Is it possible to make a car that carries 4 people comfortably, meets modern safety standards, provides decent performance and gets 80 mpg for barely more than $10,000? Even more impressive would be to do it without electric or hybrid drive. If it's at all possible, Gordon Murray may well be the man to do it. Murray is one of the most innovative engineers of the past three decades. Like Colin Chapman before him, he believes weight is the enemy. Murray has created plenty of lightweight, high performance road and race cars but his latest project, called T25, is designed to also be practical and affordable. Shorter and narrower but taller than an original MINI, it will have to be a triumph of packaging to meet the stated objectives.

Making superlight cars is nothing new. Doing it with materials that don't cost a fortune is the problem. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Murray drops a few hints about the construction. It's a body on frame design with plastic upper end and steel chassis. Murray is keeping most of the car under wraps until they get all the patents lined up. Hopefully the T25 will be unveiled in early 2010.

[Source: Daily Mail]

Perhaps you've noticed how many new three-wheeled vehicles have been sprouting up lately intended for the streets. It's no coincidence, as anything with fewer than four wheels is generally considered a motorcycle, though states are free to create their own take on the rules in the US. Alex Hodge, a designer based out of New Zealand, has thrown his hat into the ring with the Hawk concept, and it's a looker. The body would be molded from fiberglass to keep weight low and the all-glass canopy swings away to allow for entry and exit into the sleek vehicle. An alloy chassis holds it all together and a set of 19-inch alloy rims grab the tarmac.

Power would come from a 999cc V-Twin engine from a Honda RC51 motorcycle, and its 120-horsepower should be plenty to keep things interesting, while also offering relatively miserly fuel consumption. A single seat detracts from utility, though, and we might prefer the concept if it were electric. Regardless, it's a cool design.


[Source: Alex Hodge via Auto Express]

We've taken an in-depth look into what it takes to create a road-legal three-wheeled motorcycle in the past, and California has just made it even easier to enter the market in that far-left State. As noted before, it's a constantly evolving set of rules because each state is left up to its own to decide what's legal and what isn't. Companies such as Aptera have specifically chosen to market their first products in California because of that State's lax definition of a motorcycle, something that is actually about to change once again. Specifically, there will no longer be a weight limit on three-wheeled vehicles - no matter what, they will be classified as motorcycles and will therefore be allowed in High Occupancy Vehicle lanes in that State. California will also no longer differentiate between motorcycles that run on alternative fuels. Regardless of whether it's powered by gasoline, electricity, or hydrogen - or anything else for that matter - if it's got two or three wheels, it'll be a motorcycle. Period.


[Source: Daily Democrat via Biker-Events]

It's been widely reported already that Fiat is working up a new city car that would revive the old Topolino nameplate in Europe. Now it seems that the Italian automaker is considering launching a completely new marque for that city car along with two additional models that would be based on architecture already used in emerging markets such as Brazil. Of course, style-conscious European tastes would ensure that the new city cars would be completely remodeled. One of the three vehicles would likely be based on a shortened version of the platform that currently underpins the revived Fiat 500 and Panda. This model would go up against the smart fortwo, Toyota iQ and the upcoming VW Up!. A small twin cylinder engine would power the city car, and electric versions are also possible. Fiat would likely undercut its rivals in pricing, with early estimates placing the starting price at just £5,500.

[Source: Autocar]

The Tazzari Group has sent out their monthly update that reveals a little bit more about their up-coming all-electric city car and retains an optimistic tone despite the recent bankruptcy of their planned UK distributor, the NICE Car Company. They report that they have been receiving lots of interest and hundreds of questions about the Zero via their website. Promised in their missive is that this will be the last Zero-less Christmas and suggest you might want to leave a little extra room under the tree next year. Of course, if you live in North America the chances of it being available here within the next 12 months are slim.

Also revealed were four different "driving modes" available to drivers and selectable by means of four different colored buttons on the dash. Yellow is your standard daily drive mode. Green offers some extension to your range and, presumably, cuts back on some of your acceleration potential. Blue is for rain drive mode and increases safety for more hazardous conditions like rain or snow. Red, our favorite, is for reverse race (I always get that wrong) and allows you to drive it like you stole it. We hope they make some actual photos available soon but in the meantime, we offer you a gallery of renderings below.


