Kandi looking to enter U.S. market

Over the last few years, there has been an amazing influx of Chinese motorcycles, scooters and all terrain vehicles. Many of the products coming in from overseas have a horrible record for quality, but there have been a few gems along the way as well. With this in mind, our eyes were drawn to an article on Automotive News regarding a new Chinese company we were not yet familiar with. Though we've become accustomed to finding these manufacturers on scooter forums and news sites, it is still rare to see them in the mainstream automotive media. We have no way of knowing what kind of quality its vehicles are, but Zhejiang Kangdi Vehicles Co. may be making some inroads into the U.S. market with its line of two, three and four-wheelers in both gas and electric versions. The company appears to be calling itself Kandi. A Seattle company is importing the vehicles and fifteen franchises have already been purchased.

We took a look at the company's web site and we see some of the normal scooters and motorcycles. We also see some carts with an eerie resemblance to the smart fortwo. One model really caught our attention -- a three-wheeled scooter powered by what appears to be the ubiquitous GY6 150cc engine and CVT transmission. We'll see if Kandi vehicles come up any more in the coming weeks and months. It's just as possible that we never hear the name again. Will Kandi begin offering EPA-certified vehicles? Stay tuned.

Chevy Tahoe hybrid gets put on the stretcher

It isn't uncommon to see full-frame rear-wheel drive vehicles stretched to within an inch of their lives by companies willing to rent them for a night out on the town in style. Usually, the chosen vehicles come from Lincoln or Cadillac, though a new trend has emerged where sport utility vehicles are chosen instead. We've seen plenty of Lincoln Navigators, Caddy Escalades and even Hummers get the stretch, but this is the first time we've seen a hybrid Tahoe undergo the taffy-like procedure. According to LimeLight Coachworks, it wasn't all that difficult to adapt the hybrid system and all of its high-voltage systems to limo duty, but they were very careful anyway. Good thing, nobody wants a few hundred volts of juice running through them on their prom night, even if they want to go green in the process. Apparently, the company considers this more than just a novelty as the fuel savings remained intact right on through the conversion.

Gallery: Tahoe Hybrid Limo

Source: LimeLight Coachworks via Jalopnik

The Kneeslider: Are motorcycles the future of performance?

We feel like we're ahead of the curve on this one, but Paul Crowe over at The Kneeslider has posted an editorial questioning whether or not performance cars are an endangered species. Considering that CAFE rules are becoming ever more stringent, cars like the Corvette are likely to move to smaller, more efficient motors and correspondingly lightweight chassis architecture. Heck, even the Camaro could get a hybrid option in the near future.

The question posed by Crowe is whether or not motorcycles will make up for the lack of high-performance cars. We think the answer is a resounding maybe. A few speed-addicts might make a move towards two wheels, but the market for fast cars is not going to go anywhere. Remember the muscle car? That era ended a long time ago, but the desire for the vehicles has not gone anywhere, in fact they are more desirable now than ever before. What's more, technology is already in place which will allow high performance and high economy. So, just as some people are switching to two wheels for economy, some might switch to two wheels for performance. With motorcycles, though, a few will have their cake and eat it too.

[Source: The Kneeslider

Bummer Hummer burns at Burning Man 2008

This year, the theme for Burning Man was "The American Dream." While some may argue that being American means choosing what is right or wrong for yourself, the revelers at this year's Burning Man festival made a statement by creating a giant Hummer out of wood. The front of the Bummer Hummer was painted in rather festive shades which blended into military-style camo at the rear. The vehicle was built to represent rampant American consumerism, especially in these days of high gas prices.

The Burning Man festival itself can perhaps be considered a bit excessive itself, and this wooden Hummer certainly could as well. The house-sized vehicle was burned at the end of the festivities - sounds a bit like inconspicuous consumption. Still, regardless of what you think about the Bummer Hummer, some sort of statement was made and witnessed by all those in attendance. Therefore, its builders surely consider it a success. Check out the video after the break for more.

High School students build enclosed electric motorcycle

Click above for more shots of the Saint Thomas EV

BMW once came up with the idea to enclose a scooter and add some safety equipment to it. Crash tests showed surprisingly favorable results, but the idea never seemed to catch on and the C1 is no longer for sale. The fact that it already proved unsuccessful on the commercial market once hasn't stopped others from considering the idea. One such group is the Saint Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. A group of students at this high school has created an enclosed electric motorcycle which uses sixty volts worth of lithium phosphate batteries powering a Briggs and Stratton ETEK pancake-style permanent magnet electric motor.

The current configuration is said to be good for a top speed of sixty miles per hour and a range of forty miles. The chassis is constructed from chromoly tubing. The body is made from a carbon fiber and Kevlar composite and should therefore prove very strong. The full seat even features a seatbelt. We are not certain that anything quite like this will ever be available for purchase again, but its good to see it in concept form at least.

