EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas was widely criticized for his proposal to create a unified European Transport Area as a response to growing concerns of Europe’s carbon dioxide emissions from conventional diesel and fuel powered vehicles, as well as the continent’s dependency on foreign oil. He proposed a ban should be made by the year 2050 in order to expand the use of more hybrid vehicles by then. Fees will be charged to automotives otherwise using electricity of batteries.

According to the Association of British Drivers, Kallas is too ambitious. They conceded that drastic changes such as his suggestions need not be necessary in order to bring about significant contributions to an emission free state. Many car manufacturers, drivers and even car owners will suffer greatly. On the other hand, if this scheme is to be realized, this may boost the already low sales in batteries and may be the only companies which can benefit from such predicament in the future.

The US Air Force or USAF has tested its F-22 fighter jet to fly at great speed using a mixology of standard jet fuel and biofuel. This is part of the USAF’s campaign to use more alternative fuels to run 50 percent of its jet by the year 2016, as the demand for standard fuel may threaten its supply by that time.  The fighter jet was able to fly at 40,000 feet above the air base. The director of Alternative Fuels Certification Division at Wright Patterson Air Force Base noted that the F-22 was able to maneuver through different speeds and altitudes on its biofuel.
The biofuel used was derived from a weed-like plant called camelina. This, along with other synthetic class of biofuels comes from an assortment of renewable sources either from plants or animals.

The USAF has also started testing an A-10C Thunderbolt II the previous year. It has also garnered rights to fly its C-17 GLobemaster III carrier planes to fly on biofuel starting February this year.

Volvo has decided not to limit their company in making hybrid passenger cars only. They have included in their list of electricity powered vehicles their very own electricity powered hybrid truck called the Volvo FE. This heavy duty truck has a diesel engine with an electric motor, and these can be used at the same time, or separately whichever is convenient. The truck can automatically switch between the two depending on the need and circumstances.

Another feature is its regenerative braking process which can drastically lower fuel and carbon dioxide emissions by about 15-20 percent. When the electric compactor is used, it can save up to 30 percent in emissions. Much is expected out of these trucks.

These trucks are expected to be out in the European market by June staring with a limited number only. These trucks will be used mainly for distribution and refuse operations.

Volvo has come up with a unique system for the cooling and heating structure of their hybrid car. They have decided to equip the fully electric C30 with a 3.8 gallon (14.5 liter) tank of ethanol.  With this, the driver can have the option which heating system he wants to use to suit his driving distances. Although the default cabin heat mode uses ethanol, this can easily be switched to electric power for shorter trips.  Critics then speculate on how the engineers of Volvo could have thought this up, given the fact that electric resistance heating is probably a few times more efficient than burning ethanol to generate heat. This may appear a bit odd, but still, Volvo insists on its propaganda.

Another pressing concern involves the availability of ethanol in the U.S. market. If the C30 is to be marketed in there, manufacturers should also have addressed the difficulty in acquiring ethanol fuel first. This makes the chances of selling C30s dimmer. The company tells us not to worry though, because they are currently testing a battery controlled climate control system.

There is excitement going on among manufactures of electricity powered vehicles. Pike Research senior analyst, Dave Hurst said that expectations come highly with the rising popularity of plug-in hybrid vehicles. While battery electric vehicles continue to be current hot stuff most especially in Asia and Europe, PEVS are assumed to surpass their share in sales in a few years’ time. By 2015, it may even reach the projected one million mark globally. The PEV’s versatility and multi-range technology will prove to be most successful in the U.S, researchers analyzed. This represents 71% of the tot sales by that year.

The cause for this rise is brought upon by the manufacturers themselves. With their new strategies in marketing these electric vehicles, consumers can become familiar with them. This precognition can greatly affect sales worldwide as more new car buyers spearhead towards the latest technologies available for them.

