Americans want hybrids until they have to fork over the money. Americans just not ready for the battery revolution Think liberal, tree-hugging and technologically savvy city and what do you come up with? San Francisco and the Bay area of course. Thus, it’s not surprising that the Bay area leads the hybrid and EV sale’s market, but at less than 10 percent hybrid and EV penetration, even the Bay …

Change this. Change America. Big 3 completely dependent upon trucks for profits, survival These days Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne is under fire for his Fiat flop. Last month some dealerships didn’t sell even one Fiat, but I bet they sold a truck load of pickups. Marchionne should have known better. Chrysler and the rest …

Malibu Eco can't shake up hybrid sedan segment GM’s upgraded mild hybrid powertrain needs another upgrade or a cheaper price tag Today GM announced the 2013 Chevy Malibu Eco will start at $25,995 when it goes on sale next year. Using GM’s upgraded mild hybrid powertain, or eAssist, the new Malibu Eco offers 26/38 mpg city/highway, which combines to a fuel economy number far under other hybrid cars in this segment. For instance…

Disruptive technologies: The cotton gin Innovation and technology moves faster than politicians and regulators Back in college I was a huge fan of the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Robert Pirsig. What struck me as most profound about Pirsig is his idea that society has become its own evolving entity. Recently, I started reading Kevin Kelly’s What Technology Wants and …

If it's all about dollars, then its all about the Insight hybrid. Honda keeps its focus on cost-effective fuel economy These days, if you think fuel efficient automaker, you might think Toyota. Because of some recent plug-in launches, you might even think GM or Nissan. But it has…

Hybrid pickup truck success will require a uniqe hybrid design and vision Is there any way to turn the tide? A gas tax? Hybrid specific designs? How much does a gallon of gas truly cost? Unfortunately, the answer to that question isn’t that easy, but it’s obvious that a gallon of gasoline costs more than it does at the pump. But, without a more realistic gasoline price — for starters …

The perfect size for American consumers? And a gas tax too! I got a good laugh this morning reading Take Polls With A Grain Of Salt by Jeremy Anwyl CEO of Edmunds.com regarding his recent testimony before Congress on new CAFE requirements. Essentially, Awyl observed that Congress is obsessed by polls, taking them almost as fact, despite the irrefutable evidence demonstrating that …

Fisker: Surfing on the taxpayers dime A year behind schedule, and still no US manufacturing plant? I haven’t been a big fan of Fisker and its plug-in hybrids , nor have I been much of a hater, even though every visit to one of their auto show booths during press days suggests they are quite an elitist bunch. But the EPA’s fuel economy rating of the Karma, and the fact that…

Plug-in hybrids: All about the Benjamins All about driving needs and tax credits As the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid heads to market and the Chevy Volt continues to ramp up production, these two plug-in hybrids will begin to face ever greater competition. But is one of these plug-in hybrids obviously better than the other? More…

Fisker: Balancing efficiency and performance. And offers 32 miles of electric range The EPA has cleared the 2012 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, and according to the EPA the Karma offers 32 miles of electric range and achieves a mile per gallon equivalent of 52 mpg. Although in some range extending circumstances, fuel economy can drop to 20 mpg. While some will scoff, perhaps correctly, at the Karma’s fuel economy numbers, the …

Mainstream NFL fans embracing fuel efficiency? Is energy efficiency starting to resonate in mainstream America? I didn’t watch any one NFL football game yesterday, but a few times throughout the day I planted myself on the couch for several minutes to watch whatever game was on and to get a few updates from around the league. Yet, even more interesting than the football action were the commercials aimed at fuel economy, even though I…

Nissan's next hybrid? New CVT, hybrid drive and fuel cells on deck I’ve always liked Toyota’s automotive game plan. To date, Toyota has sold millions of hybrid cars as it has procured 1000’s of patents — not just regarding gasoline electric hybrids, but fuel cell hybrids and battery electric vehicles as well. Early on Toyota tied the technological connections between these three different powertrains …