the safety standards put forth for four-wheeled cars.

* The G-Wiz, like many popular EVs, met the standards it was legally bound to meet.

* The government (and a British outfit called Top Gear) tested the G-Wiz by the standards required of four-wheeled cars.

* The G-Wiz failed those tests.

* The government says the EV was being promoted as a car, which was the basis behind the testing.

* G-Wiz claims the average speed and use does not justify holding it to the same standards as a car.

The verdict:

* The test was important because it showed people, much more effectively than FAQs on a website or text in a brochure, that these vehicles aren’t as safe as riding in a four-wheeled car. Or an SUV. Or a wagon, or minivan. That’s a point consumers may have been missing.
* I was wrong to say that the G-Wiz had let anyone down. They were made an example of because they are so very popular in the UK. The same results may have come from testing a ZAP or GEM the same way.

People need to keep safety in mind when looking to alternative vehicles … and not jump the gun when they hear about testing gone awry. ;)

Post from: EveryJoe

G-Wiz Revisited

[Note: The facts in this post are currently under review. Look for future posts to decide if the testing done was on the up and up, or if this was a smokescreen used to draw popularity away from electric cars. See comments for more info.]

There’s a misconception about hybrid and electric cars being less safe than gasoline-powered vehicles that has a surprising hand in keeping sales down. Unfortunately, sometimes an example comes forward that fits a stereotype … and it hurts.

The G-Wiz, manufactured by India-based, Reva Electric Car Company, failed Europe’s [automobile] safety standards miserably, and got enough attention to damage the image of electric cars. Thankfully, the company teamed up with Lotus, and has corrected those problems, according to a story in Business Green:

“the new 2008 G-Wiz i “has been independently, voluntarily frontal crash tested for city speed driving conditions at 25 mph by ARAI [the Automotive Research Association of India] following the addition of the Lotus assisted safety package”.

“The new model, which is expected to be available from next year, also boasts enhanced performance, according to GoinGreen, including an advanced drivetrain that delivers a range of up to 48 miles per charge, a top speed of 50mph, improved acceleration to 30mph and new front disc brakes that deliver a 30 per cent improvement in performance.”

The G-Wiz calls itself the most popular EV in the UK.

From a consumer standpoint, I’m not sure if this is a credible fix. Will people once warned of the dangers be apt to buy the same car? Albeit the next generation? It’s happened often enough with major car manufacturers. We’ll have to wait and see if electric-minded purchasers follow suit.

Post from: EveryJoe

Electric car, G-Wiz, improves safety standards

If you’ve watched GhostHunters on the Sci Fi Network, I know you’ve seen the clip of the girl parking her gigantic SUV, then folding it up and putting it straight in her purse. I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone saw that commercial and said, “I gotta do THAT!” Enter Franco Vairani, one of the students working on the City Car Project at MIT.

It’s quite possible he’s never watched GhostHunters, or Sci Fi. Heck , he may not even have a TV, but the man is one of a handful working to design a commuter car that folds in half and stacks next to 7 other automobiles.

In his vision of the future, people would find a stack of electrical-powered City Cars on nearly every block in the city. When a user would want to drive somewhere in town, he would swipe a smart card or cell phone across an electronic reader and take a car out of the stack. When he gets to a business meeting across town, a shopping mall or their doctor’s office, the driver simply leaves the car in a stack at his destination. The drivers don’t own the cars. They simply rent them. It’s fully self-service. The next person takes a car out of the stack, and off he goes.

Excellent idea for city commuters. Read the full story here.

Post from: EveryJoe

City Car Project – MIT students create stackable, foldable car