Honda uninterested in plug-in hybrids
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Japanese automaker says if it could find the battery power, completely electric cars would be better for the environment than a plug-in hybrid.
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Blog: Phoenix Motorcars isn't rising on time, but what else is new in electric cars
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(InfoWorld) - Google on Monday turned on the solar panels covering nearly all the roof space on its corporate campus and announced that its philanthropic arm plans to dole out over $10 million in grants to support hybrid cars. The announcements follow one last week made from Google's offices in Mountain View, California that launched an industry-wide initiative around improving the energy efficiency of PCs and servers. The solar panels, which make up the largest solar installation on a corporate campus in the U.S., produce 1.6 megawatts of energy, enough to supply about one-third of Google's energy use on the campus, said Jacquelline Fuller, a Google spokeswoman. In addition to the solar panels, Google has also unveiled a new employee parking garage where drivers can charge their plug-in cars, powering up their batteries using solar energy. Plug-ins are hybrid cars that users can drive in all-electric mode for around 30 miles before relying on the gas engine. Because automobile manufacturers aren't producing plug-ins, Google is converting hybrid cars into plug-ins. So far, it has converted four Toyota Prius and two Ford Escapes, Fuller said. On its RechargeIT Web site, Google is posting data on the performance of the cars. Eventually, the company plans to have 100 such plug-in cars that employees who take public transportation to the office will be able to use to run errands during their work days as part of a car-sharing program. The announcements about the changes to the corporate campus were part of the launch of the RechargeIT Initiative by Google.org, the philanthropic arm of the company, on Monday. The plan includes several efforts mainly around plug-in cars, starting with grants already dispersed to a variety of groups. Google.org has given $200,000 each to the Brookings Institute in support of a conference next year about federal policy to promote plug-in vehicles and CalCars for the continuation of its educational initiatives about the cars. The Electrical Power Research Institute, Plug-In America, Rocky Mountain Institute, and a professor at the University of Delaware all have also received grants for their plug-in car projects. In addition, Google.org has earmarked $10 million for investments in companies and projects that support alternative transportation that reduces the use of fossil fuels and emissions. Later this summer the company plans to formally request proposals for the grant money. Last week, Google hinted at the impending launch of environmental initiatives when it hosted the introduction of theÂ Climate Savers Computing Initiative. That group, which includes a who's-who list of the technology industry such as Intel, Dell, Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, and Hewlett-Packard, is setting a series of standards that will incrementally improve the efficiency of power cords used on PCs and servers through 2010.
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Environmentally friendly tech and hybrids dominate this year's Geneva Motor Show, making fuel efficiency the top theme in a climate of global warming concerns. By the Associated Press.
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NEW YORK Want to find people who just bought a snowblower? How about a hunter who enjoys off-roading, happens to be in the market for a pickup and is leaning toward a Chevy? What about the people others turn to for recommendations about electronics? Perhaps you'd like to speak to a couple million pragmatists?
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If motorists used rechargeable "plug-in" hybrid-electric vehicles in large numbers, the United States could see a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of the century, according to a study released yesterday.
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NEW YORK -- With gas prices reaching record high levels and increasing public interest in environmentally friendly technologies, you would think that any car labeled as a hybrid would sell easily.
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A patent filed by EEStor promises to replace electrochemical batteries, allowing motorists to plug in a car for five minutes and drive 500 miles roundtrip without gasoline. Some plug-in hybrids on the drawing board have to be charged overnight and promise only 50 miles of gas-free commute. Could this be the death knell for the internal combustion engine?
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Toyota Motor Corp. will produce a small fleet of plug-in hybrids by 2010, the Japanese automaker's chief said Sunday.
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HAGA, Japan -- Diesel engines deliver great mileage, but emit polluting gases. Fuel cell vehicles have zero emissions, but look bulky. Honda's latest innovations counter the stereotypes.
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By YURI KAGEYAMA HAGA, Japan - Diesel engines deliver great mileage but emit polluting gases. Fuel cell vehicles are zero-emission but look bulky. Honda's latest innovations counter the stereotypes.
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With the advent of electric cars and plug-in hybrids, the humble car battery is now taking center stage in new research.
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Three gasoline-electric hybrids, the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, and Nissan Altima, are rated among the "greenest" cars of 2007 in the 10th annual "greenest" and "meanest" rankings released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
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The EU environment commissioner is happy with his Japanese-made hybrid car, but the search for an even greener choice goes on.
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Vehicles that draw power from the electricity grid offer uneven benefits, a new study finds.
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Car lovers have something to cheer about in 2005! Recently, Toyota Prius has set a new world land-speed record for hybrid powered cars.
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Plug-in electric cars could defeat Toyota's Prius and recharge Detroit. And Detroit desperately needs recharging. By John Gartner.