A Boston-based company shows how it converts delivery trucks and other commercial fleet vehicles into hybrids.
Tag Archives: Hybrids
How to Make Gas-Guzzling Vans into Efficient Hybrids
Posted by Gsurface
on April 27, 2013
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Seagate’s New SSHD Hybrids Have Dual-Mode Flash Caches
Posted by Gsurface
on March 6, 2013
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crookedvulture writes “Seagate’s has revealed its next-generation hybrid drives, and for the first time, there’s a 3.5″ desktop model in the mix. The new family of so-called SSHDs includes standard and slim notebook variants with 500GB and 1TB capacities, plus 1TB and 2TB desktop versions. All of them combine mechanical platters with 8GB of NAND in a dual-mode SLC/MLC configuration. The SLC component is largely reserved to cache host writes, while the MLC portion is filled with frequently accessed data to speed read performance. Despite MLC NAND’s lower write endurance, Seagate claims the SSHDs have more than enough headroom to last at least five years with typical client workloads. More impressively, the mobile SSHDs are supposed to be faster than the old Momentus XT hybrid even though they have slower 5,400-RPM spindle speeds. The mobile models are slated to start selling shortly at $ 79 for 500GB and $ 99 for 1TB, while the 1TB and 2TB desktop flavors are due in late April for $ 99 and $ 149, respectively. Unlike other NAND caching solutions, Seagate’s tech requires no software or drivers, making it compatible with any OS.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
AMD docking technology adjusts tablet, laptop performance in hybrids
Posted by Gsurface
on February 20, 2013
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Advanced Micro Devices hopes to take on Intel's ultrabooks with a new keyboard docking technology that modifies the level of performance of thin-and-light hybrid devices when used in tablet or laptop modes.
Computerworld News
EPA reviewing two Ford hybrids on questionable fuel economy claims
Posted by Gsurface
on December 9, 2012
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Fuel economy is a big deal in today’s car industry. With gas prices as high as they are and a looming energy crisis, it seems that manufacturers and consumers would both like to start weening off gas. Of course, since fuel economy is big, we hear car commercials talking up estimated miles-per-gallon figures all the
Fiskar Hybrids Get Bad Karma From Superstorm Sandy
Posted by Gsurface
on November 1, 2012
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New submitter slas6654 writes with this excerpt from Jalopnik: “Approximately 16 of the $ 100,000+ Fisker Karma extended-range luxury hybrids were parked in Port Newark, New Jersey last night when water from Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge apparently breached the port and submerged the vehicles. As Jalopnik has exclusively learned, the cars then caught fire and burned to the ground.’ Apparently Fiskar super-duty lithium ion batteries are neither water-proof or water soluble.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Jurassic Park IV production art emerges showing creepy hybrids
Posted by Gsurface
on October 13, 2012
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Back in 2007, the script for the not-gonna-happen-anytime-soon fourth installment of Jurassic Park was reviewed by Ain’t it Cool, revealing just how strange and different and potentially awesome the movie could be. Fast forward a few years, and production art for the script has surfaced over at NeoGAF, showing walking dinosaurs with an attitude and
Switched On: Hail to the hybrids
Posted by Gsurface
on October 7, 2012
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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
In the world according to Apple, there are OS X-based Macs and iOS-based iPads and, as it stands now in the era of disparate kitchen appliances, never the twain shall meet, even if they tend to borrow features from each other. Point the finger of blame at synthetic pointing devices that offer precision at the expense of intimacy. Google has played it a little looser with its two-pronged operating system strategy. It has reserved Chrome OS for such traditionally touch-deficient computing form factors as desktops and notebooks while allowing Android to support keyboards and mice. However, as Switched On noted nearly a year ago, we’ve seen few pure clamshells that use Android.
Microsoft, however, has thrown these distinctions out the window, or at least with Windows. The latest release of its PC operating system seeks to dissolve the interface differences between laptops and tablets. It will appear on both types of devices as well as touch-enabled all-in-ones and desktops. But Windows 8 — with its tablet-friendly face and ability to run traditional productivity applications — will also turn more PC manufacturer attention toward portable devices that live somewhere between a completely unadorned tablet and a notebook. We can expect two main kinds of these hybrids.
Continue reading Switched On: Hail to the hybrids
Filed under: Handhelds, Tablets
Switched On: Hail to the hybrids originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Oct 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Engadget
Consumers Voting for Plug-in Hybrids Over EVs
Posted by Gsurface
on October 3, 2012
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Carmakers Find Ways to Make Cheaper Hybrids
Posted by Gsurface
on October 1, 2012
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The fuel-sipping cars have typically been pricier than conventional counterparts, but technological advances are changing that.
