Car sharing just as important as plug-in vehicles? Should batteries just be a piece of the solution? While the Frankfurt Auto Show will be a forum for many new hybrid and plug-in vehicles, a new consumer survey suggests that most German consumers aren’t nearly as bullish as the German government regarding such vehicles. Consequently, …

BYD plug-in success in the US seems far-fetched today Chinese automaker continues to fall short of expectations When Warren Buffett made a major investment in BYD Automotive several years ago, it seemed the future of plug-in vehicles, particularly Chinese plug-in vehicles, was clearly secure. The oracle of Omaha had spoken. But, …

The new look of Ford Evos-inspired design language coming to a Ford near you soon The smoking-hot Ford Evos plug-in hybrid is one of those concept vehicles that will probably never see the light of day. The Evos wasn’t really designed for production, but rather to express the future of Ford’s design language. And …

Why not diesel hybrids, such as the 508 RXH? If you’re gonna build ‘em anyway, why not send a few across the pond? Already several hybrid and plug-in hybrid concepts and production vehicles have been revealed ahead of the Frankfurt Auto Show, and one of the latest reveals is the production-ready Peugeot 508 RXH diesel hybrid. For now the 200 hp, 56 mpg RXH hybrid is set for a Spring European launch, with …

ELR ready for a next generation Volt battery pack More and more the luxury segment is being defined by batteries The Cadillac Ciel plug-in hybrid, or at least a car built on the Ciel’s Omega platform, is almost a done deal and should be given the go-ahead before year’s end. While details are still scant, GM has decided it needs a new flagship to put Cadillac back…

The T.27 going through crash tests. Gordon Murray joins Lotus board Out of the box thinking is probably the key to the future of the auto industry. Inevitably, the current model of mobile transportation is a resource intensive, energy guzzling dinosaur. And automotive “engineer, designer and entrepreneur” Gordon Murray, of McLaren F…

Is it a plug-in, a transformer, or both? Are there enough rich people to save the world? I know, I know. If not for rich people, average joes would never have been able to afford cell phones and flat screen TVs. God bless the rich people! Although I wonder, did the government ever offer massive tax incentives and…

The future of urban drag-racing? But another step towards greater carbon fiber use At first glance Audi’s new urban concept vehicles, set to debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show, are real attention grabbers, whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em. Are they modern day go-carts, or cool urban sports coupes that hark back to …

2012 Honda Civic hybrid, best Civic hybrid ever Or is the Prius still the king of hybrid cars? The Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius have been going at it for a quite a few years now, and according to the sale’s numbers the Prius is king. Ultimately, the Prius has offered better fuel economy, more functionality…

Catching up to the Jetsons? And maybe even far less relevant Want to spend less money on gasoline, but can’t afford a new, more fuel efficient car. No worries. A new Smartphone app can reduce your fueling costs by 20 percent according to a new MIT/Princeton study . And that’s just the beginning of how the cloud is going to fundamentally change the auto industry — maybe even far more…

If you can't get home without a charge, you should've bought a pure EV Should one have preferential treatment? Should there even be free public charging? Who has more rights to a public charging station, pure battery electric plug-ins, such as the Nissan Leaf that have limited range, or plug-in hybrids , such as the Chevy Volt, which can always just use gasoline power? That’s become the…

America needs to Focus on more than plug-ins Could the US achieve more sooner? The latest word coming out of China suggests that significant changes to tax policies for new energy vehicles are coming. Instead, of focusing on plug-ins, China is preparing to incentivize hybrid sales, and other fuel efficient technologies. Should the US consider a similar, and …