AUSTIN, Texas – car2go announced today a new business partnership with advertising agency GSD&M Idea City. Under the partnership, GSD&M Idea City will encourage its Austin-based employees to utilize car2go’s convenient service.

“Austin’s international reputation for green innovation is based on strong community support of great ideas,” said Duff Stewart, president and CEO of GSD&M Idea City. “We are proud to partner with car2go because we are impressed with the concept and we believe it can be an important part of Austin’s transportation future.”

car2go launched its mobility program to the Austin public in May following a hugely successful pilot program that began with the City of Austin in November 2009. During this pilot program, car2go has partnered with a number of Austin companies and organizations, including LIVESTRONG, urbanspace, the Entrepreneurs Foundation, the State Preservation Board and the Council on Competitive Governments.

“GSD&M Idea City champions forward-thinking ideas that make a difference in people’s every day lives,” said Nicholas Cole, president and CEO of car2go North America.” This relationship further demonstrates the willingness of the Austin community, business and residents alike, to accept new and innovative ideas that have both a local and global impact.”

GSD&M Idea City Employees to Utilize car2go smart fortwo in Austin TX is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Come join the fun and check out the Nissan LEAF this Saturday. Here are the details. The event is hosted by the San Diego Clean Fuels Coalition. See you there!

San Diego Town And Country Convention Center (across from Fashion Valley Shopping Mall)
500 Hotel Circle North
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 291-7131
Saturday November 21, 2009
10 am to 3 pm

Enjoy A Fun-Packed Family Day

• Learn benefits of fuel reduction for future vehicles
• See leading edge alternative fuel vehicles on display
• Learn how to take advantage of rebate programs
• Join in fun kids’ & educational programs

Vehicles on display include:

• Nissan LEAF
• GM Chevy Volt
• Tesla Roadster
• Mitsubishi i MiEV
• Honda Civic GX
• Plug-in Hybrids
• Plus Chargers
• IMPCO
• And more…

See the full event flyer. (PDF 616 KB)

See the full Nissan LEAF tour schedule.

And give us your opinions in this poll:

Nissan LEAF at San Diego Alternative Fuels Education Day 2009 is a post from: CleanCarTalk

GM released photos showing the orange T-shaped battery pack of the Volt is not impacted during frontal collision. (Credit: General Motors)

View the full presentation Chevrolet Volt development update Nov 17 2009

More from Autoblog.com article “GM provides update on Volt vehicle and battery development” and CNET News article “For Chevy Volt drivers, battery life will vary.”

GM Photo of Chevy Volt Crash Test Shows Protected Battery Packs is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Take the Latest CleanCarTalk Poll

Nissan LEAF priced at $25K to $33K with 100 mile range. Would you buy one? is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Stuttgart / Hamburg, 16th November 2009 – The new Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid made its first appearance in its future operating location of Hamburg today. The exceptional feature of this latest-generation fuel cell hybrid bus is its outstanding environmental compatibility. The bus emits absolutely no pollutants while in motion, and it’s also virtually silent, making it ideal for use in highly congested inner cities and metropolitan areas. Beginning next year, no less than ten of the 30 vehicles that Daimler Buses is producing for European transport operators are destined for the Hamburg transport authority. In addition, Hamburger Hochbahn will take delivery of 20 Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL cars starting 2010, which are also equipped with a fuel cell drive system.

The Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid is taking part in large-scale fleet trials which are due to take place in Hamburg and other European cities. This is a follow-up to the European Union’s successful CUTE and HyFLEET:CUTE projects, which were carried out from 2003 to 2009. In the HyFLEET:CUTE project, a total of 36 Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses equipped with the second-generation fuel cell drive system have performed outstandingly for 12 public transport agencies on three continents, among them Hamburger Hochbahn AG. In more than 140,000 hours of operation, during which they covered a total of more than 2.2 million kilometers (1.37 million miles,) these environmentally compatible Mercedes-Benz buses have impressively demonstrated their ability to function reliably under operating conditions.

Intelligent use of synergies in the passenger car and commercial vehicle sectors

“The new Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid clearly demonstrates that electric mobility is already feasible today also with commercial vehicles”, says Hartmut Schick, head of Daimler Buses. “Besides, synergy potentials with our Mercedes-Benz passenger car development and Daimler research can be optimally used in particular with the fuel cell drive system.”

