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A Hybrid Car is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to propel the vehicle.

Worldwide Prius Sales Top 1 Million Mark

Worldwide cumulative sales of the Toyota Prius—the world’s first mass-produced gasoline/electric hybrid vehicle—have passed the 1 million mark, with approximately 1,028,000 units sold as of the end of April this year*1. Currently, Prius sales are robust in more than 40 countries and regions, particularly in Japan and North America.

Based on sales figures collected up to April 30, 2008, TMC believes that Prius vehicles worldwide have contributed to a reduction in CO2 emissions (considered a cause of global warming) by producing approximately 4.5 million tons*2 less CO2 when compared with gasoline-powered vehicles in the same class and of similar size and driving performance. Read more

May 29, 2008 | Filed Under hybrid cars | Comments Off 

VW’s first lithium-ion hybrid coming in 2010?

Wolfsburg, 28 May 2008 - Agreement has been reached on a co-operation which sees Volkswagen joining forces with Sanyo, one of the world’s leading developers of rechargeable batteries, to work on new and extremely efficient high-performance storage systems based on lithium-ion technology.

“Our focus in future,” says Prof Martin Winterkorn, CEO of the Volkswagen Group, “will be directed more strongly at making electrically powered automobiles alongside ones driven by more efficient combustion engines. Drivetrain electrification is the way forward if we wish to secure mobility in tomorrow’s world. This will involve energy recovery. The whole idea will be to no avail, however, as long as we do not have powerful energy storage systems at our disposal and as long as vehicle operations are not in tune with customer demands. This cooperation is an important step for us,” Winterkorn adds. Read more

May 28, 2008 | Filed Under hybrid cars | Comments Off 

Seat Alhambra EcoMotive Unveiled

Seat has yesterday revealed the third model in their ECOMOTIVE range, the Seat Alhambra MPV. The Spanish people mover is powered by a 140 hp 2.0 TDI engine with Diesel Particular Filter (DPF) and emits just 159 g/km of CO2, compared to the 175 g/km CO2 emissions of the regular 2.0 TDI Alhambra.

Seat has made a few changes in order for the Alhambra to achieve these figures, firstly the DPF and the electronic management but also a new six-speed transmission and low-friction 196/60 tires on 16 inch steel rims. Read more

May 23, 2008 | Filed Under hybrid cars | Leave a Comment