SIM-LEI electric prototype manages 207 miles (!) on Japan's JCO8 test cycle— Autoblog Green

Sim-Drive has unveiled its Advance Development Model No. 1. Nicknamed"SIM-LEI,"(LEI being an acronym for leading efficiency in-wheel motor) the electric prototype has exceeded the target of at least 300 kilometers (186 miles) of range on a single charge. How far can it go? 333 km (207 miles), according to Japan's JC08 test cycle. That's impressive, but remember that JC08 is a wee bit generous. The 2010Toyota Prius, for example,is rated at 89.4 miles per gallon under JC08.

However far it can go in the real world, the SIM-LEI is equipped with a Toshiba-supplied 24.5 kWh battery, which isnearly identicalto the capacity of theNissan Leaf's pack. The SIM-LEI has a more efficient electrical power consumption– 77 Wh/km, compared to the Leaf's estimated 173 Wh/km. In addition to lower power consumption, the SIM-LEI's longer range is helped by a steel monocoque body that cuts weight, low-rolling resistance tires and the vehicle's drag-decreasing aerodynamics. On the performance front, the SIM-LEI accelerates from 0 to 62 miles per hour in an impressive 4.8 seconds.

In total 34 Japanese corporations, including Isuzu andMitsubishi, participated in the development of the electric prototype. The SIM-LEI's commercial launch is tentatively scheduled for 2013. Keep those batteries charged, because it's a long way from here to there.Hat tip to Dan!

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Ten-year-old Toyota Prius vehicles still outperforming critics— Autoblog Green

The launch of vehicles like theChevrolet VoltandNissan Leafhas stirred up a debate over battery longevity. Critics say battery output will degrade and cite outrageous replacement costs as a possible downside to these breakthrough machines. Well, it turns out that skeptics posed similar concerns over a decade ago, when theToyota Priusmade its U.S. debut. Turns out, those worrywarts were too, well, worried.

Based on data gleaned from more than 36,000 Prius owners in its annual survey,Consumer Reportsgives Toyota'sbest-selling hybridtop scores in terms of reliability and ownership costs. Aswe noted in January,CRset out to answer questions posed by skeptics by taking a 2002 Prius with 206,000 miles on it and putting it through a battery (get it?) of tests.

After extensive testing,CR's numbers show that the first-gen 2002 Prius returned an overall fuel economy of 40.4 miles per gallon, which is virtually identical to the 40.6 mpg thatCRrecorded when testing a new Prius back in 2001. Likewise, CR found that, with 206,000 miles on the clock, the old Prius' acceleration numbers had only dropped by a few tenths of a second for both the 0-60 miles per hour dash and the quarter-mile run.

While the tested Prius' nickel-metal hydride battery pack showed virtually no signs of degradation ten years and 206,000 miles later,CR's evaluation says nothing of today's radically different lithium-ion packs. Still, since we're a decade on in battery development and the OEMs behind the new batch of plug-in vehicles and hybrids are offering substantial warranties, there's a good case to be made that the critics might not always bear listening to.

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Elon Musk's ex-wife Justine on"Divorce Wars"— Autoblog Green

Divorce Wars trailer– Click above to watch videoafter the jump

Elon Musk, the CEO ofTesla Motors, hastalked publicly about his 2008 divorce before, but even he might be surprised that CNBC's brand-new showDivorce Warsis turning hispersonal storyinto a reality show (well, an episode, anyway). The show, which premiers tonight, includes information on things like divorce insurance and divorce funding (no,we're not kidding) while dissecting the break-up stories of the rich and famous.

Musk is not your typical auto executive, and his marriage to Justine did not end with a typical divorce. In fact,Marie Claire called it"America's messiest divorce,"and that's what CNBC will air tonight, focusing in part on a challenge Justine issued to a post-nuptial agreement signed six weeks after their wedding day that kept their property separate. Justine, a novelist, is using looking for $6 million in cash and stock. Oh, and a Tesla Roadster.

So far, the courts have rules in Elon's favor, but with five children involved, we just don't see the point of putting this on TV. If you disagree, you can check out an ad for the show featuring Justineafter the jump.

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MIT team develops world's first inexpensive"artificial leaf"— Autoblog Green

Long considered a scientific Holy Grail, a functioning"artificial leaf"has apparently been created by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In a presentation at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, CA, Dr. Daniel Nocera of MIT dropped a bomb on the crowd by announcing that the"leaf"– an advanced solar cell the size of a credit card that can power a house in a developing country for a day– is no longer a dream. It's a reality, or so says Nocera.

