GridPoint has just invested around $120 million in accumulated funds to purchase the V2Green electric car charging facilities and software. The company, GridPoint, specialises in the distribution of software that helps to power multiple generating units, in this case, electric car charging outlets. The software is used to control the distribution of electricity from port to car, and eliminates any risk to the car.

The reason for this purchase was to eliminate electricity grid ‘taxing’, which means that in peak times the number of electric cars that are plugged in to recharge would create a demand for too much electricity, so eventually more electric power plants would need to be built. The V2Green software is designed to assist the already present power grid to cope with all this extra energy that is needed.

It is thought that this kind of high demand on the power grid is not going to become much of an issue until late 2010 or early 2011, which is when most of the new electric cars go into wide distribution. The hype over the poor condition of the O-zone layer and other environmental concerns is thought to push electric car sales to an all time high, making the V2Green a necessity, mainly in the U.S. and China.

Everyone is hearing the buzz around the new Chevrolet Volt. Countless news articles have been written about it, it is mentioned in dozens of blogs etc, but how good is it? Nobody seems to want to make any comments on how good the fuel economy is.

Stepping back slightly, for those who don’t know, the Chevrolet Volt is the newest offering from the motoring industry giants, GM. The Volt is powered by a Lithium-Ion battery combined with an internal combustion engine. Whilst the car is a plug-in hybrid, the combustion engine does still charge the battery.

It is always good news when a motor company embarks on an electric venture, but companies cannot seem to move out of the hybrid shadow. Each year companies reveal plans for new hybrids. Hybrids, hybrids hybrids, when are we going to hear the news of a fully electric powered Volt that can reach speeds of up to 150mph and only needs recharging every 100 miles. Well, for the time being, the technology has not yet been adapted.

Coming back to the Volt, set to arrive in 2010, the combustion engine does have a reasonable fuel economy, although the Toyota alternative, which has been available for some time now, has a better fuel economy. It just seems like GM are having some troubles trying to move away from their usual muscle cars, so they need a more powerful engine, with a less than amazing fuel economy rating.

In time of the oil crises, who else, but the multi-billion dollar company Google to step in and help solve the problem of rising gas prices.

“Two companies developing technology for plug-in electric vehicles have won investment from Google. Aptera Motors of Carlsbad, California and Austin-based ActaCell will receive an undisclosed amount of funding from the internet firm. The investment is part of Google’s RechargeIT initiative, which was set up in June 2007 to accelerate the adoption of electronic transport.”

Lets not hope for a better future, but take action into our own hands to combat this episode of financial troubles.

source:vnunet news articles

Does Corn, Cadillac Esclade and Formula 1 have anything in common? Next year, they could !

Following the trend set by other racing series’ like IndyCars and the American Le Mans Series, Formula 1, in a move to make the scenario much greener and eco-friendly, is looking at ethanol to be the sport’s adopted fuel.

According to retired two-time champion Emerson Fittipaldi, Formula 1 boss Bernie Eccelstone met Brazilian ethanol suppliers last year. Fittipaldi himself owns a sugar cane plantation in his home country Brazil, and is presently constructing an ethanol refinery to produce the fuel.

F1 teams are already preparing their cars to function with a hybrid drive system for next year’s races and this move is a direct indication of Formula 1’s concern and interestedness in adopting biofuels to save the planet and shed their dependency on crude oil which has become costlier.

Racing on ethanol fuel will not contain the thrill or the speed. All cars in the IndyCar series use E100 ethanol as fuel. In the ALMS some of the teams including the GT1 Corvette C6Rs use cellulosic E85. The Audi R10s run on GTL diesel fuel while the rest of the pack is fueled by E10 meaning cars won’t get slower due to the switch in fuel.

It is official. GM announced today that all 2009 Escalades will be flexfuel capable- will run on E85 or conventional gasoline or a mixture of both.

E85, a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline is a clean burning fuel that can cut down green house gases by as much as 23% compared with normal gasoline. The flexfuel Escalades is the company’s latest move to reach its goal of selling half of its vehicles produced in the U.S flexfuel capable by the year 2012. 12 new E85 stations were inaugurated earlier this week by GM and many more are set to come in the future to serve the vehicles.

Entire press release after the jump!

(more…)

Tuning Blog - All about the German car tuning scene

Gears Garage - Auto Community
An online social community for auto enthusiasts where members can share pics, videos, blogs, and chat with their fellow gearheads.

Solutions to high gas prices
Hybrid cars & alternative solutions to conventional engines

Best Freeware Download - Best freeware downloads available everyday on one site
Hybrid Cars Journal
Hybrid cars are the perfect option for citizens who would like to do more for the environment but cannot toss their vehicle aside completely. Read the latest news in the world of hybrid cars!

Ask Dr. Crankshaft
Ask your car-related questions to reknown automotive writer, engineer, and car restorer. Also articles of interest to all car enthusiasts.

Cool car in the blog….
Find the new renovation of automotive in the future wherever you never seen before.

car guideline
everything about car.learn something new about car and how to create your car for best performance on the road

Alternative fuel sources
This site is would like to give you more information about the future fuels.

Automobile Blog
Automobile Tips & information center for everyone

Listed on: Dmegs Directory

Submit site web directory

Free Web Directory - Add Your Link
The Little Web Directory

http://www.free-downloadable-software.com