Microsoft just launched a national database of plug-in vehicle charging rate plans that makes it a snap to find the best electricity prices to charge your plug-in vehicle. The database is called the Microsoft Utility Rate Service (MURS), and it will be available via subscription to government agencies, power providers, auto makers, and electric vehicle charging equipment companies.

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Post tags: duke energy, electric cars, electric cars charging, electric vehicles, ford, microsoft, microsoft electric cars, murs, utlity companies charging, xcel energy

Fisker‘s next generation of hot hybrid cars are likely to have lighter, dedicated three- or four-cylinder engines, according to Autoblog. The company is seriously looking into the Lotus Engineering 1.2-liter three-cylinder range-extending engine for the purpose. A dedicated range-extending engine makes sense in the long run, because it significantly lowers the weight of the electric car, allowing it to add more range.

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Post tags: electric car, electric vehicle, fisker electric, fisker karma, fisker lightweight, fisker plug-in, karma lightweight, plug-in hybrid

While Tesla has been on the forefront of electric vehicle battery technology, company chief Elon Musk recently said that capacitors, not batteries, are the future of EV’s. Musk told a Cleantech Forum in San Francisco that “If I were to make a prediction, I’d think there’s a good chance that it is not batteries. But capacitors.”

Read the rest of Tesla Chief Bets on Capacitors Over Batteries for Future of Electric Vehicles

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Post tags: battery capacitors, capacitors, electric cars, electric vehicle batteries, electric vehicle capacitors, electric vehicles, elon musk, elon musk tesla, tesla, tesla capacitors, tesla model-s, Tesla roadster

Ford announced today that it will use AT&T’s wireless network to connect the Ford Focus electric. Through the new MyFord Mobile smartphone app, Focus drivers will be able to control the car’s settings, even when they’re not physically around their vehicle. Basically, you’ll be able to check on your car’s charge, find charging stations, lock and unlock doors, pre-temperature control your car, and even use the built-in GPS system to locate your vehicle, all through the touch of a button.

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Post tags: AT&T, AT&T ford, AT&T wireless, electric car, electric car controls, electric vehicle, ford, ford focus, ford wireless network, smart phones

Car dealers across the United States are facing a shortfall of Japanese fuel-efficient cars as rising gas prices and uncertainty about new shipments coming in from Japan have increased demand. Toyota and Nissan both said they were shutting down their auto-assembly operations until next week. Toyota said it will continue to halt auto production at its plants till March 22, affecting about 95,000 vehicles.

Read the rest of Japan’s Earthquake and High Gas Prices Lead to a Shortage of the Toyota Prius

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Post tags: fuel efficient cars, green transportation, honda fit, japan disaster, japan earthquake, japan toyota tsunami, oil prices, Toyota, toyota fuel, toyota japan, toyota prius

While sight is something we take for granted while riding our bikes, Daniel Kish from California rides his bike based completely on sound. Kish, who is blind, goes riding around town using a method called echolocation — which effectively works as a sonar. As Kish rides his bike around he makes a clicking sounds, and the clicks then bounce back, allowing Kish to create a mental image of his surroundings. Kish’s system allows him to used his ears as his eyes, similar to bats.

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Post tags: bike riding, biking, blind, blind bicycle, daniel kish, daniel kish echolocation, echolocation, npr, riding, world access for the blind

After a third Republican governor said no to federal high-speed rail money citing potential cost overruns, a House committee is looking into building railways without federal involvement. House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica’s (R-Fla.) office said on Friday that the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials is trying to find ways to “encourage and increase private-sector participation in passenger rail service.”

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Post tags: florida high speed rail, green transit, high speed rail, house committee on transportation, john mica, private funding rail, rail, ray lahood, trains, transit, transportation secretary john mica

As an increasing number of customers look towards fuel-efficient cars with gas prices rising, General Motors has just announced that it will double the production of its Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car. On top of this, the car maker will also be adding a second shift to their manufacturing lines and 1,000 jobs at its Michigan plant to meet the new goal.

