Cheaper to lease than to own. Is leasing the future of the auto industry? The new Chevy Volt will be offered at $41,000, although the new plug-in vehicle will also qualify for a $7500 tax credit. A loaded Volt, with leather seats and a rear view camera, will cost $44,600. However, the Volt will also be available…

Moving from niche to mainstream 50 percent by 2030 Legislation affecting automaker loans for retooling towards efficiency and advanced technologies such as plug-in vehicles, grants for plug-in vehicle deployment cities and research on the increased use of natural gas has been approved by the Senate Energy Committee. Still, does America need a $10 million prize for …

Integrated Motor Assist hybrids until 2010 Honda ready to plug-in While Honda is still focused on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as the future of the auto industry, the company is now a little less bearish on plug-in vehicles. For some time we’ve known that Honda was working on both a full hybrid powertrain and even a Volt-like range extended plug-…

5 years or 60,000 miles? Can plug-ins catch without lengthy warranties? So, we now know that the Chevy Volt will offer an 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty. Today, KickingTires speculates that Nissan was shooting for a 5 year, 60,000 mile warranty for the Leaf; however, thanks to GM, Nissan might have to reconsider. Regardless, considering the cost of plug-in battery packs, is the resale value of plug-in vehicles the Achilles…

It seems that Bradley Berman of businessweek feels the engineers should be designing more eco friendly cars . The problem is, engineers aren’t the ones deciding. … 3 views; The Saturn Hybrid, Toyota Prius and Other Green Cars – An Overview … – 2 views; Choosing Good Used Hybrid, Used Hybrids, Used Hybrid Cars, Hybrid … – 2 views; Virginia opts to keep hybrids in the HOV – 2 views; Are hybrid owners affluent? – 2 views; How Will

Innovations and decades to mature The lithium-ion replacement Battery Project 500 is an IBM research project focused on developing next generation battery technologies that can achieve 500 miles per charge with a particular focus on lithium-air batteries. Unfortunately, while lithium-air is showing great promise, the researchers caution that it has taken 35 years of development for lithium-ion battery technologies to finally appear in automobiles, and the …

The Voltecs of foreign oil dependence Pulling the plug on oil dependence The highly anticipated Chevy Volt will be available for sale later this year, but only in a few select markets, which is probably a good thing, as there won’t be very many Volts available. Inevitably, GM’s Volt roll out plans demonstrate that the road to oil independence will be…

Success dependent upon gas prices? Chevy Volt sales and GM’s success Will Chevy Volt sales be dependent upon gas prices? That’s the question StraightLine asked yesterday . While I have an answer to that question, that’s not the question I would ask. Instead, I’d ask, are higher gas prices good or bad for GM, …

Home charging isn't enough? Can we predict the future? If the Obama administration has its way, $10 billion will spent to create up to 15 “deployment cities” for the roll out of plug-in vehicles. However, a diverse group of Congresspeople and automakers are against the idea for a variety of different reasons. Some in Congress would like to spend less money to create just 5 …

Can this ever outsell the conventional Escape? Hybrids set to become much more cost-effective? Recently, Ford’s director of global electrification, Nancy Gioia, reiterated Ford’s plans to be between 10 and 25 percent battery-powered by 2020, with hybrid cars making up the bulk of those sales, compared with 2 percent today. Even with gas prices at $2.80 per gallon, Gioia claimed “…

Ford's hydrogen plug-in hybrid powertrain Can hydrogen and batteries co-exist? Hydrogen fuel cell cars and plug-in electric vehicles. Oil and water? Fire and ice? Or perfectly complimentary technologies? Some of the most forward thinkers and activists in the auto and energy-related fields believe in hydrogen fuel …

More successful as Lincoln hybrids? Battery-powered economics By 2020 hybrids and EVs could achieve as much as 25 percent market penetration, with hybrid cars making up the bulk of those sales according to most analysis. Yet, as automakers strive for cost-effective electric cars, their hybrid focus continues to develop mostly around the luxury market. Consequently, are automakers really on track for 25 percent penetration by 2020? For …