For the Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid and the B-Class F-CELL, Mercedes-Benz successfully follows the cost-effective principle of using common parts. Components such as fuel cell stacks can be used as modules for both cars and commercial vehicles. For example: the new Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid bus is powered by two fuel cell systems of the same type used in the B-Class F-CELL. Thanks to improved fuel cell components and hybridization with lithium-ion batteries, the Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid consumes almost 50 percent less hydrogen compared to the preceding generation. The operating range of the fuel cell bus is around 250 kilometers (155 miles.) The fuel cell drive system is also practically maintenance-free, and has a long operating life.

The global initiative “Shaping Future Transportation” consolidates all the activities for sustainable mobility in the commercial vehicles sector at Daimler AG. The aim of this initiative is to use clean, efficient drive systems along with alternative fuels to realize zero-emission commercial vehicles for tomorrow’s transportation needs. “Shaping Future Transportation” means conserving resources and reducing emissions of all kinds, while ensuring the highest possible level of traffic safety. The Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid, developed with the support of the European Union, plays a major role in this.

Prof. Kohler, Vice President e-drive & Future Mobility at Daimler AG: “Our intensive research and development conducted since 1994 has enabled us to bring the fuel cell to series production maturity. This enables us to entrust two fully practical electric vehicles with battery-electric and fuel cell drive systems to our customers – the smart fortwo electric drive and the B-Class F-CELL. The main objective now is to achieve a competitive cost level in comparison with conventionally powered vehicles and to create a full infrastructure of electric and hydrogen filling stations in cooperation with energy providers and the petroleum industry.”

Large-scale project using fuel cell vehicles

In this large-scale project for the use of fuel cell technology in Hamburg, Daimler is cooperating with the city council as well as with Shell, Total und Vattenfall Europe. The aim is to accelerate the creation of an emission-free vehicle fleet and establish an appropriate infrastructure of hydrogen filling stations. The project is part of the Clean Energy Partnership in Hamburg and Berlin. It is being supported by the federal German government as part of the National Innovation Program for hydrogen and fuel cell technology (NIP).

As part of this cooperation, four public filling stations with hydrogen pumps are to be constructed in Hamburg, enabling fuel cell vehicles to be refuelled within minutes. Thanks to the high hydrogen pressure of 700 bar (10,152 psi,) their operating range will then exceed 400 kilometers (249 miles.) This large operating range will make locally emission-free fuel cell vehicles fully suited to long-distance operations.

Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid Bus and MB B-Class F-CELL Car Share Common Fuel Cell Technologies is a post from: CleanCarTalk

It’s great to talk about all these great things hybrid cars and electric cars can do for us. Being independent from foreign oil, cleaning up the environment, reducing global warming effects, creating more green jobs, etc. Here’s why I think hybrid cars and electric cars may never become mainstream in many lifetimes to come: OPEC is hybrid cars’ and electric cars’ number one enemy. Not technology challenges, not infrastructure challenges, not political challenges.

Yes that OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. I’m talking specifically OPEC’s livelihood. No I don’t care for OPEC’s livelihood, and I’m sure they don’t care much for you and me. But I know OPEC countries do care about keeping us dependent on their oil. OPEC declares on OPEC’s website, “OPEC’s mission is to coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of Member Countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets in order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers and a fair return on capital to those investing in the petroleum industry.”

Now, you and I understand livelihood. Livelihood is something you can’t mess around with. It is the lifeblood of our existence. It is the source of life. Without livelihood, a means of supporting and sustaining our lives, we are in deep trouble. “Steady income” and “fair return on capital” are OPEC’s livelihood, and they will protect it with all their powers like any business would protect its livelihood.

So how is OPEC keeping hybrid cars and electric cars from replacing fossil fuel cars? Well beside the fact that these cars still depend on petroleum products (think lubricants, plus the cars’ production and transportation,) OPEC can always adjust oil prices to levels that will just make owning a hybrid car and electric car uneconomical. No matter what most of us say in surveys, we’ll always vote with our wallets when it comes to purchasing consumer products.

