HybridCars
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Mazda's hybrid hydrogen vehicles to hit the streets this year
It looks like the world's first rotary hydrogen vehicle will soon be available for lease, courtesy of Mazda. True to its nature as a hybrid, the Premacy Hydrogen RE relies on a hydrogen rotary engine to create the electricity that powers the motor. The system is said to boost the fuel range of the vehicle to around 125 miles, twice the range of the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, and maximum output is 110 kilowatts. We look forward to seeing the cars start rolling off the lots and into the hands of local authorities and energy-related companies this year. Finally, it looks like you'll be able to put that hydrogen generator you installed in the garage to good use.
Vehicle-to-grid will turn suburbs into power plants, won't help undertones of repression
We've been hearing about vehicle-to-grid (V2G) for quite a while, and now a team at the University of Michigan is conducting an extensive study on the technology as part of a national sustainable energy solution. While current electric plants are good at generating power, they often fall short when it comes to storage -- which can be a problem when there's a power surge or when demand increases. V2G will let hybrid-electric owners sell the power their car generates to the electrical power grid whenever the car is not in use. The research team envisions a time when millions of hybrid vehicle owners will come together to create one large battery, allowing us all to play a small part in building our nation's energy independence. And sure, this all sounds good in theory. But wouldn't that mean relying on the neighbors to provide a key piece of the nation's infrastructure? Have you met the neighbors? Doesn't that seem a little... iffy?
Mindset Six50 solar electric concept is light, green, and a bit homely
As the big auto manufacturers scramble to come up with fuel-efficient alternatives for us gas addicts, smaller companies are swooping in with both concepts and production models. In the latter category, we have Mindset AG with the solar electric Six50 concept you see here. The 2+2 seater is designed to weigh just 1,764 pounds and measures about 13 feet long with a slab of solar panels over its haunches. Designer Mura Güntak expects the Six50 to run just about 62 miles per charge (although an optional generator can be added to extend this), do 0-60 in 7 seconds, and plans to roll out 10,000 of these bad boys by 2009 at the cost of $78,000 each.[Via Inhabitat]
