Hybrid News | Hybrid Automotive Technologies

Nov 09 2018 by Katherine McMullen

Volvo: all vehicles electrified starting in 2019

Volvo has announced it will electrify in part each of its new vehicles released from 2019 onward and has created a new marketing campaign to bring this message to the public. The Swedish automaker is centering its new marketing around the slogan, “and it shouldn’t take an act of Congress to make cars sustainable,” referencing its 1973 advertisement “it shouldn’t take an act of Congress to make cars safe.” Bryon Dorr at Gear Junkie writes, “Volvo sees electrification as the future of its environmental stewardship efforts.”

Volvo plans on releasing a new suite of plug-in, mild hybrid, and full electric vehicles, alongside electrified versions of its current offerings. The company has also stated it will no longer offer diesel for its S60 line, and may move away from the fuel completely in the near future. Read more.

Nov 09 2018 by Katherine McMullen

October 2018 Plug-In Hybrid Sales Report

Overall plug-in hybrid sales decreased in October compared to September, but were up compared to this month last year. There were 34,094 plug-ins sold in October with the Toyota Prius Prime leading the category with 2001 vehicles sold. Honda was a close second, selling 1935 Clarity PHEVs in the month.

For battery electric vehicles, Tesla continued to lead in sales. The automaker sold 17,750 Model 3s for the month. Chevrolet had a particularly strong month, selling 2075 Bolt EVs, a 34% increase off of last month.

Read Inside EVs‘ full plug-in sales scorecard here.

Nov 09 2018 by Katherine McMullen

Lincoln Aviator to offer plug-in hybrid in 2019

Lincoln, Ford’s luxury brand, will begin to offer a plug-in hybrid in 2019. The Lincoln Aviator plug-in will be a first for the brand. The plug-in hybrid will also include new features, most notably a keyless entry system utilizing the driver’s smartphone. Detroit News has the story. Read more.

Nov 09 2018 by Katherine McMullen

Hyundai, Kia adding solar panels to hybrids, electric vehicles

Hyundai and Kia have announced that they will integrate solar panels into select vehicles. The panels will be located on the roofs of these cars, and will generate additional electrical power for the vehicles to use. Green Car Congress reports that they panels will be installed on ICE, hybrid and battery electric vehicles, and will improve fuel efficiency.

Hyundai will release the solar panels in three stages, with the first stage exclusive to hybrids. These panels will be capable of “charging 30 to 60 percent of the battery over the course of a normal day, depending on weather conditions.” The second stage of panels will focus on vehicles with standard internal combustion engines. The panels will enable these vehicles to meet modern CO2 emissions requirements. Read more.

Nov 05 2018 by Katherine McMullen

Peugeot to launch plug-in hybrids by 2020

Peugeot will launch more than one plug-in hybrid by 2020, according to Viknesh Vijayenthiran at Motor Authority. The automaker is in the midst of a transition to a greener vehicle lineup. Though no official tech specs have been announced, Peugeot may employ a dual motor turbocharged system capable of 500hp as it did in test models a few years ago.

As Vijayenthiran notes, Peugeot is not currently sold in the U.S., but the French automaker does have plans to reenter the U.S. market by 2028. Read more.

Oct 31 2018 by Katherine McMullen

Chevy considers electrified Camaro

According to a new article from Chris Tsui at The Drive, Chevrolet has been conducting diligence on whether consumers have an appetite for an electrified, hybrid Camaro. The automaker surveyed consumers on whether a 2L turbocharged, four-cylinder hybrid or 6.2L hybrid V-8 Camaro was an attractive prospect. The two hybrid Camaros would carry a premium of $4000 and $8000, respectively.

There has been no confirmation from Chevrolet, but the survey does give credence to the future existence of a hybrid version of the popular sports car. Read more.

Oct 19 2018 by Katherine McMullen

S560e plug-in hybrid available from Mercedes

Mercedes has released for ordering the third-generation of its S 560e plug-in hybrid. The vehicle achieves an all-electric range of 31 miles (50 km) through its V6 engine, 90kW electric motor and lithium-ion battery. The S 560e PHEV’s battery is the first to come from Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE, a subsidiary of Mercedes’ parent company. The powertrain produces up to 350kW of power. Green Car Congress has the story. Read more.

Oct 18 2018 by rbrown

Paice remembers Sen. Joe Tydings, one of its greatest champions

Frances Keenan, chair of the Paice Board of Directors, shares her memories of Joseph D. Tydings, a former U.S. Senator from Maryland who served on the Paice board for more than twenty years. Sen. Tydings died on October 8 at age 90.

We lost once of Paice’s greatest champions, and one of our dearest friends, when Senator Tydings passed away last week.

Senator Tydings was the one who first introduced Paice to the Abell Foundation. The Senator was a University of Maryland graduate who maintained close ties to the university throughout his life. Senator Tydings’ work with the university brought him in contact with Dr. Alex Severinsky, an electrical engineer who began developing Paice’s hybrid vehicle technology in the early 1990s with the support of a University of Maryland business incubator program.

Senator Tydings recognized the potential of Paice’s hybrid technology and wanted it to succeed. By bringing together Paice and the Abell Foundation, he ensured that Paice had the financial resources necessary to make Alex’s technology viable.

Senator Tydings joined the Paice Board of Directors in 1997 and immediately provided valuable guidance and direction — to the company, and to me personally. It was a relationship that lasted more than twenty years, and I cherished every bit of it.

The Senator’s extraordinary life and accomplishments are portrayed in his autobiography, My Life in Progressive Politics: Against the Grain.

I am proud to consider Joe Tydings a mentor and a friend. He was always eager to offer his support, and always willing to help us navigate the obstacles standing in our way.

The New York Times and Baltimore Sun published touching tributes to the honorable life of our dear friend Sen. Tydings. They laud him as a champion of gun control and civil rights.

He was also one of our biggest champions, and we will miss him dearly.

Oct 18 2018 by Katherine McMullen

Best Hybrid, PHEV, EV deals for October 2018

Green Car Reports has published its monthly round-up of best deals on hybrid and electrified vehicles. Ford is offering the 2018 Fusion Hybrid with six-year 0% financing plus $3000 cashback for eligible buyers. With this deal, the Fusion Hybrid is the best deal of the month for full hybrid vehicles. Ford is also offering similar attractive financing for the 2019 Fusion Hybrid.

GM’s Chevrolet Volt is the best-priced plug-in hybrid for October. The vehicle is on offer for $234/month for thirty-six months with no cash down in specific states. Outside of the set of states where the Volt has the lead in pricing, Honda is offering its Clarity Hybrid with an attractive leasing contract.

The Nissan Leaf continues to be the best deal for an all-electric car. The vehicle can be leased for $219/mth with a little under three thousand due at signing. Read more.

Oct 17 2018 by Katherine McMullen

Mercedes announces new E300e and E300de plug-ins

Mercedes has announced two new plug-in options—and one of them runs partially on diesel. The automaker will launch the E300e and E300de in the near future, with the E300e utilizing a gasoline ICE in combination with a plug-in powertrain. The E300de, however, will combine a diesel engine with the plug-in system.

The two Mercedes PHEVs will utilize a 90kW electric motor and 13.5 kWh battery, providing fifty kilometers (31 miles) of all electric range for the E300e and fifty-four kilometers (33.5 miles) of range for the E300de. Read more.