Well it appears that the Electric Car Industry is moving right along and making great strides as more and more technology is making them faster and faster. Some of the newest models according to the Electric Car Association are smaller, faster, charge faster and go further between charging.

There is even a new group with Venture Capital called Tesla Motors, which is about ready to complete and put the finishing touches on a car which can accelerate as fast as a Ferrari. They have been getting some good press lately too. It appears that pure electric cars, not just hybrids will indeed change the dynamics of the market place.

Tesla Motors: http://www.teslamotors.com

Wrightspeed: http://www.wrightspeed.com

Electric Cars have two speeds; off and on. So if you put one in a certain gear it will really boggy off the line. Imagine an Electric Car That Out Accelerates a Porsche? And you will see the very near future of what electric cars are capable of. Consider a pure electric car, which runs off only a battery, zero emissions and fast too.

What does it run off of? I mean will the power plants that make the extra electricity pollute, as they run off coal? Well some say that coal fired electric plants pollute, but with new clean coal technologies they do not. And so maybe America with 250 years of coal reserves can indeed have its cake and eat it too. The true electric car of the future will soon be here so consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

XP Vehicles has recently released some information about its Whisper electric car. So far, the car is about as far from ordinary as you can expect. Firstly, the support and protective structure of the vehicle is built from baffled pressure tubing. In essence, this is an inflatable car. At first glance that seems frighteningly unsafe, but a good comparison is offered in the form of the Mars rovers. NASA landed the Mars rover on to the planet in an expandable inflated casing, and despite falling about a mile in the process of landing, all of the delicate electronic and mechanical systems worked perfectly. For a good comparison, imagine driving around in an airbag that is always inflated! In fact the engineers that are working on the Whisper are confident that you can drive it off a 25 foot cliff without injury to the passengers, which would likely make it the safest car ever designed. The car even floats in the case of an emergency.

The surprises from the XP vehicles and their Whisper electric car don’t just stop at the design. They plan on selling the car online, which is not so revolutionary, but the cost they have announced is revolutionary. XP Vehicles plan on selling the Whisper starting at less than $3,000. Based on the lighter weight of the Whisper it will be able to travel much further than comparable electric cars. The Whisper is powered by eight hub-mounted motors and comes in four different body types.

While this is only an announcement, the idea of an electric car that is not only affordable to the masses, but is MORE affordable than gasoline equivalents is an exciting prospect!

In a move that is bound to bode well for electric car users, Tesla Motors have partnered up with the Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation to explore vehicle-to-grid technologies.

Advanced Remote Car Charging (or smart charging) allows remote control of the charging systems of electric vehicles that are plugged into the local power grid, allowing the local power utility to essentially use them as remote controlled electrical storage devices. The concept will also function for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). Under this system, vehicles will not be returning power to the grids, but the utilities can control their rate of charging to best suit the operations of the power grid at that time, and to match the charging load to available resources (which would work much better with intermittent energy flows from renewable resources such as wind or solar power).

Currently Tesla is equipping one of their Roadsters for smart charging demonstration purposes at their location in San Carlos, California. Tesla’s aim is to help provide proof of the smart charging concept, so that their customers can hopefully get the option of reducing their power costs by adjusting their charging patters while at the same time encouraging greater penetration of renewable resources.

PG&E has stated that they hope to expand the program and integrate it with their SmartMeter technology which rewards consumers who use less electric power in peak usage times. This will further improve the cost efficiency of electric vehicles.

For most of us these days there’s so much publicity & news coverage over the Green House Effect that maybe you’ve been thinking about how much your car contributes to this and wish to help the environment. Or maybe you are sick and tired of paying high gas prices and want to buy a car that is better on gas. Whether you want to help the environment, or want to cut down on how much you spend on gas, the hybrid car is a great solution.

What is hybrid car?

Hybrid cars are autos that run efficiently on both fuel (normally gasoline) and electric energy. The combination of using fuel and electric energy makes hybrid cars both environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient.

The vast majority of hybrid cars are powered by two different engines: a gasoline engine and an electric engine. The gasoline engine is responsible for starting and stopping the car, while the electric engine is responsible for actually making the car move. By using the two engines in this way, the car is not totally dependent on gasoline. This, in turn, cuts down on the environmental pollution & the amount & therefore cost of gas used.

Types of Hybrid cars

If you’ve done research on hybrid cars on the Internet, you’ve probably seen that there are two types of hybrid cars currently available. These are the Series hybrid car and the Parallels hybrid car. There are slight differences between the two types of hybrid cars, which we will go over here.

