The Good Human » Automotive

Revenge of the Electric Car Available on Netflix Instant

david — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:55:56 +0000

If you are a fan of electric cars and the future of transportation, and have a Netflix Watch Instantly subscription, I have the perfect documentary for you to check out.

Revenge of the Electric Car is the follow-up to Who Killed the Electric Car?, and is presented 12 years after General Motors killed their EV1 electric car project. The film covers the explosive growth in the electric car industry, as companies ranging from the guy making EV conversions in his garage, to the truly innovative upstarts (Tesla Motors), and to the massive (GM and Nissan), compete to release an affordable EV for the masses.

Director Chris Paine paints the electric car industry as something of a race, as these four companies try to make the car that will become the first mass-consumed electric car. EV’s are going to be the car of the foreseeable future, as we very slowly move away from oil-burning gas engines, so the stakes are high for everyone to get in on the action right from the start. Check out the trailer for the film:

I highly recommend you take some time to watch Revenge of the Electric Car to both learn more about how electric vehicles are doing today and where the technology will be headed in the future.

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Electric Car Sales to Quintuple in 2012

david — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:26:02 +0000

As compared to 2011, sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars is expected to increase fivefold in 2012. According to the website Clean Fleet Report, citing research from technology research firm Gartner, 2012 should see sales of at least 100,000 electric cars, which is a major jump up from the 18,000 sold during 2011. Those 18,000 include 9,674 Nissan LEAFs and 7,671 Chevrolet Volts, so it will be interesting to see where the rest of that jump in numbers comes from. The Chevy Volt, in particular, had a rough 2011. After some engine fires, it was (and continues to be) a punching bag for those concerned about the safety of EVs, and a recent report stated that dealers are refusing to take the Volts that are allocated to them. Chevy had hoped to sell 100,000 Volts in 2011, but because the company only sold 7,671 of them, it has backed away from plans to build 60,000 of them in 2012.

All that being said, there are many new plug-in hybrids coming on the market, such as the Mitsubishi i, Prius Plug-In Hybrid, Scion IQ Electric, Smart Electric Drive, and several Ford products. Even in this economy, with gas prices on the rise 2012 could be a very good year for alternative vehicles. Let’s hope the report is right and EV car sales exceed 100,000 units.

Test Driving The Fisker Karma Electric/Gasoline Hybrid Car

david — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:09:48 +0000

The beautiful electric/gasoline plug-in hybrid sports car, the Fisker Karma from Fisker Automotive, is finally rolling off assembly lines and being test driven. The video below is from the Fisker dealer in Santa Monica, CA, which recently held an exclusive test drive event for deposit holders of the new plug-in:

The Fisker Karma has two 201-hp electric motors in the rear of the vehicle and a turbocharged 4-cylinder in the front which powers a generator that gives the car a range of about 300 miles. At about $100,000 the cars don’t come cheap, but if this is the future of the electric/gasoline plug-in hybrid vehicles, then the future cannot arrive soon enough. They are simple stunning.

Videos On Fuel Efficiency To Help Reduce Emissions And Save Money

david — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:00:52 +0000

The cost of gasoline is consistently one of the biggest concerns for drivers, and one of the energy-related items average Americans are least able to affect. But a few simple tips could help you reduce pain at the pump and cut tailpipe emissions. energyNOW! has joined with the Alliance to Save Energy to produce a series of short energy efficiency videos. We’ve previously released a series of home energy efficiency tips, and this second set focuses on fuel efficiency. No matter how many miles you drive, you should be able to learn at least one new way to increase your car’s mileage.

To start, make sure to keep your tires properly inflated. This simple trick can increase your car’s efficiency by up to three percent, lengthen the life of your tires, and keep you safer on the road. But be careful to use the air pressure rating inside the driver’s door or in your owner’s manual, not the number on the tire itself.

The next most important tip is keeping your car maintained. Regular maintenance will extend your car’s life, prevent expensive maintenance, and can improve mileage by up to four percent. One key maintenance indicator is the Check Engine light. If it is on, your oxygen sensor could be failing, reducing mileage by up to 40 percent!

Even though car trunks, back seats, and roof racks may seem like great storage spaces for extra items, all that excessive clutter could weigh you down. For every 100 pounds of stuff stored in a vehicle, gas mileage is reduced by two percent. And, a loaded roof rack can cut fuel efficiency five percent.

Avoiding car accidents is enough reason to drive safely, but did you know taking care on the roads also reduces the amount of gasoline you burn? Speeding is a big culprit – every five miles per hour above 60 adds the equivalent cost of 24 cents per gallon of gas. Rapid acceleration and abrupt braking can decrease your mileage by as much as 30 percent at highway speeds, or five percent in city driving.

But the best way to reduce gasoline consumption is simply cutting your miles. Reducing the number of miles you drive by just five percent can save up to $90 per year at today’s gas prices. The best way to accomplish this is by using public transportation. If that’s not an option, you can also try combining several errands into one trip, carpooling with friends and work colleagues, or biking and walking.

Silvio Marcacci is Director of Outreach for energyNOW!, a weekly TV program that examines America’s energy challenges and what we’re doing about them. You can watch energyNOW! on Bloomberg Television Saturday at 5:30 PM or Sunday at 9:00 AM and 1:30 PM (all times Eastern) or always online at www.energynow.com. Local listing information is available at www.bloomberg.com/tv/channel-finder