TW4XP may not be the catchiest name in the Progressive Automotive X-Prize line-up, but this unusual-looking battery-powered three wheeler does have staying power. As one of only eleven vehicles left in the competition – and one of only six in the Alternative Side-by-Side category (the others are the Aptera 2e, Li-ion Motors' Wave II, the RaceAbout, Western Washington University's Viking 45 and the Zap Alias) – the TW4XP still has a chance to drive away with the $2.5 million prize.

TW4XP hails from Germany, and the car was built just for this competition. The name stands for "three wheeler for X-Prize," after all. We talked with Matt Childress, an American team member, who said that even with the team's singular focus, it's been a tough competition. This past week, during the Finals Stage, they had a problem with the X-Prize's communication system that was connected to the TW4XP to relay data to the judges. The problem was serious; it immobilized the car. Once the telematics device was disconnected, the car operated just fine and the team was allowed to continue. "We are the team with nine lives," Childress said. The biggest challenge for the vehicle-to-grid capable TW4XP is the range test, which Childress said "is always a problem with electric vehicles."

Childress has a long-standing connection to the people who are running the TW4XP in competition sine they're also behind the Twike, a human-electric hybrid that is available in Europe. There are two Twike models, the Easy and Active, and neither one is cheap – prices range from 20,000 to 40,000 Euros, depending on battery size – but almost 1,000 have been sold since they went on sale in 1996. You can read more in this PDF. Childress has been using a Twike as his daily driver for the past few years, and said there are around 20 in the U.S.

Whether or not TW4XP wins the Side-by-Side class, the team plans to bring something to market based on the vehicle, maybe with a partly-removeable powertrain. The idea here is that, if the pedal-power hybrid setup from the Twike makes the jump to the TW4XP, it could maybe be taken out so people can use it as an exercise device in their home. So, instead of driving your car to the gym and then going on the exercise bike, you have your gym with you.

There's a video about the TW4XP team at the X-Prize after the jump. You can also follow the TW4XP blog here.



Photos by Sebastian Blanco / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Read more →

In the past, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) typically issued grants for the advancement of proven technologies and rarely offered up government money on projects that some would consider experimental. As environmental concerns rose in recent years, the EPA created its emerging technologies program to fund unproven, cutting-edge advancements that offer the promise of reduced emissions and improved air quality. The program kicked off in 2008 with an aim to offer assistance to companies that take an innovative approach to solving environmental concerns.

Recently, the EPA issued $5.6 million in grants to several cutting-edge clean diesel technologies. According to the EPA, recipients of the grants include:

• City of Los Angeles Harbor Department for $731,000 for a hybrid crane with a small diesel generator combined with a battery to be used at ports.
• California Air Resources Board for nearly $1.2 million for a NOx reducing device for locomotive engines.
• University of Houston for $1 million for NOx reducing technologies installed on school buses.
• Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for nearly $1.2 million to use a seawater scrubber, which removes pollution from large ship engines.
• South Coast Air Quality Management District for $1.5 million for an exhaust capturing mechanism used on a variety of ships while at port.

$5.6 million is but a fragment of the $120 million investment planned by the EPA under the diesel emissions reduction program. More grants are coming soon and this latest round of funding should culminate by summer's end. Follow the jump to find out more about the clean diesel projects awarded by the EPA.

[Source: Environmental Protection Agency | Image: respres – C.C. License 2.0]

Read more →

After the first week of the Progressive Automotive X-Prize's Finals Stage, some of the better-known teams will have to say good-bye and watch the rest of the competition from the sidelines. According to a new press release from the AXP, Tata Motors, Amp, Commuter Cars (Tango) and Spira are out. Here are the reasons why:

• Amp met the requirement of 90 MPGe, but exceeded the maximum threshold of 200 grams per mile of CO2 in the Efficiency Event. The team was also unable to complete all of the required laps in the Range Event.
  
• Commuter Cars' Tango was unable to meet the minimum fuel economy requirement and exceeded the maximum threshold of 200g/mile CO2 in the Efficiency Event. The team was also unable to complete the required laps within the Range Event.
  
