Jun 6
Written by: Aaron Turpen
Published on June 6th, 2009 in Electric Cars

Boston-Power, based in Westborough, Massachusetts, has announced that they will be building a 455,000 square foot facility in Auburn, Mass. The new facility will be a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery making manufacturing plant. A federal stimulus of $100 million will be used to build the new plant in addition to $9 million from Massachusetts.
Read More: Boston-Power Gets $100M in Federal Stimulus to Build Li-Ion Manufacturing Facility

If you haven’t noticed, there’s a real popularity amongst 3-wheeled platforms for electric and hybrid electric cars. There’s a big reason for that: efficiency and the law. The XR3 is another of these 3-wheelers that is currently available as a kit model that can be built by tinkerers at home. Soon, it will go into production for limited sales nationally.
Read More: The XR3 Motors PHEV Kit Car Goes Into Production
May 10
Written by: Aaron Turpen
Published on May 10th, 2009 in Hybrid Vehicles

John is a fuel economy technical expert at the Ford Motor Company and a member of the forums at EcoModder, good friends of Zoomilife. By day, he’s a Ford Engineer, by night… a HyperRocket building genius.
Read More: Ford Engineer Invents HyperRocket in Spare Time: 125mpg, 100+mph
May 5
Written by: Aaron Turpen
Published on May 5th, 2009 in Electric Cars

A123 Systems developed the Hymotion L5 plug-in conversion kit to convert a Prius (2nd generation) into a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). Foreign Affairs Auto of West Palm Beach, Florida has been announced as an official installer of the kits–the 12th shop to gain that recognition from A123.
Read More: Hymotion Announces Foreign Affairs Auto As Official PHEV Kit Installer
May 1
Written by: Aaron Turpen
Published on May 1st, 2009 in Electric Cars

NovaCharge, an authorized channel for ChargePoint Systems from Coulomb Technologies, has teamed up with Advanced Vehicle Research Center (AVRC). This partnership will facilitate the sales of ChargePoint Systems to electric utilities and educational and government agencies in the area.
Read More: NovaCharge, AVRC and Coulomb Team Up In Virginia and North Carolina
Apr 29
Written by: Aaron Turpen
Published on April 29th, 2009 in Electric Cars

The all-electric BYD e6 crossover vehicle debuted at the Shanghai Auto Show today. It’s a step away from the usual designs BYD has offered so far. It includes the latest technology, which BYD’s CEO showcased a few days ago, with a 100% recyclable battery and can recharge to 50% in ten minutes.
Read More: Shanghai Auto Show: The BYD e6 Crossover Unveiled
Apr 29
Written by: Aaron Turpen
Published on April 29th, 2009 in Electric Cars

FEV proposed the Wankel Rotary Engine as a range-extender solution at this year’s SAE conference. The issues of repeated starting and engine vibration are becoming paramount in plug-in hybrid maker’s minds. Efficiency, quiet operation, and the ability to stand up to repeated starting are important to the overall comfort and long-term operation of a PHEV.
Read More: FEV Proposes Wankel Rotary Engine as a Range Extender

Mazda is famous for two things: fun cars and Wankel Rotary Engines. The company has two cars in its lineup right now it’s testing as hydrogen models: the Premacy and the RX-8. The Premacy is a mini-van and the RX-8 is a sport coupe and both use rotary engines.
Read More: Mazda’s Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid
Apr 24
Written by: Aaron Turpen
Published on April 24th, 2009 in Hybrid Vehicles

Designed to showcase Buick’s vision of “business on the road,” this multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) was developed in China and is a hybrid utilizing the GM Hybrid System. The design of the vehicle is a joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).
Read More: Shanghai Auto Show: Buick Unveils Business Concept Hybrid
Apr 24
Written by: Aaron Turpen
Published on April 24th, 2009 in Electric Cars

Hyundai has confirmed two new hybrids for their lineup, one is the concept Nuvis and the other is an Elantra LPI. The Nuvis has no set production date (yet), but the prototype was debuted at the New York Auto Show this year, so it can’t be far off. The Elantra hybrid will be released in Korea this summer.
Read More: Hyundai’s New BLUE-drive PHEV Confirmed