Behold the Ferrari 599 Hybrid! Despite its wicked metallic green paint, it’s not all that environmentally friendly. The V-12 rocket ship reportedly uses a variation of Ferrari’s KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) setup used on F-1 cars. No, Gambit has nothing to do with it. The system captures energy from braking in the form of electricity. That energy can then be released with the push of a button, powering an electric motor for extra boost. The motor is mated directly to the transmission and delivers 100 horsepower. The whole hybrid system weighs about 220 pounds.

This spy shot was taken during setup at this year’s Geneva Auto Show. It appeared on Autoblog and a few other sites, but was pulled at Ferrari’s request. Because only seven people read this blog and I think the photo is damn pretty, I’m posting it anyway. Really, the 599 just looks luscious in that green, doesn’t it?

Link to Autoblog article.

Honda is set to reveal several electric scooter concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show this year, including the EV Cub. The Honda Cub is the most popular and prolific motorcycle ever made—more than 60 million have been sold worldwide. The EV Cub is a modern interpretation of the old design and it’s spiffy.

Want to get 130 horsepower out of a 750cc engine? Blast it with compressed air. Researchers at Switzerland’s ETH Zurich school of engineering have rigged a tank of compressed air to a tiny 750cc two-cylinder, blasting it with boost right off idle. A turbo takes over at higher RPMs, providing boost for rolling acceleration. The engine puts out as much power as a 2-liter four cylinder, but consumes 30 percent less fuel.

When the engine decelerates, its cylinders pump air back into the tank. The system completely eliminates turbo lag and manages to wring more power out of smaller displacement engines. The ultimate goal? A 1-liter two-cylinder that puts out as much power as a 3-liter V6.

And the technology is cheap. The researchers say that compressed air hybrid engines would cost about 20 percent more than traditional engines, but provide vastly improved fuel economy. Compare that to gas-electric drivetrains, which are about three times more expensive than regular gasoline setups, and you have a clear winner for developing nations like India and China.

The same setup could be applied to diesel engines, which are inherently more efficient than gasoline engines.

Link to Wards article

UPDATE: It seems that in my zeal to report such a high-output, small-displacement engine, I failed to do my research. Weber Automotive GmbH is making a four-stroke 750cc two-cylinder turbo-charged engine that puts out 100 kW or about 135 horsepower. It’s called the MPE 750 (Multipurpose Engine, 750cc)and the German company is making it as a sort of drop-in power plant for anything from snowmobiles to small autos. It was used in the Rinspeed eXasis concept car, a translucent plastic buggy-like sports car. No info on the 750 MPE’s fuel consumption, but more info on the engine can be found on the Weber Motor site.

A car’s shocks dissipate a lot of energy when they soak up bumps. Engineers at Tufts University have figured out how to turn that energy into electricity that could be used to power the car. 

The team has built electro-magnetic shocks that are essentially linear generators, using the up-and-down motion of the shock’s travel to generate electricity. The engineers envision using their shocks on hybrid vehicles. They estimate that a 2,500 pound car traveling at 45 mph would recover between 20 and 70 percent of the electricity it uses from the shocks.

The shocks could greatly extend the range of plug-in hybrid vehicles, but they may be put to better use on trucks. Massive rigs have a far greater potential for generating energy—when they hit a bump, tons of force compresses the shock. Good tech, for sure.

Link to Autoblog article
Link to iCars article 

Turns out that your average plasma TV sucks more electricity from the grid than those fancy new plug-in hybrid cars that are coming on the market. According to officials at the Electric Power Research Institute who were quoted in a recent Associated Press article, big-screen plasma TVs drain about four times as much power as plug-in hybrids.

Why should you care? It means that the U.S. power grid is capable of handling a few million plug-in hybrids without blowing its gigantic, irreplaceable fuse. The logic goes something like this: Consumers have purchased millions of big-screen plasma sets during the past few years. They’ve all plugged them in and probably leave them on for HOURS each day. Plug-in hybrids, on the other hand, will likely be plugged in during off-peak hours, late at night while most people sleep and when the grid isn’t being taxed. 

The grid may be able to handle plug-in cars, but we’ll still need to generate more electricity to meet their demands. Hopefully that energy will come from solar and wind rather than coal-fired power plants.

Link to GlobeAuto story.

BMW is equipping 500 Minis with electric drivetrains for use in California. Company officials say they’re using the hip hatchback to test a few different electric powertrains. No word on exactly when the electric Minis will be available to the public, but I guarantee they’ll be a smash hit.

And still, the question hangs in the air like dirigible ready to burst into flames: Where are the Big Three’s electric vehicles? And don’t talk to me about the Chevy Volt, because there’s no way it should take one of the world’s largest car companies this long to develop a feasible electric car.

Link to CNET article.

Google is great for driving directions, but not so great for bicyclists. Plug in an address and the maps app will likely funnel you through major thoroughfares choked with traffic. Take your bike and you’ll be sucking exhaust fumes, dodging taxis and delivery trucks and you might end up as a smear on the blacktop. The Google Maps Bike There Team wants to change all that. They’re petitioning Google to include a “Bike There” option that highlights bike lanes and back streets on a route. If you ever ride your bike in a big city, you’ll appreciate their efforts. Stop by and sign the petition:

Google bike there petition

Link to TreeHugger article

Volkswagen’s 1-liter concept car has been winding its way through the twists and turns of the automotive news back roads lately. British auto mag Car has reported that the 600-pound streamlined fuel sipper will go into production in 2010, sporting a hybrid diesel drivetrain and sequential motorcycle-style gearbox. The original concept ran a one-cylinder, 1-liter petrol engine wrapped up in a carbon fiber body. The microcar features tandem seating like a fighter jet, but performance promises to be less than stellar.

The fact that small, fuel-efficient cars are making a comeback fills my heart with a warm fuzzy feeling that’s not unlike the buzz one gets from huffing gasoline fumes.  

Link to Jalopnik article.

Photo: It failed the global warming test.

Soon every new car in California will be rated based on how much greenhouse gas it spews into the atmosphere. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) plans to roll out a window sticker that will feature two scores, one to rate a car’s smog emissions and another to gauge global warming. The scores will fall on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best possible score.

The agency will compile emissions data for all new 2009 cars. Average polluting cars will be given scores of 5, the least polluting will earn perfect 10s.

CARB says it’s a good way for consumers to compare automobiles and encourage more eco-friendly vehicles. It’s a step in the right direction, but it seems like a round-about way to force manufacturers to produce more efficient, cleaner cars. 

“This label will arm consumers with the information they need to choose a vehicle that saves gas, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps fight smog all at once,” board chairman Mary Nichols said in a statement. “Consumer choice is an especially powerful tool in our fight against climate change. We look forward to seeing these stickers on 2009 model cars as they start hitting the showrooms in the coming months.”

CARB has launched a website that will feature new-car ratings: http://www.driveclean.ca.gov

The Bloom bicycle accessory concept spews seeds as you ride, littering your local concrete jungle with tiny plantlets that will inexorably smother blacktop and pavement, turning your city into a green paradise. Or that’s the concept, anyway. The curious little attachment latches onto your bike near the rear wheel like a lamprey. You load it with water and seed-laden soap lumps. As you pedal, the soap lumps dissolve into seed-filled bubbles that bounce gleefully in your wake. 

The concept is one of many from Design 21’s “Power to the Pedal” competition. It’s a neat idea, one that would likely gain traction among Whole Foods shoppers (myself included) and card-carrying members of LOHAS.

Link to Gizmodo article.