KHOU has a (confused) report on a Texas man who is experimenting with adding a Stirling engine to a hybrid car - San Antonio man has engine that gets 100 mpg.

The SMH has a report on Google's self-driving cars - Google tests car that can drive itself.

Google, the world's largest internet search engine, has been tinkering with engines of another sort and come up with some futuristic results - a car that drives itself. ...

The automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder to "see" other traffic, as well as detailed maps to navigate the road ahead.

The futuristic cars have already been tested on the heavily trafficked California roadways - including highways, bridges and busy city streets. They have even navigated San Franciso's famed Lombard Street, a tourist favorite known as the nation's most dramatically winding address.

Larry and Sergey founded Google because they wanted to help solve really big problems using technology. And one of the big problems we’re working on today is car safety and efficiency. Our goal is to help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions by fundamentally changing car use.

So we have developed technology for cars that can drive themselves. Our automated cars, manned by trained operators, just drove from our Mountain View campus to our Santa Monica office and on to Hollywood Boulevard. They’ve driven down Lombard Street, crossed the Golden Gate bridge, navigated the Pacific Coast Highway, and even made it all the way around Lake Tahoe. All in all, our self-driving cars have logged over 140,000 miles. We think this is a first in robotics research.

Our automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder to “see” other traffic, as well as detailed maps (which we collect using manually driven vehicles) to navigate the road ahead. This is all made possible by Google’s data centers, which can process the enormous amounts of information gathered by our cars when mapping their terrain.

To develop this technology, we gathered some of the very best engineers from the DARPA Challenges, a series of autonomous vehicle races organized by the U.S. Government. Chris Urmson was the technical team leader of the CMU team that won the 2007 Urban Challenge. Mike Montemerlo was the software lead for the Stanford team that won the 2005 Grand Challenge. Also on the team is Anthony Levandowski, who built the world’s first autonomous motorcycle that participated in a DARPA Grand Challenge, and who also built a modified Prius that delivered pizza without a person inside. The work of these and other engineers on the team is on display in the National Museum of American History. ...

According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million lives are lost every year in road traffic accidents. We believe our technology has the potential to cut that number, perhaps by as much as half. We’re also confident that self-driving cars will transform car sharing, significantly reducing car usage, as well as help create the new “highway trains of tomorrow." These highway trains should cut energy consumption while also increasing the number of people that can be transported on our major roads. In terms of time efficiency, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that people spend on average 52 minutes each working day commuting. Imagine being able to spend that time more productively.

We’ve always been optimistic about technology’s ability to advance society, which is why we have pushed so hard to improve the capabilities of self-driving cars beyond where they are today. While this project is very much in the experimental stage, it provides a glimpse of what transportation might look like in the future thanks to advanced computer science. And that future is very exciting.

The SMH reports the new hybrid Toyota Camry is rolling off production lines in Australia - Australia's first hybrid car arrives.

Australia's first locally-built hybrid production car rolled off the assembly line at Toyota's Altona Plant this morning.

The hybrid version of the Toyota Camry will go on sale early in the New Year, marking the beginning of a new, greener era for the local car industry.

All three local makers have committed to building more fuel-efficient cars over the next two years, with Holden scheduled to start production of a small car towards the end of next year and Ford to build a four-cylinder version of its Falcon from 2011.

Toyota plans to sell 10,000 hybrid Camrys a year - roughly a third of total Camry sales - and the Victorian Government has already committed to buy 2000 of them. Private buyers may be hard pressed to get their hands on the car, though, as Toyota insiders say fleet pre-orders for the car have been particularly strong.

The car will be more powerful than the existing Camry, thanks to its supplementary electric motor, but is expected to use less fuel than the smallest cars on our roads. It will use 30 per cent less fuel than a standard four-cylinder petrol Camry, or roughly 6 litres per 100km.

The Federal Government has committed $35 million to the project through its Green Car fund, which is also subsidising development of more fuel-efficient vehicles by Holden and Ford.

Drive.com.au reports that Toyota has begun production of hybrid cars in Australia - Camry Hybrid production begins in Australia.

Sparks flew this morning as Toyota Australia turned on the robots that will make the country’s first hybrid car based on a Camry.

Dignitaries on hand included Federal Industry Minister Kim Carr and Victorian premier John Brumby both of whom have invested taxpayers funds heavily in order to secure the project.

The Camry, the biggest seller in the medium-sized car category, will receive the equivalent of a heart and lung transplant to accommodate Toyota’s "Synergy Drive" hybrid drivetrain.

It allies an electric motor to a conventional internal combustion four-cylinder petrol engine with sophisticated electronics to charge its onboard battery.

The hybrid Camry, like the Toyota Prius hybrid, can operate on electric power alone, or in tandem with the petrol engine to cut fuel use and emissions.

