It was more than two years ago that we first heard of a potential battery breakthrough developed by Stanford University professor Yi Cui using carbon nanowires. The bundles of nanowires that comprise the battery anode have more room to swell while…
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Volkswagen expanding battery cooperation with Sanyo
Click image for a hi-res gallery of the Golf TDI Hybrid Concept
Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn has announced that the company will be partnering with Sanyo to further develop lithium ion batteries for automotive applications. Earlier this…
Saab taking their BioPower ethanol cars to Australia
Saab has been selling their bioPower variant of the 9-5 wagon in Europe for some time now. bioPower is Saab's brand name for their flex-fuel vehicles. The bioPower engines are able run on up to 100% ethanol fuel, but are optimized for E85. Now Saab…
Ford launching ECOnetic lineup of low CO2 emitting vehicles in Europe
At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Ford will take the wraps off their own lineup of special low CO2 variants of their European model range. Joining VW's BlueMotion and GM's ecoFlex, Ford has created the ECOnetic brand for their cleanest models. The first…
Alfa Romeo 147 diesel hot hatch
Sometime in the next few years Alfa Romeo is supposed to return to the US market, but whether we get the 147 or its successor is still questionable. The 147 is Alfa's smallest model, comparable in size to a VW Golf and they offer engines with 120 or…
Pontiac will add 4 cylinder engine to G6 coupe in mid-2009
Since Pontiac added coupe and convertible versions of the G6 a couple of years ago, they have only been available with V6 engines. It looks like the current economic conditions are triggering a change in the coupe lineup. Pontiac will be adding an SE…
First Drive: 2009 Ford Escape, more of almost everything
2009 Ford Escape – Click above for high-res image gallery
The 2008 redesign of the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner wasn't the clean-sheet redesign Ford would like people to believe. In fact, only the parts visible to the naked eye were “all new.”…
Hybrid Volvo buses and trucks to use Magna Steyr batteries, A123 cells
It looks like Ford won't be the only company getting lithium ion battery packs from Magna International. The Magna Steyr division of the supplier announced last week that it will begin production of packs at its plant in Graz, Austria next month. The…
Will MINI build a John Cooper Works diesel? “Good Idea”
Last summer we had a ball driving the MINI Cooper D in the ABG Garage. The torquey little 1.6-liter diesel proved to be a willing yet thrifty performer in the engine bay. While we still can't get the MINI D in the U.S. market, BMW is reportedly…
New York '08 Preview: Nissan to give Big Apple a charge with Denki Cube EV
Click image for a high-res gallery of the Nissan Denki Cube concept
We've known for several weeks now that Nissan was planning to show off an all-electric car based on the JDM Nissan Cube at this week's New York Auto Show. The Denki (meaning…