Autoblog

A number of factors are conspiring to create a situation that recently would have been unthinkable: the United States as a supplier of gasoline to world markets. According to Booz & Company, those factors are the rise of biofuels in the West, the introduction of plug-in electric and other alternative fuel vehicles, and the growth of the really cheap car, like the Tata Nano.

The United States imports oil to feed its gasoline habit, but the U.S. has refining capacity that developing nations cannot match. The U.S. is also lowering its reliance on traditional gasoline due to the price, states' mandates on switching to biofuels, and the dawn of mass market alternative fuel vehicles. This adds up to the United States importing oil, and then selling it to nations like India and China to feed their larger appetites for gasoline.

In the middle of all of this are the refineries, who made predictions for today's business plans two decades ago. Sure, no one is crying for them -- they need extra pages to include the zeros on their profit statements -- but they have to start figuring out who's going to need which products and how they are going to deliver them. And, by refining company standards, they need to do it quickly, which is a method of operation they aren't well versed in.

[Source: Green Car Congress via Kicking Tires; Photo CC 2.0 - National Archives]

The Chevy Volt is unique in that its engine is really just a generator that produces electricity for the batteries, which then power an electric motor that turns the front wheels for propulsion. While the Volt powertrain is pretty spectacular, it may not be unique for long. British car site AutoCar is reporting that Mazda is not only interested in a similar setup for a future plug-in hybrid, but it already has a working prototype on the road. Mazda engineers told AutoCar that a battery pack charged by a rotary engine is already being used in a Mazda5 mule, and that management is encouraged by the early results but wants to see battery costs go down before proceeding.

If Mazda is working on a series hybrid like the Chevy Volt, that means its owner, Ford, would have direct access to the same technology. We do, however, find it odd that Mazda would use a rotary engine in this setup. While the Wankel engine is very compact and light, it's not very efficient and sucks oil, at least in the RX-8. When it comes to plug-in hybrids, though, we're with AutoblogGreen in saying the more the merrier.


[Source: AutoCar]

Click above to enlarge

General Motors continues to eek out teaser shots of the production Chevy Volt, but it appears that an image of the production interior has slipped through the Empire's net of control. All we have to go on for this image posted on the Motivemag.com forums is the image itself, which is part of a display panel at what appears to be a sneak preview of the vehicle for god knows who. What we see is a sleek, all-white center console with virtually no buttons. The controls appear to be touch sensitive instead, leaving the face of the console as smooth as a Frigidaire. Good luck installing an aftermarket stereo in this one. Completely flush air vents flank the console, which stands out in contrast to the black dash panel. On top of it all sits the information display, seen here showing the relationship between the "range extending" engine and lithium-ion batteries. What say you? We all know the production Volt isn't going to be as wild as the concept, but does this innovative center console meet your expectations? Also keep in mind that this might not be the real deal, but it seems to be from all appearances. Thanks for the tip, Brandon!

Gallery: Production Chevy Volt

[Source: Motivemag.com]

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If you've ever wanted to drive coast-to-coast in an electric car, you're not alone. Hopefully you can make the trip in a slightly less expensive manner, though, as $150,000 is a bit much for that car. Speaking of pricey, is the Viper too much these days? If you think so, take a look at the new Fiesta. Sane, practical, frugal. Would you get one?

• New Ford EcoBoost 3.5L V6 engine smiles for the camera
• Ethanol being blamed for small engine failures
• GM gets tax breaks from Flint for new Volt engine plant
• Luxury Electric announces full size electric car trans-continental trip at DNC
• Woodward 2009: NextCruise coming back for another go!
• Illinois will get eco-friendly BMW-MINI dealership
• USA National Gas Temperature Map
• Is Japan ready for the EV revolution? Sure looks like it
• Marauding electric scooter gang goes on college campus rampage
• Hey automaker! How's your CO₂ quota for the week?
• Chevy Tahoe hybrid gets all POTUS '08 in Denver
• Ford starts small car conversion with $75 million at Michigan truck plant
• Chrysler ready to put the bite on Viper
• New Fiesta debuting in the UK with lower prices, insurance and higher residuals

Promise people the sky and you're sure to get some attention. That's what the folks at FOSH automotive did and then turned around and suckered people into reading a pro-McCain, anti-abortion rant that, frankly, is pretty distasteful. Good thing we're going to remember just how low some people will stoop.

On the brighter side of things, we can at least dream of a Jaguar hybrid and a VW Polo in the U.S. while we wait for Daryl Hannah on the Daily Show. Really cleans the palette, doesn't it?