It’s a high stakes venture to secure the future of the Altona manufacturing plant and its workers and suppliers, which has seen demand slump for its locally-made four-cylinder Camry and six-cylinder Aurion sedans.

Toyota will build a small batch of pre-production vehicles at Altona before beginning full-scale production in December. The car will go on sale in February.

Technology Review has an article on the potential for ultracapacitors to augment conventional batteries in hybrid vehicle designs - Ultracaps Could Boost Hybrid Efficiency.

Energy storage devices called ultracapacitors could lower the cost of the battery packs in plug-in hybrid vehicles by hundreds or even thousands of dollars by cutting the size of the packs in half, according to estimates by researchers at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, IL. Ultracapacitors could also dramatically improve the efficiency of another class of hybrid vehicle that uses small electric motors, called microhybrids, according to a recent study from the University of California, Davis.

The use of ultracapacitors in hybrids isn't a new idea. But the falling cost of making these devices and improvements to the electronics needed to regulate their power output and coordinate their interaction with batteries could soon make them more practical, says Theodore Bohn, a researcher at Argonne's Advanced Powertrain Research Facility.

Although batteries have improved significantly in recent years, the cost of making them is the main the reason why hybrids cost thousands of dollars more than conventional vehicles. This is especially true of plug-in hybrids, which rely on large battery packs to supply all or most of the power during short trips. Battery packs are expensive in part because they degrade over time and, to compensate for this, automakers oversize them to ensure that they can provide enough power even after 10 years of use in a vehicle.

Ultracapacitors offer a way to extend the life of a hybrid vehicle's power source, reducing the need to oversize its battery packs. Unlike batteries, ultracapacitors don't rely on chemical reactions to store energy, and they don't degrade significantly over the life of a car, even when they are charged and discharged in very intense bursts that can damage batteries. The drawback is that they store much less energy than batteries--typically, an order of magnitude less. If, however, ultracapacitors were paired with batteries, they could protect batteries from intense bursts of power, Bohn says, such as those needed for acceleration, thereby extending the life of the batteries. Ultracapacitors could also ensure that the car can accelerate just as well at the end of its life as at the beginning.

Reducing the size of a vehicle's battery pack by 25 percent could save about $2,500, Bohn estimates. The ultracapacitors and electronics needed to coordinate them with the batteries could cost between $500 and $1,000, resulting in hundreds of dollars of net savings.

Ultracapacitors would also make it possible to redesign batteries to hold more energy. There is typically a tradeoff between how fast batteries can be charged and discharged and how much total energy they can store. That's true in part because designing a battery to discharge quickly requires using very thin electrodes stacked in many layers. Each layer must be separated by supporting materials that take up space in the battery but don't store any energy. The more layers used, the more supporting materials are needed and the less energy can be stored in the battery. Paired with ultracapacitors, batteries wouldn't need to deliver bursts of power and so could be made with just a few layers of very thick electrodes, reducing the amount of supporting material needed. That could make it possible to store twice as much energy in the same space, Bohn says.

The Age reports that "In little more than a decade, you could be driving a Toyota made from seaweed" - with the seaweed being the source material for the car's bioplastic exterior - Toyota's seaweed car makes a splash.

oyota's engineers are trying to plot a course for the post-oil age, and plastics for structures and trim made from plants could be used to make cars of the future, says the manager of Toyota's Australian styling studio, Paul Beranger.

For now, Mr Beranger and his designers have focused on localising the look of the much-heralded petrol-electric hybrid Camry, which will be displayed in "concept" form at Friday's motor show opening in Melbourne.

The "concept" version to be shown features show-car bling - such as fancy blue headlights, a pearlescent paint job and a nature-inspired randomly patterned grille - to dress up what is otherwise a fairly standard-looking Camry.

The hybrid Camry, approved for local production from early next year with federal and state government grants totalling $50million, has not been without its controversy. In effect, taxpayers are helping to fund the hybrid Camry twice: once to be built, and again when bought by government fleets.

Toyota is looking to a greener future — literally — with dreams of an ultralight, superefficient plug-in hybrid with a bioplastic body made of seaweed that could be in showrooms within 15 years.

The kelp car would build upon the already hypergreen 1/X plug-in hybrid concept, which weighs 926 pounds, by replacing its carbon-fiber body with plastic derived from seaweed. As wild as it might sound, bioplastics are becoming increasingly common and Toyota thinks it's only a matter of time before automakers use them to build cars.

"We used lightweight carbon-fiber reinforced plastic throughout the body and frame for its superior collision safety," project manager Tetsuya Kaida said of the 1/X, which is pronounced "one-xth." "But that material is made from oil. In the future, I'm sure we will have access to new and better materials, such as those made from plants, something natural, maybe something like paper. In fact, I want to create such a vehicle from seaweed because Japan is surrounded by the sea."