I’m just playing devil’s advocate here. Or maybe not.

What’s your opinion on this?

OPEC Number One Enemy of Hybrid Cars and Electric Cars is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Excerpt from President Obama’s speech during his visit to Massachusetts Institute of Technology today, 10-23-09.

This is the nation that harnessed electricity and the energy contained in the atom, that developed the steamboat and the modern solar cell. This is the nation that pushed westward and looked skyward. We have always sought out new frontiers and this generation is no different.

Today’s frontiers can’t be found on a map. They’re being explored in our classrooms and our laboratories, in our start-ups and our factories. And today’s pioneers are not traveling to some far flung place. These pioneers are all around us — the entrepreneurs and the inventors, the researchers, the engineers — helping to lead us into the future, just as they have in the past. This is the nation that has led the world for two centuries in the pursuit of discovery. This is the nation that will lead the clean energy economy of tomorrow, so long as all of us remember what we have achieved in the past and we use that to inspire us to achieve even more in the future.

I am confident that’s what’s happening right here at this extraordinary institution. And if you will join us in what is sure to be a difficult fight in the months and years ahead, I am confident that all of America is going to be pulling in one direction to make sure that we are the energy leader that we need to be.

View the full remark of President Obama at MIT.

Video courtesy CNN. Duration: 19 minutes.

President Obama at MIT – Challenging Americans to Lead the Global Economy in Clean Energy is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation (MFTBC) has sold ten hybrid trucks to an Irish company. The Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid is the first series-production hybrid truck to be sold in Europe. The customer is Ireland’s leading utility company, the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in Dublin. ESB plans to use the vehicles for customer service and for infrastructure maintenance in Ireland. The Irish Government has granted a special permit for the Japanese hybrid trucks.

The Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid features a parallel hybrid system, which combines a conventional clean-burning diesel internal combustion engine with an ultra-slim electric motor/generator, advanced lithium-ion batteries and a high-efficiency automated mechanical transmission. Together with regenerative braking, the Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid medium-duty truck achieves up to 30% better fuel economy in delivery applications and also produces significantly less emissions than the standard diesel-only model.

With the order from Ireland and another order from Australia, also for ten Fuso Canter Eco Hybrids, MFTBC is for the first time delivering a Fuso hybrid truck to customers outside of Japan. MFTBC is planning to expand its hybrid trucks business into targeted export markets starting in 2010. “Building on the success of the Canter Eco Hybrid in Japan, we at Mitsubishi Fuso are clearly pursuing opportunities worldwide,” said Dr. Albert Kirchmann, MFTBC President and CEO. “As the Global Hybrid Center of Daimler Trucks, Mitsubishi Fuso is committed to developing and implementing clean hybrid commercial vehicles. The orders from Ireland and Australia show how strong demand is for these vehicles.”

MFTBC has been marketing the Fuso Canter hybrid truck on its home market since its market launch in July 2006. More than 600 Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid trucks have been sold in Japan to date. The Canter Eco Hybrid light truck features a parallel hybrid system and significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions.

While the Fuso hybrid trucks are currently showing what they can do in a fleet test in the United Kingdom, the new orders from Ireland and Australia represent the first orders from customers outside of Japan. The truck will be used not only by energy utilities, but also in other sectors including parcel and freight delivery and the food and beverages industry.

“We are proud to bring a vehicle with low emissions, great fuel efficiency and impressive reliability to the global market.This is an important first step in our efforts to strengthen hybrid truck sales, and in 2010 we also will further expand this business into targeted markets outside Japan,” says Kai-Uwe Seidenfuß, MFTBC Vice President of Sales & Service International.

This first order from customers outside of Japan for hybrid vehicles clearly indicates the positive development of MFTBC’s hybrid business. The one-year anniversary of the Global Hybrid Center (GHC) and the market launch of the new, enhanced Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid were further important milestones in 2009. Located at the company headquarters in Kawasaki , Japan , the GHC serves as the worldwide platform for the development of hybrid vehicles for Daimler Trucks.

MFTBC’s involvement in hybrid development is part of Daimler’s Shaping Future Transportation initiative, which aims to achieve a major reduction in fuel consumption and exhaust emissions of commercial vehicles. Shaping Future Transportation comprises work on alternative drive systems for various commercial vehicle brands. Hybrid technology plays a key role in these vehicles, as it can reduce diesel consumption by up to 30 percent, depending on the application.