Gallery: Saint Thomas EV

Mercedes to bring A and B-Class to America?

Click above for more shots of the A 160 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY

The move to smaller cars in the United States will cover nearly all vehicle classes, even touching such luxury car stalwarts as Mercedes-Benz. Fortunately for MB, the automaker already has a few small vehicles which it can consider selling in the States, and new rumors indicate that the automaker could be considering launching its A-Class subcompact and B-Class compact cars here. Buyers who associate the three-pointed star with luxury alone may be surprised by the A-Class, which is most certainly an economy car, albeit one of high quality. Interestingly, though, the B-Class was initially planned for the U.S. market but was dropped shortly before launch due to the poor Euro-to-Dollar ratio. That particular situation has only gotten worse, but the rising price of gasoline may prompt Mercedes-Benz to reconsider that decision anyway.

It would be pure speculation, but we wonder if Mercedes has some excess capacity at its SUV plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. If so, the automaker could retool the plant for the new small cars, a move which could alleviate some of the poor exchange rate issues. We'll cast our official vote for the A 160 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY that gets 52mpg (U.S.). In any case, don't expect to see the new models in the U.S. until 2011 or so.

Dealership can't sell trucks, sells scooters instead

The sky-high price of gas has hit some dealerships pretty hard. A perfect example of this is Moody Chevrolet in River Falls, Wisconsin which last sold a pick up truck sometime in February. While their truck inventory sits outside and waits patiently for new homes, the Moody brothers still need to sell something and that something now happens to be scooters. They might not have the profit margin of a Tahoe or an Avalanche but they don't cost nearly as much to stock either. They have sold 20 of the two-wheeled econo-cycles so far this year and suspect they could sell a lot more if they could only get their hands on them. Apparently, the scooter supply is as short as the demand for trucks is, well, non-existent.

According to the report from KARE11 there is one scooter on the premises that's not for sale. It's the red one that Mike Moody uses to get back and forth with while his Suburban sits in a garage at home. Because of its 45 mpg disadvantage, it only gets to come out and play when it's raining. Mike seems to have a good attitude about the situation though saying, "[It's] another mode of transportation and that's the business that we're in."

Man falls in love with his Xingyue enclosed scooter

A Michigan man has found his own personal solution to high gas prices in an interesting three-wheeled enclosed scooter which leans into turns from a Chinese company known as Xingyue. Before this story, we were not at all familiar with the company, though a Google search does turn up a little information. Powered by a 150cc single cylinder four stroke engine, the scooter is capable of traveling on any road that is not a major highway and is fully street legal. The new owner estimates that he is getting fuel mileage of around 120 miles per gallon when he keeps it under forty miles per hour and 80-90 miles per gallon when he's really wringing it out.

This machine appears to be some sort of copy of the Honda Gyro. Though we tend to shy away from unknown Chinese scooters, reputable brands like Piaggio, Vespa and Yamaha have appeared on these pages in the past. The enclosure of the Xingyue allows a slightly longer riding season for those who live in areas with poor weather much of the year. See a video of the machine in action here.

eBay Find of the Day: Rocket-powered electric bike

The modern definition of a hybrid vehicle is any single machine with multiple sources of power. Usually, this means one internal combustion engine and one electric motor with batteries. This is again the case with the Biohazard Jet Bike, though its internal combustion engine happens to be a propane-fed turbine engine which spins at up to 112,000 revolutions per minute and produces forty-five pounds of thrust. The electric motor is powered by twenty-four volts of juice and is said to be good for eighteen miles per hour for up to twenty miles.

The bike also has pedals, though they are non-functional. From the looks of things, much of the cycle comes from the pedal-powered world, with a front fork and wheels cribbed from the bike world for sure. Still, this machine looks like lots of fun, and jet engines have been known to run on nearly any combustible fuel, including our personal favorite: biodiesel.

Derringer Cycles creates board track-inspired mopeds

Years ago, one of the most dangerous types of motorsports was board track motorcycle racing. As the name suggests, a steeply raked oval track made up of wooden boards was created and cycles with nothing more than an engine, frame and skinny wheels (no brakes, even) circled the track at high speed. Unfortunately, both the riders and the spectators were in extreme danger and after a few deaths, the races were shut down. Still, the vintage board tracker style remains a popular one even today.

Just as scooters have been setting sales records in these days of high gasoline prices, some see the moped as yet another logical way to save on some fuel. One potential problem, though, is that the moped isn't really seen as the fashionable statement that the scooter is. Derringer Cycles looks to change all that with its line of board track-inspired mopeds. Traditional pedals get the machine moving, and the extremely fuel efficient little engine takes over from there. Powered by a small Honda engine, expect top speeds in the thirty mile per hour range and fuel mileage of around 180 miles per gallon.

