The new FCX sedan has a top speed of 100 miles an hour and can travel as far as 270 miles when fully fueled, 30 percent farther than the previous FCX. The fuel-cell stack is 40 percent smaller than in the previous version and increases the electrical output to 100 kilowatts from 86 kilowatts, said Yozo Kami, executive chief engineer for Tokyo-based Honda’s FCX program.

Mercedes is planning to offer a hybrid S-class starting in 2009. The S400 BlueHybrid, a mild hybrid powered by M-B’s 3.5-liter V-6, boasts a lithium-ion battery co-developed with supplier Continental and described by Daimler R&D boss Thomas Weber as “a crucial breakthrough.”

Unlike Lexus’s LS600hL, the S400 is not aimed at the performance market. Instead, it uses its hybrid drivetrain solely for the traditional aim of fuel efficiency. Mated in the style of a mild hybrid with a 20-hp electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack, the V-6 will turn off while the car is stationary and kick back on when the driver wants the car to move. Under braking, the batteries are charged. The electric motor can’t propel the S400 on its own but assists in acceleration. » Read the rest of the entry..

AFP reported that Carmarkers rolled out a slew of electric models at the Paris motor show Friday, with a view to filling dealer showrooms by 2012 when new European legislation on curbing emissions kicks in.

About a third of the new models presented at the show are “clean cars” that use “a little or a lot of electricity,” said Francois Roudier of the French carmakers’ group CCFA.

Big names like Germany’s Daimler and lesser known entities such as France’s Heuliez have shown all-electric models here, hoping to cash in on both the new regulations and consumer fears over soaring oil prices.
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Chrysler LLC charged up the electric car race Tuesday, muscling in on General Motors Corp.’s Chevrolet Volt by unveiling three electric-powered models and promising to put one of them on sale in the U.S. sometime in 2010.

The three prototypes: a Dodge sports car, a four-door Jeep Wrangler and a Chrysler minivan. Chrysler’s product development chief, Frank Klegon, said the automaker hasn’t decided which one it will roll out first.

The Dodge sports car is completely electric and based on Lotus Europa underpinnings, but the Wrangler and the Town & Country minivan will be extended-range vehicles similar to the Volt, which GM has said will go on sale in November 2010.
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Chrysler LLC has announced plans to introduce new advanced electric-drive vehicles for its Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge nameplates, including a Town & Country minivan, by 2010.

Chrysler officials said Tuesday the company will have one electric-drive vehicle ready for North American consumers in 2010 and for European markets after 2010.
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