The video above is the official promo for the concept vehicle, which will, sadly, never see a showroom. For more, see Jalopnik, which has up a gallery and oodles of facts and figures. [Jalopnik]

This story's still developing, but if our sources are correct, it would blow the Toyota Prius out of the water. Heck, it'd blow every other vehicle currently on the market out of the water with the exception of the Tesla roadster — and that's no four-door mid-size sedan. So for GM this represents a huge marketing coup — the ability to claim the most fuel efficient vehicle in the world and a big blow to detractors who claim the big, sweaty 'merican manufacturer can't build quality products.

We'll have more out of GM's Warren Technical Center as the General holds their big product showcase event throughout the day.

The $500,000 system works a lot like a car wash, with your vehicle placed on tracks while machines remove and replace your battery. (The raised platform is only in this prototype for demonstration effect.) And it could get you back on the road a lot faster than plugging into a wall.

Of course, there are several reasons why such a station isn't feasible within today's infrastructure—namely that different manufacturers have different shape/size/capacity standards. Also, manufacturers haven't really designed hybrid/electric cars to have their batteries constantly removed. Should these issues be ironed out, we could see a future in the battery swap station. But hopefully, we'll get a battery technology that charges faster before we rip up our entire fuel infrastructure. [Wired]

Yeah. It's for sale. The creator, a guy named John, is selling the HyperRocket to make room for his next project, a plug-in, fully electric vehicle. The guy deserves some kind of medal for achievement in DIY. [Jalopnik]

The BLUE-WILL looks to be a pretty standard gas/electric hybrid, save for the lithium ion polymer battery pack hidden under the back seats that, like the Volt, can be plugged in to your power outlets at home to charge up.

Otherwise, the company is using both recycled and plant materials in the body—you know, because details like that sound great in a showroom. I'll be interested to see just how snazzy the concept looks in the flesh when it debuts at the Seoul Auto Show. [Jalopnik]

The plan is as follows:

* The Department of Energy is offering up to $1.5 billion in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce these highly efficient batteries and their components.

* The Department of Energy is offering up to $500 million in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce other components needed for electric vehicles, such as electric motors and other components.

* The Department of Energy is offering up to $400 million to demonstrate and evaluate Plug-In Hybrids and other electric infrastructure concepts — like truck stop charging station, electric rail, and training for technicians to build and repair electric vehicles.

All good news.

Another thing I've realized? After the last few months of $792 billion bailouts and an additional trillion dollars of various other cash infusions, and an additional trillion dollars going to AIG's janitorial staff, $2.4 billion just doesn't sound like a significant amount of money anymore. [Physorg, Whitehouse.gov]

According to the Grist, the F3 Dual Mode began selling this week with a $22,000 price tag, aimed initially at the Chinese government agencies and other corporate entities. The hybrid plugs into any normal wall outlet, and has a range of 60 miles on a full charge. According to the New York Times, it charges fully in 7 hours, and at special stations, can be charged halfway in 10 minutes.Keeping in the spirit of a hybrid, it also has a 1.0 liter gas engine that is used to recharge the batteries when a power outlet isn't nearby.

While numerous other car makers have announced plans to sell a plug-in hybrid, none have actually brought one to market, with the nearest release date not until 2010. Worth noting is that BYD started in 1995 manufacturing cellphone batteries until they acquired a bankrupt auto company in 2003. Now they have Warren Buffet as a 10% shareholder in the company. [Grist via NYT]

Going more than 60MPH on this freakish little scooter is somewhat terrifying, but when it comes to plug-in hybrid technology pretty much any progress is welcome. Actual plug-in hybrid cars, like the admittedly attractive Volt, are still a long way off, so this'll do for now. The MP3 Hybrid should be on the road by next year. NOTE: I have been informed by a number of readers that the original MP3 scooter is, in fact, "Rad." So there's that. [Autopia]