With the Series type of hybrid car, the gasoline engine is used to start and stop the car. Then, when the car reaches a specific speed, the electric engine automatically takes over. Also, in the Series type of hybrid car, the gas engine is used to charge the batteries of the electric engine. With the Series type of hybrid car, both engines never really work together as a team.

The Parallel hybrid, just like the Series hybrid, uses both a gas and electric engine. Even though the Parallel and Series hybrids are similarly configured physically, they are distinctively different in terms of operation. The big difference is that, in the Parallel hybrid, both the gasoline and electric engines can be used to start and stop the car. The other difference is that the electric engine in a Parallel hybrid is only used to boost the power of the vehicle when needed. Parallel hybrid cars are more fuel efficient than are the Series hybrid cars.

How does the hybrid car increase fuel efficiency?

Hybrid cars are made up of lightweight materials. Thus, the load on the hybrid car is greatly reduced. Because of the lightweight materials, the car doesn’t require as much fuel to move. Also, the tires of hybrid cars are firmer than are those found on regular cars.

Since the gasoline is burnt at a low level in hybrid cars, it produces lower toxic emissions than those produced by conventional vehicles. Green house emissions, as we previously mentioned, are a real threat to the environment. Hybrid vehicles, because they release less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, cause far less pollution than regular cars do. In fact, some studies have shown that hybrid cars can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by as much as fifty percent, and tailpipe emissions by as much as ninety percent.

To sum up, hybrid cars are much more economical because they consume fifty to sixty percent less fuel than regular vehicles do. Also, they are very environmentally-friendly. The only drawback to hybrid cars is that currently they tend to be a bit more expensive than traditional cars to initially purchase.. However, this will change over time because more people will purchase hybrid vehicles due to the benefits and the pressures placed upon Governments to reduce pollution.

Toby Russell & his information website www.hybridcarlatest.com gives information, news and views for all those interested in the Hybrid Car Market.

One of the issues that keep coming up in negotiations on treaties to limit pollution in the developed world are countries such as India. With its massive population and quickly evolving economy, India can easily dwarf the emissions of many other countries. Using this as an excuse, many groups try to avoid reducing their emissions saying that that their emissions won’t be the problem.

However, with luck, companies such as REVA will let India and other developing countries hopscotch the polluted city centers that plague many major cities in the western world.

The REVAi features leather seats, large doors, a/c and heating (with remote climate control), and a high-end CD/MP3 stereo. It can charge from a standard electrical outlet, travels 80 kilometers per charge (about 50 miles), and features an upgradeable energy management system which can accommodate future developments in battery technology. The disc brakes also feature regenerative braking, which makes for longer charge life, and tubeless tires.

Using a maintenance free A/C motor, the REVAi can accelerate from 0-40 km/hour (about 25 miles per hour) in 7 seconds, and can reach maximum speeds of about 80 km/hour (about 50 miles per hour). The transmission is fully automatic, without any need for clutching or gear changes.

Environmental aspects aside, the REVAi is a car full of options. Buyers can choose from 2000 different colors. Yes, two thousand different colors! And with safety features such as energy absorbing bumpers, and a steel space frame with side impact beams, choice comes with safety as well!

So, our best wishes to India, that they may take the best of the western economic system and leave behind the pollution we have sadly come to accept.

One of the most exciting parts of the electric car world is that there is so much research and design being done, which means new concepts can come out all the time. A great example of this is the new Ford Edge that Ford revealed in January of this year.

Billed as “the world’s first drivable fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle with plug-in capability” (definitely a mouthful as far as name’s go) this car is built with the future in mind. Using Ford’s flexible powertrain technology, the car can make use of new power sources as they are developed without requiring a complete redesign of the automobile.

The HySeries drive in the Edge is able to operate with a fuel cell or gasoline/diesel engine. Using a hydrogen power cell, the Edge delivers an equivalent of 41 miles per gallon. If the driver is commuting less than 50 miles per day, the average jumps to 80 miles per gallon, which shows the advantage of the plug-in charging system. Similar in concept to the Chevy Volt, the Ford Edge uses lithium ion batteries which power the first 25 miles driven each day on stored electricity alone. The fuel cell on the Ford Edge kicks in after the first 25 miles, providing up to 200 additional miles in range without any emissions. The HySeries drive can reach maximum speeds of 85 miles per hour.

