SAE International has announced a new fast charging standard for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, reducing charge times from as long as eight hours to as little as twenty minutes. While still longer than a fillup for a gasoline engine, it is a dramatic reduction for EVs and it addresses one of the two major drawbacks for electric vehicles, the other being vehicle … [Read more...]
XR-3 Diesel Plug In Hybrid on the Road – Kits Coming
Last year we wrote about Robert Q. Riley's XR-3 hybrid project, a diesel plug in hybrid you can build from plans. The XR-3 prototype is now on the road and I have to admit, I like the looks of it. It's a reverse trike configuration 3 wheeler with diesel power going to the front wheels and an electric motor for the rear wheel. The full diesel electric hybrid system can exceed … [Read more...]
Build Your Own 225 mpg Diesel Plug in Hybrid
If the names Trimuter, Tri-Magnum or Urba Electric ring a bell, you probably read a lot of Mechanix Illustrated or Popular Mechanics back in the sixties and seventies. Robert Q. Riley was a prolific designer of these build it yourself vehicles along with many, many more that were available as plans enabling you to construct your own fiberglass bodied car, trike or even … [Read more...]
Lexus GS450h Hybrid Enters 24 Hour Race
No sooner does Audi start winning endurance races with their diesel racer and here comes Toyota entering their Lexus GS450h hybrid sedan in the Tokachi 24-hour Race at the Tokachi International Speedway in Hokkaido (in northern Japan) from July 15 to 17. Can't have Audi running away with all of the unconventional race car thunder, now can we? Private teams have competed with … [Read more...]
Plug In Hybrid Kits
Plug in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) have been popping up since garage tinkerers got hold of the Toyota Prius and started experimenting. Instead of relying on the gasoline engine and regenerative braking to do all of the recharging, they asked, quite logically I think, why not plug in to the power grid to recharge when the car is parked? Toyota and other manufacturers … [Read more...]