PRNewsWire wants us to know that the U.S. Army has unveiled a hybrid-electric propulsion system for their latest Manned Ground Vehicles (MGV). The hybrid design is a bit like a Chevy Volt on steroids: a traditional engine (de-coupled from the drivetrain) powers a generator that drives the motors, juices the vehicular sub-systems and recharges the batteries. Before you start thinking that our military forces are becoming tree-huggers, the hybrid MGV nothing to do with increased efficiency. "The Army is using hybrid-electric power because the more modern [combat vehicles] have much greater electrical power requirements than [the ones currently in use]. Hybrid-electric vehicles provide the requisite electrical power because they employ a rechargeable energy storage system."

Today's the day. From Friday until Tuesday, the Chinese government has implemented a license plate-based ban on a third of Beijing's 3m drivers. Officials hope to remove over a million vehicles from the city as part of an "experiment" to see if they can clear Beijing's fetid air ahead of the '08 Olympics (without causing public unrest). As you might imagine, carbon negative governments around the world are monitoring the situation carefully, looking for justification for similar restrictions in their own backyards. Without casting aspersions of Iran's press freedoms, it's interesting that Press TV is so keen on the China's anti-car syndrome that they're not waiting to see if reality matches their expectations. "Beijing is noticeably less congested following the four-day scheme that yanked 1.3 million private cars off the streets on Friday." If you thought that was a particularly non-scientific (if perhaps prescient) summation, how about this? "City residents, who are being forced to take public transport during the test period, generally appeared to support the project." Support for government policy is generally good within dictatorships, but then Press TV probably already knows that.

According to Erica Barnett over at WorldChanging.com, the recent lane closures on Seattle's I-5 failed to create a highly anticipated traffic snarl. In fact, half of the usual 120k per day traffic simply "disappeared." This led Ms. Barnett to the only possible conclusion: eliminating roadways is an excellent way to reduce traffic! How's that again? "Drivers are adaptable. When faced with the prospect of gridlock—and given ample warning and time to prepare—people found alternate routes, rode transit, worked from home, and avoided unnecessary trips." That doesn't sound too bad at all! In fact, it sounds great! To be fair, Barnett is not entirely insensitive to the Pollyanna factor. "For congestion-as-incentive to work in the long term, it has to be paired with alternatives that are viable in the long term– flexible work schedules that allow workers to stay home a few days a week, mass transit that is affordable, frequent, and convenient, and an infrastructure that supports bike and pedestrian commuting, among other things." Yes, well, meanwhile, she says if King County Metro had provided more buses during the lane closures, they could have rendered the lanes unnecessary. Huh. 

Tesla Motors is set to send its lithium-ion battery-powered prototype Roadster on a 200-mile road trip. According to Green Wombat , it's a "publicity stunt designed to demolish the perception that electric cars are short-range put-put mobiles more suited to suburban cul-de-sacs than the open road." Tesla PR wonk David Vespremi claims it's no biggie; Tesla has already "put the car through its paces during long-distance testing." The trip is sponsored by the Hyatt hotel chain and will include several stops at Hyatts along the route. Even though Tesla claims a 200-mile range for the Roadster and they're taking it on a 200-mile road trip, AutoBlogGreen reports they'll be stopping at a Hyatt in Sacramento "to show off the charging capability (and charge the batteries)." According to Vespremi, this was "the plan all along." Funny that this plan doesn't show up in any of the news stories about the jaunt before now. TTAC has been questioning their range claims from the start; too bad the company can't won't use this opportunity to prove us wrong.

What was that about no good deed going unpunished? As TTAC has opined previously, the current vogue for bio-fuels is set to ratify the Law of Unintended Consequences. Reporting from the World Water Week conference Sweden, researchers from the Stockholm International Water Institute forecast that biofuel production will double current agricultural demand for water. Cuba's Granma News Agency quotes Spokesman David Trouba's warning that the shift will take its toll on indigenous people. "Where will the water to grow the food needed to feed a growing population come from if more and more water is diverted to crops for bio-fuels production?" The problem of water for ethanol production is hardly confined to the third world; an average American plant uses about 2m gallons of water per day. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (amongst others) is studying the issue.

It makes no difference if it goes far. Aesthetically inspired by the architect who designed the Disney Concert Hall, a battery of Massachusetts Institute of technology students have almost kinda created the CityCar. The fact that their machine can't travel more than ten miles without a recharge hasn't stopped Fairfax DC Supervisor Sharon S. Bulova from exploring their possibilities. According to The Washington Post, Bulova thinks CityCars would be kinda neat for zipping back forth from Metro stations to home, work or the mall. And hey, why not make it one of those swipe-and-go deals? Unfortunately, fellow bureaucrats can't get their heads 'round the idea of a CityCar sharing the sidewalk with "speeding bicyclists , slow-moving children walking their pets and oblivious joggers listening to music on headphones." I know! Why don't we encourage people to walk to the station! Remember? Global warming and obesity are the twin scourges of our times.  

Reuters reports that European Commissioner Guenter Verheugen has a stark message for automakers hoping to cope with tough new emissions limits by paying cash in lieu of compliance: fuhgeddaboutit. "The Commission has decided that its [legislative] proposal should not distort competition among the producers," Verheugen revealed. "This cannot be reconciled with payments of compensation." Quite how "payments of compensation" differ from old-fashioned "fines" is anybody's guess. Meanwhile, the European auto industry is lobbying hard against the new rules, which force carmakers to cut new cars' carbon dioxide emissions to a fleet average of 130 grams per km by 2012. The automakers are asking the EU to postpone the requirements until 2015. They've also suggested an integrated approach to curbing CO2 emissions that would include improved infrastructure, driver training, expanded reliance on biofuels and CO2-related taxes on cars and fuels. The theoretical space between a rock and a hard place was not mentioned. 