Veken makes hybrid scooters for U.S. market

Updated with new URL for Veken Scooters

While we patiently (or not so patiently...) await the arrival of hybrid scooters from Piaggio, a Chinese firm has stepped up to the plate and beaten the Italians to the punch. Veken USA has created what it refers to as the VK-M50, and we hope it eventually gets a better name. It's the technology we are most interested in, and the 49cc gasoline engine coupled to a 500 Watt motor certainly delivers with up to an estimated 220 miles per gallon. The 36 volts of juice are provided by a lithium polymer battery that is good for up to 18 miles per hour, at which time the small gas engine kicks in to power the machine up to speeds of near 40 miles per hour and charges the battery. Obviously, this setup would return its highest fuel efficiency at lower speeds, but even at their top speeds, most 50cc scooter return excellent fuel mileage. The VK-50 has a suggested price of $2,799.

The company's website can be found here, but the specifications for the hybrid scooter have since been revised. We've had a look at the latest copy of their brochure, which is available in the pictures below.

Kawasaki announces eight Ninja 250 video finalists

Back in March, we reported that Kawasaki was looking for video submissions from riders who have had favorable experiences on the little bike that could, the Ninja 250. It turns out that Team Green got a few hundred submissions and has placed the top eight finalists on its website. We spent some time going through them and some are better than others. We especially liked the videos from Emily Cohan and Brandon Zambroski. As you might expect, nimble handling, adequate performance and excellent economy -- around seventy miles per gallon according to one owner's video -- . give the small sportbike a lot of appeal.

The Ninja 250 may be the best motorcycle currently available to begin your riding career on, and as more people become interested in making the switch from four wheels down to two, these types of learner-friendly bikes will become increasingly important. With that in mind, the updates that Big Green has made to its beginner bike, including new seventeen inch wheels, upgraded brakes, and much-improved styling, are very welcome indeed.

Harley-Davidson purchases MV Agusta and Cagiva

The rumored purchase of MV Agusta by Harley-Davidson is now official. The total purchase price of $109 million nets HD both Italian sportbike maker MV Agusta as well as its Cagiva brand. While most of the world will be focusing in on MV, and with good reason, we at AutoblogGreen have a particular interest in what the sale could mean for the Cagiva brand. After all, there isn't much fuel savings to be had with MV's line of super-fast sportbikes. Cagiva, on the other hand, specializes in eking the most power possible from rather small mills, which is both a boon to efficiency and makes its bikes extremely entertaining machines. Though they are not currently sold in the U.S., Cagiva's bikes, like the 125cc Mito pictured above, make perfect starter machines for many new riders in Europe, and an influx of cash from HD's deep pockets could be just what Cagiva needs to re-enter the American market. At least, we hope so.

The Piaggio MP3 drive along Lincoln Highway ends in NYC

It's taken one month for Dr. Bernard "Buddy" Rosenbaum, 71, and Bob Chase,72, to ride two Piaggio MP3 scooters from San Francisco to New York City along the Lincoln Highway. When the duo finally arrived in Times Square, they were greeted by media, friends, family and Piaggio representatives, including its U.S. Operations president, Paolo Timoni. The event not only showed that there are no age boundaries, but also that summer road trips can still be taken even during these days of $4+/gal.

GM teams up with utilities to prepare plug-ins.

The Wall Street Journal has published a very interesting article that states that GM is teaming with a dozen electric utilities operating in 40 states to prepare the arrival of its plug-in model (the Volt, if you didn't remember the name). From the business point of view, the article states that both the utilities and the auto industry have a lot to win. The plug-in hybrid car is seen as a "hot product" that can revive car sales, as well as reduce our dependence on oil. GM needs utilities which can keep the grid reliable for recharges, the same way it needed a reliable battery manufacturer for the cars to work correctly.

Why a safe grid? Think of what happens in a hot summer afternoon with all A/C working and energy at its peak tier prices and plants at maximum production. Intelligent chips and software tuning would identify the car as plugged to the electric grid and then use spare electricity to recharge. According to some studies, spare power plant capacity at night could feed millions of cars.

VIDEO: Ford F-150 hybrid pick up truck gets 41 mpg

Pick up trucks seem to be vehicles that are ripe for fuel economy improvements. GM didn't do so bad with 40 percent city-driving gains made with their Silverado dual-mode hybrid but it's a far cry from what Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies (HEVT) has achieved with an ordinary Ford F-150. The Progressive X-Prize entrant has taken the plug-in path and produced a prototype that can go 15 miles on only electricity, get 41 mpg over a 30 mile distance and 21 mpg after that. Considering the vehicle they started with only got 16 mpg, we're impressed. Their alterations also give the truck more low-speed torque, V2G capability and 120V power availability. Pretty sweet!

