Car Running on Algae Fuel to Cross Country on Just 25 Gallons of Fuel

Algaeus, the world’s first algae-powered plug-in hybrid car, was unveiled in San Francisco and the prototype traveled with a host of other ‘green’ vehicles to New York for the opening of the film “Fuel” to promote alternative fuel.

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The TANGO, ultra-narrow electric car for commuting; 0-60 in 4 seconds

The ultra-narrow Tango NCV (Narrow Commuter Vehicle) is all electric and can accelerate from 0-60 in 4 seconds, with race car roll cage, lane splitting, and perpendicular parking

Made by Comuter Cars of Spokane, Washinton, the very fast two-seater Tango is narrower than some motorcycles, but roomy inside the highly reinforced body. It can “lane split” (drive side-by-side in one lane) and is 100% plug-in electric.

Speed
With over 1,000 ft-lbs. of torque, the Tango can accelerate from zero to over 130 mph in one gear. Without an energy-robbing transmission or differential, it accelerates from zero to 60 mph in about 4 seconds and finishes the standing 1/4 mile in about 12 seconds at over 100 mph.

The Tango’s ability to maneuver through traffic is second to none. Like a motorcycle, it can change lanes to gain advantage in traffic better than any car in history. Where lane splitting is permitted (i.e., driving between lanes of stopped or slow-moving traffic), the advantage can be staggering. In extremely heavy traffic, a Tango or motorcycle can travel in 20 seconds the distance that cars travel in 20 minutes.

The Tango can do this because it has two motors, with each motor having more Torque than a Dodge Viper V10 engine, starting at zero RPM. Who would think a car this narrow could compete? Consider all the cars we beat! The Tango beat the Tesla Roadster and Shelby Cobra in separate drag races, as well as several Corvettes in an autocross.

Reducing congestion
The Tango can fit in a 6-foot half-lane with more clearance than a truck has in a full 12-foot freeway lane. This virtual doubling of lane capacity can make the traffic jam a fading memory. It can also park perpendicular to the curb, allowing up to four Tangos in one parallel parking space
Safety and Stability
The Tango’s racecar-style roll cage design, its 4-point harnesses, its low center of gravity, and a weight comparable to a midsize sedan combine to make the Tango extremely safe. And with 2,000 lbs. (mostly batteries) under the floor, the Tango’s static rollover threshold is equivalent to a 5-star NHTSA rating, placing it in company with the lowest slung sports cars.

Range
Range from 40 to 200 miles of freeway driving is available, depending on battery selection and your planned driving habits. It is recommended that, at least twice the range of your typical daily trips between charges be purchased. For an occasional long trip, a generator trailer running on any fuel can be attached giving the same range as any gasoline car.

Charging
The Tango can be charged from most any receptacle, as it comes with a number of adaptor cords, and can charge to 80% in just 10 minutes from a 200 amp charging station. Typically, one would just plug in each night to a dryer outlet and get a complete charge in less than 3 hours and be ready for work the next morning. It can charge from any voltage from 100V to 250V without any adjustment.

Roomy
The Tango appears extra small from the exterior because of the lack of a passenger seat to the side of the driver. Actually, the distance from the center of the steering wheel to the inside door panel is 1/2″ more than a Subaru Outback, and only 1/2″ less than a Dodge Ram pickup. Men as large as 6-foot 10-inches tall and 325 lbs have said that they are comfortable in the Tango.

Plug In America – Promoting Plug-in Cars for a Better America

Up-to-date information about all the new electric and plug-in electric cars, trucks & motorcycles.

Plug In America is dedicated to promoting Battery Electric and Plug-in Hybrid vehicles for the public to drive today..

Plug In America’s mission is to drive change by accelerating the shift to plug-in vehicles powered by clean, affordable, domestic electricity to reduce American dependence on petroleum and improve the global environment.

Website tracks all Plug-in Electric Vehicles

Plug In America is a web site deciated to promoting Plug-in Cars for a Better America.

Also on the site is a PLUG-IN VEHICLE TRACKER that keeps up-to-date information on all makes and models of all plug-in cars, trucks and bikes—their features, production status and photos.

JAPANESE WATER POWERED CAR

Comment from viewer:

I’m going to call this extremely misleading. The water is not fuel. It must be separated into hydrogen and oxygen and then the H burned in a combustion process or the H & O are recombined in a fuel cell. No matter what, there must be something other than water and that something costs money and energy to produce. And whatever that is, it must be replaced.

The company that makes this car is Genepax. They did not protect the name globally so there have been others grab the name and exploit it. Here is their website and they claim money and development problems. IF this worked, it would be a thousand trillion dollar idea and no lack of money to make it happen.

Every other claim to have invented a “water powered car” has turned out to be a hoax.

Nissan to Trial Fast Charge Electric Car Network in Arizona

Nissan and ECOtality have announced plans to roll out a ‘fast charge’ electric car network in Arizona, capable of topping up batteries in as little as 10-15 minutes.

The Japanese company has teamed up with EV charge-tech firm ECOtality and the Pima association of government’s, (representing the Tucson, Arizona region), to establish a pilot-scale network in readiness for the launch of Nissan electric cars in the US next year.

As part of the deal, Nissan has agreed to supply EVs to public and private fleets across the region and publicise the benefits of zero-emission vehicles.

ECOtality President and chief executive Jonathan Read used the partnership announcement to take a swipe at recharge infrastructure competitors Project Better Place, arguing that their fast charge system is cheaper and more user-friendly than Project Better Place’s battery swap model.