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Post tags: chevrolet volt, chevy volt, electric car, electric vehicle, general motors, gm volt, plug-in hybrid, plug-in vehicle, volt, volt electric car, volt plug-in hybrid

The gorgeous and beastly Veritas RS III Roadster was released just over a year ago, and now Vermont AG is adding a hybrid drive to its V10-powered retro ride. The Hybrid version adds a 105 kilowatt electric motor to the BMW-sourced 507-horsepower V10 engine, producing a cool 600 hp in the new iteration. A full electric version and a coupe are also next up to hit the market.

Read the rest of Veritas RSIII Roadster is the World’s Fastest Plug-in Hybrid

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Post tags: electric vehicles, hybrid, hybrid cars, plug-in hybrid, plug-in vehicles, RSIII Hybrid, Veritas, Veritas RSIII, Veritas RSIII Hybrid, Veritas RSIII Hybrid coupe, vermont ag

While politicians on both sides of the aisle in the U.S. are debating the benefits of high-speed rail, the news in Italy is that Michelangelo’s statue of David may be at risk of being toppled by the construction of a high-speed rail line nearby. The statue’s flimsy ankles apparently could give way due to vibrations during construction, the Telegraph is reporting.

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Post tags: Accademia Gallery, Accademia Gallery high speed rail, David, florence, high speed rail, high-speed rail italy, hsr florence, Michelangelo, Michelangelo’s statue of David, rail, Statue of David, train

Better Place has finally announced a pricing plan for its cars at its first European retail station in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company has teamed up with Renault for the venture. We’ve been following the innovative startup, which offers the opportunity to swap your battery when it’s run out of power for some time now, and we’re glad to see that they’ve got their pricing in place.

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Post tags: battery swap, better place, better place battery, better place electric vehicle, denmark better place, electric car batteries, electric cars, electric vehicles, renault better place, renault ev, shai aggasi

Toyota just made hybrid cars a whole lot more accessible by debuting the Toyota Yaris sub-compact hybrid at this week’s 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Hybrids that are currently available typically cost upwards of $20,000, and aren’t accessible to the entry-level fuel conscious market. The sub-compact hybrid Yaris, though, may change all that. The B-segment car, made for Europe right now — where smaller cars are more common place, shows Toyota’s commitment to downsize its proven full hybrid technology. The Yaris Hybrid will go on sale in Europe next year, though no word yet on whether it will have a U.S. debut.

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Post tags: b-segment hybrid, geneva auto show, subcompact hybrid, Toyota, toyota hybrid, toyota yaris hybrid, yaris, yaris hybrid, yaris subcompact, yaris subcompact hybrid

The high-speed rail is now making its way high up into the courts. The Florida Supreme Court will hear oral arguments later today in a lawsuit filed against Governor Rick Scott, for refusing to take $2.4 billion in federal money for the proposed Tampa-Orlando high speed rail line. On March 1, two Senators — Republican Thad Altman and Democrat Arthenia Joyner — filed a lawsuit in the state Supreme Court against Scott for returning high-speed rail money back to the feds. The senators are arguing that the Governor is obligated to accept the money, because the Florida State Legislature voted in December 2009 to authorize the project. Scott, on his end, is claiming that he rejected the money because he was convinced there would be cost overruns and low ridership.

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Post tags: federal money, florida governor rick scott, florida high speed rail, florida rail, florida rick scott, high speed rail, HSR, rail, rick scott, rick scott rejects high speed rail

What’s even better than owning a Bentley? Owning a biofuel-powered Bentley than can go over 200 MPH — on ice! Bentley is set to showcase its new Supersports ‘Ice Speed Record’ convertible at the Geneva Auto Show this week. This new model, limited to just 100 cars worldwide, is a celebration of the the world ice speed record that was set two weeks ago by Finland’s four-time world rally champion Juha Kankkunen in a Bentley Continental Supersports convertible, which ran entirely on biofuels.

