Filed under: Hybrid, Hatchback, Toyota, Electric

Want some data sharing with your car sharing? On Thursday, Zipcar added eight Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) to its car-sharing fleet. The plug-in Priuses, which are not available for purchase until 2012, will be accessible to Zipcar members in Boston, MA, Cambridge, MA, San Francisco, CA, and Portland, OR. Zipcar’s newest additions are part of a broad pilot program aimed at assisting Toyota in obtaining real-world data prior to the plug-ins’ 2012 launch. On the flip side, Zipcar hopes to analyze the use of plug-in hybrids and assess the potential for a broader fleet rollout.

Back in 2009, Zipcar teamed up with the city of San Francisco to test a plug-in Prius. That car, which utilized a plug-in conversion kit provided by A123 Systems, offered up to 40 miles of pure electric range. The battery-only range of Toyota’s plug-in Prius is limited to 13 miles, but Scott Griffith, Zipcar’s chief executive officer, points out that “approximately one-third of our reservations are made for trips equaling less than 13 miles,” which implies that those jaunts could be made in a Prius PHEV without using a drop of gas, as long as there’s enough time to rechage between rentals.

Like all of the other hybrids in Zipcar’s fleet, the plug-in Prius can only be reserved by the hour, with sixty minutes of seat time costing approximately $7.00.

[Source: Zipcar]

Continue reading Zipcar gets Toyota Prius plug-ins ahead of the car’s official launch

Zipcar gets Toyota Prius plug-ins ahead of the car’s official launch originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Europe’s foreign ministers decided Monday to freeze the assets of ex-Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his wife, in response to a request from the Tunisian authorities. Several other of Ben Ali’s associates may face similar sanctions in coming days.

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Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Jaguar, Rumormill, Luxury

Word is bumping around the internets that Jaguar may be interested in dusting off a sub-XF model. Doing so would put the big cat into direct competition with the mighty BMW 3 Series – a feat Jaguar attempted once before with the ill-fated X-Type. But according to Adrian Hallmark, the automaker’s new global brand director, the company won’t be repeating past mistakes.

Instead, buyers can look forward to being able to choose between a sporty coupe and a volume sedan if the project gets green-lit. Offering two models would allow Jaguar to deliver a high-quality vehicle while simultaneously reducing its own costs.

Additionally, there’s word that Jaguar wants to ensure that the new car packs all of the luxury and craftmanship of its bigger brothers at a more affordable price point.

Unfortunately, it may be a good long while before we see the fruits of Hallmark’s labors come to the surface. Jaguar says that it is just now beginning to look into a new, smaller model and that it could be four years or more before the vehicle actually shows up on dealer lots. If that’s what it takes to keep Jaguar from churning out another X-Type, we’re all for the wait.

[Source: Autoweek]

More details on Jaguar’s 3 Series fighter originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The brother of a South African woman hijacked by Somali pirates said on Monday that any ransom demand for his sister was “pointless” unless he could speak to her.

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Filed under: SUV, Etc., Technology, Ford

Another year, another Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona champion. Something interesting happened before the prototypes took to the track, though, when a Ford Escape Hybrid took on the 1.5-mile road course. The driver, Mark Anthony Riccobono, didn’t break any speed records… but he did successfully maneuver the Escape without the help of a very crucial driving aid – vision.

Riccobono is blind, and with the help of non-visual technology, he completed the Daytona road course. Beyond simply making lefts and rights, Riccobono also had to avoid a variety of obstacles. Some were stationary while others were thrown randomly from the back of a van. Riccobono avoided them all, and then he passed the van before crossing the finish line.

The event marks the first time a blind person has driven a vehicle around a course without the aid of a sighted person. It was a major milestone for the Blind Driver Challenge, which aims to improve blind-interface technology. Check out the press release after the break.

[Source: National Federation of the Blind | Images: Terry Renna and John Raoux/AP]

Continue reading Blind man tackles the road course at Daytona on his own

Blind man tackles the road course at Daytona on his own originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Niger’s junta leader Salou Djibo called on voters to turn out massively on Monday to elect a new, civilian president and put an end to military rule.

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Powerful businessman and ruling party MP for Igunga in Tabora, Rostam Aziz, is to be a beneficiary in the Dowans Tanzania award.

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Just before Christmas last year, South Africa was formally invited to join the BRIC group of nations. Brazil, Russia, India and China were identified in a Goldman Sachs report in 2001, “Dreaming with BRICs: The path to 2050″, as the most important emerging economies in the world and the ones, which would overtake many of the developed economies by 2050.

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AS part of the ongoing reintegration phase of the Federal Government initiated Amnesty Program, a total of 212 reformed militants have been flown to Ghana to undergo vocational training.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz, Electric

By 2015, we think a fuel cell car will not cost more than a four-cylinder diesel hybrid that meets the Euro 6 emissions standard. By 2013-2014, we want to bring a four-digit-number of fuel cell vehicles to market.

Kohler added that he expects fuel cell vehicles to be less expensive than comparable battery-powered cars within the next five years. Currently, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell is available for lease in the U.S. at a price of $849 a month (plus tax). However, Kohler points out that the F-Cell employs expensive technology that will be replaced with less pricey hardware when the second-generation model launches in 2013-2014.

Additionally, Mercedes-Benz is toying with the notion of developing fuel cell versions of the A-, C- and E-Class models within the next five years. If the company can sucessfully incorporate its fuel cell technology into multiple platforms and reach mass production levels, costs could plunge by mid-decade.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Daimler: Fuel cell vehicles to cost no more than diesel hybrids by 2015 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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