MIT's"artificial leaf"mimics photosynthesis and makes use of inexpensive catalysts derived from abundant materials to generate electricity. When placed in a gallon of water and exposed to the sun, the device cranks out electricity. Nocera most likely awed the crowd at the presentation with these words:

A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades. We believe we have done it. The artificial leaf shows particular promise as an inexpensive source of electricity for homes of the poor in developing countries. Our goal is to make each home its own power station. One can envision villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology.

In all fairness, the first artificial leaf was developed more than ten years ago by John Turner of the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. However, Turner's leaf was expensive, unstable and had a lifespan of one day. MIT's artificial leaf prototype is said to be inexpensive, highly stable and capable of operating continuously for at least 45 hours.

During the presentation, Nocera pointed out that the leaf's inexpensive catalysts– made of nickel and cobalt– are efficient at splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen and, in fact, make the artificial leaf up to ten times more efficient at carrying out the process of photosynthesis than a real leaf. That's science trumping Mother Nature.

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Infographic: Gas is still cheap— Autoblog Green

See? Gas really is cheaper than you think... Click above to enlarge

Nationwide, motorists are shelling out an average of $3.55 per gallon of petrol. That's a lot more cash than you were paying last year at this time, but– stop us if you've heard this one before– an interesting graphic from Good shows that gas is a real bargain compared to other liquids we consume every day.

For example, a gallon of freshly brewed coffee from Starbucks will set you back $32. Move up from coffee to Guinness and you're looking at doubling your tally to $64 for every 128 ounces consumed. We know you won't be shocked that Dom Perignon is $755 per gallon, but did you know that nail polish is $1,015 for the same portion size? If you want a consumable with comparable per-gallon pricing, you'll have to pick up some Coca-Cola, which retails for $3.84 per gallon.

Okay, so you probably don't feel any better about gas prices (we sure don't), but you click on the image above to see how other items you use every day compare to the price of a gallon of gas.

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Azure Dynamics selects Lotus for Transit Connect Electric upfits in Europe— Autoblog Green

Ford Transit Connect Electric– Click above for high-res image gallery

On Tuesday,Fordannounced that it had signed a deal to deliver20 Transit Connect Electrics to the Norwegian Post. Two days after that,Azure Dynamics, the automotive firm that supplies theConnect's ForceDrive electric powertrain, revealed that Lotus Lightweight Structures, a division ofLotus Cars, will tackle the task of electrifying Transits for the European market.

Here's how it'll work: Lotus will receive empty Transit shells, called gliders, from Ford's manufacturing facility in Turkey. Lotus will take the empty gliders and marry them to the ForceDrive powertrains at its Worcester facility in the UK. From there, the electrified Transits will ship out to paying customers throughout Europe. The electrification of these Europe-bound Transit Connects will kick off this June.

Gallery:Ford Transit Connect Electric

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Audi looks to"wow"you with its electric cars— Autoblog Green

Audi e-tron Detroit Concept– Click above for high-res image gallery

At the2011 Geneva Motor Show, Frank van Meel,Audi's head of electromobility strategy, said that the firm is fond of the idea of a battery-powered car that"goes off like a catapult."Meel toldAutomotive News(sub. req.) that Audi is looking for"more or less the 'Wow!' effect"to prove that electrics can be"cool"and don't necessarily have to be drab little golf carts.

Lightning-fast electric cars like theAudi R8-based e-tronare sure tograb headlines(for proof, see:Tesla Roadster), but even Audi admits that a more conventional battery-powered auto will be needed to round out the automaker's electrified lineup. That's where a vehicle like theA1 e-tronconcept could slot in.

Though Audi has not committed to launching the A1 e-tron just yet, the automaker does refer to it as"a near-series production vehicle,"which leads us to believe that the A1, while not as"wowing"as the R8-based e-tron, could quickly become the vehicle that balances out Audi's electrified lineup.

Gallery:Detroit 2010: Audi e-tron Detroit Concept

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Photos byDrew Phillips/Copyright©2010 AOL

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Quicker than gas? New battery technology could allow electric vehicles to recharge in two minutes— Autoblog Green

Tesla'sElon Musk may thinkthe future of electric vehicles will one day lie with ultra capacitors, but battery breakthroughs happen nearly every day, so there's reason to hold your bets for now. Case in point, a new article in theNature Nanotechnologyjournal details a new nanostructure-based cathode technology developed in Illinois University professor Paul Braun's lab. This new cathode allows extremely fast charging and discharging to the tune of 400C for lithium-ion and 1,000C for NiMH batteries. For those of you who never got into an electric-powered hobby, the"C"simply means the charge (or discharge) rate where 1C equals a charge in one hour. 400C means a lithium-ion battery of Braun's type could be recharged to 90% in 2 minutes.

