Toyota announced today that worldwide sales of its Prius hybrid have passed the 1 million mark, with 1,028,000 examples of the iconic car sold as of the end of April 2008.
Launched in Japan in 1997 with global sales beginning in 2000, the Prius really only started to become a major hit for Toyota when the drastically revised second-generation car went on sale in 2003. The Japanese automaker speculates that, when compared with gasoline powered vehicles of the same size and class, the Prius has spared the world from an extra 4.5 million tons of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere.
The popularity of the car, in concert with a rapidly changing automotive marketplace, has helped to revolutionize how automakers approach the idea of “green” vehicles. Prius was the world’s first mass-produced gas-electric hybrid vehicle; a class in which almost every major automaker today can claim to produce a product in.
(Click through the jump for Toyota’s official press release or on the thumbnails below for a few different imaginings of the Prius.)
A young Canadian inventor named Ben Gulak has created an innovative new electric motorbike that takes some of the lessons learned from the Segway device, but implements them in a much cooler package.
The bike, called the Uno, looks from its profile like a strange powered unicycle but actually employs two wheels side-by-side. Riders lean forward to accelerate; a feature famously used by the Segway, and can hit a top speed of 25 mph in its current configuration. The Uno also makes use of a set of gyros to enhance ease of balance, and the wheels are independently operated making turning much more precise.
(Click through the jump to read on or on the thumbnails below to launch a gallery of Uno images.)
Our old friends at Newport Convertible Engineering are at it again, with yet another one-off drop-top that has people remarking, “It was only a matter of time.”
The popularity of the Toyota Prius Hybrid may dictate at least a few of these bespoke offerings, but the beauty of the final product certainly doesn’t. Through no fault really of either Toyota or NCE (we’re putting the blame squarely on the shoulders of the customer that ordered this up), the Prius makes a rather grisly translation to a soft top, with an intrusive roll-hoop that looks as if it were salvaged from a PT Cruiser convertible. Likewise, the remaining window frames look, to put it charitably, odd.
Still for those who want the iconic hybrid and the wind in their hair, NCE has got your jam.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is expected to make an announcement today on “protecting the environment,” which will likely include outlining the fuel economy standards for cars and truck through the 2011-2015 model years. New Federal regulations have spelled out that vehicles must hit a combined (cars and trucks) standard of 35 mpg by 2020.
It seems likely that the midterm economy goals will be averages of close to 30 mpg by 2015, to stay on the steady path to 35 mpg. The current standards require cars to average 27.5 mpg and light trucks to hit 22.5 mpg. The new mandates to corporate average fuel economy, signed into law last December by President Bush, are the first economy updates to the CAFE program since its inception in 1975.
Check our galleries below for a few fuel-sipping cars perfect for Earth Day driving.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Th!nk CEO Jan-Olaf Willums is expected to present the new version of the City car that failed for Ford, during an upcoming environmental conference.
Three American companies are already heavily invested in the Th!nk’s return to the States, thanks in no small part to the resurgence in interest for small, alternative power vehicles. A123 Systems Inc. of Watertown, Massachusetts and EnerDel Inc. of Indianapolis, Indiana provide batteries for the European version of the car, and General Electric has contributed more than $4 million to Th!nk Global.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
While American muscle cars may not seem like the most obvious destination for all-electric powertrains, the allure of the green movement seems to be pulling in new representatives by the day. Two cases of this, set to appear at the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend, are the Tjaarda EVX Mustang and the HST Shelby Cobra EVX.
The pair of EVs will take part in the GP’s “Green Power Prix-View,” and hope to show that electric need not mean slow. Each car packs a 300 horsepower electric motor with lithium ion phosphate battery packs by K2 Energy Solutions. The motors are said to create 1,000 pound-feet of torque at zero rpm, race from 0 to 60 in less than four seconds, and have an effective range of 100 miles between charges. The nouveau Shelby Cobra will top out at a stirring 150 mph, while the Mustang will make it to 120 mph.
While the environmental and performance cases may be compelling, the price of the EV muscle cars is decidedly less so. Asking price for the Tjaarda Mustang is around $80,000 and you’ll spend $125,000 on the Shelby.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
While automakers worldwide are still working feverishly to bring future products in line with the tough new economy standards, the pace of change is likely to do nothing but increase from here on out.
The director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation, Margo Oge, said yesterday at the SAE World Congress in Detroit that U.S. passenger cars and light trucks may have to average as many as 75 miles per gallon by the 2030s, if a proposed cut of greenhouse gases is to come about. The proposal from the scientific-community would hope to see emissions reduced by 50 to 80 percent from 2000 levels, by 2050.
If you think Bob Lutz doesn’t pay attention to what people are saying about GM, think again. The GM Vice Chairman recently sat down with FastCompany.tv and went on record for seventeen minutes about social media and what the new age form of communication has done to change the conversation between consumers, manufacturers and the media. Of course, Lutz became one of the first automotive executives to ever pen his own blog; GM’s “Fast Lane Blog” has become a must read for those inside the automotive industry and out.
Allegedly built for the mobile elderly or the painfully frugal (both?) this 1948 Autoette electric car was green before being green was cool…way before.
Autoette actually started building its EV’s in 1948, carrying right on through the 1960s before shutting its doors. At one point the company offered as many as three models; an electric truck, “golf car,” and this beauty, the “Cruise About.” The car ran on a 24-volt Dodge starter motor rated at about 1.5 horsepower, and drew energy initially from specially made batteries.
This particular example is in decent condition considering the vintage, though is said to have a hole in its removable top due to some long-past shenanigans (we’re told a cat almost lost its life). It would surely make a fun and interesting curio for any EV fan, or as the seller suggests a great runabout for sprawling car shows.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Want to see exactly how General Motors is progressing on the production version of its Chevrolet Volt electric car? Well, thanks to a little sneakiness on the part of WWJ 950 radio reporter Jeff Gilbert, now you can.
Gilbert was among a group of reporters that was invited by GM to come and take a look at the latest stages of testing for the much ballyhooed Volt, and despite strict security on the part of the automaker, was somehow able to walk out with the footage for this rather comprehensive walk through video. On display is The General’s battery laboratory, a production Volt model undergoing aerodynamics testing, as well as an honest to god test mule…that looks strangely familiar. Watch and learn.
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Toyota may still have a “green” image in the minds of many American customers, but that doesn’t mean the company is content to sit on its eco-laurels.
The Japanese automaker announced today that it would donate a massive $20 million to the National Audubon Society for conservation projects and environmental training. The grant is said to be the largest in the 103-year history of the Audubon Society and will serve to fund its TogetherGreen program for five years.
Toyota also said that it will encourage its U.S. workforce of more than 36,000 to get out and volunteer for Audubon, which has a “long and successful history of encouraging conservation of our natural ecosystems.”
(Click through the jump to read the full press release.)
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