As automakers work to comply with fuel-economy standards, they’re increasingly turning to hybrids. Last week, for example, Toyota announced that it would make 21 hybrid models by 2015, up from 12 now (see “Toyota Scales Back Electric Vehicle Plans” and “Stringent CAFE Standards Push Automakers“). Automakers have grown more enthusiastic about hybrids because the cost of making them has plummeted. Several years ago, Toyota’s Prius hybrid cost the consumer about $ 6,000 more than an equivalent conventional car—and even at that price, the company was losing money on every one it sold. The difference is now $ 2,500, and the car is profitable, says Mike Omotoso, an analyst with LMC Automotive. The drop in cost is due to an accumulation of incremental technology improvements, along with economies of scale. And advances going forward—better batteries, electric motors, and power electronics and transmissions—could cut costs by another 50 percent.
Odd Laptop-Tablet Hybrids Show PC Makers’ Panic
Posted by Gsurface
on June 8, 2012
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jfruh writes “Taipei’s Computex trade show has seen an array of strange devices on sale that are somewhere between PCs and tablets: laptops with screens you can twist in every direction, tablets with detachable keyboards, all-in-one PCs with detachable monitors. Some have Intel chips, some ARM chips; some run Windows 8, some Android. They all exist because of the cheap components now available, and because Windows 8 will make touch interfaces possible — but mostly they exist because PC makes are starting to freak out about being left behind by the tablet revolution.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Why is Apple CEO slamming laptop/tablet hybrids?
Posted by Gsurface
on April 26, 2012
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When Apple CEO Tim Cook dissed the whole idea of hybrid mobile computers, he may have been showing unease about the rise of laptop/tablet hybrids.
Computerworld News
Toyota TS030 race cars revealed, prove hybrids aren’t boring
Posted by Gsurface
on January 26, 2012
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Who says automotive ingenuity is dead? Toyota is planning on making its way back to world of Le Mans and is bringing with it a pair of brand new racers. But these aren’t your grandma’s sportscars. They’re fully decked-out and sexified hybrids. And what’s even more surprising is that they’ll be ready to hit the [...]
SlashGear
Preview of EVs and Hybrids at the Detroit Auto Show
Posted by Gsurface
on January 6, 2012
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Volvo unveils XC60 plug-in hybrid concept, claims it’s ‘superior to all existing hybrids’
Posted by Gsurface
on January 5, 2012
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Svelte plug-in hybrids? Practically a dime a dozen. What aren’t, however, are their more boxy SUV brethren — but that hasn’t stopped Volvo from creating the concept that lays before you. Beginning with a gutted XC60, the company’s fitted a turbocharged gasoline four cylinder good for 280hp up-front, and a 70hp electric motor powering the rear. Combined they produce 350 horses which scuttle the 3,300 pound crossover from 0-60MPH in a relatively scant 5.8 seconds. Yet, when not in the mood for outright performance, it can be set to run in “Pure” electric mode via a button press on the dash, enabling hypermilers everywhere to eke out 35 miles of electric motoring from its 21kWh battery pack. After depleting that, it’ll take three and a half hours to top up while tethered to 220V, or a seven and a half hours over 110V. Eager to know when the 50MPG, 600 mile range beast makes the jump from concept to reality? So are we, but until we learn more at the Detroit auto show, we’ve embedded PR alongside a video after the break, and a source link with a bevy of more pictures below.
Volvo unveils XC60 plug-in hybrid concept, claims it’s ‘superior to all existing hybrids’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
GM considers new battery for Volt, offers to buy back hybrids from pyrophobic customers
Posted by Gsurface
on December 2, 2011
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Still freaked out about that whole Volt catching fire thing? Well, GM wants you to know it’s taking your concerns very seriously. The company is considering a redesign of the battery in the hybrid, possibly delaying the release of the Opel-branded version in Europe. What’s more, for those not satisfied with being able to pick up a loaner, the company will buy the vehicle back from you. That is if you’re too much of a pansy to keep your combustible car.
GM considers new battery for Volt, offers to buy back hybrids from pyrophobic customers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hybrids Safer In Crashes — Except For Pedestrians
Posted by Gsurface
on November 20, 2011
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Hugh Pickens writes writes “Hybrid vehicles are safer than their conventional counterparts when it comes to shielding their occupants from injuries in crashes with the odds of being injured in a crash 25 percent lower for people in hybrids than people traveling in comparable non-hybrid vehicles. “Weight is a big factor,” says Matt Moore, of the Highway Loss Data Institute. ‘Hybrids on average are 10 percent heavier than their standard counterparts. This extra mass gives them an advantage in crashes that their conventional twins don’t have.’ The study’s findings are good news for green-minded drivers who are also looking for safety in their cars, but it’s worth noting that hybrid vehicles are much quieter than gas-powered cars, posing a risk to pedestrians. “When hybrids operate in electric-only mode, pedestrians can’t hear them approaching,” says Moore. Earlier this year, Congress gave the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration three years to come up with a requirement for equipping hybrids and electric models with sounds to alert unsuspecting pedestrians.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Carmakers Unveil New Types of Hybrids
Posted by Gsurface
on September 30, 2011
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Alternative approaches replace the battery with compressed air or a flywheel.
Hybrid cars normally combine conventional engines with battery-powered electric motors. But many carmakers are developing alternative types of hybrids—some of which were on display this month at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany.
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