By Huw Evans

According to Sascha Simon, head of Advanced Product Planning at Mercedes-Benz USA, the company is on track to launch an updated B-Class F-Cell for 2015 in California, with a “regular” sedan slated to follow in 2017.

However, Mercedes-Benz is adamant that its fuel cell vehicles look and feel like regular passenger cars as much as possible, thus the sedan is likely to be a derivative of the E-Class. The reasoning is that customers are more likely to consider fuel cell vehicles if they’re familiar with the shape and form of the car, despite its method of propulsion.

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By Huw Evans

While many governments around the world have actively encouraged motorists to switch to greener forms of transportation, a prominent Think Tank in the United Kingdom says they could cost in other ways.

More specifically, a study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and commissioned by the UK’s Royal Automobile Club (RAC) Foundation has said efficient vehicles could blow a huge hole in official revenue collection.

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By Philippe Crowe

Chevrolet declared that Volt owners have now collectively saved a supertanker of gasoline.

According to Chevrolet, since the electric car with extended range went on sale, Volt owners have compiled 40 million miles on electricity and avoided the use of more than 2.1 million gallons of gasoline. Based on $3.80 per gallon of gas, this means total savings at the pump of almost $8 million.

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By Philippe Crowe

Coda Automotive, manufacturer of the all-electric Coda, delivered its first fleet vehicle yesterday.

The sale of the first fleet-destined Coda sedan was made to AEP Ohio, a unit of American Electric Power. The utility, which delivers electricity to more than 5 million people in 11 states, is incorporating the 2012 Coda into its fleet as a part of a demonstration project to learn more about electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.

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By Philippe Crowe

FedEx Express’ fleet is closing-in quicker than expected on its 2020 fuel usage reduction goal.

FedEx Express vehicle fleet is now 16.6 percent more fuel efficient through FY2011 than it was in 2005; well on its way to reach early the company’s goal to make its vehicle fleet 20-percent more fuel efficient by 2020.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Legislation and Policy, Fisker

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a formal field inquiry into the garage fire that may or may not have been started by a Fisker Karma sedan, Bloomberg reports. The conflagration, which destroyed the Karma, the garage and a few nearby vehicles, took place on May 3rd in Sugarland, Texas.

Claude Harris, NHTSA's director of vehicle safety compliance, said that the investigation is "ongoing," adding that "no determination has been made at this time." Until an official cause is isolated, we're betting there will be a good bit of he-said, she-said finger pointing in all directions...

It's worth noting that NHTSA has also been actively investigating the safety of battery packs used in the Chevrolet Volt after reports of fires in the wild and after NHTSA's own crash testing procedures.

NHTSA launches inquiry into Fisker Karma garage fire originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 18 May 2012 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Ethanol, EV/Plug-in, Nissan, UK, Videos

The Bruichladdich Distillery has been making artisan single malt Scotch whisky since 1881 on the Isle of Islay in the UK. As the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, you may not expect the island's 620 square kilometers (239 square miles) to be the ideal habitat for electric cars.

Apparently, though, the Nissan Leaf works out quite well for Mark Reynier, managing director at the distillery. The island's inhabitants are also benefited, says Reynier, by Nissan's Power Control System, which allows the Leaf's high-capacity lithium ion battery to power other devices - important when a single storm can completely cut the island's link to the outside world.

Watch Reynier describe how the Nissan Leaf has improved his life and his distillery in the video below. And, if you're interested in other ways to use Bruichladdich's whisky as a biofuel, you can also watch James May run a Radical SR4 race car on the spirit in a separate video.

Continue reading Nissan Leaf ensures high-quality whisky from Isle of Islay

Nissan Leaf ensures high-quality whisky from Isle of Islay originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 17 May 2012 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Lexus

Are you one of the few people looking to put a brand-new Lexus HS 250h in your driveway? Better act fast. Inside Line reports that Toyota's luxury division has killed off its slow-selling HS model:

"Production of the HS 250h ceased in January, 2012. Lexus continues to monitor sales for each product and we make adjustments to make sure that we meet market demand, and the discontinuation of HS was part of that adjustment. The ES 300h is not replacing HS in our lineup. It's merely part of the hybridization of many of our existing vehicles in the Toyota and Lexus lineups."

We can't say we're surprised. Reports first surfaced in November of 2011 indicating that the HS 250h's days were numbered. After selling 10,663 units in 2010, which was already well shy of projections, HS sales dropped a whopping 73 percent to just 2,864 in 2011.

It's interesting that Lexus says the HS Hybrid is not a replacement for the HS, but we'd be a bit surprised if another standalone hybrid model made it into Lexus showrooms to replace the canceled HS - it seems to us that the current CT 200h hatchback and ES 300h ought to satisfy the needs of Lexus hybrid shoppers.

Lexus kills off slow-selling HS 250h originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 17 May 2012 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, USA, Fisker

"Our technologies and engine design have been fully tested and certified at the highest level. It is irresponsible and ill-informed for technology pundits to suggest otherwise in order to secure media attention for unfounded claims."

So says Paul Boskovitch, director of powertrain at Fisker, in response to reports that the Karma's tight engine bay packaging may be the reason one car was blamed for a garage fire in Texas. Those statements have been attributed to Jon Bereisa, CEO of Auto Lectrification. Lending credence to the theory is the fact that Bereisa formerly served as chief engineer for the General Motors EV1 and systems architect for the Chevrolet Volt.

While Bereisa isn't exactly what we'd call an 'ill-informed technology pundit', Fisker has provided an in-depth defense of its Karma sedan in a statement provided to Automotive News. You can read more about it here, but the gist is that the car has been thoroughly tested and engineered not to bust into flames - as you might expect of any new car - and that it has been "fully tested and certified at the highest level."

In any case, we're willing to wage a significant sum that we'll be hearing more from all sides of the argument in due time.

Fisker says expert's theory on garage blaze is incorrect originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 14 May 2012 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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