Electric powered vehicles are not limited to the posh Chevy Volt, or the Nissan Leaf alone. Motorcycles that run on this alternative technology are also being put in production, as initiated by the Zero Motorcycles, the self proclaimed global leader in the electric motorcycle industry. Recently, it has acquired $26 million in financing from its investor group, Invus, LP. They hope that with the amount they have raised, they will be able to boost and expand production, more specifically in its U.S. base. Furthermore, Santa Cruz has pledged its allegiance with Zero Motorcycles. This CA based company has entrusted itself to do researches and more developments for the said expansion.

With all the rage about electric powered cars, no wonder the motorcycle industry is jumping on the bandwagon too. Although not as warmly welcomed as its car counterpart yet, the growing eco-consciousness of consumers may up the popularity of the motorcycles in no time.

Casey Mynott, the automotive instructor of Delta Secondary School in British Columbia; Canada has disclosed a project that his students have been working on for the past two years. This project involves transforming an old model of the Toyota truck into a battery-powered dragster. He talks to Autopia regarding its near unveiling roughly four weeks from now.
Mynott revealed that the idea started out as something the students wanted. He stated that the students wanted to build a combustion engine racer for their school. But over the process of brainstorming, they got inspired by clips from the Internet and decided they wanted a battery-powered racer instead. Finding sponsors was no problem, and they were able to acquire a DC motor that connects to a custom-built aluminum driveshaft and 20 lead-acid AGM batteries.
This electric racer can run through a a quarter mile track in less than 14 seconds, and although this may not be totally something yet, being able to transform an old truck into an electric dragster is. Mynott believes the student deserve appreciation for their efforts as well. For pictures of this electric dragster, check out Autopia’s site.

New to this site? Here is a brief overview of each green vehicle and how they work accordingly:

1.Battery electric vehicles
This type of vehicle does not have any petrol back-up. It uses pure lithium-ion battery packs which need to be recharged in four to eight hours. Mileage varies, but the popular Nissan Leaf is said to be able to travel at 100 miles on single charge. Although these are touted are zero-emission vehicles by many, these do not use renewable sources of electricity.
2. Hybrid vehicles
What is unique about these vehicles is that they generate electricity with every brake the driver makes. Thus, they do not need to be plugged in in order to recharge. This type of car has a generally small internal combustion engine which is backed up by an electric motor and a battery back.
3. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles
Giving justice to its name, these cars can be plugged in to the grid for recharging purposes. They have much bigger battery packs than hybrid cars, and can travel at 10-50miles on electricity alone. However, for longer distances, petrol can be used.

We all know that electric vehicles are being currently used and in steady production these days. While some of us have accepted this latest car technology, only a numbered few know the basics about it.
In a recent survey from Synovate, it was discovered that Americans, even if they have had the rare privilege of using these hybrid cars, have surprisingly little knowledge about them. Most alarming of all is that they fall short mostly on the basics.

For example, it was found out that only 28 percent of the 1,989 respondents think that hybrid cars need to be plugged in to charge the batteries. Almost half of them think that because these cars run on electricity, they do not have emissions at all. Other significant questions were asked and the result was astonishing. Most of these new car buyers got a below average grade on their knowledge basis.
Manufacturers are distraught. They know this can have a great impact on their sales. Senior vice president of Synovate Motoresearch Stephen Popiel says that dealers will also be forced to spend a lot of time explaining the basics of how to operate a hybrid car to potential buyers. Extra efforts will be needed. However, these car manufacturers hope that the consumers’ attitudes in the next two years will change dramatically, as buyers will then be able to have access to more information regarding electric cars.

Electric vehicle technology was once an absurd idea no one believed could be possible. But with the slowly increasing popularity it has gained in the past years, it’s no wonder that even giant businesses are taking a bite of the same apple for their benefit. Recently, the internet giant, Google has tested its very own Plugless Power charging station to electric vehicles over at California in its Mountain View headquarters.
This technology has so far been successful in charging low speed electric vehicles for employees in their car sharing program.
Heading this development is the Evatran LLC. They are responsible for the Plugless Power Station’s advancement. This system also features a level two inductive charging system. With more electric vehicles coming out in the market, Evatran is looking for more opportunities to expand their horizons and venture into new ways in their retrofit process.