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Engine Technologies
Saab present 9-4X BioPower Concept
23:31 January 13, 2008 PST
January 14, 2008 Drawing on design elements showcased in the Aero X concept and hinting at the company's plans to enter the crossover vehicle segment, Saab unveiled its four-seat 9-4X BioPower Concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The Concept's key features include the use of a four-cylinder, 2.0-liter, 300 horsepower (221 kW) BioPower turbo engine coupled with the Saab XWD powertrain already available in the 9-3 range. Read More
Ford to introduce EcoBoost engines with turbocharging and direct injection
By Mike Hanlon
17:06 January 13, 2008 PST
January 14, 2008 Ford Motor Company is introducing a new engine technology called EcoBoost that will deliver 20-30 percent better fuel economy. The EcoBoost family of 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines features turbocharging and direct injection technology and is being touted as a more affordable alternative to hybrids and diesel engines, with improved fuel economy and lower emissions without compromising driving performance. Beginning with the 2009 Lincoln MKS sedan, the engine technology will be rolled out globally. Read More
Husaberg redesigns the four-stroke single
By Mike Hanlon
15:15 January 13, 2008 PST
January 14, 2008 The development of the four-stroke single cylinder motor is exactly as old as the internal combustion engine, but the needs of the motorcycle are still being understood. Accordingly, Husaberg’s radical new design just might be a significant breakthrough. The engine has been reconfigured to put the crankshaft near the off-roader’s center-of-mass and the KTM-owned company claims a significant improvement in handling because of it. Read More
Third-generation G-Wiz electric vehicle launched
By Darren Quick
22:34 January 1, 2008 PST
January 2, 2008 UK electric vehicle retailer GoinGreen has announced the release of the latest incarnation of its G-Wiz range. Known as G-Wiz i, the emission free electric vehicle (EV) that has a certified top speed of 50mph, a range of up to 48 miles per charge and improved acceleration to 30mph. Extra torque enables the G-Wiz i to easily keep up with city traffic and to cope with hills, but the most attractive feature is sure to be running costs with the fuel bill for a year’s electricity costing less than the price of a tank of petrol. Read More
New York to expand diesel-electric hybrid bus fleet
By Kyle Sherer
18:56 December 18, 2007 PST
December 19, 2007 Public transport organizations in the USA and Canada have ordered a total of 1052 Orion VII Next Generation diesel-electric hybrid buses with New York to have the largest diesel-electric hybrid bus fleet in the world by 2010. Read More
MILES ZX40ST all-electric work truck
21:29 December 10, 2007 PST
December 11, 2007 Commuters aren't the only ones set to benefit from the coming revolution in zero-emissions transport with all-electric light trucks like the low-speed MILES ZX40ST offering a viable, eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to traditional internal combustion vehicles. Read More
Volkswagen's fuel cell powered space up! blue
23:45 December 9, 2007 PST
December 10, 2007 The zero emissions space up! blue is the third in Volkswagen's up! concept range currently being showcased in a global tour of major auto industry events. Like the space up!, the "blue" is a micro-van designed to provide the carrying capacity of a larger vehicle, but what separates the new variant is the powerplant - a rear-mounted, all-electric 45 kW (61 PS) motor utilizes the world’s first high temperature fuel cell and twelve lithium-ion batteries plus there's a large solar panel on the roof that feeds up to 150 Watts of extra energy into the battery. Read More
Audi’s hybrid metroproject quattro
By Loz Blain
23:59 October 24, 2007 PDT
October 25, 2007 We’re running around like kids in a candy store at the Tokyo Motor Show, it’s a technophile’s delight – and Audi has just come out swinging. The German company has just unveiled its sexy metroproject quattro, a plug-in electric/petrol hybrid concept car with some amazing features, including a detachable remote control that acts as an integrated or standalone mobile phone, navigation unit, MP3 and video player and keyless ignition tag, while letting you turn the car’s heater on before you leave the house. Read More
Bio-diesel powered motorcycle eclipses 100mpg
By Loz Blain
19:55 October 21, 2007 PDT
October 22, 2007 The 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge got underway yesterday with 40 teams from across the globe competing in the 3000 km race from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia. Among the competitors in the Greenfleet Technology Class - a category for internal combustion vehicles promoting an enhanced environmental profile - is the BioBike, a biodiesel-powered motorcycle, constructed by a group of students in Adelaide, Australia, that happily does 96kmh and returns a staggering fuel economy of only 2.2 litres per 100 kilometres. As the design is further refined, BioBike’s creators expect this to drop below the 2 litres per 100km mark (around 107 miles per gallon), and they believe it can be manufactured for around the same cost as a petrol-powered dirtbike. Read More
BMW concept X6 ActiveHybrid
19:23 September 16, 2007 PDT
September 17, 2007 BMW has showcased two innovative new systems in the guise BMW Concept X6 Sport Activity Coupé at the 62nd International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt. As well as being the first vehicle to be fitted with a unique stabilization system known as Dynamic Performance Control, the concept incorporates BMW's ActiveHybrid system – a combination of a combustion engine and two high-performance electric motors aimed at delivering greater efficiency over a wider speed range than conventional hybrid designs. Read More
Volkswagen squeeze 52 miles from a gallon with new Golf BlueMotion
By Loz Blain
19:14 September 3, 2007 PDT
September 4, 2007 Toyota needed two whole engines to get 46mpg from their famous Prius hybrid, but Volkswagen have achieved over 52mpg by simply tweaking a few characteristics of its popular Golf diesel compact in the latest addition to the company’s environmentally-focused BlueMotion initiative. The Golf BlueMotion makes over 1200km from a 55-liter tank, showing that there’s further room for development from the combustion engine. Read More
Peugeot 308 SW Prologue Concept
18:19 September 2, 2007 PDT
September 2, 2007 Peugeot will provide a preview of the new 308 at the Frankfurt International Motorshow under the guise of the 308 SW Prologue. Equipped with an additive-enhanced diesel particulate filter system (DPFS), that reduces CO2 emissions, the 308 SW Prologue combines the strengths of the new 308 hatchback with innovative SW features like the new “wrap-around” rear end which allows for the installation of a third row of seats and improves rear vision. Read More
Hypersonic civil aviation: Sydney to Brussels in four hours
15:06 August 29, 2007 PDT
August 30, 2007 Imagine long-distance air-travel that could get you to the other side of the globe in less than a quarter of the time it presently takes? Researchers from Reaction Engines, a company created for design and development of advanced space transport and propulsion systems, are investigating the possibility of hypersonic civil transport in a three year study to examine the feasibility of reducing long-distance flights (e.g. from Brussels to Sydney) to less than 4 hours. Read More
High mileage, low emissions: GM revisits sparkless compression ignition engines
By Loz Blain
23:48 August 26, 2007 PDT
August 27, 2007 General Motors has eliminated the spark from the engine cycle in a bold and challenging effort to produce a powerplant that delivers the fuel efficiency of a diesel with the low emissions of a petrol motor. The company has released two concept cars that use Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) technology to burn leaner and cleaner at lower temperatures and deliver up to 15% higher fuel economy. Read More
Barry J
- November 10, 2009 @ 00:59 UTC