With modern lithium-ion batteries on the market today, the ability to charge and discharge rapidly often results in reduced capacity, meaning less range in an EV. This new cathode, however, supposedly does not affect the total capacity, leaving the battery with, as Paul Braun puts,"capacitor-like power with battery-like energy".

It's worth taking a step back at this point and realizing that even if batteries like this were available right now, there is little to no infrastructure in place to allow for recharging at these high power levels. However, having a huge increase in discharge power-density would immediately allow hybrids and plug-ins to have a ton of power available from even a very small pack. This could give new meaning and life to the 'sport hybrid' segment, which we'd be all for.

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Honda Brio minicar debuts in Thailand— Autoblog Green

2011 Honda Brio– Click above for high-res image gallery

Late last week,Hondaunveiled the production version of its Brio minicar in Thailand. Slated to hit the market in India and Thailand later this year, Honda says that the Brio will"raise the bar and and set a new standard for eco-cars in terms of design, packaging, cabin comfort and fuel-efficiency."

With a base MSRP of 399,900 baht ($14,173 U.S. at the current exchange rate) in Thailand, the Brio will square off against stiff competition from the likes ofSuzuki,HyundaiandKia. Still, Honda expects sales to hit 40,000 units annually.

The Brio comes packing Honda's Euro 4-compliant 1.2-liter four-cylinder i-VTEC engine with 90 horsepower on tap. The rev-happy mill can be paired with either a five-speed manual or continuously variable transmission (CVT). Honda expects the Brio to return approximately 47 miles per gallon (U.S.).

The Brio is Honda's lower-cost alternative to vehicles likes theMazda2andFord Fiesta, but unlike those subcompacts thataresold in the U.S., the Brio probably won't be.

Gallery:2011 Honda Brio

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Nissan: Quake in Japan will delay Leaf deliveries in U.S.— Autoblog Green

2011 Nissan Leaf– Click above for high-res image gallery

U.S. buyers awaiting delivery of theirNissan Leafmay have to wait a while longer. That's the word fromNissan, who contacted individuals with Leaf orders, notifying them that the status of their delivery is now"pending."On Saturday, the automaker fired out an email to Leaf buyers, stating that:

{As} a consequence of the earthquake and tsunami, a delay in the scheduled delivery date of your Nissan Leaf is unavoidable. We will refresh your 'my account' page with delivery updates as they become available.

This delay should have been expected. Even though most of Nissan's factories in Japan suffered only minor damage, the destruction from the quake and ensuing tsunami crippled the nation's infrastructure, leading to power shortages andplant shut downs across much of the country. Nissan did happen toship out 600 Leafsprior to the disaster, but that's simply not enough to satisfy the demand for the electric hatch in the U.S.

If you'd like to donate directly to the Red Cross for disaster relief, you can do sohere. Another option is to work with Nissan, which has aready given $500,000 to the Red Cross and will match donations, dollar for dollar, made throughNissan North America's Red Cross online donation site.

Gallery:2011 Nissan Leaf

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Mercedes-Benz: U.S. fuel too dirty for next-gen efficient engines— Autoblog Green

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK– Click above for high-res image gallery

The newest gasoline engines fromMercedes-Benzfeature cutting-edge lean-burn technology that leads to fewer harmful emissions and a 10 percent improvement in fuel economy. Well, the new engine tech, which requires a much leaner fuel-to-air ratio, is making its way into many mills, but apparently not the ones destined for these United States.

Ward's Automotivequotes Daimler powertrain development vice president Bernhard Heil as saying that the gasoline in the U.S. contains sulfur at the rate of 95 parts-per-million; about twice as much as can be tolerated by the new engines. The problem? Excess sulfur apparently clogs the nitrogen oxide-capturing traps.

So, is the U.S. the only country lagging behind Europe in removing sulfur from its gasoline supply? Far from it. Heil points out that the gasoline in Africa and many areas of Asia also contain too much sulfur for the lean engines. The first engine to feature the technology is the direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 destined for theC350 sport sedanand theSLK roadsterseen above. The 302-horsepower mill will not (obviously) utilize lean-burn tech here in the U.S.

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DIY ecomod turns Geo Metro into 214 mpge Dolphin— Autoblog Green

1995-1997 Geo Metro three-door hatchback

Dave Cloud's 1997 Geo Metro started life as a run-of-the-mill gas-sipping subcompact. Following a year-long electric transformation, Cloud's Metro now has virtually no resemblance of its former self. To convert the vehicle over to electric drive, Cloud fitted the Metro with used batteries, low-priced single-speed electric motors and inexpensive Curtis controllers.

