According to the press release, “Bright Automotive and General Motors Co.  announced Tuesday they have agreed to pursue a strategic relationship and that GM has  provided funding to the Indiana automaker, the first  funding action by the newly formed General Motors Ventures LLC.

The funding will help accelerate Bright’s production of the IDEA, a revolutionary plug-in hybrid commercial vehicle.

“This relationship is an important step forward for Bright, and a strong endorsement of our highly experienced automotive team and our incredible vehicle,” said Reuben Munger, Bright Automotive Chairman and CEO.  “With this deal, Bright gets financial support that puts us on the fast track toward mass production of the IDEA. And perhaps just as importantly, we gain a strategic partner that is a world leader in electrification.”

The companies signed a memorandum of understanding in July.  GM Ventures provided funding to Bright this week, and the two companies intend to complete the formal agreements later this year.  Upon completion of the agreements and other terms, General Motors Ventures would have a minority stake in Bright Automotive and Bright would have access to GM technologies, and advanced engine and transmission systems, for its vehicle.

“Funding early-stage start-up companies is a new way of doing business at GM to accelerate the introduction of innovative technology to support our core automotive business and give us a competitive advantage,” said Jon Lauckner, president of GM Ventures.  ”In this case, our funding of Bright Automotive will accelerate the introduction of advanced propulsion and light-weight technologies in the commercial vehicle market.”

“We talked with several leading automakers, but GM clearly had the right vision, the most capable technology, and the closest alignment with our business approach,” said Michael Brylawski, Bright Automotive executive vice president.  “We are thrilled to work with GM to create American jobs, stimulate technology development, and build an innovative American vehicle that will help reduce oil dependence and cut costs for businesses.”

In developing the IDEA, Bright started with a clean sheet of paper, listened to customers, and took a novel approach to product development that focused on light-weighting, aerodynamics and a highly efficient drivetrain.  The result is a multipurpose vehicle for business fleets — the first designed to be highly efficient and provide a clear economic benefit.

The IDEA delivers a positive total cost of ownership to fleet customers by providing significantly greater fuel efficiency than current fleet vehicles in its class.  The IDEA operates in electric mode for 40 miles before switching to an estimated 36-mpg hybrid mode for 100+ mpg potential based on daily driving behavior.

Funding through GM Ventures will allow Bright to begin ramping up the development of the production program for the IDEA in the third quarter of 2010.  Bright continues to seek a low-interest loan through the Department of Energy’s ATVM program.  Financial terms were not disclosed.”

Source: General Motors Press Release

Zapcar - 2008 Xebra

According to the press release, “US electric vehicle pioneer ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) and China auto manufacturer Zhejiang Jonway Automobile Co. Ltd. announced a commercial agreement to produce electric sport utility vehicles (SUVs), cars and other electric vehicles in China for domestic and global distribution.

ZAP and Jonway partnered on the production of the 5-door Jonway A380 SUV, integrating the latest AC propulsion and lithium battery system technologies to produce a high performance mid-range electric vehicle (EV) that ZAP intends to offer to the fleet market in China. Jonway currently manufactures several thousand units per month of its A380 compact SUV in 3- and 5-door models and is expanding its product line with new model sedans and other automobiles.

The agreement with Jonway is part of a multi-phase business plan ZAP is implementing to target the China electric vehicle market. ZAP chose the Jonway partnership in part because last year Jonway produced one of the first vehicles made in China to meet international standards of quality, including ISO 9000, China Compulsory Certification (CCC) and most recently passing certification for import to the European Union. The Taizhou-based automaker markets and sells vehicles in China through a network of over 600 auto dealerships. Jonway has the capacity to produce up to 50,000 vehicles per year currently at its facilities in Taizhou with capacity and support from the government to expand as the business scales.

ZAP and Jonway believe the partnership will leverage ZAP’s long-standing history in electric vehicles, experience in systems integration and worldwide sales for a broad range of EVs. Under the exclusive agreement, ZAP and Jonway take the electric drive systems designed by ZAP and integrate them into the reengineered EV SUV that will be produced by Jonway. ZAP will perform research and development of the core technology in Santa Rosa, California and license the technology for this partnership. ZAP and Jonway will jointly market and sell electric vehicles in China, North America and Europe to broaden market reach.

