Entries Tagged 'hybrid vehicle' ↓

Lexus unveiled the all-new, next generation RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid at a press conference today at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The vehicle that pioneered the car-based luxury utility vehicle segment when it launched in 1998, is completely redesigned and will continue to set new benchmarks in areas that have made it the best-selling luxury utility vehicle: innovation, styling, performance, utility and comfort.

At the heart of the new RX models are two improved powertrains. Entering its second generation, the RX 450h will feature an enhanced Lexus Hybrid Drive system with a 3.5-liter V6 gas engine that runs on a highly efficient Atkinson cycle. Combined with a new, more efficient inverter, the total system output will be 295 horsepower, 27 more horsepower than the current generation RX hybrid.

Another step in the Lexus Hybrid Drive’s evolution is the addition of two new systems that improve its efficiency. The first is an exhaust-heat recovery system that reduces engine warm-up time allowing it to stop earlier, more often, and for longer periods. The result is an improvement in both fuel economy and emissions. The second is a cooled exhaust-gas recirculation system that reduces engine pumping losses, which also helps to improve economy.

The RX 450h features a front-wheel hybrid drive or an electronically driven, part-time all-wheel-drive (AWD) hybrid drive system, which supplies the rear wheels with the optimal amount of torque as conditions demand. Unlike mechanical AWD systems that reduce fuel efficiency via added weight and friction, the RX 450h’s rear-mounted electric motor-generator allows all four wheels to perform regenerative braking, charging the hybrid battery more effectively.

The third generation RX 350 will be powered by an improved 275-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to an electrically controlled, sequential-shift six-speed transaxle. The all-wheel-drive version will feature an Active Torque Control AWD system that optimizes torque depending on driving conditions, resulting in improved efficiency and performance.

Both RX models feature a new, uniquely designed double-wishbone rear suspension that helps provide exceptional agility and control. Its distinctive design also allows for five percent more cargo volume and easier loading. To complement the new rear suspension and provide excellent dexterity and ride comfort, the front McPherson strut geometry was optimized.

The all-new RX models possess a number of Lexus-first technologies that enhance the ownership experience. An available Hard Disk Drive (HDD) navigation system has an all-new “Remote Touch” controller that is both intuitive and ergonomic. Positioned on the center console, Remote Touch is as natural to the driver’s hand as a computer mouse. It can also be customized to the desired level of haptic feedback. While RX will feature voice recognition as standard, the new navigation system will also include a new casual language voice-recognition system that acknowledges conversational commands. Standard XM® satellite-radio capability (requires subscription) is joined by XM NavTraffic and new NavWeather features.

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By Kelly From:Gasgoo.com October 17, 2008

Shanghai, October 17 (Gasgoo.com) General Motors (GM) will introduce its EREV (extended range electric vehicle) Chevrolet Volt to China for production by 2011 to meet the Chinese market demand, Nanfang Daily reported, citing Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman of product development.

Bob Lutz said, Chinese elements were well considered in the design of Chevrolet Volt, which indicates the electric automobile has entered a new stage. And China will be a big market for electric vehicles.

It is reported that Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in series hybrid vehicle by GM, is expected to begin production in 2010.

The vehicle is designed to run purely on electricity from on-board batteries for up to 64km. With the use of a small internal combustion engine driving a generator to resupply the batteries, the vehicle’s range is potentially increased to 579km on the highway (and which can be extended for very long trips by conventional refueling).

Bob Lutz said that Volt, different from the traditional electric vehicles, surely will have a huge market as it solves customers’ concern about driving distance. But the low availability of electric auto parts for the car’s volume production will lead to high price of the first generation Volt.

Bob Lutz is confident about the prospects of the electric vehicles. He said GM has lagged behind Toyota which has promoted its hybrids like Prius for several years. GM sees it unacceptable to lose the first. The world’s biggest auto maker is making efforts to develop vehicles without using gas from now on.

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Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s largest seller of hybrid-electric cars, said a version of its Prius hatchback due next year will be roomier and more fuel-efficient.

Images posted on the Internet on Thursday show the 2010 Prius, Allison Takahashi, a spokeswoman for the Japanese automaker’s U.S. sales unit, confirmed in an interview. The car is to be unveiled in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, she said. She said Toyota didn’t post the pictures.

The new vehicle “is about the same size as its forebear, but with more interior room and better fuel economy,” the company said in an e-mailed message.

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Toyota Motor may create a separate brand for its Prius hybrid car and could add both larger and smaller Prius models to the lineup, the head of Toyota’s American sales division said Thursday.

James E. Lentz III, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., said he had proposed the idea to senior company executives in Japan. Lentz said he did not know when they might approve the project, but said he would meet with executives in Japan next month to discuss future models.

Toyota officials first discussed the concept of a separate Prius brand at the Detroit auto show in January.

Lentz, who spoke after the dedication of Toyota’s new safety and engineering center in Ann Arbor, said the Prius brand would be similar to Scion, Toyota’s brand of lower-priced cars aimed at younger buyers.

The brand would include the original Prius as well as new models bearing a Prius nameplate that Toyota is said to be developing.

