Did you know that the first 4,400 buyers of the Chevrolet Volt will be eligible for a free 240-volt home charging station? It’s part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s project to install more than 15,000 home charge stations for EV owners.
Our sister site, PluginCars.com, is pleased to host a webchat on Friday June 18 at 11:00 AM Eastern to discuss the details. On hand to discuss this incentive and take questions will be:
- Tony Posawatz, Vehicle Line Director, Chevrolet Volt
- Don Korner, CEO, ECOtality North America
- Marc Carlson, Executive Director, Coulomb’s ChargePoint America program
>> Visit the PluginCars.com webchat page for the webchat. (Go there now to set up an auto-reminder.) See you at the chat!
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June 16, 2010 – Lincoln’s first-ever hybrid – the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid – is now officially the most…
“When a government is interested, they call us. We don’t go to them. They call us,” Carlos Ghosn said. (Photo: Brad Berman. All rights reserved.)
In the early days of the Bush administration, vice-president Dick Cheney met behind closed doors with oil companies to formulate national energy policy. A decade later, we see what happens when the government and oilies get too chummy: dangerous oil drilling and endless oil wars.
The Gulf oil spill is a catastrophe of epic proportions, but if nothing else comes out of it, the disaster could force a decisive break from the government-oil alliance—while forging a new alignment between the state and car companies. That’s right, the same car companies that stood defiant of government fuel efficiency mandates for generations are now forming alliances to produce cars that use little or no petroleum.
In this dawning age of battery-powered vehicles, the very definition of an automobile company’s function in the economy and society is shifting. Companies that recognize the change are positioning themselves as government allies in the struggle for oil dependence. “We are not only a carmaker. We are a sustainable mobility system provider,” said Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault. He was speaking in Tennessee at the occasion of Nissan breaking ground on a new lithium ion battery factory—financed by a $1.4 billion loan from the Department of Energy.
Car Company or Systems Provider?
Mr. Ghosn proclaimed that Nissan-Renault is not only making cars. The company will also make batteries, help recycle them, make quick charging equipment—and most importantly, provide consulting services to governments. “We’re not only a carmaker here. We’re the provider of a system. And we are advising governments and cities about what system they should be in place in order to get the interest of the consumer,” Ghosn said.
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Lincoln announced that the fuel efficiency rating for their first ever hybrid, the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, is now official: 41 mpg rating in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway. The official EPA rating makes it the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan in America.
A few years ago, a luxury sedan achieving more than 40 MPG in the city would have been big news. With hybrid technology, it’s quickly becoming a regular occurrence.
Ford is positioning the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid to compete against the 2010 Lexus HS 250h. The MKZ beats the HS250h in terms of fuel economy by 6 MPG, and provides more engine power and passenger room. The MKZ’s combined gasoline engine and electric motor provide 191 net horsepower.
“The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid offers everything our customers look for in a midsize luxury sedan, plus unsurpassed fuel economy,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president, Global Product Development, in a press release. The MKZ’s claim for fuel economy leadership in the luxury category may be short-lived, with the premium compact Lexus CT 200h hitting dealerships later this year or in early 2011.
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Peugeot 3008 HYbrid 4 small minivan
Last week, we reported that Mitsubishi is taking steps to produce a diesel-electric car—in the form of the Lancer Evo diesel hybrid. Automotive News today reports that Peugeot-Citroen’s first diesel-electric hybrid, the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid 4 small minivan, could be exported outside Europe.
The Peugeot 3008 HYbrid 4 goes on sale in Europe in March 2011. The automaker says the 3008 Hybrid 4 will produce just 99 grams per kilometer of CO2 despite offering 200 horsepower. The car’s 2.0-liter diesel provides 163 horsepower to the front wheels, and an electric motor supplies 37 hp to the rear wheels. When Peugeot demonstrated the 3008 HYbrid concept at the Paris auto show in 2008, it said the vehicle could get 57 miles per gallon.
Peugeot-Citroen electric vehicles director Ayoul Grouvel told Automotive News Europe that subsidiaries in Australia, Brazil, China, Israel and Turkey are asking for hybrids. The auto markets in China and Brazil are experiencing wild growth, and would be enticing to Peugeot-Citroen.
The company believes that diesel-electric hybrids make sense to expand fuel-efficient offerings in Europe and Asia, but expects U.S. customers to choose gas-powered hybrids. And yet, U.S. hybrid fans have been screaming for a hybrid minivan for years. Could you imagine the reaction from greeny families to a small stylish hybrid minivan, with third-row seating (even if squeezed), running on biodiesel?
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2011 Volkswagen Jetta
In one more sign that the automotive world is shifting to electric-drive technology, Volkswagen today reconfirmed its commitment to producing a hybrid version of its popular Jetta. A gas-electric Jetta, to debut in 2012, would put another affordable mainstream hybrid option into showrooms.
Affordability is the key word, as hybrids push further into mainstream vehicle lineups. The new (gas-powered) 2011 Volkswagen Jetta, which made its global debut in New York today, is priced at $16,000, about $1,700 less than the current version. “With the new Jetta, we’ve kept everything people liked, but also made the car more accessible to the entry-level buyer in the compact segment,” said Toscan Bennett, a VW product strategist. “We want people who had considered Jettas too expensive to put us on their shopping lists.”
Later this year, Volkswagen will introduce the Touareg Hybrid SUV, its first hybrid, but it will hardly be affordable. Based on pricing announced in Europe, the Touareg Hybrid could exceed $90,000 in the U.S. Moreover, it will join a crowded field of expensive luxury hybrid SUVs already on the market—and not selling particularly well.
On the other hand, a Jetta Hybrid probably will probably be priced in the low $20,000s, while offering fuel economy numbers in the mid-40 mpg range. It will represent the first time an automaker stacks up a hybrid and clean diesel option in a cost-competitive model.
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2010 Toyota Prius
The Toyota Prius is by far the most popular hybrid car because it’s immediately recognizable as an earth-friendly car. At least, that’s the explanation offered by Dan Ariely, the behavioral economist who wrote Predictably Irrational. Ariel was in Seattle last week on a tour for his new book, The Upside of Irrationality.
Dan Ariely
Ariely’s books combine neuroscience, economics, and personal observations to explain how emotions—rather than rational economic logic—drive us to make odd choices in life.
“This is my personal observation,” said Ariely, “When I drive and I see people driving Priuses, they look to me like they smile more than others.” Ariely explained that Prius drivers want to stand out, to pat themselves on the back as they drive down the road, and to make it crystal clear that they’re driving a hybrid. (This observation has been made many times before, most notably by the creators of Comedy Central’s South Park, who portrayed hybrid drives as smug snobs. Very funny stuff.)
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April 2010 US hybrid car sales totalled 23,654 units. The figure represents an 8.2 per…
Ford's Valencia plant in Spain will build the company's first hybrid models for European customers with two advanced…
May 2010 Palo Alto, California, U.S.A. — Tesla Motors, Inc. (Tesla) and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC)…