In 2009, China overtook the United States as the world’s largest automobile market with sales increasing 46 percent from 2008 to 13.6 million vehicles in 2009, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

ZAP hopes to leverage a stimulus from the government for plug-in forms of transportation. The Chinese State Council General Office announced that it intends to raise its annual production capacity to 500,000 all-electric cars, hybrids and buses by the end of 2011. To stimulate the growth, China’s Economic Construction Department has put in place a 60,000 RMB, approximately US$8,800, manufacturers subsidy per electric vehicle produced and sold in China. ”

Source: Press Release

Honda Insight

For the consumer inclined to buy a hybrid automobile, there are several different options. Many of the main automotive manufactures have at least one hybrid in their lineup these days, in the hope to stay competitive with one another. These hybrids come in all different forms, but the most popular have been those that are mid-sized sedans. Easy to park, easy to look at, easy to drive, the sedan is the car for the every-person who needs to get from point A to point B. Within this sedan market there are many contenders, though the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight come out on top.

Comparing the two hybrids, it is not easy to see much difference. Both the Insight and the Prius look very similar, both styled with sloping lines and a few gentle curves. However once you look beyond the everyday exterior, the sedans are different. First and foremost is the price, the Insight sells for a base price of $19,800 while the Prius sells for $22,400 base. It would seem that the Insight is the better buy, due to the several thousand less than the Prius, however the Prius has been outselling the Insight nearly 6 to 1.

The reasons why?

Read on.

The Honda Insight generates 123 pounds of torque from between 1000 to 1700 rpm, while the Prius only manages 105 pounds of torque. The Prius however is the better in terms of displacement with 1789 cc, compared to the 1339 cc of the Insight. Both the Prius and the Insight utilize a 4 cylinder engine, along with an electric motor.

Toyota Prius

In terms of pure performance, neither the Prius nor Insight are going to turn heads or get the adrenaline pumping. Neither car was designed for such a purpose, so neither is wicked fast. The Prius does win the 0-60 mph test though, with a plod-along-time of 10.1 seconds. The Insight fared slightly worse with a time of 10.8 seconds, a time far from one that would gain respect in a quarter mile.
Both however are big on gas mileage, though the size of their gas tanks is not terribly large. The Prius comes equipped with a 11.9 gallon tank while the Insight rings in with a 10.6 gallon tank.

The most important figures are those revolving around gas milage, and the Prius wins this battle. The 3rd generation Prius gets an average of 50 miles to the gallon, a solid 9 more mpg than the Insight which gets 41.

In summation, the Prius has the advantage over the Insight in several categories. What does this mean to the buyer, or the reader of this article? In the end of all things, it is usually something small or mundane that captures the eye about the car, not the facts and figures. That being said, what really matters is the taste of the individual, and how much they are willing to part with to be a part of the “wave of the future” that is the hybrid automobile scene.

Green, being the word of the day applies itself to every industry due to regulations and consumer demand for cleaner products. In the case of General Motors (GM), the only green they may ever see could be in the form of the grass that is covering their new home 6 feet under the ground in the graveyard of dead auto-makers.

We the people, now own General Motors, thanks to the bailout that brought GM out of bankruptcy. Since the taxpayers now own the company, the question remains: what have they done with our money?

The answer is for the consumer to decide, and they have. GM has been posting an improvement in sales this year over last year. In October, they sold 4% more automobiles then they did in 2008. There has, in fact been an increase in sales across all of the GM brands over last years’ numbers, though that may not come as too much of a surprise. Due to these positive numbers, there is a new sense of optimism, at least in the short term surrounding GM. For they too have begun to push their more environmentally sound autos.

GM offers a variety of hybrid models, everything from sedans, trucks to SUVs. 7 in all, these cars are to represent the future of the GM family in providing a healthier environment. Yet, due to the sales results listed on GM’s website, none of these hybrid models are what have been increasing sales. Instead, there has been a strong focus on the truck, SUV and crossover market. While there are hybrids in both the SUV and truck lineups that GM produces, they received no mention in the current production and sales release. This begs the question: when the future represents tougher emission standards (like those found in California), how much longer does GM suppose they can continue to produce automobiles that don’t match up? Hybrid cars, trucks, SUVs, crossovers, and any other variety of cars are the wave of the future. It seems as though GM cannot let the past be, and instead have chosen to focus on its history for producing autos, instead of its future.

It was only a year ago that Ford’s selling price was a measly $1/share. Naturally this was due to lack of consumer confidence in the entire automotive system that had clearly been failing for at least a decade. Foreign imports were taking away the motor market from the Big 3, imports particularly from the nation of Japan. These cars were popular, built with higher quality, thus lasting longer. In addition, they had better gas mileage than their American counterparts. Yet there is now another shift in the automotive marketplace, towards cars that utilize green energy; a concept that Ford has begun to take to the next level.