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The much-anticipated Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle has made one of its first global appearances at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.

Volt, to be launched in the US in 2010, uses electricity to move the wheels at all times and speeds in a significant advance from conventional hybrids.

When operating solely on its battery, Volt can drive up to 64 kilometres without petrol or producing exhaust pipe emissions. Once the battery’s energy is depleted, a small petrol engine generates electricity to power the vehicle for hundreds of additional kilometres.

Volt is an important element of General Motors’ strategy to provide a range of sustainable transport solutions to meet the current and future needs of motorists. GM estimates that compared to similar sized petrol-powered vehicles, Volt will save motorists up to 1892 litres of fuel a year. This is based on US research that identifies 75 per cent of commuters travel an average daily distance of less than 40 miles (64 kilometres).

It also calculates that charging the vehicle at night through a standard power outlet will use less electricity annually than an average household refrigerator. GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mark Reuss said Volt’s Sydney reveal gave Australian audiences an early view of one of the most important technologies shaping the future of sustainable transport.

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Several companies have begun converting Toyota Priuses and Ford Escape Hybrids to plug-in vehicles. Having watched this aftermarket industry develop, we have had our Prius Touring converted to a plug-in for evaluation, sacrificing a factory warranty for science. Toyota, too, has taken notice and developed its own plug-in Prius, which it showed at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November. The company plans to offer a production plug-in Prius based on the next-generation car by 2012.

Like today’s hybrids, plug-ins improve gas mileage by using both electricity and a gasoline engine to power the car. However, plug-ins have bigger batteries than ordinary hybrids, and the batteries can’t be recharged by the engine alone. They have to be recharged by being plugged in, much like a cell phone or laptop. Automakers and automotive engineering organizations say that electricity is a much more efficient power source for a car—as much as three times more efficient than a gas engine. So when the cars run on electricity, they can save money on operating costs compared with burning gasoline. To be truly green in terms of emissions, however, the source of your electricity also needs to be “clean” (that is, not from a coal-burning powerplant)

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Michel Vimont, Directeur of the Search and the advanced Studies for Renault will submit Renault Scenic ZEV H2 vehicle “zero emission” to Jean-Louis Borloo, Minister of State, Minister of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Planning in the court of the Ministry of Sustainable Development at 9.15 am.

Powered by an electric motor, Scenic Renault ZEV H2 illustrates the feelings of conduct that can be felt in a vehicle electrical silent operation and dynamic times. It also receives a fuel cell powered by hydrogen. The fuel cell produces electricity for the engine and not reject that water quality … Despite its prototype, Scenic Renault ZEV H2 akin to a “real” car, very livable, which could well be used in the everyday life, both in terms of life aboard that performance.

Renault is very involved in the development of vehicles “zero emission” he sees as a necessary rupture. Since January 2008, the Renault-Nissan Alliance signed agreements with various states or regions in the world, enabling the mass marketing of electric vehicles in 2011. At the Mondial de l’Automobile in Paris, Renault unveiled the world premiere another prototype “zero emissions”, “ZE Concept”, a concept car derived 100% electric Renault Kangoo.
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The thrust of the new Honda Insight hybrid — which debuted in Paris this week as a near-production concept — is to “bring hybrid vehicles into a price bracket where a broader range of people can afford them,” says the press materials. Cheaper, in other words. The current estimate is that the Insight — powered by a 1.3-liter gas engine and Integrated Motor Assist, good for about 45 mpg, on average — will cost about $20,000, though final pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date next spring.

It must have taken a heroic effort for Honda to hit that price point. According to the company, major savings had to be realized in the design and manufacturing of the IMA and other hybrid components (like the battery). Tankers of midnight oil must have been docked right outside Honda’s R&D center.

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Honda has unveiled a new hybrid family car at the Paris Motor Show to challenge the success of rival Toyota.

Honda Motor Co. said today the five-door Insight gasoline-electric hatchback will go on sale in Japan, Europe and North America next spring.

President and CEO Takeo Fukui said the Japanese automaker aims to sell 200,000 of the cars worldwide each year.

Honda said its response to Toyota Motor Corp’s hybrid-only Prius “will be priced significantly lower than any other hybrid car on the market.”

Honda described the car shown in Paris as a concept version of the production model that will be unveiled in January.

Honda said the Insight is the first of three new hybrid models it will introduce within the next four years.

Source:Freep.com

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Honda has always intended Hybrid vehicles to be a bridge to a hydrogen powered future, the potential of which has already been demonstrated by the FCX Clarity. The Insight Concept has clear stylistic links to the world’s first production fuel cell car, with both vehicles’ forms shaped to maximise the efficiency of their respective drivetrains.

The Insight Concept is the stylistic inspiration for the production version which will go on sale in 2009. From this unique position in the marketplace, Insight will open hybrid technology to a new generation of customers.

The 1.3 litre Insight is powered by Honda’s acclaimed IMA system, which has been extensively modified to reduce its cost and weight. With careful engineering of key components and refinement of manufacturing processes, the cost of the hybrid system has been significantly reduced. This ensures that Insight can be sold at a very competitive price without compromising ability, quality, environmental performance or profitability.

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