Students at Fundação Educacional Inaciana (FEI) in Brazil have developed two car prototypes whose goal is to be light and economical. One of them is made of aluminium, but the one that really caught our attention is a vehicle that can run 300 miles on one liter of gasoline.

The model is called X-16. It is made with (more…)

The advanced battery market is about to get much busier thanks to demand from electric vehicles, and an innovative program to capture energy from subway cars could cause a further surge. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) won a (more…)

There has been some interesting news on the electric motorcycle front recently. Last week, electric motorcycle start-up, Brammo, announced a new model, the Enertia Plus. The “Plus” represents another 40 miles of range, giving the motorcycle a total of an 80 mile range thanks to a battery pack that (more…)

NASA, U.S. Navy and university researchers have successfully demonstrated the first robotic underwater vehicle to be powered entirely by natural, renewable, ocean thermal energy. Though not quite a perpetual motion machine it is close to that.

The Sounding Oceanographic Lagrangrian Observer Thermal RECharging (SOLO-TREC) autonomous underwater vehicle uses a novel thermal recharging engine powered by the natural temperature differences found at different ocean depths.

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I like to ride my bike and take public transportation when I can. But I still rely on the car to move me around a few days every week. That said, developments in cars and personal transportation are things I take both personal and professional interest in.

So after Ford loaned a new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid to me and Gas 2.0 editor Nick Chambers for an extended test drive – that we would take on a trip to and from a multi-day music festival in Southern California we were both covering — I decided to share my thoughts about why Ford’s first foray into the hybrid sedan market is making a big splash:  Partly because of good business timing;  but also because they built a great car.
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While visiting Southern California Edison’s Electric Vehicle Center Thursday, President Obama announced the availability of $2.4 billion for the “Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative” and “Transportation Electrification”.

The funds will be awarded through competitive grants.  Specific announcements are available here (for the Manufacturing Initiative) and here (for the Transportation Electrification).  Both grants are “unrestricted” meaning all entities may apply.

The programs are intended…

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The search for alternative transportation fuels just got a little easier.

The U.S. Department of Energy, now headed by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu, has rolled out an “Alternative Fueling Station Locator.” In other words, if you’re driving a vehicle that runs on biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, natural gas or propane, this tool can help you find it .

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