• Spira was unable to meet the minimum fuel economy requirement of 90 MPGe.
  
• Tata was unable to present their vehicle for the Range Test due to a technical issue and has withdrawn from the Competition.

This leaves 11 vehicles from eight teams left in the entire competition. Next week, the remaining vehicles will be tested in the Dynamic Safety and Combined Performance and Efficiency events. These will be 0-60, 60-0 and 45 mile per hour accident avoidance tests.

[Source: Automotive X-Prize]

Read more →

Whenever automakers introduce some substantially new technology, the dealer network has to be trained to provide sales and service. Very often, this is mandatory before the dealer is allowed to sell any cars. Such is the case for Chevrolet dealers that want to handle the Volt when it goes on sale in December. Initial supplies of the Volt will be restricted to California, Michigan and Washington, D.C., as well as parts of Texas, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Since Chevrolet invited dealers to sign up for certification last month, about 600 dealers – about 90 percent of the outlets in the initial sale regions – have signed up. Certified dealers will have to install Level 2 charging stations for the Volts while sales staff will learn how the extended-range EV works so that they can explain it to customers. Service technicians will have to learn how to diagnose and repair the cars. Initially, if there are any battery-related problems, they will be replaced and the batteries will be sent back to the Brownstown plant to be checked. Eventually, dealers will be able to service the electronics and primary modules in-house.



Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: GM]

Read more →

Toyota's dominance in the blossoming hybrid market is unmatched, but as several other automakers are now increasingly focused on developing electric vehicles (EVs), can the company that defined the hybrid segment continue to march forward with its plans to release additional hybrid models? The answer really depends on who you ask, but a recent editorial published in the Japanese Nikkei newspaper suggests that both Toyota and Honda must shift towards EVs, or risk having the nation of Japan fall behind the competition. The Nikkei writes:

...both Toyota and Honda had until recently thought that the era of hybrids would continue for a while before electric vehicles began to gain popularity. But the automakers are now accelerating their efforts to develop electric cars, and there are two main reasons for this. One is the tough new fuel economy rules the US administration of President Barack Obama will introduce in 2012...The second reason for the heightened focus on electric cars is China's move to promote them.

Japan's concern over the emergence of China as a legitimate player in the EV market is not unwarranted. China's push to become the worldwide leaders in EVs has several other countries in a hurried frenzy to develop battery-powered vehicles as well. According to the Nikkei:

Beijing has apparently decided to catapult the nation's auto industry into the electric age by skipping the transitional era of hybrids. Japanese carmakers need to respond to China's moves by developing electric vehicles that can compete favorably with rival Chinese offerings in this crucial market.

Toyota's dominance in the hybrid market could seemingly continue on forever, that is, if it's not cut short by Japan's fear of losing out on its limited chance to capture the emerging EV industry. Either way, it's a win-win situation for us greenies. Hat tip to David!



[Source: Nikkei – sub. req. via Green Car Congress]

There are some people who cool their cars down with ice, but General Motors thinks drivers like standard air conditioning. Since the refrigerant used in most automotive air conditioning systems is not good for the environment, GM is proud to announce it will use a better type of refrigerant (called HFO-1234yf) in its vehicles that it says only stays in the atmosphere for 11 days. The standard R-134a refrigerant, GM says, has an atmospheric life of more than 13 years. This is bad because, as Wiki says:

[R-134a] has insignificant ozone depletion potential (ozone layer), significant global warming potential (100-yr GWP = 1430) and negligible acidification potential (acid rain).

That GWP in the sentence above stands for "global warming potential," and is based on the GWP measurement relative to CO2. Higher numbers are worse and GM's new refrigerant has a GWP of just 4 (yes, four), a huge improvement. The EPA approves of the use of HFO-1234yf and GM will be able to "significantly exceed" new motor vehicle greenhouse gas regulations thanks to regulatory credits the EPA will issue. Press release after the jump.

[Source: GM]

Read more →

Cyclists in the city of Charleston, SC may soon be faced with the daunting task of finding a legal place to park their two-wheeled rides or risk getting the boot instead. The quaint southern city has proposed regulations to crack down on cyclists who decide to defy the law by locking their bikes to parking meters, city signage, trees and the like. The proposal states that the city can immobilize the illegally parked bikes by locking them up until a $45 fine is paid. In extreme cases, the city could seize illegally parked bikes, leaving cyclists stranded.