Enter the Ford Escape Hybrid, touted by Ford to be the most efficient SUV on the planet. It gets an average of 34 city/31 highway miles per gallon (mpg), and uses no gas when the vehicle is stopped or driving slowly. In addition, the Escape Hybrid uses an innovative braking system to recharge the battery that powers the car while stopped or moving slowly. The heat caused by applying the brakes is captured, and transformed into energy, thus recharging the battery which is stored in the back of the car.
With optional 4WD, the question remains, does the Escape Hybrid live up to the designation of SUV? Sport Utility Vehicle denotes the ability to “escape” from the everyday grind and journey to places where there are no paved roads. The Escape Hybrid allows the driver 8.3 inches of wiggle room under the chassis for that very purpose. While you may not end up driving the Escape Hybrid over boulders or through rivers, it does possess the ground clearance to spice up an excursion to the countryside.

With an improved lineup and semi-restored faith in the U.S. automotive industry, Fords price per share has increased to $8.

When the words “motorcycle racing” are heard, the image of a sleek, powerful and fuel-hungry superbike comes to mind. The kind that Valentino Rossi likes to ride in the Moto GP, or a hopped up street bike popping a wheelie down a vacant street whilst competing with another. While these images of motorcycle racing may hold true, the sport is slowly beginning to change. Nowhere has this change been felt more then on the track. For once, the race tracks are quiet.

Quiet in a good way, and soon that near-silence will be coming to the United States. A motorcycle race will take place in Infineon Raceway in Sonoma County, and the sounds of the motorcycles will hardly be heard. The first ever no-carbon emission motorcycle race on the continent, and the second ever such race in the world is to take place on May 14-16 of 2010, during the AMA Motorcycle Sonoma Showdown.

TTXGP (Time Trial Extreme Grand Prix) is an entirely new variety of motorcycle racing, with the first of such races having occurred at the Isle of Man TT in 2009. Teams from all over the globe came to race their bikes, based on a specific set of rules and guidelines. All the bikes were to be zero-emissions, and they would rely on electricity for propulsion. In 2010 that racing event is coming to the United States, and will be sure to have motorcycle fans buzzing. It will be that buzz that should take place of the noise that the motorcycles make, since they are incredibly quiet machines due to their reliance on electricity stored in batteries that find a home on the motorcycle. The top speed of these bikes is near to 130 mph, though they cannot yet hold an electrical charge that would allow them to keep that speed for long. Going at top speed, the TTXGP bikes can expend near to 70 kilowatts per hour. This means that despite their innovative technologies, they will be racing for 30 minutes during the day. During those short races however, fans will be able to catch a glimpse into the future of motorcycle racing.

While politically unpalatable, gasoline that costs at least $4 a gallon would have a far greater effect on American fuel usage than Washington’s $25 billion loan program meant to spark investment in new technologies, executives told the Reuters Auto Summit in Detroit.

Consumer demand for fuel-efficient cars like Toyota Motor Corp’s Prius and Ford Motor Co’s Escape hybrid surged last summer as gasoline prices soared above $4 a gallon.

But with the pressure off — the average U.S. retail gas price was $2.66 a gallon at the end of October, according to the benchmark Lundberg survey — Americans are once again buying fuel-hungry sport utility vehicles and other large cars.

Mike Jackson

“The U.S. allows the price of gasoline to go back and forth across this line where the consumers don’t care about fuel efficiency and where consumers do care about fuel efficiency,” Mike Jackson, chief executive of AutoNation Inc, the No. 1 U.S. auto retailer, told the summit in Detroit on Wednesday.”

Source: Reuters

BMW have decided to offer a test run of Advanced Diesel in the U.S., through two of their line of production automobiles. The first is the BMW X5 xDrive35d, an SUV that relies on a V-8 the produces 265 horsepower and gets 580 miles to the gallon. The other offering is the 335d, a sedan which claims to be able to go from 0-60mph in 6 seconds, while getting the same 580 gallons per tank of gas.

What BMW is offering through these new diesel models is nothing short of a whole new way of thinking about emissions. BMW utilizes a unique filter that removes nitric acid from the exhaust generated by the engine in addition to injecting a cleaning solution to the exhaust, insuring that both diesel vehicles meet emission standards for all 50 states. As a result of this process of cleaning the exhaust, the remaining harmful products are converted into nitrogen and water vapor before exiting the automobile via the tailpipe. What BMW hopes to achieve is a dramatic reduction in CO2 emissions with their new test line of diesel cars. This, paired with the nearly 600 mile range on one tank is something that Americans have not seen anywhere but in foreign countries. Now that Advanced Diesel technology has come to the United States, the question is:

What will the next innovation be in cleaning up the automotive industry?