2013 Honda Fit EV Receives Highest Ever EPA Rating for Electric Cars at 118 MPGe

Good news for Honda as its 2013 Fit EV has scored a combined adjusted Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating of 118 MPGe, which the company says is the "highest fuel-efficiency rating ever given by the EPA".

But wait, doesn't the EV part of the new Fit's name stand for 'Electric Vehicle'? Yes, it does, so saying it has the "highest fuel-efficiency" is not entirely true. What Honda has achieved is to create a vehicle with a low consumption rating of 29 kilowatt hours (kWh) per 100 miles.

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CR Finds that Fuel Efficient Versions of Focus, Cruze and Civic May Not be Worth the Extra Cash

When is it worth paying extra money for a more fuel-efficient version of the same model? The answer to that question depends on the price of gas, how much more fuel-efficient is said car and how long it will take to recoup the added cost.

Consumer Reports (CR) set out to see if buyers would benefit in the long run by choosing the fuel-economy variants of the Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze and Honda Civic. While each of these models returns better mileage than their standard counterparts, they also cost between $500 and $800 more.

The following calculations were based on driving 12,000 miles (~19,300 kilometers) annually with an average gas price of $4 per gallon (€0.85/lt).

Starting with the Ford Focus, CR found that the $495 SFE (Super Fuel Economy) package, which adds flush hubcaps, a rear spoiler, and low rolling resistance tires, provides a 3-mpg improvement in overall and city fuel economy, to 31 and 21mpg, respectively.

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Toyota Introduces Production Version of RAV4 EV, Prices Start at $49,800

Toyota chose the second day of the 26th annual Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles to present the world premiere of the production RAV4 EV featuring a pure-electric driveline developed by Tesla Motors.

While based on the current RAV4, the Japanese automaker is commanding almost twice the price of the popular SUV's top trim-level (Limited: $25,530) for the electric model that will begin arriving in select showrooms this summer with an MSRP of $49,800 before any state and federal incentives.

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2010 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Fuel-Cell is on its Way

The B-Class F-CELL will be the first series vehicle with a local, zero-emission fuel-cell drive and it is set to commence production in early 2010. The compact car is powered by an optimised fuel-cell system that Mercedes-Benz first presented in 2005 in the F 600 HYGENIUS concept. While the newly designed “stack” for the fuel cell module, is roughly 40 percent smaller compared to previous generation systems, it generates 30 percent greater power, along with a 16 percent reduction in consumption compared to the A-Class F-Cell.

The electric motor develops a maximum output of 136 hp and a maximum torque of 320 Nm which promise to give better acceleration figures than a B-Class fitted with a standard 2.0-litre petrol engine. At the same time, the zero-emission fuel-cell drive uses the equivalent of just 2.9 litres of fuel (diesel equivalent) per 100 km.

But before we get to see the fuel-cell powered B-Class on the road, Mercedes-Benz has to subject the vehicle to rigorous testing in order to get things right. Over the past few months, the German carmaker’s engineers took the B-Class F-CELL up to northern Sweden where they completed the winter part of the tests. - Continued after the jump

The main goal of the German carmaker in these tests was to focus on the interaction between the different components under real-life winter conditions at double-digit, below-zero (Celsius) temperatures. Additionally, Mercedes-Benz also used the winter tests to adapt the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) to the special requirements of a fuel-cell vehicle. A special feature in this context is that an electric motor exhibits different speed governing behaviour to that of standard combustion engines.

Italy: Milan Introduces City Center Pollution Charge

Starting today (Wednesday, January 2, 2008) and for a trial-period of one year, drivers in Milan will have to pay a “Pollution Charge” in order to enter the city's 8 square-kilometre centre (three square miles) during weekday daytime hours (7.30 a.m. through 7.30 p.m). Depending on the type of vehicle, drivers will be charged between 2 euros ($3) and 10 euros ($15) for the most polluting models. Those who are driving electric cars and hybrids will be exempt from the charge.

Car drivers will be able to pay the charge through scratch cards, which can be activated online, with text message services, or SMS, or by regular phone. According to reports, authorities in Milan are seeking to raise 24 million euros a year from the “Pollution Charge” with about two-thirds of that sum to be used in improving public transportation. -Continued after the jump

"This is a new way to deal with the problem of pollution and health," Milan mayor Letizia Moratti told Il Giornale newspaper in an interview published on Monday. "This is a model that a lot of cities are looking at with interest," she said.

Via: Reuters

Mercedes-Benz Wind Turbine Powers Smart EVs

Mercedes-Benz UK has installed a vertical axis wind turbine at its site in Tongwell, Milton Keynes. The 20m tall, vertical axis wind turbine, one of only six in the country, is specially designed for urban spaces and spins wherever the wind comes from, thanks to its unique helical (twisted) design. Its high-tech carbon fiber blades are designed to minimize noise or vibration.

According to the German carmaker, the electricity generated by the wind turbine in one year will be enough to power electric Smart Fortwos (Smart ed) for 30,000 miles (48,200 km) of driving. As a comparison, this means enough annual electricity to power two average sized homes or an office of 20 people; or to boil water to make around 50,000 cups of tea. -Continued after the jump

Wilfried Steffen, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz UK, said: “Mercedes-Benz is taking the lead by installing this energy saving technology; we hope to inspire other local companies to do whatever they can to reduce their carbon footprint.”

VW Joins Consortium To Develop A New Generation Of Batteries

Volkswagen has joined forces with German companies BASF, Bosch, Evonik Degussa, Li-Tec and STEAG Saar Energie to develop a new generation of high-performance batteries for stationary and mobile operation. The project was presented during the Innovation Congress in Berlin with the theme "One Year of High-Tech Strategy - New Perspectives for Germany" which was initiated by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research.

The goal of the German alliance is to increase substantially the energy and performance density of the batteries and to accelerate the possible use in production. The participating industrial partners will invest around 360 million euros in this project in the coming years while the Federal Ministry for Education and Research will support the initiative with an additional 60 million euros. -Continued after the jump

Dr. Juergen Leohold, Head of Group Research at Volkswagen AG said, "In the future, there will be parallel use of various automotive drive systems, all the way to purely electric drive. A high-performance lithium-ion battery as the energy carrier will be a key technology. Therefore, it is sensible and necessary to combine the potentials for the research and development of this battery in an alliance for innovation. This way, synergies can be exploited and the development accelerated. For Volkswagen, this initiative is an important step on the way to zero-emission operation of vehicles."