Autoblog

If an AutoblogGreen writer is in Los Angeles, there's a real good chance they're going to want to visit the new Tesla Motors store. So, that's what we did. We're aware that there are people out there who are judging the Tesla Roadster and Chevy Volt by different standards, but that didn't make the short test drive any less fun. Meanwhile, we might be seeing the end of body on frame SUVs from GM.

• AutoblogGreen pays a visit to the new Tesla Motors store
• Renault's electric car debuts in Tel Aviv
• Is the Volta G/T a 175 mph electric motorcycle?
• No more body on frame SUVs likely from GM
• Continental says "good chance" to win Volt battery contract
• Craigslist find of the day: Electric Volvo
• Aerocivic and its aesthetically-challenged modifications strikes again!
• VIDEO: Wind-powered Lotus Exige in the works?
• Illinois brothers tune up a 100 mpge Prius
• Judging the Tesla Roadster and Chevy Volt by different standards
• Who knew? Big Oil is non-profit
• BMW twin-turbo 2.0L diesel wins Best New Engine of 2008
• LA traffic lighter thanks to high gas prices, Americans driving less

More headlines after the jump.

Up until now, the Fisker Karma hasn't really been much more than a pretty face to go along with a promise. That changes today, thanks to a spy photographer who was lucky enough to catch the upcoming plug-in hybrid sedan out testing in California. Lawsuits often seem to have a dampening effect on enthusiasm, so it's good to see the Karma out and about. We can clearly see that the body is the same shape as what we all saw at its introduction earlier this year in Detroit. What we don't know yet is what's powering those shapely curves down the road. The first inclination from Autocar is that a Volkswagen 1.4-liter four-banger will provide power to the lithium ion batteries via a generator, but we really can't be sure what's being tested. Still, given the amount of electric know-how that Quantum Technologies, the electric powertrain supplier to Fisker, already has, we wouldn't be too surprised if something close to final-spec components were being run through their paces.

UPDATE: For what it's worth, these photos were not captured by a photographer hiding in the bushes. They were apparently actually put out by Fisker's Beverly Hills PR agency Rogers & Cowan. We still don't know anything about the mechanicals of the car in question, only that Fisker is trying to generate some buzz.

[Source: Autocar via AutoblogGreen, Autoweek]

Man, the dangers of the new automotive world: confusing ethanol for biodiesel and kids hitting the silent Prius. Over in London, a new electric taxi is not going to be worth it to 60 percent of the cab drivers who need more oomph than the 100-mile range the batteries can provide. Still, that means 40 percent could use it. Sweet.

• We're telling you for the last time, ethanol is not biodiesel
• Minnesota boy rides bike into Prius he didn't hear
• Stillborn: French gas stations chain stops selling E85
• Audi and Sanyo developing hybrids together
• Battery-powered 1994 minivan cost $6,000, runs 20-25 miles
• Altairnano still in the game for Phoenix Motorcars
• Toyota gives $400,000 to UC Santa Barbara to fund eco fellowships
• Ford is the first carmaker to join the Climate Registry
• Volkswagen TSI engine wins its category again for Engine of the Year
• TX4E electric taxi will only appeal to some London cabbies
• Ten new public electron dispensers pop up in London
• Volvo shows off new FlexiFuel range, including V70 police car
• Fiat to introduce natural gas fueled Palio in India
• South Dakota lawmaker wants cellulosic ethanol to count towards RFS
• Venture funds flowing into Firefly for advanced batteries
• Prius wins JD Power award for highest consumer satisfaction in U.K.
• Altairnano releases 1st Q earning report, holds conference call

Though it's usually the adventure touring crowd that excels at turning their motorcycles into rolling technology test-beds, we've recently run across a Yamaha Vino scooter that has been fully farkled. Featuring an on-board computer based around a VIA mini ITX form factor motherboard that's cleverly been hidden under the stock Vino's seat, this rolling geek-mobile packs in WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, GPS, FM radio, a TV tuner and a front-mounted camera in its diminutive frame. With the full-spec computer, pretty much anything should be possible right from the road using this scooter. While this is certainly a cool project, we have a few questions regarding its durability. How long will the acrylic plate that makes the structure for the computer hold up? Perhaps most importantly, how long will the scooter's battery be able to power all this technology? In the name of science, of course, we graciously offer our services for a road trip on the machine to find the answer to these all-important questions. Thanks for the tip, jared!

[Source: Thought Lab]

WHY USE BATTERIES IF FLYWHEELS WILL DO?

Formula One could be on to something big. Next year all teams will be allowed to capture the energy that their cars produce under braking, and then re-use that energy at opportune moments, like passing on a straight.

It's really a hybrid system, but they don't call it that. They call it a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS).

The best part of the new regulations is that they do not specify what kind of regenerative energy system the teams have to use. It seems pretty likely that Toyota and Honda will go with a battery-electric hybrid system, since that's the kind of technology they sell in their showrooms. But Formula One is also going to become the testing grounds for a completely different kind of hybrid system that does not use batteries.

John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers. Follow the jump to continue reading this week's editorial.

Now that it's all hip to be green, you may look at your hybrid car with its properly inflated tires and Love Earth bummer sticker and think "what else can I do to help the environment?" Turns out the answer is to drink beer out of recycled windshields turned into pint glasses. These glasses from Uncommon Goods are handmade in Colombia from old car windshields. The green tint that once protected your eyes from glare now protects your beer from harmful rays.

Not a beer drinker? They also sell recycled windshield wine glasses. And of course, you'll want to protect your sustainable-wood coffee table with drink coasters made from recycled road signs. Then you can sit back and relax in your one-of-a-kind Speed Chair made from recycled speed limit signs.

