With the news that Formula 1 is going hybrid from the 2011 season onwards we received a stack of emails from people asking why F1 didn’t just go 100% electric right away. The good news is, starting next year there will be an open wheel racing series, it’ll be called Formula EF01 and will feature 10 races at different tracks around the world, the car will be the new all electric EF01 pictured above … More
Archive for the ‘Electric Vehicles’ Category
2011 CHEVROLET VOLT
BY DAVID COLMAN
 You’ll be reading reams of technical information about this car in the months to come, but what’s it really like to drive? Based on a 100 mile round trip between Sausalito and Marshall, the Volt offers a workable solution to everyday transportation for 4 with the added bonus of 25-50 miles of gas-free operation daily. Volt operates in 2 different modes. There’s battery power, which is good for that gas-free 25-50 mile romp, plus gasoline power for an added range of about 350 miles. If you drive short trips every day, it could be months before you need to refill the Volt’s 9.2 gallon gas tank.Â
 Of course, you’ll need to recharge the batteries every night, a 10 hour job if you use 120V household current. If you want a 3 hour home recharge at 220V, you’ll need to install a special battery charger which costs $600. Chevy will do a free site survey to assess what the installation of this charger will entail. Labor and parts can run the job as high as $2,000.
 The combined range estimate of 379 miles means you never have to worry about getting stuck with a dead battery, because Read the rest of this entry »
Johnathan Goodwin can get 100 mpg out of a Lincoln Continental, cut emissions by 80%, and double the horsepower. Does the car business have the guts to follow him?
“Check it out. It’s actually a jet engine,” says Johnathan Goodwin, with a low whistle. “This thing is gonna be even cooler than I thought.” We’re hunched on the floor of Goodwin’s gleaming workshop in Wichita, Kansas, surrounded by the shards of a wooden packing crate. Inside the wreckage sits his latest toy–a 1985-issue turbine engine originally designed for the military. It can spin at a blistering 60,000 rpm and burn almost any fuel. And Goodwin has some startling plans for this esoteric piece of hardware: He’s going to use it to create the most fuel-efficient Hummer in history … Details & Photos
Chip Yates has made racing history and proven the viability of electric motorcycles by going head-to-head with race-ready gasoline machines — and beating them.
Yates, who has spent months developing an electric superbike worthy of the name, finished on the podium in two classes at the WERA Heavyweight Twins races on Sunday. He competed against the likes of Ducati 848s, KTM RC8s and Suzuki SV650s and handily beat most of them … Pictures & Details