A kelp car is not as far-fetched as it might sound. Bioplastics are being used for everything from gift cards to cellphone cases. Demand for the stuff is expected to hit 50 billion pounds annually within five years, a figure that would account for 10 percent of the world market for plastic, according to USA Today. A company called NatureWorks claims the production of its bioplastic Inego produces 60 percent less carbon dioxide than petroleum-based plastic and requires 30 percent less energy. And Oakridge National Laboratory has explored the possibility of producing carbon fiber from wood pulp.

Toyota is laying out its green vision of the future ahead of the Melbourne Motor Show, where it will highlight three sweet hybrids — the next-gen Prius, a cool Camry concept designed in Australia and the 1/X, so named because its carbon footprint is a fraction of that of other cars.

"The 1/X concept is a vehicle that completely redefines what it means to be environmentally considerate," David Buttner, senior executive director of sales and marketing, said in a statement. "The name says it all: a car that weighs a fraction of the others in its class today and uses a fraction of the fuel."

The 1/X has been kicking around the show circuit for more than a year, and the photo is from its North American debut at the 2008 Chicago auto show. It features a tiny 500cc engine and weighs about one-third as much as the Prius while offering about as much interior space. It's got a flex-fuel engine and electric motor powered by lithium-ion batteries.

Gas 2.0 has a post on a UPS test of hybrid hydraulic delivery trucks - UPS is First in Delivery Industry to Test Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles: 50% Better Fuel Economy and 40% Lower Emissions

In partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency, UPS will begin testing a small fleet of hydraulic hybrid delivery trucks in the United States. The new vehicles can achieve 50-70% better fuel economy, a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and pay for their extra expense in less than 3 years. ...

The hydraulic hybrid drivetrain eliminates the need for a conventional transmission and increases fuel economy in three ways:

1. A large amount of the energy that is otherwise wasted in braking can be recovered to pressurize the hydraulic fluid.
2. The engine operates much more efficiently — similar to a hybrid electric car, only without the bulky batteries
3. The engine can easily be shut off and instantaneously restarted during regular driving — such as when the vehicle is slowing down or stopped at a light.

UPS has been developing what it calls its “green fleet” over the last several years and currently has more than 1,600 low carbon emissions vehicles including electric, hybrid-electric, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and propane trucks.

Plenty Magazine reports that a Ferrari hybrid really is on the way. While your initial reaction might be "who cares - I can't afford one" (I can't either unfortunately) I still think its a positive sign that all sectors of the vehicle manufacturing industry are starting to migrate towards hybrids and/or EVs.

In the chess game of emissions policies and carmaker resistance, Ferrari’s promise to have a hybrid on the market by 2015 is a sign that even niche corners of the automotive industry are moving towards greener vehicles. Confirming rumors that began circulating last year, the company’s president announced that it is indeed developing a hybrid sports car, but emphasized that a Ferrari hybrid would still be “fundamentally a Ferrari.”

The Italian company also aims to cut 40 percent of its vehicles’ greenhouse-gas emissions by 2012. Carmakers within the European Union are starting to feel pressure to prepare for a time when their vehicles will need to slim down to meet tightened efficiency and emissions standards. The EU has a ruling on the table that could force the automotive companies to limit their fleet-average carbon dioxide emissions to less than 130 grams per kilometer by 2012, down from about 160 g/km now—on a timeline that could blindside many a less limber company. More to the point, it could deal a major blow to companies like Ferrari, whose elite customer base and niche markets don’t clamor for practical features like fuel efficiency in their ultra-sleek vanity vehicles.

The hybrid Ferrari would use “alternative energy sources,” based in part on technology developed for its Formula One program. The core of that technology, called a kinetic energy recovery system, or KERS, is a regenerative braking system that recycles power lost when a driver applies the brakes. The energy expended when a car brakes can be captured and stored, either by accelerating a rotor to spin a flywheel (basically a disc that is able to keep rotating until the energy is drawn out), or by loading it into a storage device, such as a battery or supercapacitor. That energy can be quickly released to improve acceleration. Not only does it provide race cars with extra zip, it also improves fuel efficiency and reduces emissions.

Reuters reports the next edition of the Toyota prius hybrid car will include rooftop solar panels to help power the air conditioning.

Toyota Motor Corp plans to install solar panels on its next-generation Prius hybrid cars, becoming the first major automaker to use solar power for a vehicle, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday. The paper said Toyota would equip solar panels on the roof of the high-end version of the Prius when it redesigns the gasoline-electric hybrid car early next year, and the power generated by the system would be used for the air conditioning. Toyota plans to use solar panels made by Kyocera Corp the Nikkei said.

SMH reports that Holden may soon produce a hybrid Commodore - if it can get enough government incentives.