FISKER AUTOMOTIVE ANNOUNCES A LETTER OF INTENT FOR
ASSEMBLY CONTRACT WITH VALMET AUTOMOTIVE

Valmet to Serve as Global Manufacturing Facility, Fisker Automotive
Strategy Sees Manufacturing Facility in the US for Future Models

IRVINE, CA. July 14, 2008: Fisker Automotive, Inc., a green American premium
car company, today announced that Valmet Automotive will manufacture its first
production car, the Fisker Karma. Known for producing high quality specialty cars
like the Porsche Boxster and Cayman for Porsche AG, the Finland-based contract
manufacturer brings to the Fisker Karma 40 years of experience of working with
OEM customers and their wide ranging engineering and production needs.

When the Fisker Karma begins rolling off the Valmet assembly line in the fourth
quarter of 2009, it will mark the first ever plug-in hybrid 4 door sports sedan to hit
the market. With 50 miles of electric range and more than 350 miles of total range,
the Fisker Karma with its proprietary Q-DRIVE powertrain developed by Quantum
Technologies, will have the potential for a fuel economy of over 100 miles per gallon
(MPG) on extended drives. Boasting a top speed of 125mph and 0-60 acceleration
in less than 6 seconds, the Fisker Karma is poised to be the world’s first true luxury
plug-in hybrid sports car.

“After an exhaustive global search, we are thrilled to have found the ideal
manufacturing partner in Valmet Automotive,” said Fisker Automotive CEO, Henrik
Fisker. “Valmet offers us the quality and speed necessary to meet our production
goals and given that more than half of Fisker Automotive’s sales are expected to be
outside of North America, Valmet represents an ideal international foothold. We do
have a strategic plan to utilize an American manufacturing site for future models of
the Fisker Karma."

“It is forecasted that the market of environmentally-friendly electric vehicles will
grow very fast and we are proud to be in the pole position in this growth”, says Ilpo
Korhonen, President of Valmet Automotive. “Fisker Automotive leads the way by
adapting the most innovative technologies to new, environmentally-friendly premium
cars. The strategic partnership with Fisker Automotive will open a new window for
Valmet Automotive. Our production process can be easily adapted to the production
of electric and hybrid cars and new body designs. In line with our renewed strategy,
engineering will have a strong role in the cooperation.”

“Our mission at Fisker Automotive is to develop beautiful, environmentally friendly
cars that make environmental sense without compromise – be it quality-wise or cost-
wise,” Fisker continued. “Valmet Automotive has the track-record, high quality
technology and has the dedicated resources to take us there, and their high tech
production line with eco-friendly automated paints agrees with our ideology.”

Initial domestic deliveries of Fisker Automotive’s first car, the Karma, will
commence in the 4th quarter of 2009 in North America with planned delivery to
Europe in 2010. Fisker Automotive’s annual production is projected to reach 15,000
cars, with more than half of sales expected to be overseas.

Hybrid Technologies is working on a car coming in two flavors—all electric and hybrid. With the electric, they promise a 150 to 180-mile range per charge. With the lithium-ion hybrid, they promise a 220mpg minimum.

Those specs would be impressive in a golf cart.

But the most compelling part of it all is the alleged performance. Popular Mechanics asked Hybrid Technologies if their car could compete with the Corvette ZR-1 and its crazy V8 that induces mid-600s-scale horsepower. The company responded that they were "way out of the ballpark—it's gonna be wild." [Popular Mechanics]

Energy It Takes To Build Prius
113,000 BTUs

113,000 BTUs In Gasoline
1,000 gallons

Distance Driven to Break Even For Build Cost
46,000 miles

Time Needed For Average Driver to Hit 46,000 Miles
Over 3 Years

Distance Driven to Break Even with 1998 Toyota Tercel*
100,000 miles

Time Needed For Average Driver to Hit 100,000 Miles
Over 7 Years

* or any car that gets 27 mpg city / 35 mpg highway
** distance/year ratios built on 13,500-mile yearly average [Wired]