Unfortunately, at the current time the Ford Edge remains a concept car of sorts, as the cost of hydrogen fuel cells is prohibitive for general commercial release. However, proof of concept is a solid start in what could be a fascinating new direction for electric car evolution.

With the profile of motorcycle but all the advantages of a car, the Tango is perhaps the highest evolution of the urban car. While technically a two-seater, the car has the passenger seat behind the driver seat so it is half the width.

The size of the Tango can lead to an essential doubling of lane capacity, as it has more spare space in a six foot width lane than a transport truck does in a double width twelve foot width lane. As an added advantage, the small size opens up multitudes of potential parking spaces which would be unusable for conventional sized cars.

One normally associates a smaller sized car with a greater safety risk, but that couldn’t be further than the truth with the Tango. Using a racecar-style roll cage, a four-point harness for the driver and a low center of balance, the car is quite safe the road. While it is smaller in width, it has a weight comparable to a mid-size sedan due to the batteries which are stored under the floor of the car. The low center of balance gives the Tango a rollover rating comparable to low-slung sports cars.

Small as it might be, the Tango is not lacking for power. It can do 0-60 in 4 seconds, and can complete the standing quarter mile run in 12 seconds with a speed of over 100 miles per hour. Working with lead-acid batteries, the Tango has a range of 80 miles, and with more advanced batteries, the range can go as high as 150 miles. On top of that, the Tango can reach up to 80% of full charge in just 10 minutes of charging on a 200 amp charging station, and full charge in less than 3 hours. Range plus convenience makes for a unique car.

To really increase the sense of community on the blog I wanted to start interacting with other blogs and really start sharing ideas and information on the topic of electric cars. To start this thing off I thought I would just name a few of my favorite electric car sites and place links to them so you can visit them in addition to this blog. Look forward to a link at least every week.

One more aspect of this linking: I will not be linking to huge popular electric vehicle blogs because they are so popular that you probably already know them; why would I link to them?

Anyway, to start things off, the first blog on the agenda is http://www.cars-and-trees.com

Cars and Trees blog is great for all you electric car fans. They have the latest news and other entertaining articles about electric cars. Plus the writing has a pretty interesting personality to it so it’s worth looking at.

That blog again is http://www.cars-and-trees.com
Please take a look and leave your comments about the blog.

In June of this year, Google’s philanthropy arm announced the RechargeIT initiative which “aims to reduce CO2 emissions, cut oil use and stabilize the electrical grid by accelerating the adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid technology.”
As a part of this initiative, Google recently announced that it wants to invest ten million dollars in companies that are working with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), electric vehicles, and vehicle to grid technologies. The foundation has issued a request for investment proposals for projects between half a million and two million dollars from early stage technology ventures.
While this certainly won’t change the electric car scene tomorrow, or maybe not even next year, it is long range investments such as this that make the electric car scene really exciting. Right now we stand at a point where electric cars have strong advantages in many fields, but there still remain some applications and situations for which gasoline powered cars have the edge. However, we stand at a tipping point of sorts. With the conscious perception of electric cars increasing, all it would really take is a significant breakthrough in electrical storage, battery size, or any number of other minor components to put the electric car in a position of overall advantage.
So, in many ways, Google’s support of electric vehicle development is important for all of us to know, as it means that their just might be a widespread change in the air. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed!

A number of studies on consumer purchasing habits have linked the price of gas with the priority of fuel efficiency as an option. As simple and common sense a realization this may be, it holds powerful implications for automakers because hybrid cars are becoming more popular.

Over the last decade or so, SUVs (sport utility vehicles) and their related designs have been highly profitable models for automakers. However, with the increases in gas prices over the last few years and the increased interest in the environmental consequences of air pollution, those sales numbers are coming down. Consumers are looking into “green” and “hybrid” cars that provide many of the same comforts along with greater fuel efficiency.

Well, yet another automaker has announced its intention to move into the hybrid age. Porsche has announced their intention to provide a hybrid version of their Cayenne model. Working on a parallel power system, the Cayenne will feature a 3.6 liter V-6 engine paired with an electric motor. Right now, the launch date is only set as “on or before the end of the decade” but the specs so far indicate that the hybrid model of the Cayenne will consume 15% less fuel than the ordinary Cayenne while featuring no decrease in power or acceleration.

Hybrids seemed to be a theme at the Frankfurt Auto Show as Audi announced that their upcoming Q7 sport utility vehicle will feature a hybrid model as well.

As high end vehicles tend to push the envelope on features and design in the auto world, the introduction of so many luxury car hybrid models can only work to benefit all consumers in the long run.