[Source: Uncommon Goods]

How's this for an idea: add a plug-in hybrid conversion kit to the outside of your car. Sound good? It's called the Poulsen hybrid and it's in the running for the Auto X Prize. Other cool news from the battery-powered vehicle world is more info about the electric Triac, which also might come in truck form. We'll need these options if the predicted $200 oil "Super Spike" happens in the next six months. Shudder.

• 20,000 people express email interest in buying a Chevy Volt
• Who else thinks the Poulsen hybrid is the sleeper team to win the X Prize?
• More details on the electric Triac emerge + new truck?
• $200 oil "Super Spike" within 6 months?
• Earthrace update: biodiesel flood not too much a problem in Atlantic crossing
• New Ford 6 speed automatic bumps Escape mileage 4-6 percent
• Fiat replaces water with special wax
• Ford wins brownfield revitalization award for Fairlane Green
• Tesla's European lessons
• Electric vehicle company RTEV focusing on battery-powered ATVs
• Are Hypermilers a menace on the road?
• Hybrids could get a boost in China with tax changes
• Chrysler must be happy to keep holding onto GEM
• A123 Systems gets $12.5 million PHEV battery deal from USABC
• Ann Arbor, MI kicks off 4th annual Curb Your Car Month
• Mascoma scores another $10m, this time from Marathon Oil
• German transmission builder ZF producing hybrid motors for Mercedes
• Chelsea Sexton gets a biodiesel-powered makeover
• Greenpeace: Carbon capture is not going to save our climate

The Naturmobil is here. What is the Naturmobil (previously known as the Naturcar)? Why, it's a hybrid vehicle with some real horsepower. As in, it has a horse inside. The lengths some people will go... On the more normal side of the coin, the good news for American TDI fans, the first new VW Jetta TDIs are now on the way to dealers stateside. And Chrysler's plan to sell more cars by offering a gas price guarantee sure got people's attention - just not the kind everybody wants.

• First new VW Jetta TDIs now in transit to U.S. dealers
• Iranian engineer creates 1hp bio-fuel powered hybrid, the Naturmobil
• Pininfarina to unveil its electric car this Autumn
• Phoenix Motorcars to use Electrovaya batteries?
• Iowa's doing that cheap E85 thang again
• China's ethanol market expected to double
• Didn't take long: Chrysler's $2.99 gas guarantee draws critics
• Ethanol powered chopper from Cadillac to be shown in LA
• Clean Green Cars suggests partnership for a sensible Congestion Charge
• Peterbilt unveils new hydraulic hybrid garbage truck
• Aspen, CO police audition Toyota Highlander Hybrid patrol car
• Chrysler thinks $2.99/gallon is good, guarantees it to new buyers for 3 years
• Hyundai to get half of MPG improvement from powertrains
• Big luxury SUVs are "bulldozers" against the earth with biodiesel
• Odysseus: a Z-shaped solar aircraft, built for DARPA
• Coke, bottlers growing hybrid fleets
• More information on GM's new light duty diesel V-8
• Collected for your ease of use: 104 eco-driving tips
• PSA goes further in downsizing engines
• Angus MacKenzie loves diesels!

We knew critics of Chrysler's $2.99 Gas Guarantee would crawl out of the woodwork before too long, and here they come. Automotive News reports that The Union of Concerned Scientists has called Chrysler's program a "cynical deal", noting that at today's current average price of $3.61/gallon, a customer would save about $400 a year under Chrysler's program. Being the smart folk they are, the scientists also pointed out that customers could save the same amount from a 3 mpg bump in fuel economy over 15,000 miles or a year of driving, and that better fuel economy also continues saving the customer money after three years. Damn, scientists are so smart with the math.

The criticism hasn't stopped Suzuki, however, from announcing its own free gas deal. For vehicles purchased between May 1st and June 30th, Suzuki is offering 0% financing and three months of totally free fuel in its "Free Gas for Summer" program. Buyers will basically get a stored-value credit card that's charged with a different amount of money depending on the model purchased.

These incentive programs are nothing but promotions designed to grab headlines and make buyers feel like they're getting more money back than they actually are. Playing off the media's hysteria over high gas prices, Chrysler (and Suzuki) is betting buyers will feel that paying $2.99/gallon for three years is more valuable than a $2,000 cash back rebate. Trust the math, it's really not. Nevertheless, it will likely sell more Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles than a boring $2,000 rebate would.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req'd]

Cadillac chief Jim Taylor likes him some motorcycles, so it's not all too surprising that he commissioned a Cadillac-themed chopper from Great American Chopper in Clawson, Michigan (at right). What is surprising is that Cadillac has commissioned a second chopper from V20 Consulting out of New York City that will be an ethanol hybrid capable of running on corn fuel or pure electrons. It can reportedly even reach 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. Cadillac plans to unveil the bike at the LA Auto Show later this year, but the thing we can't figure out is what motorcycles or hybrid powertrains have to do with Cadillac, which has never been associated with either. The source says that the bike is supposed to display GM's "strength in science and technology". How about delivering the series hybrid Volt on time? That's the only evidence of GM's strength in science and technology that we need.

UPDATE: Cadillac contacted us to clarify that in fact it didn't commission either motorcycle, but both custom bike-building shops are building these choppers on their own, and Cadillac has given them permission to use its logo and branding. It was also pointed out that the Cadillac Escalade Two-Mode Hybrid is almost here, so in fact the wreath and crest will soon be getting its first hybrid.

[Source: D Business via Winding Road]