November 1, 2011: Munich, Germany - 20 Audi A1 e-tron electric cars began trial road tests on the roads in and around Munich on Monday.  Audi, E.ON, the public utility Stadtwerke München and Technische Universität München (TUM) are project partners in this fleet trial. E.ON and SWM are in charge of expanding and maintaining the charging infrastructure in the Munich metropolitan area. The Audi A1 e-tron is an... Read Article

February 17, 2011: Toronto, Ontario - Canada's national vehicle recycling program is asking Canadians to "take spring cleaning to the streets." The Retire Your Ride program offers the opportunity for drivers to retire their vehicles, model year 1995 and older, before the program ends on March 31, 2011. "It's time for Canadians to clean up their acts and get rid of their high-polluting cars," said Fatima Crerar, m... Read Article

February 17, 2011: Mississauga, Ontario - Porsche has announced its new Panamera S Hybrid, which will debut later this year. The new model offers 380 horsepower but is the most fuel efficient Porsche of all time. The Panamera S Hybrid uses the same engine combination already proven in the Cayenne S Hybrid. It can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in just 6.0 seconds and can reach a top track speed of 270 km/h. Its... Read Article

February 17, 2011: Sacramento, California - California's Air Resources Board (ARB) has renewed its grant program for hybrid vehicle technology for a second year. The grants, totalling US$19 million, provide vouchers to help California fleets purchase fuel-efficient hybrid medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses. "This program created an opportunity for California businesses to upgrade their trucks and proves that... Read Article

February 16, 2011: Qualicum Beach, British Columbia - A Mitsubishi i-MiEV has become the first all-electric vehicle in the municipal fleet at Qualicum Beach, British Columbia. The town is now one of the first communities in the province to operate a production-model electric vehicle. "I commend our councillors and town staff for being community leaders for clean air," said Mayor Teunis Westbroek. "This car will r... Read Article

February 11, 2011: Washington, D.C. - The U.S. President's goal of putting one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 is ambitious but achievable, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The study, One Million Electric Vehicles by 2015, shows that the plan is feasible based on steps already taken as part of the Recovery Act and additional policy initiatives proposed by Obama. Thes... Read Article

February 8, 2011: Lund, Sweden -  Compressed air could one day provide power to assist a  vehicle's gasoline engine, according to researchers at Sweden's Lund University. The system would use energy generated by the brakes and stored as compressed air, which can provide extra power to the engine when the car is started. Air hybrids, also called pneumatic hybrids, are not yet in production, but Per Tunestål, a... Read Article

February 4, 2011: Munich, Germany - BMW has entered into a new phase of its collaboration with Peugeot Citroën to focus on developing and producing hybrid components. The 50/50 joint venture, BMW Peugeot Citroën Electrification, is an expansion of a memorandum of understanding signed in October 2010 to expand the companies' existing cooperation to hybrid systems. The partnership will focus on components such a... Read Article

February 4, 2011: Yokohama, Japan - Nissan has delivered 220 Leaf models to rental car companies in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, to support an eco-tourism project. The Eco-resort Island Okinawa Promotion Project involves various business groups, rental car companies and travel agencies. Nissan has prepared about 500 Leaf models for rental car use throughout Japan, with 40 per cent of them to be introduced in Okina... Read Article

February 4, 2011: Pompano Beach, Florida - A new power generator that creates grid-tied electricity from used motor oil has passed its first power-up test. Cyclone Power Technologies said that it has demonstrated the successful functionality of the Phoenix 10, the first-ever small-scale waste oil power generator, marking the commencement of full system performance and durability testing. The Phoenix 10 is a rene... Read Article

February 3, 2011: Seoul, South Korea - Hyundai has unveiled its Blue-City compressed natural gas (CNG) hybrid bus in Korea. It is the country's first CNG hybrid bus and the first time a major automaker has independently developed both the system and body for such a vehicle. The Blue-City, fully developed in Korea, uses a CNG engine and six-speed automatic transmission with a 60 kW electric motor and lithium-poly... Read Article

February 2, 2011: Fukuoka, Japan - Extending the life of a vehicle, rather than cutting it short through vehicle replacement programs, can help reduce its life-cycle CO2 emissions throughout the supply chain, according to a new study by researchers from universities in Japan, Germany and the United States. The study suggests that while the American "cash for clunkers" program and the U.K.'s "scrappage scheme" w... Read Article