Rather than argue this one out, we'll turn to the words of Tom Bradford, director of the local cycling advocacy group Charleston Moves:

I think this probably goes a little bit too far in discouraging the use of bicycles, if it is enforced. We pay so much attention to whether there is sufficient parking for cars, and at the same time, we want people to be more active. But if you make it very difficult to park a bicycle, then you're cutting off your nose to spite your face.

We share Bradford's sentiment, but he overlooked the obvious: the city of Charleston is strapped for cash and the revenue generated from this bike parking scheme would certainly give it a financial boost. Luckily, the city of Charleston voted against the proposed bicycle regulations for now, but several city officials said that the topic will be revisited after more bike racks are added to city streets. Hat tip to Roy!

[Source: The Post and Courier | Image: MoBikeFed – C.C. License 2.0]

The recently held Refuel 2010 gave some electric vehicle owners and developers an opportunity to have some Laguna Seca track time and a shot at trophies for the quickest hot lap. For the second year in a row, the Kleenspeed West WX10 claimed that honor by beating all comers – and last year's record – with a time of 1:42.5. The venerable Wrightspeed X1 was hotly contesting the top spot but spun off on its most promising lap and had to make do with 2nd. While both vehicles make use of the same AC Propulsion motor, the Kleenspeed racer has more downforce to help it carry its speed through the turns. Third place in the prototype class went to the carbon-bodied DP1e from Palatov Motorsports.

Perhaps more surprising than the achievement of the fastest car was the performance of its driver. At 70 years young, Tim Collins showed fine form keeping his little speedster on track. Earth2tech's Katie Fehrenbacher was on hand and interviewed the founder/driver as part of their Green Overdrive series and we have the result – including excellent in-car footage – waiting for you after the break. As a bonus, we've thrown in video (shot by our Tesla Motors Club forum buddy TEG) of a number of the vehicles on hand making their way through the corkscrew.

[Source: Tesla Motors Club / earth2tech / Refuel]

Read more →

Back in September, Zenn Motors announced an "updated business strategy" that included a new focus we'd call questionable at best and disastrous at its worst. Zenn's new strategy was to abandon any efforts to actually make vehicles and turn its entire attention to that mythical EEStor ultracapacitor technology. Now, it's not like Zenn Motors was abandoning a highly lucrative business, but the company had managed to cut out a small market of buyers for its electric vehicles (EVs).

Seeking something better, Zenn shifted all of its efforts over to EEStor's amazing ultracapacitor technology, even though some people think it's quite possible that no such ultracapacitor exists. Trading EVs for vaporware has taken its toll on Zenn's stock prices. Since the September announcement, stock prices for Zenn have fallen from a high of $6 to its current price of just south of $2 and the damage may not be over yet as the downward trend shows no signs of stopping. For Zenn, the release of EEStor's ultracapacitor can't come soon enough. That is, if it ever comes at all.

[Source: Darryl Siry]

When the discussion turns to engine technology, the lowly piston is often overlooked. Yes, it's a vital part of any conventional gasoline engine, but a piston is just a piston, right? Well, not exactly. Federal-Mogul Corporation has taken the basic piston, applied a slick coating to it and eked out just a bit more efficiency in the process. Federal-Mogul's fuel-saving piston is appropriately called EcoTough and the company claims that its special coating offers superior wear resistance while also reducing fuel consumption by up to 0.8 percent.

Federal-Mogul is not revealing the specific properties of the coating that make its EcoTough piston a capable performer, but it did suggest that the formula contains graphite, molybdenum disulfide and carbon fiber. Though a 0.8 percent improvement ain't much, here's the kicker: the EcoTough piston is compatible with existing bore finishes and can be instantly introduced as a running change to engines already in production. You can follow the jump or click here (PDF) to find out more about the fuel-saving benefits of Federal Mogul's Eco-Tough pistons.

[Source: Federal-Mogul]

Read more →