Plug-in electric vehicles are in the first phase of their road tests and are about to hit the roads by 2010. In this scenario, debates were on at the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Smart Garage Workshop on its first day on the subject whether it would be wiser to use the much advantageous and eco-friendly V2G PHEVs to power the grid. A wide range of opinions have been expressed on this. While the participants of the workshop support the suggestion, it sure looks like a possibility that is a decade away.

Mujeeb Ijaz, Director of Automotive Applications engineering at A123 Systems says that the V2G plug-in hybrids will attract customers because of their ability to store and discharge power and help them reduce their electricity bills, and the batteries wouldn’t reduce the performance on being used daily. Further, he agrees that the battery’s chemistry wouldn’t support it for fast charging and hence makes them unavailable for long distance travel.

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Now have an environment-friendly travel. In what can be treated as a step towards government’s endeavor to fight pollution by vehicles, Volvo announced the launch of its new entry into the diesel-electric hybrid bus market. The hybrid Volvo 7700 is a 12-meter low-floor city bus that gets up to 30 percent better fuel economy and emits 40 to 50 percent less nitrous oxide and 30 percent less carbon, the company said. In addition, a smaller engine and nearly a third of the bus’ components are developed in-house by Volvo.
The hybrid Volvo 7700 uses “parallel hybrid” technology which allows the bus to be powered by either the electric motor or the diesel engine or both at the same time. I-SAM, the company’s hybrid technology, plans to use the same technology in its trucks and construction equipment after the buses go into mass production in 2010. Though the hybrid bus weighs more or less the same as a diesel-driven bus, it has a better weight distribution, which allows the hybrid bus to take more passengers than a comparable diesel bus. As a result, the bus’ performance is enhanced and fuel consumption is reduced.

According to a report by United Press International, the first of Volvo’s hybrid buses will begin testing on city streets in London and Gothenburg, Sweden, later this fall. Volvo is believed to start delivering hybrid diesel electric buses to customers in 2009 with mass production beginning in 2010.

Via igreenspot

Cabs go green in NYC at the rate of 300 new hybrid cars very month. Mayor Micheal Bloomberg has got into an agreement with car-makers to supply only fuel-light cabs. The results are good. Firstly, the drivers are able to save about 6,500 dollars every year and the city stays green.
So, the Taxi and Limousine Commission has pulled up its socks and issued a notice to the taxi fleet to be hybrid by October 1. Cabs specially equipped for the handicapped were exempted. Nissan Motor has promises to supply 200 Altima hybrids while General Motors will contribute 50 Chevrolet Malibu hybrids, while Ford Motor Co gets 50 of its Escape hybrids ready for the road.
The demand for hybrid cars has been increasing with the soaring gasoline prices. The market is good and companies are willing to make a profit and make the earth green.
Via enn

Touted as the greenest endeavor of Toyota, Prius is all set to pep-up its eco-friendly quotient. The super sexy vehicle will now be available with a set of solar panels. These panels will be fitted on the car’s roof. Prius is already an efficient Hybrid cars well established in the market. It is believed that the solar panels thus installed will power the car’s AC (air-conditioning) unit. This further addition not only reflects the car’s potential to remain number one in the world of Hybrid cars but also the company’s smart move to polish its image many folds by becoming more and more eco-savvy.

This hybrid synergy drive vehicle can be yours at $21,500 (starting price). Start booking it today!

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Via Inhabitat