ACWay

Not willing to be the only ones uninvolved in the world’s greatest clean up, the New York Police Department told the Press that it will also be going green by introducing 200 hybrid cars to its fleet. Around the same time last year, NYPD officers began testing police-issue Nissan Altima hybrids.

According to the police forces’ spokesperson John McCarthy, the Altimas they testes were the very first hybrids fitted with an exclusive police package for patrol. NYPD wanted to test the performance of the vehicles in the field, first, before they agreed to sign up. Based on the recent announcement, it’s safe to say that the cops were pretty happy with the idea of having hybrids in their fleet.

With NYPD’s 200 hybrids, the Big Apple’s green car count will be raised to four hundred. What made NYPD sign up for the cause? Reviewers think that aside from cleaning up the planet, it’s because they’ll be making a lot of savings with the hybrids.

Read more »

Japanese carmaker Nissan and its luxury division, Infiniti might not be leading the pack or really be lagging behind competition in coming out with hybrid vehicles but it doesn’t stop them from launching new gasoline-electric cars. The 2010 Geneva Motor Show will play host to the Infiniti M35 Hybrid which is a new version of the 2011 model of their M sedan.

The M35 Hybrid is expected to go on sale by 2011 coming in as a 2012 model. The green car from Infiniti is fitted with a V-6 engine under its hood that is combined with an electric motor capable of giving out 68 horsepower supplied by lithium ion batteries. The hybrid system will be coupled with a 7-speed transmission in automatic configuration.

The new Infiniti hybrid utilizes two clutches. One is placed between the V-6 3.5L and the electric motor which permits decoupling of the naturally aspirated powerplant when in power regeneration and electric mode. The decoupling is done to lower the mechanical drag and boost the efficiency of the motor. The other clutch links the electric motor to the car’s drivetrain.

Read more »

A few years back, car enthusiasts can not imagine how being hybrid can fit into an architecture and engineering of sports cars. With the Tesla Roadster, R8 e-Tron from Audi, and other hybrids popping in the market right now, consumers have begun to accept that hybrids are the next in thing in automotive. It is also a big possibility that American sports car lovers will get their hands behind the wheels of a hybrid Chevrolet Corvette.

It is a long shot for Corvette to apply hybrid technologies to their future sports cars but the car manufacturer is committed to meet the tougher fuel regulations set by the United States federal government. The fuel standards will hit a demanding mark of 35.5 mpg by 2016.

Some car makers have opted to give their vehicles smaller engines to meet the clamor for greener rides by the market. Corvette might improve the technology of their V-8 power plants so they can meet the fuel mileage numbers. They plan to tandem the more efficient engines with tires having low rolling resistance and electric power steering. Improving the curb weight of future vehicles will also be another solution.

Read more »