Source: Tazzari Group]

See, the Volt program is indeed moving forward. At the very least, we now know what wheels the Volt will sport when (fingers crossed) it goes on sale in late 2010. Alcoa Automotive Wheels announced this week that GM has picked its forged aluminum wheels for the plug-in halo car. Alcoa's press release, pasted after the jump, notes that the lightweight nature of the aluminum wheels - Alcoa claims they're 20 percent lighter with twice the strength of a "similar cast aluminum wheel" - was the main selling point.

Alcoa might not be the most well-known company, but we've written about their green efforts before. Alcoa has worked on the Rocky Mountain Institute's plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and a Ferrari frame, and has been doing carbon capture in Australia.

[Source: Alcoa]

Last month at the LA Auto Show, Hyundai America CEO John Krafcik told us that the 2010 Hyundai Sonata will debut next November in LA with the hybrid version coming the following year. Weight reduction will be a major part of the new Sonata program. A speculative rendering has turned up of what the new Sonata might look like. Hyundai hasn't given us any hints about the car's design, but this drawing looks plausible. It draws heavily on the new Genesis sedan with a lower sleeker roof-line that looks much like the Volkswagen CC. The hybrid version will use Hyundai's new BlueHybrid powertrain with a 2.4L four cylinder and a lithium polymer battery.

[Source: Global Motors]

Future fuel economy and emissions regulations are going to make sweeping changes to the way our cars are designed. While many of the best innovations will be made to the powertrain - whether its electric, diesel, gasoline-powered or a combination thereof - there are plenty more ways to increase overall vehicle efficiency than just modifying what goes under the hood. To that end, Subaru looks to be investing heavily in technologies to reduce the overall weight of its vehicles.

New materials like high-tensile strength steel and new types of plastic will be used where standard stamped sheet steel had been specified in the past. The goal? By 2012, Subaru hopes to have shed an average of 10-percent of weight from its line, with another 5-percent coming by the 2015 model year. When combined with Subaru's newest engine technology, the Japanese automaker plans to decrease the fuel consumption of its cars by 40-percent before 2014.


[Source: NASIOC]

Click above for gallery of the GYM Concept Car by Da Feng

The GYM Concept Car pictured above is an electric car that can be partially recharged using muscle power. It's actually a design project by Coventry University design student Da Feng that incorporates exercise equipment into the design. Think of it as a rolling gym that allows the owner to take his or her workout on the road. The car itself is a single-seater with a lightweight, injection-molded, magnesium alloy chassis and carbon fiber bodywork, and it's powered by an electric motor. The novel part is that the batteries can be recharged conventionally by plugging it into an electric socket, or through the use of the onboard workout machinery. When the vehicle is parked, the driver can use any or all of the built-in equipment to generate electricity for the charge. There's a stepping machine and a rowing machine available using the sliding seat, pedals and steering wheel. There's also a bench press or pull up simulator that uses the seat and an overhead handle. The arm rests can even be used for curls due to their tensioned resistance. Sadly, there are no pedal-kart pedals to provide forward motion.


[Source: Autoblog]

Back in May, we discovered the Nach One, a lightweight three-seater from Bravo Motor Company in Argentina. Reader Gabriel Y. just sent us some of his pictures of the first test drive of the Nach One that took place this past week. Comparing these images with the original concept design, you can see that a lot of the features from last year's sketches made the transition from computer to 3D space. We don't have any reports on how the vehicle performed (the company blog hasn't been updated sine May), but expect that the 600 kg, 163 hp Nach One enjoyed its time on the dirt track. By the looks on the faces of the people in the pictures, I think they enjoyed the drive as well.

The unusual three-seat configuration of the Nach One puts the driver in the front of the cockpit with two passengers in the back (see also: the Honda FC Sport). This is the perfect configuration for one of the riders to take video of, say a first test drive. Now, if only they'd post that video for us to see.

[Source: Flickr]

The cheap price of gas may be hurting the sales of some electric vehicles (EVs) in America, but the same can not be said for Norway where gas is only down to $5.18 a gallon. Electric car sales have doubled in the past year, hitting an all-time high in November. As if to punctuate that feat, the opening days of December have seen Norwegian electric company Hafslund take delivery of 10 copies of the Kewet Buddy, bringing that car maker's numbers up to 190 for 2008.