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Post tags: bentley, bentley biofuel, Bentley Supersports ‘Ice Speed Record’ convertible, Biofuel Bentley, geneva auto show, ice speed record, ice speed record bentley, Juha Kankkunen, Supersports ‘Ice Speed Record’ convertible, Supersports convertible

Today Luxury car maker Rolls-Royce officially unveiled its first electric car — the 102EX Phantom Experimental Vehicle — at the Geneva Auto show. Although only a concept at this point, the car will be one of the first electric vehicles made for for the ultra-luxury segment. Rolls-Royce is hoping to test how its consumer base reacts to alternative drive-train options with the 102EX – read on for a look under the hood!

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Post tags: 102 EX Phantom Experimental, 102EX electric car, electric car, electric vehicle, geneva, geneva auto show, phantom 102ex, phantom electric car, phantom electric vehicle, rolls-royce, rolls-royce 102 EX, rolls-royce alternative fuel, rolls-royce Phantom

Fisker just announced that the much-delayed Karma finally has a production date – Autoblog is reporting that the luxury plug-in hybrid will roll off its assembly lines by March 21st and deliveries will start around April. The beautiful car has had a pretty bumpy ride so far — it was originally supposed to launch November 2009, which got pushed back to September 2010, and was delayed again to February 2011. This time, however, rumor has it that the company plans to stick to its March promise. So far 3,000 people have ordered the car and the company plans to sell about 15,000 models a year (though not for the first year). If you’re interested, the car costs a hefty $95,900, but from everything we’ve read about its performance, it might be worth the cash.

Via Autoblog

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Post tags: electric car, electric vehicle, fisker, fisker karma, fisker karma plug in hybrid, fisker plug in hybrid, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, plugin hybrid

Unrest in the middle east has caused gas prices to rise across the world. As a precautionary energy-saving initiative, Spain has announced that it will lower its highway speed limits, cut train ticket prices and use more biofuels to reduce oil consumption. Thirteen percent of the oil Spain consumes comes from Libya, so a $1.37 per barrel increase in oil prices will cost Spain an extra $690 million per month.

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Post tags: fuel consumption, global oil consumption, libya, libya global oil prices, libya oil, lower fuel consumption, lower speed limits, middle east unrest, oil prices, Spain, spain oil consumption

Range anxiety is one of the biggest hurdles facing electric cars today. For electric vehicles to truly become mainstream, batteries will have to provide a longer range and become much cheaper. Now, researchers from South Korea have developed an advanced lithium-ion battery that has a high energy content and rate capacity — making electric cars even more competitive than their gas-powered counterparts.

Read the rest of New Lithium-Ion Batteries Could Significantly Extend the Range of Electric Cars

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Post tags: batteries, electric batteries, electric car, electric car batteries, electric vehicles, lithium batteries, lithium ion battery, lithium-ion electric car batteries, plug-in vehicles, range anxiety

Mr. Peanut is in for a big upgrade. Planters has decided to give the him a ride of his own: the Nutmobile, an entirely green, environmentally-friendly vehicle. Based on a 2011 Isuzu NPR truck, the Nutmobile is made from a 11,000-pound fiberglass outer shell, runs on biodiesel, has solar panels, a wind turbine, LED lighting, and its interiors are primarily made from recycled parts. Even the wooden floors are from an old barn!

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Post tags: alt fuel cars, alt fuel vehicles, alternative fuel cars, biofuel, green mr. peanut, green nutmobile, mr peanut, mr. peanut vehicle, nutmobile, planters |, solar panels

Not sure whether you want to drive an all-electric car, a hybrid or a powerful sports car? Well, now you can do it all the with Volvo‘s new diesel plug-in hybrid, a new design based on their V60 estate. The car will be on display at the upcoming Geneva motor show, and from what we can tell, it will be the first vehicle of its kind.

Read the rest of Volvo’s New Car Goes From All-Electric to Hybrid or Diesel With the Push of a Button

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Post tags: diesel hybrid, diesel hybrid cars, geneva auto show, hybrid cars, plug-in diesel hybrid, plug-in diesel hybrid cars, volvo, volvo hybrid, volvo hybrid vehicle, volvo plug-in, volvo plug-in diesel hybrid