If you thought the Aerial Atom was the ultimate go-kart, think again. The Hyper PRO Racer gets a Yamaha 450 WR four-stroke motorbike engine, a sequential five-speed gearbox and, incredibly, a kerbweight of just 160kg.

The superkart originates in Australia - a nation associated with V8 Supercars and Holden Maloos rather than spaceframe track machines. Former racing driver John Crooke has been developing the Hyper PRO Racer over the past ten years, and as the video shows, his team’s hard work has clearly paid off.

If you fancy a go, the track day Hyper Pro Racer S will set you back about £17k. That might seem like a lot, but there’s a very good chance you won’t be able to go faster for less on four wheels.

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Vancouver just played host to the Epic Expo, an exposition centered around sustainable living, and one of the exhibitors there might be familiar to dedicated AutoblogGreen readers. Last year in New York, we introduced you to the alé by Fuel Vapor Technologies which, at the time, was good for 92 mpg. However, to win the X-Prize, vehicles must get at least 100 mpg and so a few changes have been made since then, starting with the names of both the vehicle and the company. Keeping the same acronym, FVT wisely removed the word “vapor” from their name and are now known as Future Vehicle Technologies and the vehicle is now known as the “eVaro.” Of course, changing the name won’t net you 8 mpg and so the 3-wheeler displayed in Vancouver featured a series hybrid drivetrain where once a simple gas set-up once sat.

The new configuration blows the old away in environmental performance, yet retains a similar motive performance. It is said to skedaddle from a stop to 60 mph in 5 seconds and can hit speeds of 135 mph. Environmental-wise, it can travel between 65 and 90 miles on electricity alone and attain 275 MPGe in city driving (15-40 mph) and 165 MPGe at highway speeds (45-75 mph). Lots of mileage claims are tossed about nowadays, but FVT has third-party verification of their numbers from Simon Fraser University. Hit the jump for a transcript of a letter of testimony from that institution explaining the conditions and instruments used during their tests. You’ll also find a bonus video of Lacey Elliot from Driving Television learning about the eVaro from Todd Pratt of the FVT team.

[Source: Eco Auto Ninja / Future Vehicle Technologies]

Continue reading X-Prize entrant exhibits eRev at Epic Expo, earns 275 MPGe

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid

X-Prize entrant exhibits eRev at Epic Expo, earns 275 MPGe originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 15 May 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA, the parent company of Peugeot and Citroën, this morning denied a report that came out in the Japanese Nikkei business newspaper about a new tie-up with Mitsubishi. The paper had reported that PSA and Mitsubishi would be collaborating on plug-in hybrid vehicles. The two automakers are working together on battery EVs with Mitsubishi supplying a version of its iMiEV to the French company, along with lithium ion batteries for other applications.

However, PSA says that it is developing its own plug-in hybrid technology. This is likely to be based on its Hybrid4 through the road hybrid system that debuted last fall at the Paris Motor Show. This system uses a conventional gas or diesel powertrain driving one axle with an electric motor driving the other. It is mechanically simpler than a power split hybrid and easier to implement. Mitsubishi is also working on its own plug-in hybrid system targeted for a 2013 release.

[Source: Reuters]

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Mitsubishi, PSA, Peugeot

REPORT: PSA says it’s not working with Mitsubishi on plug-in hybrids originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watching cars being built on a production line is not normally particularly interesting, but the Ford Focus RS has a complicated relationship with volume construction.

The original RS proved incredibly expensive for Ford to build as the car could not be completed alongside the conventional version.

With the latest Focus even the limited edition RS500 can be finished at the Saarlouis plant in Germany. It might need a bit more attention, but only the vinyl wrap requires specialist help.

Click below to see how one of our favourite hot hatches takes shape.

Continue reading Video: Building the Ford Focus RS500

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Considering that hybrid vehicles - an established technology - comprise less than three percent of U.S. new vehicle sales, the fact that 26 percent of Americans would consider an electric vehicle (EV) for their next purchase probably sounds pretty good. However a survey of 1,752 adults conducted by Consumer Reports showed that 72 percent were unlikely to consider an EV. At this point, aside from a small number of people that can afford a Tesla Roadster and those with limited requirements that can use an NEV, there are no affordable EV choices anyway.

It also remains to be seen how those consideration numbers will change once people see what EVs actually cost. Nissan, Ford and General Motors will all be releasing electric vehicles (or ER-EVs) over the next 18 months but none of those companies have given any firm indication of what the vehicles would cost. Estimates range from the $25,000-40,000, but no one is certain if that will include the cost of a battery and whether it comes before or after tax subsidies.

One fifth of respondents indicated they would not pay a premium for an EV while another fifth said they would pay up to $5,000 extra. The median premium that people would pay was only $2,068. Given that hybrids typically cost $3,000-5,000 extra than standard gasoline vehicles and that EV batteries remain very expensive, it seems that any hopes of getting EVs into double digit market share in the next few years would be a long shot at best.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Survey says: Only one-quarter of Americans would consider an electric car originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Low-speed, neighborhood electric vehicles are an interesting case. No one thinks of them as “real cars” - although the Wheego Whip, above, tries to be the Cadillac of NEVs - but they certainly serve a purpose and can meet the transportation needs of some people, some of the time. But, should they be free?

