Hybrid and electric cars are good for the environment because of they either emit extremely low or even no emissions at all. However, there seems to be a problem: they are also too quiet. And it’s not just a problem for car lovers who will miss the sound of the engine revving, but mostly for pedestrians who will not hear an oncoming, completely silent vehicle and face the risk of an accident.

Therefore, the US NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has published a notice that, if implemented, will require by law all electric and hybrid vehicles to emit a noise that will warn pedestrians of their presence. This comes after a study in October 2009, which reported that a greater percentage of hybrids were involved in accidents with pedestrians than vehicles with normal combustion engines.

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I really wish industrial designers would leave the engineering to, you know, engineers. Nothing irks me than a designer trying his or her hand at conjuring up some magical, black box powerplant for their vehicle design studies. Take Amarpreet Gill for instance, a Leicester-based designer and the brains behind the blandly named Bristol Car Concept.

Using a combination of piezoelectric “threads” as well as photovoltaic paint and glass, the Bristol Car Concept “harvests energy from the surrounding environment, rewarding the consumer with the gift of free energy”.

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As we all know, Jay Leno is a car fanatic. So when he had the chance to visit the AMG division of Mercedes-Benz at Affalterbach and drive two of its most exclusive models in its test track, he couldn’t resist. The Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH himself, Ola Kallenius, accompanied Leno on his factory tour.
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After the sporty DeZir rear-wheel drive coupe, the funky Captur three-door crossover and more recently, the practical R-Space minivan, Renault is ready to share its latest concept model with the Frendzy, which was unveiled today ahead of its world premiere at the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show later this fall.

The Frendzy is a fresh take on the small van segment where Renault is currently represented by the Kangoo series that is available in both leisure and commercial versions.

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So the all-electric Ford Focus EV is landing stateside in late 2011 to snub its nose at the likes of the Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi i MiEV with its utterly conventional name that’s not even an acronym.

Now Ford is asking its most important shareholders (the general public) what the Focus EV should sound like, as there are members of the world community that think silent cars are a danger to the blind and the deaf.

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The battle for supremacy in the electric car category has begun –even though at present there are only two prime contestants. According to Bloomberg, the Nissan LEAF sold 3,875 cars the first half of the year, compared to 2,745 of GM’s Volt over the same period.

From January through May, the Volt was only 17 cars behind the Leaf, but in the following month, sales of the Volt plunged to just 561 cars, while those of the LEAF took off with a record 1,708 units, giving Nissan’s EV the lead. The LEAF costs $33,000 before a $7,500 federal tax credit, while the Volt costs $41,000 before government incentives.

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The electric car war rages on and the latest entrant is Mitsubishi’s new model year version of the i-MiEV that was revealed today in Japan. The most important changes that Mitsubishi made to its all-electric city car is the introduction of a new lower-cost base model and improvements to the standard version in order to extend its driving range.

The new budget model is called the ‘M’ and its price comes down to 2.6 million Yen (US$32,070 -€22,170) or 1,880,000 Yen (US$23,190 - €16,040) after Japanese government subsidies. It is powered by an electric motor producing 41-horses and has a reduced driving range of 120 kilometers (75 miles).

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Hansjörg von Gemmingen has gained the bragging rights to say he has covered more miles in a Tesla Roadster than anybody else has. The German racked up an impressive 100,000 kilometers (62,137 miles) since he first purchased the car less than two years ago. A stockbroker living in the southwest part of the country, von Gemmingen says he drives his Tesla on a daily basis regardless of purpose or distance, charging it every night through a standard household outlet. Read more »

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After awarding the Mitsubishi i-MiEV with a four-star rating, Euro NCAP, which is the European equivalent of the American IIHS, crash tested its second all-electric model, the Nissan Leaf. The Japanese hatchback achieved a five-star rating, becoming the first electric vehicle to do so. Read more »

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Back in February, Porsche announced the development of three pure-electric prototypes based on the Boxster roadster, but aside from a single photo and the fact that the electric motors could produce up to 180kW/241HP, the Stuttgart-based automaker did not release any other details on the cars.

After the demonstration of the Boxster E at last week’s Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Berlin, the company decided to share more information on the test cars that are being used as part of the government-funded “Model Region Electro-Mobility Stuttgart” large-scale trial to study the everyday practicality of all-electric vehicles. Of the three Boxster E prototypes, two are rear-wheel drive and one is all-wheel drive.

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BMW has teamed up with joint venture partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. to develop a new plug-in hybrid model based on the long wheelbase version of the local market 5 Series Sedan, which is available exclusively in China. The prototype model will receive its world premiere at the Auto Shanghai 2011 later this month.

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The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is the first ever plug-in electric vehicle to be tested by Euro NCAP and marks the start of a series of EV crash-tests planned for this year. Besides the i-MiEV, the European safety institute also rated five conventional models: the BMW X1, Hyundai ix20, Dacia Duster, Mitsubishi ASX and Nissan Juke.