Based in Kawasaki, Japan, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is one of Asia’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. In 2008, the company sold a total of about 197,700 vehicles including light, medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses.Daimler AG owns 85 percent of MFTBC shares. MFTBC is an integral part of the Daimler Trucks Division of Daimler AG.

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Fuso Sold First Canter Eco Hybrid Trucks Outside of Japan is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Daimler AG on October 8, 2009 announced that it selected the smart plant in Hambach, France, as the location for future series production of the smart fortwo electric drive. As of 2012, the highly innovative electric vehicle, equipped with the most modern lithium-ion-battery, will roll off the assembly line in large-scale production and will be offered to customers through the smart sales network. The announcement was made on the occasion of an official visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Hambach plant.

Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars: “The smart fortwo electric drive proves that emission-free driving in an urban environment is already feasible today. The initial series production will begin now with 1,000 vehicles, the first of which will be delivered to customers by the end of this year. As of 2012, the smart fortwo electric drive will then be part of the regular product program of the smart brand. With our decision to locate production here at the parent plant in Hambach, we are setting the course both for series production of electric vehicles and for the future of this highly innovative assembly plant.”

Daimler will invest a double-digit million euro amount at the Hambach plant for production of the next generation of the smart fortwo electric drive with lithium-ion-battery. During his visit, President Sarkozy announced that the French government will support the project through its PAT (Prime d’aménagement du territoire) program. Further support is to be extended by the Region Lorraine and the Département de la Moselle. Both these measures will comprise a total of 15 percent of the investment. The president was visiting the plant today to – amongst others – get a first-hand impression of environmentally compatible powertrains of the future.

In November 2009, the plant will start to produce a small series of about 1,000 units of the smart fortwo electric drive. In a first step, these vehicles will be provided to customers participating in various mobility projects in major cities in Europe and the U.S., in order to generate additional feedback from the use under everyday conditions.

As of 2012, the smart fortwo electric drive will be produced in significantly larger volumes as a regular part of the smart product portfolio and will be sold through the smart sales network. smart thus emphazises its pioneering role on the way to individual mobility with local zero-emissions in cities and urban areas.

First Milestones in 2007 and 2008

Since 2007, the smart brand has taken a pioneering role in the electrification of drive systems. Back then, smart started emission-free driving under tough everyday conditions of city traffic in London. 100 smart fortwo electric drives of the first generation have been in practical customer operation. The feedback from this project has been very positive and confirmed the high degree of maturity of this vehicle concept.

Just one year later, the company introduced the second generation with an even more advanced electric drive and an innovative, highly efficient lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion technology has decisive advantages over other types of batteries including higher performance, shorter charging times, a long life and high reliability. In addition, a smart fortwo electric drive can be charged at a regular household power outlet.

A story of success: The smart Plant in Hambach

The smart plant in Hambach was inaugurated in 1997. Since 1998, it has produced the smart fortwo, since 2007 in its current generation. In 2008, more than 800 employees of the plant and some further 800 people employed by seven system partners produced about 140,000 units of the smart fortwo. In September 2008, the brand celebrated its tenth anniversary along with the 1-millionth smart fortwo produced at the Hambach plant.

The Hambach plant has represented an innovative production concept since its beginning: The assembly line in the shape of a plus sign has been designed to optimally meet the demands of assembly and logistics and ensures highly efficient production processes. This principle enables the system partners to supply modules directly to the assembly line, which reduces transport and logistics efforts to a minimum and hereby also provides an advantage regarding ecological aspects. In addition, the environmentally friendly and cost effective paint shop, an energy concept with numerous savings opportunities and the construction principle of the vehicles ensure that the ecological product responsibility of the smart brand is translated into the production.

About smart

Environmental friendliness and contemporary functionality have been defining features of the smart fortwo ever since it was launched more than ten years ago. Since then its innovative concept has combined sustainable, forward-looking technologies with individual urban mobility. With a length of just over two and a half meters (about 8.2 feet,) the extremely compact and fuel-efficient vehicle brings its occupants to their destination comfortably and safely. Its distintive design made smart an automotive lifestyle icon which shows that mobility, responsibility to the environment and joie de vivre are compatible with one another. The smart fortwo has established a class of its own.