He told reporters, “It takes 10 or 15 minutes to fast charge, which isn’t going to be much quicker or slower than swapping a battery, and certainly a lot less moving parts and potential points of failure. Let alone the capital costs required to build a battery swap infrastructure,” he said. “Batteries are going to get larger. Range is going to get greatly improved. The amount of energy that you’re going to pour into a vehicle in a given timeframe is going to increase shortly.”

via Gas 2.0.

Scorpion: World’s First Hydrogen-Hybrid Sports Car

The Ronn Motor Company has unveiled a running prototype of its mid-engine Scorpion roadster—touted as the world’s first “hydrogen-hybrid eco-exotic premium sports car.” The Austin, Texas-based start-up’s initial plans call for building 200 examples of the $150,000 Scorpion, with deliveries expected to commence early this year. Beneath its carbon-fiber composite body (fabricated by the famed Gaffoglio Family Metalcrafters in Fountain Valley, California), the car employs a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter Acura V-6 engine modified to burn a blend of gasoline and hydrogen gas. Unlike Honda’s hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle, however, the Scorpion gets its H2 not from a dedicated hydrogen refueling station, but from an on-board electrolysis unit that separates regular water into its elemental components: oxygen and hydrogen. The oxygen is released into the atmosphere and the hydrogen is delivered straight to the engine, contributing to the combustion process and reducing gasoline consumption by 30 to 40 percent. Even with as much as 600 horsepower and a top speed in excess of 200 mph, the Scorpion—claims CEO Ronn Maxwell (who founded the company with former Dell Computer executive Adrian Pylypec)—will return a fairly stunning 40 mpg. (www.ronnmotors.com)

via RobbReport.com – New & Noteworthy.

Immediate Action Needed – The Medium Speed Electric Vehicle Bill (HB 144)

The Medium Speed Electric Vehicle Bill is awaiting a public hearing in the House Judiciary Committee. If it is not put on the schedule by the end of the day Monday, March 2, it will die, and with it our hopes for a law allowing Medium Speed Electric Vehicles in Hawaii. Please check the deails below and send a short e-mail if you want to support this useful stage of growing sustainable transportation.

Click here to send an e-mail to:
Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu
Chairman, Judiciary Committee
Subject: HB 144 Medium Speed Electric Vehicles
Message: Please hold a public hearing for HB 144 Medium Speed Electric Vehicles
Remember to include your name and island.

Every state legislator has been asked for assistance, but it’s all the citizens pulling together that really has the greatest influence. If you haven’t sent an e-mail yet, please, please do.

THE SITUATION
At the moment, there is only one special classification for electric vehicles to be used on roads. They are called Low Speed Vehicles and evolved from golf carts. However golf carts only go about 15 mph and do not have any safety features at all. Low Speed Vehicles are required to have headlights, taillights stoplights, directional signals, seatbelts, and review mirrors. They are required to be able to go at least 20 MPH but must not exceed 25 MPH. They look something like this:


 

In the past few years, companies world wide, have started building electric cars that look like cars. These cars are presently sold and licensed as low-speed vehicles because that is the only classification available. However, they are capable of going faster and many believe they are significantly safer than the open golf cart type Low-Speed Vehicles. There is a national movement to create a new class called Medium Speed Electric Vehicles, MSEV, which would be allowed to go 35 mph in a 45 mph zone. Here are a few examples of what they look like.


 

As you can see there is a tremendous amount of difference between the vehicles in the top row and the vehicles in the bottom row. However at the moment there is only one class for all of these and it is Low-Speed Vehicles which means that all these vehicles are only allowed to go 25 mph on roads with speed limits 35 mph or below. Click here for video.

There are a few full speed, or highway speed electric vehicles but these cost at least $50,000 with some over $100,000. MSEV cost $10-20,000.

Electric vehicles must be very light to be practical. Neither the Low-Speed Vehicles nor the proposed Medium Speed Electric Vehicles can meet the full National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA) safety requirements for highway speed vehicles. The safety requirements for Medium Speed Electric Vehicles must be defined.

NHTSA refused to define the safety criteria for Low Speed Vehicles for 50 years. They finally acted after there were about a million golf carts being operated by retirees on public streets and only after 15 states had defined their own Low-Speed Vehicle criteria. We are now in exactly the same position with Medium Speed Electric Vehicles. NHTSA refused to define the safety criteria for MSEV

Five states have already adopted MSEV laws;Washington, Montana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. Kentucky did it by administrative order so that’s 6 states where MSEV is allowed.

At least nine states are considering MSEV bills this legislative session as of February 25, 2009

STATE	MSEV speed– Road speed limit	PROPOSAL
Hawai’i	(35-45)	HB 144
New Mexico	(35-45)	HB 294
Kentucky	(50-45)	SB 7
New York	(35-45)	A00870
Texas	(35-35)	SB 129
Oregon	(35-40)	HB 2120
South Carolina	(35-35)	S 0419
Georgia	(35-35)	HB 530
Colorado	(35-45)	SB 075

 
Of course Medium Speed Electronic Vehicles have all the environmental, petroleum eliminating, economic, traffic calming, pedestrian safety and other positive features expected from all-electric vehicles as detailed in the video linked above.

For more information, send an email to Buck Joiner

Zero Pollution Motors – Air Car

Zero Pollution Motors – Air Car.

New Green Automobiles

10 Green
Announcements From the Detroit
Auto Show Kick-off.