hybrids

Photo roundup: A day out in the Rolls, Nissan Altima Hybrid, and Samsung NV7 OPS

We're milking all we can out of having the swanky 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom in our hands. Today we have some photos of what a typical day might look like if Car Tech editors owned this car. Trips to museums, reading The Wall Street Journal as they're chauffeured around, and even a ride to work? Hey! No one told me they were giving out rides. It sure beats the stinky ol' bus!

We also have pictures of the 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid, perhaps a more affordable choice for the rest of us. And take a look at the Samsung … Read more

Are Electric Vehicles Really Back? - the Story Continues

The electric vehicle (and challenging Detroit by building a specialty vehicle company) has always been an alluring idea - and despite Detroit spending massive amounts of money on unsuccessful or marginal launches a decade ago (including GM's EV1, Toyota's RAV4 EV and Ford's Think), the dream does not die easily.

A whole new crop of startups are busy living that dream, especially in Silicon Valley - and tons of money is flowing in to fund them.

EVs, Plug-in hybrids and next generation batteries and electric drive systems are exciting Silicon Valley to invest - and 2007 and … Read more

Mom's Minivan: Don't postpone increased fuel-efficiency

When I was in graduate school I learned the important life lesson "don't postpone joy." Not that graduate school could ever be considered fun, but at one point I was so miserable that I realized that I couldn't count on riding out the two to three years until graduation to start living my life with enjoyment and happiness.

That memory came to mind when I read about Google's research effort to develop a plug-in hybrid electric car that gets 70 to 100 miles per gallon. What if you are in the market right now for a minivan or SUV--should you sweat the difference between 18 and 22 mpg? The answer is a resounding YES. The biggest gains in fuel savings can actually be made by tweaking the efficiency of the worst gas-guzzlers. Innovation experts Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayers explain why.… Read more

Mixed source mix-up: the Joomla! example

Sometimes popularity isn't worth the trade-offs it may require, it would seem. Anyway, not for Joomla!, as Linux.com highlights in an article yesterday. The Joomla! team had apparently allowed proprietary extensions to its GPL code base as a way to grow in popularity, but the effect has been to breed mistrust and confusion.

Joomla's original intention was arguably a good one: be very "open" to outside development - of proprietary and open source kinds - so as to serve a more diverse community:

It seemed that Joomla! had created a thriving economy for developers, arguably because its tolerance for proprietary extensions attracted entrepreneurs who discovered an audience hungry for inexpensive but useful add-ons. Further solidifying the third-party developers' position that they were within their rights to develop non-GPL addons, Landry and others explicitly stated in Joomla! forums that the decision about whether to allow proprietary extensions was up to the copyright holder. In a June 2006 topic entitled "1.5 licence change clarification," Landry wrote that the Joomla! license in version 1.5 would "make sure that commercial third-party developers that use Joomla! as a platform can do so without fear of having to release GPL."

The problem, however, is that it's hard to serve two masters.… Read more

Samsung, Seagate expand hard-drive gene pool

Back in the old days, there was one size for hard drives, and maybe the device spun a little faster or had a bit more capacity than its competition. But this week, Samsung and Seagate illustrated how variegated the industry has become.

On Tuesday, Samsung announced three new hard drives: a 1.8-inch, 120GB model, a 3.5-inch 1-terabyte drive and a 2.5-inch, 120GB "hybrid" drive that includes flash memory as well as the traditional spinning platters. And on Monday, Seagate announced a rugged 80GB model that's geared for harsh environments.

Samsung's new F1 Series … Read more

Where in the world is the global warming solution?

Where in the world is the global warming solution? Well, as usual, it still rests with us, the consumer.

When we care enough to vote with our ballot AND our wallet, industry and government follow.

Food for thought:

On us -

Cars - I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and we have oodles of pretty hybrids on the road. But the payback on a hybrid is about 9 to 11 years for the average diver (longer than the automakers say the "rated life" of the car is). Not a pretty picture. But if we all simply … Read more

HP's hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD drive shows promise in an early look

HP sent us a prototype system to play with, decked out with LG's new hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD drive. We still don't know what it will cost to add the drive to an HP system (although the standalone drive will cost $1,199, according to PC World), but we can talk about how it works.

First, let's be clear that this is a prototype system. We first reported that HP would offer this drive on May 9 on its online configurator, but right now, none of its desktops has the option available.

The drive itself, LG's … Read more

Honda kills Accord Hybrid

No sooner does Toyota announce it will hybridize its entire car line than Honda pulls the plug on the Accord Hybrid. Only 25,000 have been sold in three years--Toyota sold that many Priuses last month.

Accord buyers tend to be a sober bunch, and the numbers didn't impress them: The Accord Hybrid costs $31,090 and delivers 28/35 mpg. Compare that to a standard 4-cylinder gas-engined Accord for $25,050 that delivers 26/34 mpg.

Which isn't to say that hybrids with dubious fuel economy advantages can't sell--Lexus is happy with the GS, RX, and … Read more

Get the thumbs up with your solar hybrid car

Attempts to power hybrid cars with solar panels have been around for a few years. But now a company called Solar Electrical Vehicles is producing commercially available after-market panels for hybrids, starting with the Toyota Prius.

The fiberglass, molded panels fit on top of 2004-2007 Prius models. They are attached using an epoxy glue. Unlike previous attempts, these panels fit the curve of the roof.

To maximize your sun power and driving range, you need a larger battery installed than what comes standard with the Prius, according to company founder Greg Johanson, who says that battery storage is the most … Read more