When medical studies declared second hand smoke a danger to non-smokers, anti-smoking crusaders found the ammunition they needed to bend public policy to their will. Global warming has played a similar role in the fight against the automobile. Yes, I said the automobile, not automotive emissions. While environmentalists on this side of the pond focus on fuel efficiency, alt propulsion and bio-fuels in a "have your cake and eat it" kinda way, European governments have pounced on the connection between cars and global warming to justify their ongoing anti-car crusade. And now the BBC reports a new front: obesity. The UK-based Institute for European Environmental Policy have released a study linking car ownership and obesity. Their report recommends an "exclusionary zone" around schools– to force parents and children to walk to class. Co-author Carolina Valsecchi connected the dots. "The twin crises of obesity and climate change are clearly interlinked through the switch from muscle power to engine power for transport. Concerted action is needed to reverse both these trends." Given parental protective instincts and bad British weather, a no-drive school zone would be a severe test of the Nanny State's power to restrict personal freedom for "your own good." 

According to the Washington Post, Beijing officials want to clear their city's infamous smog by using number plate-based driving restrictions. Currently, the city's atmos is so bad that International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has threatened to postpone long-distance races if the athletes can't get sufficient 02. Although Chinese officials reckon they can pull a third of the city's three million vehicles off the road, they may face The Law of Unintended Consequences. Since 1989, Mexico City has banned cars one day per week based upon their license plate digits. In her book "Air Quality in the Mexico Megacity," author Luisa Molina quotes researchers who say some 22 percent of Mexican drivers responded to “Hoy No Circula” (HNC) regs by buying a second car– increasing overall vehicular journeys and, thus, air pollution. Of course, officials in charge of HNC– which now focuses on a car's age– say ending the plan would put 600k more vehicles on the road each day. The Chinese test begins on Friday.

With all the press lithium-ion batteries and high tech drivetrains have gotten lately, you'd think electric cars are the future of the automobile. Perhaps, but they're also the past. Almost 100 years ago, electric cars were actually a common sight in American cities. New York Times brings us a blast from the past with a feature on Jay Leno's 1909 Baker Electric Coupe. Arguably the first "chick car," the Baker was the favorite of high-society women who couldn't be bothered with the muss and fuss of primitive internal-combustion engines. Although Jay's car's top speed is only about 20 to 25 mph, the Baker Torpedo held the world land speed record in 1904 at 104mph, with the additional distinction of being the first automobile fitted with seat belts. 

Speaking at a management seminar, a senior Chrysler chemist cast aside political correctness and identified five groups standing in the way of America's alternative fuel future. Automotive News [sub] reports that Loren Beard fingered five Powers That Be who oppose E85 and suchlike. 1. OPEC (natch) 2. Big Oil ("It will cut into their market share") 3. Japanese automakers ("silver bullet car companies") 4. environmental groups (employ scare tactics against alternative fuels to raise money) and 5. aliens (my guess, Automotive News didn't say). While we await for suitable spin control on Chrysler's new blog (as if), suffice it to say Beard doesn't see any alternative to alternative fuels, other than continued dependence on foreign oil. So much for that, then.

It may have started with hybrid tax credits and California's hybrid carpool lane stickers, but Ontario is taking the whole governmental green car incentive thing to the next level. The Toronto Star reports that the provincial government has unveiled a plan to issue "green" license plates to drivers of environmentally-friendly cars. Vehicles that qualify for the "eco-plates" will enjoy special perks, which could include free parking and access to commuter lanes. "Now we're saying we're going to also put some more factors on that table to help you make a decision that's good for your family and good for the environment," Environment Minister Laurel Broten told a news conference. Minister Broten will consult with carmakers and environmental groups to decide which vehicles qualify for the new plates. Now that ought to be an interesting meeting.

Toyota is delaying introducing lithium-ion battery-powered hybrids because of safety concerns. Forbes reports that the Japanese automaker is hanging fire (so to speak) due to worries that the cells might overheat or explode. Toyota doesn't expect to have hybrids with Li-Ion batteries until 2011. They've also delayed plans for Tundra and Sequoia hybrids. Whether or not this will affect GM's hopes of lithium-ion powered Volt is yet to be seen. Meanwhile, commenting on an earlier TTAC post, Tesla spinmeister Darryl Siry claims their Roadster's Li-ion battery pack passed UN and DOT protocols for safety "when shipping" which which "can actually be harsher than safety when in a car."

You may recall that TTAC took Tesla to task over its range claims for their all-electric Roadster– which the company stoutly defended, then revised downwards from 250 miles to 200. We also warned that Tesla wasn't likely to meet their already once-postponed summer delivery date– which they didn't. And now the erstwhile automaker has announced that they'll start releasing cars to customers in October. Or November. Forbes reports that Tesla CEO and co-founder Martin Eberhard is adamant: "We will definitely ship in that time frame." Eberhard attributes the company's third delay to a "late change in the transmission vendor." No word yet on whether the Tesla Roadster has passed federal crash tests. And you'd kinda think the company would have a working press car by now, less than three months from its [alleged] launch. Rest assured that we'll be following this developing story as it develops. Or not. 

Let's see.. a gauge to tell you how fast you're going, a gauge to show you how much fuel you have left and a gauge to monitor how much damage you're doing to the environment. According to Gizmag, a team from The University of Manchester has developed a laser device that measures greenhouse gas emissions inside the car's exhaust system before it's loosed on the world. The eggheads' hope: if you see how much nasty stuff you're producing you'll adjust your driving style accordingly. Of course, if you don't, "this technology could also be used in roadside congestion charging systems, with less polluting vehicles being charged less." Yes, The University of Manchester is in England.