Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid to make Monterey Le Mans Series debut

Porsche’s 911 GT3 R Hybrid will make a return to North American racing as Porsche Motorsport announced today the entry of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid Version 2.0 in the ModSpace American Le Mans Series Monterey presented by Patrón. The six-hour race on September 17 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is the eighth round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.

“The Porsche 911 GT3 R

Opel/Vauxhall to receive 10,000 Amperas from GM next year

General Motors Co. will make 10,000 of its Ampera plug-in hybrid cars available for sale in Europe next year, said GM Europe President Nick Reilly.

The Ampera is a sister model to the Chevrolet Volt and is built alongside the Volt in Hamtramck near Detroit.

Opel will receive 6,000 of the cars from GM's allotment of 60,000 for 2012. The remaining 4,000 cars will be sold by GM's Vauxhall brand

No electric motors in F1 pits, Ecclestone says

From 2014 the Formula 1 race cars have to move in the pit lane just using the KERS electric motor. But Bernie Ecclestone, a self admitted climate change denier, believes it is too dangerous.According to the regulations submitted to the FIA, the energy accumulated on the braking, shall actuate the motor during the movement of the pit lane."To go on the electric motor on pit lane would be dangerous

Porsche Hybrids Then And Now [video]

When you think of Porsche, you think of power, performance...and hybrid technology? Perhaps not, but from the Semper Vivus to the Panamera S Hybrid, Porsche has actually been in the hybrid game longer than any other major car manufacturer -- over 100 years to be exact.

Fisker Karma Test Drive around Santa Monica [video]

Take a drive in the 2012 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid with professional driver Kyle Shields.Borrowed from the Fisker Santa Monica dealership, Shields explains the appeal of the car while driving the streets of Los Angeles.Fisker began deliveries of the car last month. The 2012 Karma is powered by a 20kW lithium-ion battery which sends current to two electric motors that develop a total of 408 PS (

Green Overdrive: The Fisker Karma [video]

In the latest episode of Green Overdrive, Katie Fehrenbacher gets the full sales pitch on but no test drive of the first delivered Fisker Karma series hybrid electric vehcile.

The BMW i3 EV Concept & i8 Hybrid Concept [video]

More promotional video of the i3 EV Concept & i8 Hybrid Concept provided by BMW.

BMW i8 Concept: First Look

BMW's first plug-in hybrid vehicle will focus not just in saving the earth, but also on satisfying its driver's need for speed. Like the Chevrolet Volt, the BMW i8 concept combines a traditional gasoline engine with an electric drivetrain. According to BMW, the i8 can be as fuel-efficient as the best hybrid cars, while still delivering sports car-like performance.An electric motor drives the

BMW Shows Off Electric Concept Cars [video]

BMW AG on Friday presented two concept cars for the first generation of electric vehicles to be launched under its new sub-brand i starting in 2013, and said it will invest in a company named Parkatmyhouse, which offers a service to rent out private parking space via Internet or smart-phone application.The upcoming i3 “will mark the launch of the first volume-produced car featuring bodywork

GM engineer gets 3,108 mpg in his Chevy Volt [video]

In a bit of tongue-in-cheek marketing, GM blog has posted a video showing the dash display of a Chevy Volt leased by General Motors Battery Systems Engineer Andy Oury. Showing the Volt's maintenance mode, which cycle the fuel and lubricate parts of the vehicle if the engine hasn't been used, the dash display also shows the vehicles lifetime MPG numbers of 1554.1 Miles range having used just 0.5

Toyota Targets at Least 16,000 U.S. Plug-In Prius Sales

Toyota said it expects U.S. sales of at least 16,000 plug-in Prius hatchbacks in 2012 after the model debuts early in the year.The new version of the world’s best-selling hybrid, designed to be recharged at a standard 110-volt outlet, will go at least 13 miles solely on its lithium-ion battery pack, John Hanson, a Toyota spokesman, said in an interview. After that, it will operate like a standard

Fisker promises Bugatti Veyron levels of performance

The Fisker Karma is still MIA, but that hasn't stopped the company from having grand ambitions.According to CEO Henrik Fisker, engineers are developing a new gearbox that will give their range-extended electric vehicles "[ Bugatti] Veyron levels of performance." That's not much to go off, but the executive hinted the transmission would increase the amount of torque that is sent to the wheels.For

Audi to make all Chinese built models mild hybrids [video]

Audi will equip all of its Chinese made models with mild hybrid technology next year according to an interview with Mr Dominique Boesch of the GM of FAW-VW’s Audi sales unit. The mild hybrid technology can reduce energy consumption by 3-5% said Mr Boesch. They have not made the final decision on pricing. They are also considering applying mild hybrid technology to the imported Audi models. Mr

Fully Charged Vauxhall Ampera Test Drive [video]

Robert Llewellyn takes a test drive in the Vauxhall Ampera EREV, available in the UK early 2012LlewBlog

Volvo announces three range extended EV concepts

Volvo Car Corporation develops Range Extenders for electric cars - adding 1,000 km extra rangeVolvo Car Corporation is now taking the next step in the company's electrification strategy by producing test cars with Range Extenders - electric cars that are fitted with a combustion engine to increase their effective range.The projects, supported by the Swedish Energy Agency and the EU, encompass

NYPD to Get 50 Chevy Volt Police Cars

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg today unveiled the first of what will be a fleet of 50 Chevrolet Volt NYPD police cruisers, which will hit the treacherous and busy streets of Manhattan this year.“This is the latest and largest-ever addition of electric vehicles to the City’s fleet, which is already the largest municipal clean-air vehicle fleet in the nation,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

Fisker Has 3000 Karma Pre-Orders

The first Fisker Karma will be delivered later this month, with the company claiming to secured 3000 pre-orders for the radical range-extended four-door performance car.The Mercedes CLS-sized Karma is the work of former Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker, and has been developed around a bespoke aluminium spaceframe chassis. Its powertrain consists of a mid-mounted battery pack and twin

Audi A1 e-tron wins 2011 Silvretta Electric Car Rally [video]

Audi is this year’s overall winner of the second Silvretta Electric Car Rally in Austria’s Montafon region. The 2011 victory of the A1 e-tron follows the R8 e-tron’s win last year. The second Audi in the rally, a Q5 HFC with a fuel cell finished in sixth place. A total of 32 electric vehicles were evaluated.After three days, 307 kilometers and a total altitude difference of 11,541 meters, the A1

Opel and Europcar Launch Major Electric Vehicle Cooperation

Opel and Europcar have announced an agreement to introduce the Opel Ampera as a rental car throughout Europe. With the market introduction of the electric Opel Ampera by the end of 2011, Opel will create a new segment in the European automotive market and underline its role as a trendsetter for innovative mobility solutions.The two companies are joining forces to broaden the range of people that

Fully Charged INFINITI M35h Hybrid Test Drive [video]

Robert Llewellyn takes a drive to the Red Bull Formula 1 workshops in the Infiniti M35h Hybrid.