Holden, the company that last year sold more V8s than any other time in its 60-year history, will sell a petrol-electric Commodore "within two years" - but it wants the Federal Government to give hybrid cars a tax break. In a surprise announcement today, General Motors's Asia-Pacific boss Nick Reilly, in Australia for an annual review, said the company would introduce hybrids in the next couple of years. "Our strength in hybrids tends to be in the larger vehicles so that's where you'll see them first," he said. ...

He said the government should consider tax reductions for so-called "green cars". For the past 30 years, the import tariff on four-wheel-drives - among the thirstiest vehicles on our roads - have attracted a lower tariff than more fuel-efficient passenger vehicles. Today, for example, most 4WDs attract a 5 per cent tariff and most cars attract a 10 per cent tariff.

Nissan Motor Co plans to start full production of lithium-ion batteries for automobiles by 2009 to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles and hybrid cars, the company said today. The venture company Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), which is owned 51 per cent by Nissan and 49 per cent by the NEC group, will develop and produce advanced lithium-ion batteries with an annual output capacity of 13,000 units. On a capital investment of Y12 billion ($A120.89 million) over three years AESC plans to expand its annual production capacity to 65,000 lithium-ion batteries per year by 2009. The push into advanced lithium-ion batteries comes as Japanese automakers invest in an array of new environmentally-friendly car technologies amid soaring prices at the pump.

Nissan has been slower than rivals Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co to embrace petrol-electric hybrids, but it aims to become the industry leader in electric vehicles. "Our vision for a more sustainable future is clear," said Nissan's executive vice president Carlos Tavares. "Nissan firmly believes the ultimate solution for sustainable mobility lies in zero emission. Electric vehicles will be a key product breakthrough our industry can deliver," he told reporters, adding that Nissan was ready to supply the batteries to any company interested in the technology.

So you're excited about the 2010 Prius with its modest mileage gains. Or maybe you really want a Chevy Volt with a 40-mile all-electric range. 2010, as we've noted, is going to be a good year for green cars. But this is ridiculous.

VW has been talking for a long time about its L1 concept, so called because it uses a measly 1 liter of gasoline to go 100 km. For us Americans, that translates to about 230 miles per gallon. Of course, the amazing mileage comes at a price. The car is tiny, more of a toboggan than a car. The single passenger actually sits behind the driver, like in a small airplane.

The tiny engine will only get the car up to about 75 mph and, as such, VW doesn't expect to sell a lot of these vehicles. Safety concerns might also keep the car from being a best seller. But, since it does have four wheels, it will have to meet all of the normal safety regulations for cars.

VW will continue to release details on the car, but it is firm that this vehicle will be produced by 2010. And, in terms of pure efficiency, its only real competitor will be the 300-mpg Aptera.

Technology Review has a look at A123 Systems' new lithium ion battery which they think could "help electric cars and hybrids come to dominate the roads".

It is the quickest electric motorcycle in the world. On a popular YouTube video, the black dragster cycle nearly disappears in a cloud of smoke as the driver does a "burn-out," spinning the back wheel to heat it up. As the smoke drifts away, the driver settles into position and hits a switch, and the bike surges forward, accelerating to 60 miles per hour in less than a second. Seven seconds later it crosses the quarter-mile mark at 168 miles per hour--quick enough to compete with gas-powered dragsters.

What powers the "Killacycle" is a novel lithium-ion battery developed by A123 Systems, a startup in Watertown, MA--one of a handful of companies working on similar technology. The company's batteries store more than twice as much energy as nickel-metal hydride batteries, the type used in today's hybrid cars, while delivering the bursts of power necessary for high performance. A radically modified version of the lithium-ion batteries used in portable electronics, the technology could jump-start the long-sputtering electric-vehicle market, which today represents a tiny fraction of 1 percent of vehicle sales in the United States. A123's batteries in particular have attracted the interest of General Motors, which is testing them as a way to power the Volt, an electric car with a gasoline generator; the vehicle is expected to go into mass production as early as 2010.

In the past, automakers have blamed electric vehicles' poor sales on their lead-acid or nickel-metal hydride batteries, which were so heavy that they limited the vehicles' range and so bulky that they took up trunk space. While conventional lithium-ion batteries are much lighter and more compact, they're not cost effective for electric vehicles. That's partly because they use lithium cobalt oxide electrodes, which can be unstable: batteries based on them wear out after a couple of years and can burst into flame if punctured, crushed, overcharged, or overheated. Some auto­makers have tried to engineer their way around these problems, but the results have been expensive.

A123's batteries could finally make lithium-ion technology practical for the auto industry. Instead of cobalt oxide, they use an electrode material made from nanoparticles of lithium iron phosphate modified with trace metals. The resulting batteries are unlikely to catch fire, even if crushed in an accident. They are also much hardier than conventional lithium-ion batteries: A123 predicts that they will last longer than the typical lifetime of a car.