The completed electric car, which Cloud calls the Dolphin due to its streamlined body, has some impressive specs. The Dolphin is claimed to be capable of hauling two adults for 200 miles at speeds reaching 72 miles per hour. What's the cost of converting a lowly 1997 Metro into a electrified wedge of a car? For Cloud, a mere $3,000.

Ecomodder's math, along with Cloud's own estimates of power usage, shows that the Dolphin returns an astonishing 214 miles per gallon equivalent (mpge). And that ain't bad for three grand. Hit upEcomodder's siteto see photos of Dave Cloud's electric Dolphin.

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Study: $5/gallon gas could overload public transit system in U.S.— Autoblog Green

Recently, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) predicted that rising gasoline prices could lead to asavings of $14,376 for commuters in New York Citywho choose to switch from personal to public transportation. However, keeping that amount of coin in one's bank account may not be as simple as it first seems.

An additional study released by the APTA claims that soaring gas prices will convince Americans to turn to public transportation in record numbers, possibly overloading the our transit systems. The APTA predicts that if gas prices hit $4 a gallon (it's$3.546 today), public transportation networks will need to add 670 million trips per year to keep up with rising demand. If pump prices soar to $5 a gallon, 1.5 billion additional passenger trips will be required. If prices were to soar to $6 a gallon, well, let's not go there.

William Millar, president of the APTA, is calling on Congress for investments aimed at addressing rising demand for public transportation:

We must make significant, long-term investments in public transportation or we will leave our fellow Americans with limited travel options, or in many cases stranded without travel options. Public transit is the quickest way for people to beat high gas prices if it is available.

Saving money by switching from personal to public transportation is a good idea– but only if there's an available ride.

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Meet the 1967 electric Ford Comuta— Autoblog Green

Forty-four years ago,Ford Motor Companyunveiled a battery-powered concept car at theGeneva Motor Show. The year was 1967 and the electrified car was the Ford Comuta, a pint-sized concept with specs that pale in comparison to today's electric vehicles.

The Comuta topped out at a mere 40 miles per hour, could ramble down the road for 40 miles on a full charge and, at the time, the president of Ford told journalists that"cars like the Comuta could be available in five to ten years."Hmm, yeah.

The battery-powered Comuta is a blast from the past. Many modern-day electrics, such as thebattery-powered Ford Focus, offer at least twice the range of the Comuta and top speeds that make them highway-capable vehicles. It's taken more than"five to ten years"for Ford to launch electrified rides, but the automaker's dream has now become a reality. {Ed note: good leg room, though}

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Fisker won't need all that Delaware factory space after all...— Autoblog Green

Fisker Automotivehopes to eventually make use of a formerGeneral Motorsmanufacturingplant in Wilmington, DEto produce its vehicles. However, the startup automaker apparently needs only a third of the factory's total floor space, which will leave potential capacity for around annual 200,000 units untouched. That is, unless Fisker offers the unused portion to other automakers.

That's exactly what Fisker wants to do, Bernhard Koehler, Fisker's chief operating officer, toldAutomotive Newsat the2011 Geneva Motor Show. In a weird twist, Fisker will also examine the possibility of building vehicles at the Delaware plant for contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive. This would only occur, Koehler said, if"Valmet's customers need more capacity in the United States."The weird twist part is that, last we heard, Valmet is supposed to start production of the $95,900 Fisker Karma plug-in hybridon March 21st.

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Nissan: 600 U.S.-bound Leafs left port before quake hit Japan— Autoblog Green

2011 Nissan Leaf– Click above for high-res image gallery

The massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami that rattled Japan have had a disastrous effect on the entire nation. The catastrophe even abruptlyhalted production at automotive facilitiesacross the country.

However,Nissansays that a boatload of 600 U.S.-boundLeafsleft port on March 10th, a day before the quake. The electric hatches should hit U.S. turf soon and head off to dealerships in early April. This single shipment is nearly ten times the amount oftotal Leaf deliveries in the U.S. in the month of Februaryalone, so we'll see more on the road before any manufacturing problems caused by the quake are felt here.

Nissan said in a statement that the future impact, if any, of the devastating quake and tsunami on the automaker's electric Leaf,"continues to be assessed."As of right now, we know that some of the company's plants in Japan were damaged and others will remain closed at least through the end of this week. You can see Nissan Americas' latest statement on the situation after the jump.

Gallery:2010 Nissan LEAF

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