After some false starts the Th!nk City is finally rolling out of the factory doors, contributing greatly to the sales rise. Although they have only moved 111 units so far this year, that number is expected to greatly increase in December. Indeed, the demand should soon outstrip supply as the factory only has the logistics in place currently to build 10 a day. The Oslo dealership sold 19 of the lithium-powered cars last Tuesday alone. Hit the jump for video of a bunch of Buddies boogieing about the town. Thanks to Sindre for the Norwegian help!





[Source: e24 / Hegnar Online]

Cutting an engine's cylinder count seems like an easy way to increase fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle emissions. Smaller engines also weigh less, and all automakers are eager to lower the mass of their new vehicles. To that end, Fiat is working on a new line of 900cc engines that feature just two cylinders as opposed to the current, more common choice of four. Rumors indicate that the engine would be available in four separate states of tune and would range from 65-105 horsepower. High-performance versions may feature turbocharging to increase their power levels. Green technology like Fiat's Multiair hydraulic valve-actuation technology and the ability to run on compressed natural gas are also being planned for the twins, as is stop/start capability.

Expect this new line of powerplants to first show up in Fiat's retro 500 coupe, Panda and Grand Punto along with the Lancia Ypsilon. What's more, we know that Fiat and BMW have been in talks to share platforms and engines, so these new engines could make an appearance in either future MINI models or in the long-rumored line of city cars.

[Source: Channel 4]

Whilst perusing the internetz for the latest and greatest green-go-gadgets, we happened across a somewhat mysterious video that we think might offer our readers something in the way of both amusement and a free physics lesson. The clip features several different three-wheel electric vehicles careening about a makeshift course piloted by guys with remarkably dubious driving ability, possibly for the benefit of an engineering school competition. (Or perhaps it was for a reality TV show, our Farsi comprehension is as poor as our Thai)

Regardless of the reason for its existence, the vid demonstrates that just because you design a vehicle to be green, it doesn't mean it's safe. Also demonstrated is the importance of doors and helmets, along with the dangers of loitering about a race course with expensive film equipment. Hit the jump for madcap careening action as well as a bonus video that reveals the true green nature of the event that spawned this bit of craziness.

[Source: YouTube]

It's been a very good year for green car related news. In the past year, hundreds of thousands of people have lost homes and jobs. Here at AutoblogGreen we churn out words, photographs and videos every day of every week and we're grateful that you keep coming back to check out what we have to say, even when you berate some of us (OK, that would be me!) when you disagree with our (OK, my) opinions. No doubt we all have some strongly-held opinions about how best to address the issues of energy independence and the environment. As long as you keep coming back we'll keep writing, and sometimes we'll be on the same side of the fence and sometimes not. Sebastian, Jeremy, Xavier, Domenick and I, along with the rest of the ABG crew, all consider ourselves very fortunate to be given the opportunity to do this. But there's more to be thankful for, as you can see in our latest Top Ten list. Let's get on with it so you have something else to criticize me for.

Honorable mention: Chris Paine, director of Who Killed the Electric Car? As a film, Paine's documentary wasn't the greatest motion picture of all time. It did however, re-ignite the debate over plug-in vehicles and in part prompted many of the world's automakers to re-start EV development. It also got many more people interested in the green car discussion, and for that he deserves a special mention. Now, on with the show...

A few months back at the Paris Motor Show, French automaker PGO was set to unveil its Hemera sportscar, though our scribes at the event came away empty handed. We're unclear as to whether or not the Hemera did indeed make its debut in The City of Lights, but it matters little now, as all the official details on the new car have finally surfaced. Powered by a 2.0-liter four cylinder engine from fellow French automaker Peugeot that's been tuned to run on compressed natural gas, the Hemera is reportedly capable of reaching the sprint to sixty in under 7 seconds thanks to its ultra light weight of just 980 kilograms (2,160 pounds). A total of 140 horsepower from the mid-mounted engine is funneled through a five-speed manual transmission, allowing for a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph). We like the looks too, which seem to be an shooting-brake-style evolution of the classic Porsche Speedster that the automaker mimicked with its Cevennes roadster.


[Source: 4 Wheels News]