They say the system can also be scaled for F-250s and F-350s. Heck, they're even working on slapping it into a school bus! This isn't just some shade-tree contraption either but rather the product of an early-stage technology venture developed under the watchful eye of Professor Ali Emadi at the Illinois Institute of Technology. HEVT has just unveiled their creation at the Plug-In 2008 Conference and Exposition in San Jose but if you couldn't make it to that event, we have not only a super video, but also a detailed press release after the jump.

GM teams up with utilities to prepare plug-ins.

The Wall Street Journal has published a very interesting article that states that GM is teaming with a dozen electric utilities operating in 40 states to prepare the arrival of its plug-in model (the Volt, if you didn't remember the name). From the business point of view, the article states that both the utilities and the auto industry have a lot to win. The plug-in hybrid car is seen as a "hot product" that can revive car sales, as well as reduce our dependence on oil. GM needs utilities which can keep the grid reliable for recharges, the same way it needed a reliable battery manufacturer for the cars to work correctly.

Why a safe grid? Think of what happens in a hot summer afternoon with all A/C working and energy at its peak tier prices and plants at maximum production. Intelligent chips and software tuning would identify the car as plugged to the electric grid and then use spare electricity to recharge. According to some studies, spare power plant capacity at night could feed millions of cars.

Ford F-150 hybrid pick up truck gets 41 mpg

Pick up trucks seem to be vehicles that are ripe for fuel economy improvements. GM didn't do so bad with 40 percent city-driving gains made with their Silverado dual-mode hybrid but it's a far cry from what Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies (HEVT) has achieved with an ordinary Ford F-150. The Progressive X-Prize entrant has taken the plug-in path and produced a prototype that can go 15 miles on only electricity, get 41 mpg over a 30 mile distance and 21 mpg after that. Considering the vehicle they started with only got 16 mpg, we're impressed. Their alterations also give the truck more low-speed torque, V2G capability and 120V power availability. Pretty sweet!

They say the system can also be scaled for F-250s and F-350s. Heck, they're even working on slapping it into a school bus! This isn't just some shade-tree contraption either but rather the product of an early-stage technology venture developed under the watchful eye of Professor Ali Emadi at the Illinois Institute of Technology. HEVT has just unveiled their creation at the Plug-In 2008 Conference and Exposition in San Jose but if you couldn't make it to that event, we have not only a super video, but also a detailed press release after the jump.

Google invests $2.75 million in Aptera, ActaCell

Click above for more images of the Aptera Typ1 e

Way back in September of 2006, Google.org, the philanthropic part of the Internet giant, announced that it would be investing in PHEVs. The following year, Google followed that bit of news up by launching its RechargeIT initiative which would begin investing in some for-profit manufacturers in an effort to see these fuel-saving products make it to market as quickly as possible. The first two investments from RechargeIT have now officially been announced, and at least one of the companies benefiting from the $2.75 million investment should be well known to our readers: Aptera.

We've been covering the futuristic new vehicle since it was first introduced, and its exciting to see the project mature to the point where people, in California at least, are anxiously awaiting the first electric Apteras to be delivered. This financing should only help matters as the company works to get its electric and hybrid vehicles to customers as quickly as possible.

The other company receiving some funding is known as ActaCell and is based in Austin, Texas. Based at the University of Texas, Actacel is hard at work refining its lithium ion battery technology with the goal of producing low cost, high output cells while retaining a high degree of safety. A tall order for sure, though one that could be made easier with its newfound cash outlay. We've pasted ActaCell's press release after the break. Thanks for the tip, Karen!

Toyota tops '07 CAFE numbers, will increase Prius capacity

The numbers for last year's combined fleet fuel efficiency for all automakers in the United States has been tallied. The winner? Um, Lotus. But, they don't really count. Too small. For manufacturers that actually offer a full line of automobiles, Toyota with 29.69 mpg just barely edged out the likes of Honda, which posted 29.49, and Hyundai with 29.37. All those Prius hybrid sales surely helped push Toyota to the top this year. Not surprisingly, the Detroit 3 didn't even come close with 25.16 from GM and 25.15 from Ford. DaimlerChrysler propped up the rear with a dismal 23.97 average figure.

Toyota has no plans to give up the mileage crown. In fact, the Japanese giant will increase capacity of its upcoming third-gen Prius sedan by an astonishing 70-percent at the Tsutsumi factory in Japan, allowing for the production of 480,000 hybrid sedans per year. For 2010, Toyota plans to bring its Mississippi plant online, which will further serve to increase capacity. We have a feeling that it'll have little trouble selling every one it manufacturers.