Today, smart is present in 41 markets around the globe, with most recent market launches in China and Brazil. Germany, Italy, and the U.S. are key markets. For me, I may just skip waiting for the diesel smart arriving in the U.S. and wait for the electric smart instead.

Large-Scale Production of the smart fortwo Electric Drive to Begin in 2012 in Hambach is a post from: CleanCarTalk

Bangalore, September 29, 2009. General Motors India and Reva Electric Car Company (REVA) have entered into a collaboration agreement to develop electric vehicles for the Indian market. This unique partnership will bring together two companies, established in their own field to develop car platforms, electric vehicle technology and advanced control systems. Through this partnership, REVA will also leverage GM’s large distribution network in India to market and sell REVA’s next generation vehicles.

The agreement was announced jointly by Karl Slym, president and managing director, General Motors India and Chetan Maini, deputy chairman and chief technology officer, REVA.

Karl Slym, President and Managing Director, GM India said, “We are pleased to join hands with REVA to bring affordable small car platform based electric vehicles to the market in line with government objectives to reduce fossil fuel dependence. GM’s ability to develop platforms and REVA’s capability in developing electric drive-trains and control systems will result in, the consumer having a wider choice of EVs. We are going to be working closely with the Central and State Governments in India to develop infrastructure for electric vehicle charging and providing specific financial benefits to consumers, who make the choice to adopt an environment-friendly mode of personal transport. The sales and service of REVA cars through GM dealerships will further strengthen the partnership between the two companies.”

Speaking on the occasion, Chetan Maini, Deputy Chairman and CTO, Reva Electric Car Company said, “This unique collaboration symbolizes a global trendsetter for partnerships that will result in far reaching changes in the industry. Each of the partners will use its strengths, with the aim of making India a global hub for the development and manufacture of electric vehicles and related technologies. I am extremely happy that we have found a partner in GM India that shares our passion for reducing carbon emissions. Further the distribution of REVA cars through GM dealerships will increase the geographical footprint of REVA and enable customers to have an easier access to points of sales and service across the country.”

Development of small electric vehicles is a growth area around the global automotive industry and we are excited that this cooperation with REVA in India will accelerate GM’s progress to meet the emerging needs in many parts of the world ” , said Nick Reilly , President of GM International Operations. GM is pursuing several energy alternatives and advanced technology options to meet the varied needs of customers around the world. GM believes that electrically driven vehicles, based on battery and hydrogen fuel cell technology, offer the best long-term solution for providing sustainable personal transportation, he added.

The two companies have begun feasibility studies of GM’s vehicle platforms sometime back to host the electric technology and they will announce more details about the vehicles soon.

About General Motors India

General Motors India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Motors Company, USA, has completed over 12 years of operation in India. GM India started its journey in 1996 and now offers products under the Chevrolet brand, which was introduced in India in 2003.  Chevrolet had already emerged as one of the fastest growing automotive nameplates in India. GM India produces the Chevrolet Captiva, Chevrolet Optra, Chevrolet Aveo, Chevrolet SR-V, Chevrolet Aveo U-VA, Chevrolet Spark and Chevrolet Tavera for sale in India and operates state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Halol, Gujarat and in Talegaon, Maharashtra.

About REVA Electric Car Company Pvt. Ltd

Reva Electric Car Company, a Bangalore-based company with over 14 years of experience in electric vehicle (EV) research and development. It is the first company worldwide to successfully commercialize electric cars and was acclaimed by Business World India in 2006 as one of India’s “Cool Companies” and technology innovators. Today, REVA is selling or test marketing its products in 24 countries across Europe and Asia, as well as Latin and Central America.  It has the largest deployed fleet of electric cars on the market with over 3,000 EVs on the road and more than 70 million kilometers of user experience. In recognition of its technology leadership, REVA was the recipient of the Frost & Sullivan 2008 Automotive Power train Company of the Year award.

General Motors India and REVA Form Partnership to Transform Electric Car Market is a post from: CleanCarTalk