News from the east is that Honda is secretly making a Honda hybrid hatchback. It is said to be cheaper and smaller than the current Honda Civic. The style of the Honda hybrid hatchback will be similar to the FXC Clarity fuel cell car. The excepted price for the 5 door hybrid hatcback will be around $18,500, very affordable I might add. The Honda hybrid hatchback will debut at the Paris Motor show in October where it will also reveal the the actually name for  this new Honda hybrid hatchback.

Tags: hondahybrid, hybrid hatchback

A Detroit based news crew was able to take a sneak peak at the new Chevrolet Volt at General Motors design studio.

The Chevy Volt is designed to run strictly on electricity from the batteries up to 40 miles. The Chevrolet Volt also has a gas motor but it purpose to recharge the batteries of the Volt. This combination increases the range of the Volt to 640 miles on the highway.

General Motors plans to release the Chevrolet Volt into market in 2010 with a price tag around $30,000 and plans to release over 60,000 cars for that year alone.

This could be the next best hybrid car available, so keep an eye on this hybrid!

Hybrid cars have been one of the newest innovations in cars these days.

There is no doubt why people are so much fascinated with hybrid cars
because aside from their efficiency, these cars are also more
environment friendly than the conventional cars. Lexus LS600h L belongs
to this category.

LS600h L is a performance hybrid version of Lexus’ sedan. It was
showcased at the 2006 New York International Auto Show but is only
making the market this year. This hybrid car is the world’s first
vehicle of any class to feature a full hybrid V8 powertrain and it
combines an all new-fangled 5 liter V8 gas engine with considerable,
high-output electric motors plus freshly designed large-capacity
battery pack. As a result of that excellent combination, the car will
be delivering an output of more than 430 horsepower. Lexus LS600h L is
also a SULEV-rated vehicle (Super Low Emission) and it is estimated to
produce only 20% of the smog-forming emissions of a conventional
five-liter V8. Another first from this hybrid car is its LED front
headlights.

A new full-time wheel drive system is incorporated with the LS600h L
for an excellent handling control. It also has a dual-stage
electronically controlled variable transmission giving the car an
impressive power and immense acceleration.

LS600h L is designed to produce an innovative standard for noiseless
running in the prestige-luxury sedan class. That is accounted by the
car’s inherent noise, vibration and harshness improvements and cabin
quietness done by the extensive re-engineering of its accessory motors
and switches. This feature is very striking since a “quiet ride” is one
of the top five reasons for purchasing luxury vehicles.

As for the safety feature of the LS600h L, two small cameras are
positioned at the front of the car and are set with a millimeter-wave
radar which is sensitive enough to detect large metal obstructions like
cars and nonmetallic objects like humans. Another is the third camera
situated on the steering column. It monitors the orientation of the
driver’s face and if it detects that the driver is not looking directly
ahead for few seconds and if an obstacle is detected ahead, it alerts
the driver with a warming chime and a flashing light. If the car still
gets close to the obstacle, the system will apply the brake on its own.

Tags: lexushybrid, ls600hl

Rumors has it the Honda will revive the “Insight” name to it future upcoming honda hybrids cars. Auto Observer, the source of this rumor also stated that the new “Insight” will be unveil at the Paris Auto Show in early October or in the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

I guess we’ll have to wait for the new 2009 Insight Honda Hybrids!

BTW I always thought the Insight had a very sleek look to it!

Tags: honda hybrids, 2009 honda insight

GM reveiled its newest GM hybrid truck at the Chicago Auto Show this week!

Take a look at the monster GM hybrid truck! This truck is equip with a two-mode hybrid drivetrain with direct injection 4.9 liters V8 pushing 326hp. This concept truck gets 50% greater fuel economy then any other small pickup truck,

The Denali XT Hybrid Concept truck also has an air ride suspension to increase aerodynamics of the truck.

GM’s Cadillac Provoq, which runs on a hydrogen fuel cell and a lithium-ion battery, is the first concept car to get its premiere at CES

It is expected to get 300 miles on a tank of hydrogen, and the fuel cell–GM’s fifth generation of fuel cells–is half the size of the last one, which increases internal room and storage. On the roof sits a solar panel for running the car’s electronics.

The Provoq will go up to 100 miles an hour and from zero to 60 in 8.5 seconds.

I am in love!

Porsche has announce on plans of a hybrid Panamera, Porsche four-door sport sedan! The Panamera will have a gasoline-electric hybrid driveline when it goes on sale in 2009.

The full parallel-hybrid system of the Panamera will be configured with the battery unit positioned below the luggage compartment. The hybrid module containing an additional clutch and electric motor will be between the engine and transmission.

The word for Porsche is that the hybrid module will be able to run on gasoline or electric power or a combination of both. The goal is for zero emissions, fuel savings in city and highway driving and maximum performance when desired.

Automotive spy photographer Brenda Priddy said the Panamera is scheduled to be shown at the 2009 Geneva show in early March.

The Honda FCX Clarity is a unique model expressly designed from the beginning to be a road-ready fuel-cell ride. Honda released its first fuel-cell prototype in 1999 as the FCX-V2, which evolved into the FCX by 2005. Taller, narrower and 150 pounds heavier than the Clarity, the FCX felt as dense as a cannonball, drove like a golf cart and had the curb appeal of a kitchen appliance.

The new Honda FCX Clarity sports a 12,500-rpm brushless electric motor not only provides acceleration but also becomes a power generator during deceleration. As expected, regenerative braking also serves to recharge the battery. The FCX Clarity utilizes 74 percent fewer parts than its boxy predecessor, and its aluminum and carbon resin hydrogen tank stores H2 gas at 5000 psi.

The new model was unveiled at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, and is built on what Honda is calling a V Flow platform configured to optimize crash safety while coping with the unique structural demands of fuel-cell components.

I had to write up a post on this “clean-green” machine.

A bus by the name of “Tindo” has debuted in Australia today. This free-ride, air-conditioned 42-passenger bus is powered by 11 zebra sodium-nickel batteries that can provide the big green bus 124 miles worth of travel on a full charge.

“Tindo” still has to be plug-in due to the fact the lack of space on the roof of the bus to supply the amount of solar panels it needs to fully charge the batteries. The docking station is currently being retro fitted with solar panels to be use to charge up “Tindo” when its docking.