The Twike will be able to reach speeds of up to 53 mph; it accelerates from 0 - 40 mph in 9 seconds and the range of the car will be increased by 50% if you can convince Barney, who'd be sitting in the passenger seat, to pedal along with you. The power output produced between a passenger and the main driver would be 500W, which may not be enough to get you back to 1985, but it will be enough to allow the Twike to travel 80 miles on a single charge. Running on standard gas, for which there is an option, the EV hybrid will be able to achieve 565 miles per gallon. That means the Twike could take you from East to West coast on four gallons of fuel! Eat your non-efficient heart out. Just to add to the bizarre factor, the vehicle uses a joystick for steering. Given all that, if you have fallen for the Twike's kooky outlook on life—get in line; the EV has sold out this year and there's a waiting list for next year's batch. [Born Rich]

The motor is powered by a lithium-ion battery, which is rechargeable. On high-power turbo mode, one charge will keep you freewheeling for up to 31 miles. There are two modes: standard and economy, which gives you up to 56 miles of aided biking before you're on your own again.

The iZip has also got a 27-speed Shimano drive-train and RockShox forks but, as yet, no price tag. [Gizmag]

A California company called Solar Electric Vehicles can hook your Prius up with some sweet solar panels, increasing your gas mileage by 17% to 29%. It'll make your Prius, Highlander, Rav4 EV, Escape or Sprinter Hybrid even more of a hybrid, making you even more of a high-and-mighty environmentalist. Everybody wins! Or at least you do, and isn't that what really counts? –Adam Frucci

Product Page [via The Raw Feed]

Samsung R55 Hybrid HDD Laptop Launched [PC Joint]

Anyways, taking a cue from the hybrid 18-wheeler we saw last week, a school district in Florida has just started using the first two plug-in hybrid school buses in the country. While a normal yellow bus gets about 6 mpg, this new version gets a whopping 12 mpg.

That might sound kind of crappy, but when you're starting at a measly 6 that's pretty damned good. Cutting the fuel costs in half could be a huge boon for school districts, so hopefully we'll see these buses popping up all over the place in the near future. –Adam Frucci

Christian Science Monitor [via Treehugger]

First off you have the first wheelchair-accessible taxi with its own built-in ramp. This cab will make it easier for the disabled and elderly to hitch a ride across town. Taxi stands will also get a face lift with GPS kiosks that'll help match taxi supply with taxi demand. Hailing a cab will be easier than to new LED-based roof lights which will let passengers know when a cab is vacant or taken.

There's also a new hydrogen-powered Crown Victoria taxi in the works that will pack a 1,000 horsepower engine and reach speeds of up to 200 mph (not that we want our taxi to reach 200 mph speeds). Taxi interiors will all have Internet access, which should put an end to any awkward taxi-driver talk. No word on when we'll actually see these cabbies in action, but they sure make those "new" subways seem outdated. – Louis Ramirez

Taxi 07

Yep, it's like that little pedal-powered fire truck you had when you were a kid. It's super light, made of aluminum, bamboo and something called "bioplastic," known to you and me as garbage. Why was this designed, anyway?

Toyota didn't say if or when it plans to build such a vehicle; the company was just playing a game called the Design Challenge, dreamed up by the greater Los Angeles Auto Show, urging nine carmakers to imagine "a time when all vehicles have technology allowing the public to enjoy the distinctive Southern California lifestyle and unique environment without harming it."

The goofiest vehicle in the competition was the Green Hummer, pictured above, that somehow uses panels made out of slime, I mean, algae, to pay back for all of that polluting carbon dioxide it spews. The algae is supposed to photosynthesize oxygen out of the Hummer's plentiful supply of carbon dioxide emissions.

We'll find out who wins this competition on Thursday (November 30). – Charlie White

Toyota Unveil Hybrid Pedal-Electric Concept 'Car' ]treehugger]