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.

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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Volvo launched of its new entry into the diesel-electric hybrid bus market in last week. The hybrid Volvo 7700 is a 12-meter low-floor city bus that gets up to 30 percent better fuel economy and emits 40 to 50 percent less nitrous oxide and 30 percent less carbon, the company said. In addition, a smaller engine and nearly a third of the buses components are developed in-house by Volvo.

The hybrid Volvo 7700 uses “parallel hybrid” technology which allows the bus to be powered by either the electric motor or the diesel engine or both at the same time.
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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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Auto giant Daimler and German utility RWE will launch a network of 500 battery-charging stations next year, a trial meant to give electric car drivers the freedom to power up while on the go.

The project, called e-mobility Germany, will have Daimler and its Smart subsidiary supply 100 electric town cars. RWE will install and run the charging stations in Berlin, the companies announced last Friday. » Read the rest of the entry..

The Chinese motorcycle market is growing strongly due to rapidly increasing sales of electric motorcycles, which are significantly cheaper than gas motorcycles and subject to lower levels of government regulation, making them popular choices among urban consumers as an upgrade to traditional bicycles. Simultaneously demand for traditional gas motorcycles will see steady growth, with sales especially strong in rural areas, benefiting from rising income levels. The demand for the motorcycle market is projected to increase at an annual rate of 13.9 percent reaching 44.4 million units by 2011.
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A car designer has launched a ‘flat-pack’ hybrid vehicle capable of doing 225 miles per gallon costing £14,000.

For £110, DIY enthusiasts can get construction plans for the three-wheeled XR3 Hybrid Vehicle including a manual and instruction DVD from Robert Q. Riley Enterprises, a design company in Phoenix, Arizona.

The XR3 is a two-passenger car powered by diesel and batteries
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Heinz-Harald Frentzen, president of the Swiss racing specialist Hybrid Racing based in Zug (Switzerland) introduced the HHF-Hybrid Concept Car to half a million spectators in Rotterdam (the Netherlands).

Race Technology powered by Gaia Li-ion batteries excel in extremely high power and energy density in large-format batteries. Other benefits include the low weight, heavy-current capability, and range of cell types (High Energy, High Power und Ultra High Power) in capacities from 6 ampere-hours to 500 ampere-hours. » Read the rest of the entry..

Honda’s taking on the mighty Toyota Prius with an uber-cheap hybrid the company says will double its hybrid sales by making eco-friendlier cars as affordable as they are fashionable.

The Civic Hybrid (pictured) has long been an also-ran to the Prius, which has outsold Honda’s gas-electric models 4 to 1 during the past decade and become synonymous with green motoring. Honda hopes to take down the king and redefine the market with the all-new affordable five-door hybrid it’s unveiling for the first time Thursday.
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