hybrid vehicles

11.21.09

Hybrid Lamborghini Coming in 2015

First Ferrari, now Lamborghini. Will high-end hybrid sports cars soon be stalking the world's boulevards?

By Mike Spinelli Posted 08.05.2009 at 1:45 pm 5 Comments

In an interview with Germany's Automobilewoche trade paper, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann says the Audi-owned sports car maker will launch a hybrid model by 2015. Surprising news for a company whose V10 and V12 engines are best known for converting large quantities of premium unleaded into blazing speed? Not really. Officials from rival Ferrari have said, as often as anyone will listen, that a hybrid Ferrari is on the way -- the exact same year. What a coincidence.

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READ MORE ABOUT > auto news, hybrid vehicles, hybrids, lamborghini, sports cars, supercars

Hybrid Anything: Retrofit Kit Wins Award

A former IBM engineer says his latest invention can turn regular cars into plug-in hybrids for between $3,000 and $5,000. He could be on to something.

By Mike Spinelli Posted 07.01.2009 at 10:22 am 11 Comments

It fits into a wheel hub and can double a car's fuel economy. That's the claim of Dr. Charles Perry, who says his plug-in hybrid retrofit kit can save America 120 million gallons of fuel per day. Big talk. But then, inventors betting on revolutionary uphevals need to talk as big as they think. The former IBM electrical engineer designed the kit to transform existing automobiles into hybrids by placing an electric motor inside each wheel. Perry recently took first prize for his invention at a green energy competition at the Tennessee Technology Development Corp.

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READ MORE ABOUT > energy, hybrid, hybrid cars, hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrids, retrofit

Chevy Volt Prototype Test Drive: Detroit's Great Electric Hope

Does the hotly anticipated plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt have a shot at rejuvenating General Motors? We took a prototype version for a spin to find out.

By Seth Fletcher Posted 05.20.2009 at 3:42 pm 17 Comments

Reporting on a test drive of a new car is generally pretty simple. How does the car look? How does it feel? Does it hang with its competitive set? How many parking-garage attendants told you it was awesome?

Assessing a pre-prototype version of the Chevy Volt is, um, different. To start, it’s not a production car. Then there’s the context. The Volt lies at the intersection of some of the most contentious issues of the day—electric cars vs. next-generation gas or diesel engines, CAFE standards, greenhouse-gas restrictions, the federal bailout of the American auto industry. Some people still refuse to believe that the Volt is actually a production-intent project. But after driving the car earlier this week, I can testify that the Volt is definitely real.

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READ MORE ABOUT > chevrolet, chevy, chevy volt, electric cars, general motors, hybrid vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrid, test drive