While in San Francisco for the launch of the Vectrix, the all-electric motorcycle, I spoke with Tansy Brook of British Motor Cars. BMC will be the exclusive distributor of the ZEV throughout California. From the company’s flagship store in San [See the full post…]

Have you ever looked up and watched a jet high in the sky leaving a long contrail? Have you also wondered what effect that contrail might have on global warming and our environment? Dr. David Travis, from the University of [See the full post…]

During Hybridfest in Madison, Wisc., Sherry Boschert, author of Plug-in Hybrids, The Cars That Will Re-Charge America, gave a talk entitled, “Drive with the Wind, Run with the Sun.”

At Hybridfest in Madison, Wisc., I finally got the chance to ride in the Kurrent, the LSV from American Electric. A NEV with top speeds of 25 mph, the Kurrent costs .02 cents per mile to operate and is being [See the full post…]

One of the founders of Plug In America, Paul Scott, was on hand at the West Coast launch of the Vectrix, the new zero-emissions vehiclez, (ZEV). I had the opportunity to talk with him about the new scooter, and the [See the full post…]

During the launch of the ZEV Vectrix Maxi in San Francisco, Chelsea Sexton of Who Killed the Electric Car, gave some opening remarks. Afterwards, I spoke with her about the promise of the vehicle and other topics.

Vectrix USA unveiled their zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) in San Francisco at the Presidio last week. I had the opportunity to ride it with Jeff Morrill, Vectrix marketing director, and it was a lot of fun! (I want one!) At $11k, [See the full post…]

At Hybridfest in Madison, Wisc., the University of Wisconsin had their Challenge X team present. The team placed 2nd in the competition for the last 2 years with its diesel electric propulsion system.

During Hybridfest in Madison, Wisc., Jonathan Foley, from the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), gave a presentation titled, “News From A Warming Planet.”

During Hybridfest in Madison, Wisc., I met Jamie Derr, a farmer and advocate for biodiesel and biofuels. He’s also COO of Great Lakes BioFuels, a privately-held biodiesel distribution and services company that’s also involved in biofuel raw materials (feedstock) research [See the full post…]

During Hybridfest in Madison, Wisc., I met Dr. Rich McKone of Peoria, Ill. A proud owner of a 1967 Aston Martin, Rich competed in the Great Race in his british race car with some impressive results. He will be converting [See the full post…]

During Hybridfest in Madison, Wisc., I had the opportunity to tour the Continental Mobile Safety Exhibit. An interactive media display, the exhibit tours the country highlighting all the technologies Continental is working on bringing to vehicles, including vehicle to vehicle [See the full post…]

The concept of car sharing is growing. Not a rental car company, the model is to pay for only the time you use a vehicle. In Madison, Wisc., Community Car has been around for four years and continues to expand. [See the full post…]

While at Hybridfest in Madison, Wisc., I took a ride on the GM Hybrid Bus with driver Dave Carey, who was a wealth of information about the vehicle. With it’s Allison transmission system, the bus delivers better fuel economy and [See the full post…]

Jeffrey Radtke is owner/president of Neodymics, of Madison, Wisc. During Hybridfest, Jeffrey demonstrated his Cyclemotor, a bicycle-to-moped upgrade that replaces the front wheel on any standard bicycle with a power on demand control mechanism complete with batteries, motor, transmission, and [See the full post…]

During Hybridfest 2007 in Madison, Wisc., I met Theodore (Ted) Bohn of Argonne National Laboratory. As a power electronics engineer, Bohn is at the forefront of assessing advanced and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) technologies for the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies [See the full post…]

During Hybridfest, in Madison, Wisc., I met Bill Kinney, a hypermiler from the Seattle area, who traveled to the event in his Honda Insight, averaging about 108 miles per gallon and spending only $56 on gas for the 2000+ mile [See the full post…]

During Hybridfest 2007 in Madison, Wisc., Francis Vogel, executive director of Clean Cities Wisconsin, gave a talk about Fleet Vehicles and Emissions.

Ron DeLong is a manager at LinearLOGIC and the brains behind ScanGauge, a 3-in-1 computer that reads and displays information about your car such as fuel economy, engine load, average speed and more. The device was quite popular at this [See the full post…]

I had the opportunity to drive the new GMC Acadia during a ride and drive event in Flint, Mich. Joining me was Lynda Messina, product communications manager for the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Saturn Outlook. Read Edmunds review of [See the full post…]

Have you ever been speeding along on a highway only to come upon someone going the speed limit or under? It may be a hypermiler. Hypermiling is a term coined by Wayne Gerdes of CleanMPG.com, a Website dedicated to the [See the full post…]

After touring the GM LDT assembly plant, I spoke with Plant Manager Randy Thayer about what it takes to run an operation of this size. (Hint: it’s the people.)

I never thought a plant tour of an auto assembly line would be that interesting, but when I toured GM’s new Lansing Delta Township plant, where they are building the new Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook, I was [See the full post…]

I had the opportunity several months ago to tour the OnStar Command Center with Chet Huber. This time, I went with a video camera and spoke with OnStar’s Christi Chojnacki and Rob Myers.

GM’s history dates back to the 1960’s with the concept ElectroVan. In this episode, at the Heritage Center, outside Sterling Heights, Mich., HC manager Greg Wallace shows us the Impact, EV1, Skateboard and the insides of the Chevy Volt.