Future Cars at SEMA Show 2010

SEMA Show 2010 opened the exhibit halls today.

Yesterday seminars to help the business operators do a better job in technical, sales, marketing, and operations were in full swing, with continuation through the week. Open only to members of the auomotive industry, the seminars, new products, opportunities to get hands on with products and ask questions make this an important time for those in the industry. SEMA Show 2009 drew more than 50,000 domestic and international buyers. The displays are segmented into 12 sections, and a New Products Showcase featured nearly 1,500 newly introduced parts, tools and components.

From SEMA_Show2010

Today I interviewed Julian Calvert of Edison2, the creators of the Very Light Car and winners of the Progressive Automotive X Prize, a $10 million competition to build a production-capable, clean, well-performing and safe 100+ mpg car.

SEMA Show 2010 Coverage

This is NOT your reporter looking for a parking space in Las Vegas.
It is a shot of the SEMA Show 4WD Test Drive track in 2008.

As we cover the cars, products, & events, post a comment here if you see something you'd like us to check out in more detail, & we'll see what we can do.

Green Power from Brown?

The Bio-Bug runs on methane gas generated during the sewage treatment process.

Waste flushed down the toilets of just 70 homes in Bristol is enough to power the Bio-Bug for a year, based on an annual mileage of 10,000 miles.

In Sweden, more than 11,500 vehicles already run on biomethane produced from sewage plants. Engineers say that the driver cannot tell how it is powered.

Read more about the Bio Bug HERE

First Chevy Volt Rolls off Assembly Line

The first 2011 Chevrolet Volt rolled off the assembly line in Hamtramck, Michigan, on Monday.

Earlier cars were made in limited numbers at other GM locations. Some have been seen at auto shows. One quarter of th cars have been used for crash tests so far, and the remaining ones have logged well over half a million collective miles of testing. VIDEO: Test Drive of the Volt (Wall Street Journal)

Ford Announces Electric Vehicle Strategy

Ford’s global electrification strategy includes plans to produce five full electric or hybrid vehicles in the compact, midsize and light commercial segments for the North American market by 2012 and European markets by 2013.

Specifically, Ford will launch two zero-emission all-electric vehicles including the Transit Connect Electric light commercial vehicle in North America in late 2010 and in Europe in 2011, followed by the Focus Electric in North America in 2011 and Europe in 2012. Three other yet-to-be-named vehicles – including two next-generation hybrid electric vehicles and a plug-in hybrid vehicle – will follow in North America in 2012 and Europe in 2013.

Toyota Begins Plug-in Hybrid Demo in 2010

The 2010 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicle (PHV) made its North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in December, 2009.

The vehicle expands Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive technology with the introduction of a first generation lithium-ion battery that enables all-electric operation at higher speeds and longer distances than the conventional Prius hybrid. When fully charged, the vehicle is targeted to achieve a maximum electric-only range of approximately 13 miles and will be capable of achieving highway speeds up to 60 mph in electric-only mode. For longer distances, the Prius PHV reverts to “hybrid mode” and operates like a regular Prius.

A total of 350 vehicles will begin delivery in Japan and Europe in support of model programs with business and government partners aimed at raising societal awareness of, and preparedness for, this important new technology, with 150 vehicles in the US. Regional programs are currently slated for California, Washington D.C., New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania. Each placement scenario will have a variety of ‘use cases’ or driving conditions to gain maximum input to vehicle performance and customer needs.

The battery powering the Prius PHV is the first lithium-ion drive-battery developed by Toyota and its joint venture battery production company, Panasonic Electric Vehicle Energy (PEVE).

All vehicles will be equipped with data retrieval devices which will monitor activities such as how often the vehicle is charged and when; whether the batteries are depleted or being topped off during charging; trip duration, all-EV driving range, combined mpg and so on.

Plug-in Hybrid Website

Mass Production of GM's Volt Battery Begins

Three years to the date after the Chevrolet Volt concept car was unveiled, the first Chevrolet Volt lithium-ion battery pack moved through the assembly line at GM’s new Brownstown Battery Assembly Plant in Michigan. GM announced that this is the beginning of the production of the Volt.

The raw lithium cells will be manufactured LG Chem’s plant in Korea, and LG Chem plans to build a lithium cell battery in Michigan later in 2010.











GM Volt Website

Jay Leno Test Drives a Volt