Posted January 30th, 2010 by Heather
When you break it down – even though Toyota has been getting a lot of flack about their recent recall, they are still the leader in the hybrid market and when they came out with the brand new Toyota FT-CH at the Detroit Auto Show – it wowed everyone … including me!
Not only is the Toyota FT-CH a little cousin to the Pruis, but it looks neat and certainly looks like it will fit into this world of small, compact cars. This small little car is only about 68.5 inches wide and is not very tall at all but it was definitely making waves at the Detroit Auto Show just a few short weeks ago.
If you are looking for a small hybrid car that is extremely cost-efficient, this is the car for you people!
Tags: hybrid cars, Hybrids, new cars, Toyota, Toyota FT-CH
Posted January 29th, 2010 by Heather
In this blog – we have talked a whole lot about the 2011 BMW 5 Series Hybrid and finally – I am pleased to report that it is almost here. This particular Activehybrid has been in the rumor phase for quite a while and while we had been anticipating it coming around late, late in the summer, it appears that June is the month for the 2011 BMW 5 Series Hybrid to go on sale.
Constantly, in this blog, we are looking for the latest and greatest in the way of hybrids and personally, I think that the 2011 BMW 5 Series Hybrid is the car that is going to make all of us turn our heads. Not only is it absolutely beautiful but it is one car that is making all kinds of waves.
So if you are looking for a hybrid that is still on the sportier side, you might want to give the 2011 BMW 5 Series Hybrid a chance!
Tags: 2011 BMW 5 Series Hybrid, auto news, BMW, hybrid news, Hybrids, news
Posted December 28th, 2009 by Heather
Hyundai’s new ix-Metro, only recently revealed (its unveiling occurred at Frankfurt’s IAA), promises incredibly low CO2 emissions. In a world that is going green at an ever increasing rate, no doubt this news — and this car — will make a lot of drivers begin jumping for joy.
The ix-Metro is the fifth car in a whole series of concepts that will be put together by the Global Design Team of Namyang in Korea. It is also a platform meant to showcase the Blue Drive eco initiative Hyundai is trying to put into place. This initiative is meant to have a whole lot of ecologically and environmentally friendly technologies, not to mention similar products.
The ix-Metro is a sub B segment CUV, a hybrid electric vehicle that, Hyundai swears, gives out only 80 g/km worth of CO2 emissions.
Tags: hybrid, Hyundai
Posted December 27th, 2009 by Heather
Who says that a hybrid car can’t be sporty and luxurious? Well, Subaru certainly never uttered such a silly, blasphemous statement. Just by taking a look at the very first renderings of the new, ultra sleek, uber stylish Subaru Hybrid Tourer concept, you can tell that Subaru has never even considered such an idea!
The forty first annual motor show in Tokyo is responsible for unveiling this beauty to the world. The concept is a proposal designed to introduce a grand touring car for the future, and its aim is the integration of environmental and eco friendliness with safety and driving performance.
As you can see by the car’s exterior, wings and flight are serious inspiration. Well duh, just check out those gull wing doors! This hybrid looks ready to take flight! Talk about environmentally friendly!
Tags: concept, hybrid, Subaru
Posted December 23rd, 2009 by Heather
A lot of people are under the impression that it costs more to maintain a hybrid. Well, let us take a look at that.
The truth of the matter is that it is no more expensive to maintain a hybrid car than it is to maintain a conventional vehicle. In fact, in some instances, maintaining a hybrid car can even cost less because the engine does not undergo as much wear and tear, nor does the braking system.
In fact, conventional vehicles and hybrid cars have a lot of similarities. For instance, hybrid vehicles are specifically designed to drive in the exact same conditions as conventional vehicles — temperatures too. Extreme heat will not hurt a hybrid. Extreme cold will not damage a hybrid either. It can handle it all.
Tags: hybrid, tips
Posted December 21st, 2009 by Heather
A lot of people eschew even the idea of buying a hybrid because they do not know a lot about the vehicles, so we are going to try to clear up some misconceptions.
For instance, many people think that hybrid batteries — or the cars themselves — need to be plugged into something in order to charge. Not so! When the car brakes, the batteries reclaim lost energy.
A lot of people do not know precisely how hybrids work, either. Well, to put it simply, they do not simply rely on internal combustion engines powered by gasoline. Rather, hybrids run by using not only a gas engine, but also an electric motor. Those motors use energy which is stored in their rechargeable batteries.
Tags: Batteries, Hybrids, tips
Posted November 28th, 2009 by Heather
When it comes to electric cars, I can absolutely tell you for certain that there is no car out there that looks as cool as the Myers Motors NMG2, this is actually a two-seat electric trike that is disguised as a car. However, it actually has three weeks and to me … it looks kind of like an alien space ship. If you like it though, this little three-wheel thing is available for pre-order right now.
The current base price is around $29k+ but if a thousand people drop $250.00 on a pre-order, the price will drop for everyone of about $5,000 — so that’s a good thing! Myers is going to wait around until June of 2010 to really see how many preorders are going to come about to see what the actual price of car is going to be.
So … you might want to wait this one out, you could get this little beauty for around $22k+, which is better than $29k+!
Tags: cars, electric cars, hybrid cars, myers motors, new cars, nmg2
Posted November 27th, 2009 by Heather
When you are looking for a hybrid car … I can tell you that the Smart ForTwo is definitely a car that I want to own. This is a car that is not only going to look pretty chic and interesting but it is completely and totally electric. That is one of the best things about it. Right now though — the Smart has a lot of issues that they are trying to resolve and that is what the Smart ForTwo is trying to resolve.
For example, the Smart right now can only get up to about 40 hp and it can only provide short bursts when the accelerator is pushed to the floor. Most of the time, the horsepower is around 27 and honestly, that is not enough to really get you where you want to go.
However … if you are just running up to the store or even to work, this is certainly the car for you and it is cheap!
Tags: cars, green cars, hybrid, hybrid cars, Smart Ed
Posted November 19th, 2009 by Heather
You know, there is a mistaken impression among a lot of people unfamiliar with the latest hybrid vehicles who think that these environmentally awesome cars are sort of weak, maybe not as cool as other vehicles. But those people must not have yet laid eyes on the 2010 Tesla Roadster.
This roadster has the power and ability to turn even the biggest skeptic into a fan of electric cars and hybrids. It is a two seater with a soft top, and its adaptations come from specific elements associated with the Lotus Elise. It will go from zero to sixty miles per hour in less than four seconds.
Of course, it also costs over one hundred thousand — unless you want to get to sixty even faster with the Sport Model, at which point you can go up to one hundred and thirty grand for your troubles.
Tags: Roadster, Tesla
Posted November 15th, 2009 by Heather
Here’s a tip: keep an eye out for the Los Angeles Auto Show about to take place. Why? Because it will feature the product of a very surprising alliance between Capstone and the Chief Creative Director of Electronic Arts, Richard Hilleman.
And what result is that? The CMT-380, classified not just as a hybrid but as a sports car as well. It utilizes an electric power train along with a microturbine that is diesel fueled and range extending. It has a battery pack of lithium polymer, which gives the vehicle a pure electric range of eighty miles. The microturbine makes for an astonishing five hundred more miles.
A kit car platform is responsible for the build of the car — specifically, the platform for the Factory Five Racing GTM supercar.
Tags: Capstone, CMT-380, Electronic Arts
