The New Toyota Hybrid-X!
The Hybrid X rewrites the design rule book for hybrid models with unconventional creative solutions that could become the norm for future hybrid designs. A key concept is Vibrant Clarity - a design ethos grounding all design work in a unique and emotionally vibrant identity that speaks clearly of Toyota. Offering sustainable mobility for modern families, the environmentally advanced technology is another step closer to Toyota's vision of a zero smog-forming emission future.

The consumers spoke and Toyota has listened. In a couple years Toyota will be releasing a new option with their Prius - a wagon! That’s right. The primary purpose of the wagon will be to “attract more commercial customers looking for a green delivery vehicle that may save on fuel costs.” The wagon option is scheduled to be available on the 2010 or 2011 model Prius, a year or two after the new redesigned, roomier, more powerful, and fuel efficient 2009 model shows up on the showroom floor.

Ferrari Hybrid! - 19 Feb

Ferrari is a name that needs no further presentation. It's the symbol of sports cars, the car maker than imposed red as official color of any respectable supercar, and it's a dream ride for any car enthusiast in the world.

Owning a Ferrari is more than a description of your bank account, it's a statement of class, of wanting a riding pleasure that not many competitors can offer, and ultimately, it's a synonym for "class" anyway you look at it.

Models like F40 or F50 are the embodiment of the latest technologies in car races, packed in a street-legal rocket. But a new Ferrari prototype is doing something no one might have expected.

The concept is called Ferrari FFX Millechili, which basically means "1,000 kiligrams". It's not a drivable model, but it still represents efficiency in performance.

There's only one problem: it's hybrid. Yes, it's true, this is the first hybrid model ever produced by the Italian manufacturer. It uses an electric drive train not just to boost power but also to increase efficiency.

Who would have thought that Ferrari too would be engulfed by the "going green" trend of the latest years? Probably, since it's only a prototype, it will never enter production. It's just a statement, something like: "See? We can do green, now let's get back to building supercars."

The electric drive train is just one of the shocking revelations about this model. The manufacturers said that the FFX is actually made of lightweight materials including carbon fiber, plastic and cardboard.

Cardboard? Come on, Ferrari, get real here. Unless you can convince people that it's some sort of bulletproof, anti-radiation, space age cardboard, the word itself doesn't inspire much confidence.

I hope they weren't inspired by the East German Trabant of the communist era, which was also made of cardboard (Europeans know what I'm talking about). It's true the little commie spawned a true collector's frenzy after the fall of the Iron Curtain, but surely Ferrari could have done better.

At least by calling the cardboard something fancy, like "corrugated fiberboard". It's almost the same thing, but it definitely sounds better.

I’m sure they had a very good reason for introducing this new material, though I don't know if the company is really considering its use in vehicles, or if it was just developed to make the prototype easier to build.

Unfortunately (is it?) there's not much chance of seeing the FFX on the road, as it happens to most prototypes, but it could be the platform for a new model, sometime in the near future.

Cars that run on air!!! - 05 Feb 2008

I would like to thank Roadrunner for being so kind to express his opinion on my blog. The raised a very imporatnt question of pro and contra the biofuel. I’ve posted an article concerning biofuels in Econews, take a look.

I also have found some interesting information about the cars that runs out on compress air!

Called the MiniCATS, this three-seater runs on compressed air and is one of two models that Moteur Developpment International hopes to sell in France next year.

The company says the cars will initially go on sale in France, where the first assembly line is due to start production in the middle of next year.

The MiniCATS three-seater compact, a commercial version of a prototype showcased at the 2002 Paris Motor Show, will be priced at $9,850. The CitiCATS six-seater sedan will retail for $16,000.

How it works
In both cars, an electric pump compresses air into the tank at a pressure of 300 bars. The pump plugs straight into an ordinary household socket and takes four hours to complete the recharge.

"When you get home you normally plug in your cell phone," said Braud. "Well, now you do that with your car too."

The already attractive economics of the Air Car — MDI claims a recharge costs just $2.50 at French electricity prices — can only get more persuasive if oil prices stay high.

"It certainly can't hurt," said Braud. "It will help encourage people to switch over."

The Air Car's pistons, pumped by the escaping compressed air, can take the vehicle up to 70 miles per hour. It can travel 50 miles at top speed on a full tank, or further at lower speeds.

Slightly pricier hybrid versions achieve higher speeds and longer ranges by running on a combination of compressed air and conventional gasoline, or bio-fuels derived from organic matter.

MDI says the air-only models meet the needs of most urban drivers, who average just 11 miles a day. And the only exhaust that comes out of the tail pipe is cold air.

Electric Volt - Chevrolet - 01 Feb 2008

Here I found a cool article by Annna in Econews (click here to see it). Anyways it inspired me to dedicate an article to the electric cars.

CONCEPT CHEVY VOLT

Seventy-eight percent of commuters drive 40 miles or less to and from work.(1) If we could change the technology behind these daily drives, imagine how much gasoline and money we could save while helping reduce emissions. It might be possible with a vehicle capable of running on electricity, E85, biodiesel and gasoline fuels.

The New Electric Vehicle

Introducing a new kind of electric vehicle — Concept Chevy Volt. It’s unlike any previous EV (electric vehicle), thanks to its innovative rechargeable electric drive system and range-extending power source. It can be configured to run on electricity, gasoline, E85 or biodiesel. So you have at least a couple of options for the most efficient drive — all made possible by GM’s innovative E-Flex Propulsion System.

Features You Can Use

Off-the-line torque is instantaneous, giving you responsive acceleration. Plus, this four- to five-passenger sport sedan still maintains the passenger and cargo capacities of a production car.(2) You'll also enjoy the benefits of features you've grown to expect — driver and front passenger air bags(3) and the StabiliTrak Stability Control System, for instance — as well as new convenience features allowing you to charge certain small electronic devices without plugging them in.

Concept Chevy Volt is just another way Chevy is working to bring you drivable and practical vehicles that help decrease our dependence on petroleum and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This major advancement in existing technology will make it possible for those short, up to 40-mile or less commutes to be gasoline-free.

What do you think about it? Personally I think there’s no need to talk, just have a look at it:

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