• Fosh Automotive = Hoax (and an anti-Barack Obama one at that)
• Spy Shots: First-ever Jaguar hybrid on its way?
• Tesla Roadsters reportedly experience glitches during Euro test drives
• Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase brings Daryl Hannah to the Daily Show
• Electric Jeep DJ-5E undergoing restoration in Canada
• GM powertrain plans: high-tech, low weight
• Will VW's Polo come to the U.S. market?
• Big Ink's Prius fleet gets Ink-wrapped
• Video: Oil addiction and biofuel dangers simplified
• Market for heavy duty hybrids drives Eaton expansion
• Toyota offers up social site Heya, but there's no Outkast beat
• EnerDel ramping up battery production to supply Th!nk
• Miles EVs doing Mile High duty for Dems in Denver
• Toyota to crank up home market hybrid prices
• Getting mores MPG from the Jaguar XK-R
• Methane from landfills provides fuel for garbage trucks
• July gasoline sales in Minnesota down 9% while E85 jumps 16%
• Electric Vehicle Rolling Showcase brings Daryl Hannah to the Daily Show

With enormous V8 land-yachts and even bigger Escalades rolling down America's boulevards, Cadillac doesn't have the most environmentally friendly of images. But that's a perception that the premium GM division is working hard to combat. After unveiling the Escalade two-mode hybrid, reports have begun to surface that Cadillac is considering a four-cylinder model for the American market like the Saab-based BLS it offers in Europe.

New emerging reports now suggest that Cadillac might get its own version of the highly-anticipated Volt plug-in hybrid from its sister-company Chevrolet. No telling at this point if the Cadillac version would be based on the Volt, transplant the Volt's powertrain into an existing Cadillac model, or breed an entirely new Caddy – or for that matter if there's any substance to the rumors – but sources suggest a higher sticker price than the Volt's anticipated $40k.

[Source: Automotive News (subs. req'd) via AutoblogGreen]

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Design. It's certainly a cornerstone of the auto industry. And as cars get cleaner from a fuel/emissions perspective, the look often does, too. What should we make of the Hinterland 1 concept car, then? I think there might be clone troopers inside, while the exterior - and interior - of the new Ed Hardy® Smart is also a place where design runs wild. That should delight more than a few people. As for the design of the rumored Cadillac "Volt", well, we'll just have to wait and see.

• Looks of a aerotank, heart of a hybrid: the Hinterland 1 concept car
• Range-extended electric-vehicle to come from Cadillac?
• Mahindra puts trucks on holding pattern till late '09
• $84 million ZAP! plant for Kentucky to be announced today
• Three of the fastest EVs meet for lunch
• Will lithium battery costs ever come down?
• Tatoos and upgrades galore on limited edition Ed Hardy® Smart
• Cadillac to reportedly offer new smaller four cylinder sedan in 2010
• Volvo launching hybrid bus at Hanover
• BMW to focus on green tech, not supercars
• Next-gen Saturn Astra to be built in the U.S.
• Which cars would a President Obama or McCain promote?
• IndyCars expected to switch to down-sized turbocharged engines
• BYD getting Israeli partner to compete with Renault and Better Place
• Seat Ibiza Ecomotive gets "most ecological vehicle award" in Germany

Click for a hi-res gallery of the BMW M1 Hommage

It's a sign of the times. After having rolled out the delectable M1 Hommage concept (pictured above), one BMW board member says that the Bavarian automaker has no intention of producing a supercar to compete with the likes of the Audi R8. Instead, BMW will focus on green technologies.

The news comes straight from Klaus Draeger, the board member at the helm of the EfficientDymanics initiative. While Audi continues to produce more powerful and more desirable versions of the R8, Mercedes prepares entirely new supercars and Porsche continues to do what Porsche has always done, the company that once hailed itself as the producers of the "Ultimate Driving Machine" is more concerned with hybrids than sportscars.

[Source: AutoTelegraaf via AutoblogGreen]

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Need a peek into the future? AutoblogGreen's got some spy shots of the interior of the next-gen Prius and the new Opel Meriva. Honda has also let loose images of the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid, so that should keep you satisfied for a while, no? At the very least, it's something to look at until Jeremy Clarkson tackles the Tesla Roadster.

• In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited FWD
• Pics aplenty: 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid
• Spy Shots: New Opel Meriva caught in the wild
• smart fortwo recalled for bad paint, could cause loss of roof or windshield!
• Spy Shots: Next gen Prius interior snapped!
• 2008 Hydrogen Road Tour comes to an end in LA
• Bentley buyers say "no" to diesels
• Drill Here! Drill Now! Pay less!
• Jeremy Clarkson to tackle Tesla Roadster on Top Gear, eventually
• Mahindra planning 4-seat electric car
• Honda Fit hybrid not coming to the U.S.
• Cali. Senate approves bill to make hybrids noisier
• Mercedes unveils Econic NGT Hybrid truck concept

More headlines after the jump.

THE DOWN SIDE TO LITHIUM BATTERIES

Uh-oh. In the pell-mell race to develop lithium-ion batteries for plug-ins, EV's and hybrids, has any automaker taken a hard look at where all that lithium is going to come from? Guess what? Not only are global lithium supplies pretty tight, prices are about to skyrocket.

Today, the United States imports almost all of its lithium. We get most of it from Chile, then Argentina, and a little bit from Canada and Zimbabwe. The only producer in America is actually a German company, Metallgesellschaft, which has a mine in Nevada. Yet, even though we import most of our lithium, the United States is the world's largest processor of the material.

John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers. Follow the jump to continue reading this week's editorial.