Keith Andrews, president of Fairplay Cars, sent in some background information about a controversy brewing in Oklahoma that, at least for now, makes some NEVs effectively free. The state offers a huge tax credit towards purchasing an NEV, but the Oklahoma Tax Commission is campaigning to “black list a significant number of street legal electric cars from the states healthy tax credits now in place,” Andrews wrote. The trouble revolves around the difference between a LSV and a golf cart. According to Andrews, the low-speed vehicle makers in favor of the plan pointed out in court that Oklahoma has already defined what is and is not a low-speed vehicle - based on NHTSA rules - and therefore “should adhere to its own standard and confirm approval of all LSV’s that qualify on the Federal level.” The Oklahoma Tax Commission has promised to appeal to the state Supreme Court, saying the decision could cost the state over $40 million. Read more from Andrews after the jump.

[Source: News 9, WSJ, Keith Andrews]

Continue reading Oklahomans battling over the cost of NEVs. Should they be free?

Oklahomans battling over the cost of NEVs. Should they be free? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So far, 2010 has been a very good year for Audi in the U.S. market and diesel engines are playing a part in the surge. Right now, Audi is only offering two TDI models in this market: the big Q7 SUV and the compact A3. In both cases, diesel market share is far exceeding initial projections. Audi had expected diesels to account for about 18-20 percent of the sales of those models, but the TDI made up 56 percent of all A3 sales in February. The Q7 is now up to 40 percent TDI after several months in the low 30 percent range.

In the first two months of 2010, sales of the A3 have more than doubled compared to the same period a year ago with almost all of the extra sales being diesels. Like most other SUVs, the Q7 is down for the year but the availability of the TDI has definitely cushioned the blow. Perhaps the success of the A3 and Q7 will prompt Audi to expand the diesel lineup here, including their biggest volume model the A4.

Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi sales surge with help from diesels

Audi sales surge with help from diesels originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This year, Labor Day in the U.S. will be celebrated on September 7. That’s over two weeks away, and not that long ago, the government had said the C.A.R.S. (Cash for Clunkers) program would be funded through that date. Looks like the rebate system is once again a victim of its own success once again: a new report says that C.A.R.S. will be shut down Monday. The news is all unsourced and unverified at this point, but [UPDATE: It’s official] all indications are that the wind down is really happening. More details are to be revealed tomorrow, but it seems likely that the entire $3 billion has been spent or accounted for.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood assured auto dealers yesterday that “there will be no car dealer that won’t be reimbursed.” GM has stepped up to the plate and will reimburse dealers directly while they wait for the government to send out the checks. The Auto Alliance says that almost 750,000 new vehicle sales were generated by C.A.R.S. in the last six weeks and “gives NHTSA credit for working closely with manufacturers and dealers to insure consumers could benefit from one of the most economically stimulative programs this country has ever seen.” More details after the break.

[Source: AP, Auto Alliance, Automotive News]
Photo by AndYaDontStop. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Continue reading REPORT: Cash For Clunkers ending Monday

REPORT: Cash For Clunkers ending Monday originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apparently, all is not well in Aptera Motors fandom land. After something of a sustained burst in marketing and promotional appearances earlier this year that included a visit to TED and to Washington D.C., it seems a recent lack of announcements and unresponsiveness to customer emails is leading some Apterans to begin stressing big time about what is up with the company that’s supposed to begin building their first model, the all-electric 2e, this autumn. Their internet home, the Aptera Forum, has been sprouting threads full of apprehension and expressing doubts that the road-going craft will even make it to market. Even if it does, there are worries about the windows rolling down, the range for regular drivers and whether the final production version will look like an expecting inverted orca. One alleged anguished Apteran even wrote us saying, “I emailed them a few times and never heard anything back. I’m thinking about getting my deposit back. They have stopped all communication to reservations holders… Not a good sign to me.”

Well, here’s a good sign for those anxious for more Aptera news. We contacted the company about the situation and got this response from their head marketing man, Marques McCammon:

Our small team of executives has been traveling around the country establishing business relationships that will be beneficial to the future of Aptera. The result is that we will have some important announcements to make during the next few months. While these business activities have taken our primary focus away from communicating directly with our depositors, our next newsletter is slated to be emailed on Tuesday, which will jump-start a series of regular communications with our supporters.

See? They say that all really is well and they’ve just been a little busy with the task of starting up a brand new automotive company. Have a little patience, please. We only hope that among these upcoming announcements is the unveiling of the finally final, officially official production version of the two-seater. With windows that roll down. Tip of the hat to Ashley!

[Source: Aptera Motors]

Apterans to mothership: phone home! originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We Americans want hybrid leadership. We want to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Trouble is, most of us aren’t willing to pay for it. Johnson Controls surveyed 2,309 adults on all matters hybrid, and it found that 84% of Americans believe the government should support the advancement of hybrid technology and fully 88% believe hybrid leadership is crucial to America’s future. But the devil is in the details, and few things bring out the worst in people more than money.

The survey asked whether car buyers would expect to pay more, less, or about the same amount as a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle. 23% of the adults surveyed said they were willing to pay more for a hybrid, while 35% would only purchase a car with battery assistance if it cost the same as a comparable non-hybrid. 33% actually think they should pay less for a hybrid than a conventional vehicle. And the other 11%? They wouldn’t purchase a hybrid at any price. Click through to the jump for more on the study and to read the official press release.

[Source: Johnson Controls]

Continue reading SURVEY SAYS: 88% of Americans believe hybrid leadership is crucial to U.S. - Do you?

Filed under: Hybrid, Green Daily, USA

SURVEY SAYS: 88% of Americans believe hybrid leadership is crucial to U.S. - Do you? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 13 May 2009 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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