At Hybridfest in Madison, Wisc., the University of Wisconsin had their Challenge X team present. The team placed 2nd in the competition for the last 2 years with its diesel electric propulsion system.

In Challenge X, the U.S. Department of Energy has partnered with GM for a three-year competition, giving engineering schools an opportunity to participate in hands-on research and development with leading-edge automotive propulsion, fuels, materials, and emissions-control technologies. Seventeen teams were challenged to re-engineer a GM Equinox to ...

In the first in a two-part series, I examine the emerging “Vehicle to Grid,” or V2G technology, where Plug-in Electric Vehicles use their excess battery power to recharge the electrical grid during periods of peak demand. Several energy utilities are studying this green energy source, including Minneapolis-based Xcel ...

Popular in Eurpope and Asia, the Smart Car is finally coming to America. Unfortunately, not until 2008. This cute, two-seater is affordably priced, starting at under $13k, so it benefits our wallets, and the planet, with the company’s exploration of an alternative fuel propulsion platform. “Superbly Manufactured And Reliable ...

Imagine never having to fill up again with gasoline. That’s the promise of the new Chevy Volt, an electric car concept created by General Motors, which debuted at the North American International Auto Show. The flex fuel hybrid car is beautiful, offers several propulsion platforms including E85, ...

High-Volt-age is more like it. This concept car has everything — an attention to styling, a variable eco-friendly propulsion platform, StabiliTrak and room for four. I want one! Only a concept at this time, how long will it be before we see something like this on the road from

This unique concept, showcased in a Saab 9-3 Convertible, combines fossil-free bioethanol fuel (E100) with electric-only propulsion, using the advanced, two-mode hybrid system that Saab’s parent company, General Motors Corp., is co-developing with DaimlerChrysler and BMW Group. The Saab BioPower Hybrid Concept is capable of zero fossil fuel ...

$70,000 might be a little much to pay for a new car for the average consumer, but with AC Propulsion’s modification to a non-emission electrical vehicle, the Toyota XB may be worth it to the environment. The company modifies the XB using proprietary technology, and while at the Alternative Car ...