Tag Archives: hybrid

Adventures in Driving – Hybrids

2913 Ford C max

One day, back in 2009, while driving my ’99 Chevy Malibu home from classes in Marleboro College’s MBA in Managing for Sustainability, I set a target for my next car that it would get over 45 Miles Per Gallon. That basically means a hybrid like the Ford CMax (Edmunds / Ford) pictured above or one of the uber-efficient Volkswagon TDI Clean Diesel (news / autoblog / VW).

Continue reading

Is Ford Motor Co Sustainable? And is Ford a Value Investment?

Ford Fusion

Ford Fusion, available as a hybrid

Back in October, 2007, I wrote about the Toyota Prius and the GM Hummer in Prius v Hummer, the Battle for the Streets and the Prius v Hummer, the Battle for the Brains. (Spoiler alert – the Prius won). Now I’m thinking about Ford Motor Company. A few years back their tag line was “Ford Has A Better Idea.” That may not be the current tag line, but I think it is the case. I will go further and say that Ford is on the road to being  Sustainable car company, and is a Value Investment.

While Toyota deserves credit for developing the hybrid- the Prius was introduced in 2000 – Ford has an extensive lineup of hybrids and is putting the EcoDrive – which boosts mileage by 20% – on vehicles, from small cars to the F150 truck. And 40% of the F150′s sold today are sold with the EcoDrive engine. Continue reading

100 MPG Plug In Hybrid

100 MPG Plug In Electric Van

100 MPG Plug In Electric Van. Designed by Bright Automotive and Rocky Mountain Institute. Image Copyright (C) Rocky Mountain Institute.

Bright Automotive of Indiana is set to turn Rocky Mountain Institute’s lightweight, hyper-efficient vehicle concept into reality.

The start-up, which launched out of RMI in 2008, is unveiling the IDEA–a 100 mpg equivalent plug-in hybrid concept vehicle–in Washington DC. Bright expects to produce 50,000 IDEAs a year, by 2012 and to create over 5,000 jobs by 2013.  For more details go to Rocky Mountain Institute and Bright Automotive.

The best news since the Prius.

Hungarian hybrid, planned for 2012 production, gets 150 mpg

Jorge Chapa, writing in Inhabitat, reports that the Hungarian prototype for the Antro Solo, production planned for 2012, gets 150 mpg, and here’s how:

  • The hybrid electric/fossil fuel engine, familiar now to most of us – which captures energy while braking, thus recharging the electric batteries;
  • an exceptionally light carbon composite frame;
  • solar panels on the roof which can provide power for a 15 – 25 km trip (the post doesn’t specify how long that charge takes);
  • The two passenger seats (it’s a three-seater) come with bicycle pedals, which can offset the car’s energy consumption;
  • So if it’s dark, the battery is exhausted, you and your passengers are exhausted, what’s the last option?

Trick question: two options – a dual-fuel petrol/ethanol engine. Sound like an easy fit for a “station car,” if there’s any light at all. TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY: Antro Solo gets 150mpg at Inhabitat, in turn viaAutoFiends. [singlepic=261,288,216,,right]

If this technology, and others like it, become competitive – whoever has developed it stands to make a lot of money – and contribute to a gradual drip-drip of oil company profits. (Today’s Times has a comment from a Saudi official, who articulated some anxiety that current price shock and anger might result in people remembering the current state of affairs, and reducing long-term demand for petroleum; we’ll try to post about this later – but – you read it here first – at least some of the Saudi leadership think’s we’re intelligent and adaptive. Flattery).