Mazda Promises 30 Percent Gain in Fuel Economy by 2015

By Marty Padgett June 23rd, 2008

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Mazda says it will boost the fuel economy of its vehicle lineup by 30 percent by 2015.

The Japanese automaker promises the new fuel economy levels will be reached in a "holistic" way. Lighter vehicle and component weights will help, as will the addition of stop/start technology to its gas-powered engines, starting in 2009.

Flex-fuel vehicles are also a part of the equation: Mazda says in 2009 it will get a flex-fuel vehicle for sale in North America (likely a Tribute crossover), and starting in 2011, its vehicles will also get direct injection for a 10 to 15 percent fuel economy boost.

Mazda also promises, as part of its goal, to introduce a new rotary engine and a new diesel engine in that span of time. By 2015, almost all the company's powertrains will be new, and after 2011, Mazda will be putting out vehicle architectures that cut weight by 220 pounds or more.

Mazda says its fuel economy in Japan increased 30 percent from 2001 to 2008, but the home market's stress on minicars and subcompacts gives all Japanese carmakers a boost there. In the U.S., the brand's latest victories have come with vehicles like the large CX-9 crossover.

Posted in : Green Machines, Mazda

Jamie Lee Curtis Among First Honda Fuel-Cell Owners

By Marty Padgett June 16th, 2008

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Honda's first fuel-cell FCX Clarity rolled off a production line in Japan today--and one of the first five vehicles is headed to Jamie Lee Curtis.

Scream queen Curtis (Halloween, Freaky Friday) and her auteur husband Christopher Guest (For Your Consideration) are one of five U.S. families to take in the FCX fuel-cell vehicle as Honda experiments with how to build the car, expand its range, and extend the availability of hydrogen fuel. Other customers include film producer Ron Yerxa; business owner and car enthusiast Jim Salomon; actress Laura Harris; and Jon Spallino, who has been leasing a current-generation Honda FCX since 2005.

Honda set standards for its first batch of customers--mainly, that they be near a hydrogen filling station in Southern California and be near one of three dealers in the Southland that are equipped to service the car.

Earlier this year, Honda said it would deliver about 200 FCX Clarity sedans to customers in the United States and Japan in the first three years of production. The cars are leased to the users, and Honda will take care of the regular service calls as it monitors the car's performance in real-world conditions.

The FCX has a range of up to 280 miles on a tank of hydrogen fuel, gets the equivalent of 72 miles per kilogram of hydrogen, and seats five.

Posted in : Celebrities, Green Machines, Honda

Toyota Plug-In Hybrid Coming by 2010

By Marty Padgett June 11th, 2008

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Is the world of plug-in hybrids about to go mainstream?

While General Motors has been aggressive in touting its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, Toyota's also been pushing the technology through the planning stages. This morning, the Associated Press reports, Toyota confirms that its plug-in hybrid will be ready for sale in 2010.

A new generation of lithium-ion batteries are enabling plug-ins from major manufacturers. Toyota's new high-capacity batteries go into production in 2009, the AP says. The new plug-in hybrids will be aimed primarily at lease customers and will be charged from home electrical outlets.

It's unknown whether the plug-in hybrids will be a version of the new Toyota Prius due in 2010 or an entirely new model. Toyota only confirms that it sees plug-in hybrids as part of a big green-car effort that will keep it growing as a manufacturer while helping to preserve the environment.

Earlier this week, Toyota showed a fuel-cell vehicle with twice the range of previous efforts. And last week, General Motors confirmed that it had approved its own plug-in hybrid, the Volt, for production. Nissan has announced its plans to produce electric vehicles in two years, while Honda has committed to building a new range of hybrids, including a gas-electric version of the Fit subcompact as well as a new Prius-like vehicle and a hybrid based on its CR-Z concept.

Posted in : 2010, Electric Cars, Green Machines, Toyota

Enterprise Goes Green with Rentals

By Marty Padgett April 9th, 2008

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All you eco-friendly car renters out there, this one’s for you. Enterprise Rent-A-Car opened four new “green branches” today in Atlanta, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press.

About 60 percent of the vehicles at the chain’s "green" stores will be hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles. Apparently, the eco-friendly cars are a response to Atlanta’s local demand -- and with gas prices possibly reaching $4 this summer, the paper adds, some vacationers may just consider the environmentally friendly car route.

While rival renters say they plan to keep up the pace with the hybrids as well, analysts still say it remains unclear how fast the trend will grow and if it will continue. Many of the hybrid renters are either those on a quick vacation, or those wanting to test-drive them before committing and buying one themselves.

Neil Abrams, the president of Abrams Consulting Group Inc., told the Detroit Free Press that “At the end of the day, it’s the consumer that drives rental fleeting...Rental car companies can buy a lot of cars their customers don’t want to drive, and they’ll be sitting in a lot and gathering dust.”

Enterprise currently has 4,000 hybrid vehicles in a total of 1.1 million. Rivals Hertz and Avis offer 3,500 and 2,500 hybrids, respectively.

Posted in : 2008, Green Machines, Hybrid Cars, Shoppers

Funky Green Car of the Week: The Aptera

By Marty Padgett April 9th, 2008

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We're all looking for ways to save gas these days. But how far would you go? So far as, say, owning a three-wheel, two-seat enclosed vehicle that's really a motorocycle underneath and desperately wants to be the next Tesla?

If you answer is yes, then behold the Aptera. The product of a California upbringing and undergoing testing while patient potential owners amass on a waiting list, the Aptera is one of the latest green cars to break the usual Prius mold. Instead it follows the less certain trail blazed by the likes of the Corbin Sparrow -- with a little dash of Moller Skycar thrown in, we think.

The name means "wingless flight," in fact, and the Aptera has a unique take on green cars. It's a three-wheeler, for one, derived from motorcycles and classified as a motorocycle for DOT purposes in California, the only state the company plans to sell in. As a motorcycle, it will also be able to cruise the HOV lanes. Despite the bike basis, Aptera says their vehicle will meet many car-safety regulations and will feature airbags built into the seatbelts.

Two versions are to be offered -- an electric car priced from about $27,000 and a plug-in hybrid from about $30,000. Aptera's original hybrid diesel prototypes delivered 230 mpg in testing they say, but the production plug-in will be gasoline-augmented. The electric version will have a range of about 120 miles, they promise. The plug-in hybrid? A nice, round 300 mpg, they say.

Aptera promises production of this Typ-1 vehicle will begin later this year.

We can sense your excitement. Find out more at the Aptera Web site, and wave to us as you fly by bumper-to-bumper traffic, won't you?

Posted in : Green Machines