The EV obtained an overall four star rating, the same score being awarded to the i-MiEV's sister models, the Citroen C-Zero and Peugeot iOn, which have the same design and safety equipment. The result was judged as "creditable" by the Euro NCAP.

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French car manufacturer Renault will use the Geneva Show to unveil the Kangoo Maxi Z.E., the newest member of its EV family that will go on sale in autumn 2011. Available in two or five-seat configurations, the Kangoo Maxi Z.E. has a maximum carrying capacity of 4.6 cubic meters (162.4 cubic feet), thanks to the 40 cm longer wheelbase (1.3 ft) than the Kangoo Z.E., while the load length is 2.9 meters (9.5 ft).

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At next week's Geneva Motor Show, Smart will reveal a new concept model called the ForSpeed that signals a new design direction and hints at future products from Daimler's small car brand. The ForSpeed is a zero-emissions roadster model with a unique look that is powered by an electric motor.

In a similar fashion to Smart's 2001 Crossblade that was produced in a limited run of 2,000 units, the ForSpeed has no roof or side windows and it features a low wind deflector instead of a windscreen. However, unlike the Crossblade, the ForSpeed does get a pair of doors as well a fabric tonneau cover for weather protection.

While Smart has no immediate plans to produce the ForSpeed, key styling elements such as the headlamp and tail lamp designs with the outer rings illuminated by a LEDs as well as the more prominent front grille, will be carried over to future products including the next ForTwo series and the new five-door ForFour as the company plans to create a more distinct look for its cars to better compete with the Fiat 500 and the Mini.

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When it comes to making cars, China is king. We’re talking the world’s largest car market, with over a hundred individual marques. So why is it that there are virtually zero Chinese car manufactures selling cars in the U.S. aka the world’s other largest car market?

So far, China’s “Big Four” (well, the four most visible to those outside of China) have made and broken promises of bringing their vehicles to the North American market. Brilliance, Chery, Nanjing and Geely have all backed down from their plans to open dealerships and factories stateside. So far, not a single car from China's major automakers has touched down on U.S. soil outside a motor show.

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Even though Fiat executives have been coy on a stand-alone sports car for the Abarth brand, the Italian firm went ahead and collaborated with the Istituto Europeo di Design of Turin (IED) for the creation of design study that will receive its grand premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in about a week's time.

The sports coupe is named Abarth Scorp-Ion and it was designed by seven IED students who worked under the supervision of designers Luca Borgogno from Pininfarina, and Luigi Giampaolo from Maserati.

The goal was to design a bespoke compact-sized sports car with lines that evoke the scorpion (the official symbol of Abarth) without any references to the Fiat brand, with which Abarth is often identified.

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It's been a long time in the making, but the BMW Group today confirmed its new sub-brand called "i", with which it will market a new lineup of eco-friendly vehicles including regular and plug-in hybrids, and pure electric models as well as an additional range of mobility services.

The first models to be launched under the new sub-brand from 2013 are the BMW i3 and i8. The BMW i3 is an all-electric city car, which was previously known as the Megacity Vehicle, while the i8, is a plug-in hybrid sports car based on the Vision EfficientDynamics concept study unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

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Last month, we told you about Volvo's plans to reveal an almost production-ready diesel-electric hybrid version of the V60 at the Geneva Salon in March. Today, the Swedish automaker released a full set of photos and additional information on its Plug-in Hybrid, which will be launched in the market in 2012.

Pegged as the world's first diesel plug-in hybrid, the eco-friendly V60 is the result of close co-operation between Volvo Cars and Swedish energy supplier Vattenfall, and it promises to offer low fuel consumption and CO2 levels, combined with long range and high performance.

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A few days ago we brought you the news that GM will begin offering in-car wireless charging mats for mobile phones as an option from Q3 2012. These devices, that are making big waves at trade shows both in the U.S. and around the world, do away with the pesky cords and bulky adapters of old, replacing them with two conductive metal plates (i.e. one on the back of your phone and one in your car).

So imagine if you could charge your electric car this way. It should be simple, right? You’d just need to upscale it to suit charging a bigger battery. Well, at the 2011 CES technology trade show in Las Vegas, Fulton Innovation showed such a gadget by wirelessly charging the be-all and end-all of electric vehicles: the Tesla Roadster.

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Chinese automaker BYD marked its fourth consecutive appearance at the North American International Auto Show with the world premiere of the S6DM hybrid, with the DM in the name standing for "Dual-Mode".

The gasoline-electric hybrid is based on the Chinese firm's S6, a mid-size SUV model first introduced at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2009. And no, you're not the only one to find the overall styling of the S6 reminiscent of the previous generation Lexus RX.

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