Hybrid

With its chunky fat tires, 14-speed gears and centrally-located electric motor, the Hanebrink all-terrain vehicle looks like a fun ride. Built to cope with a multitude of off-road situations with style and speed, the pedal-assist electric bike is classified as a bicycle throughout the U.S. so should also be good for popping down to the local mall and hauling back the week's shopping on the rear cargo rack. It's also managed to claim first place in the very first Interbike Hill Climb Challenge. Read More

In the early 20th century Henry Ford revolutionized automobile production with the introduction of the assembly line for the iconic Ford Model T. Now, almost a century later, a car has been produced using a process that could prove just as revolutionary – 3D printing. Code-named, Urbee, the streamlined vehicle is the first ever to have its entire body, including its glass panel prototypes, 3D printed with an additive manufacturing process. Read More

Vehicles of the wheeled variety aren’t the only ones going green. U.S. companies International Battery and Electric Marine Propulsion (EMP) are partnering up to build a hybrid power train for the world’s largest plug-in, hybrid electric boats and yachts. The partnership has resulted in one of the world’s largest plug-in hybrid sailboats, a Tag 60 catamaran christened Tang, hitting the water on September 21. It is a 60 ft (18m) carbon-fiber speedster that can be powered by the wind, even when the wind isn’t blowing. Read More

It looks like the folks at Lotus were busy in the lead up to the 2010 Paris Motor Show with the company unveiling no less than five new concept models taking center stage at what was the most crowded press conference at the show. Under Malaysian Proton ownership since 1996, the group seems to be ready to revive the name globally with the five new concepts all set to go into production and be released over the next few years. Read More

If you were wondering about the other two-wheeled vehicle pictured with the smart e-scooter at the Paris Motor Show, then read on. The company has also announced a pedal-powered bicycle with electric assist named e-bike which shares regenerative braking technology and similar smartphone integration with its cousin. When the e-bike reaches a certain speed, the hub motor cuts out and the bike is driven by leg-work only. Read More

We took a shine to the Audi e-tron Quattro when it appeared in Frankfurt last year followed by a smaller version in Detroit. Why? Because it's simply stunning to look at... and has specs to match. The latest iteration was unveiled at the 2010 Paris Auto Show this morning – the e-tron Spyder concept. This open-top, plug-in-hybrid two-seater combines a 221-kW (300-hp) twin-turbo V6 TDI at the rear axle and two electric motors at the front to deliver a limited top speed of 250 km/h (155.34 mph), reaching 100 km/h (62.14 mph) from a standing start in just 4.4 seconds. Read More

Peugeot's new HR1 urban concept car which will be seen for the first time when the Paris Motor Show opens on Saturday, was created to “appeal to young city dwellers.” We've heard that before, but this time it really does look like they've “nailed it!” The styling, scrumptious seats, electric scissor doors to facilitate access in tight spots, a heads-up display for the driver, a reconfigurable instrument panel which uses a “movement recognition” system (allowing the driver to scroll through functions and select settings with hand movements), and just so the passenger doesn't feel left out, they get a tablet computer which slides into the glovebox and can even share data wirelessly from the driver’s display. Oh, and it gets 81 mpg. Read More

The Paris Motor Show is about to get underway and the next 72 hours will no doubt see an unprecedented number of new electric and hybrid vehicles, so it’s not surprising that a few companies have jumped the gun in showing new cars to avoid getting lost in the publicity avalanche. One doing just that is a new automotive brand (as least as a manufacturer of whole cars) emanating from French company Exagon Engineering. The figures for the Furtive eGT are astoundingly brisk - 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). Read More

At Photokina 2010 in Cologne, Germany, Fujifilm has unveiled details about the upcoming Finepix X100, a compact camera with a retro style and impressive specs to match. The company claims this model, to be released in early 2011, will fill pro-photographers' need for a smaller back-up or substitute camera when a DSLR is inconvenient. With a 12.3 megapixel APS-C-based sensor and a fixed 23mm lens, the Finepix X100 will certainly be in the running for best pro compact on the market this spring. Read More