Green car enthusiasts are already counting the days to the Frankfurt Motor Show, and now their appetites have been whetted further as BMW releases more details of its so-called CO2 champion.

Dr Norbert Reithofer, the chairman of the board of management of BMW AG has already claimed that the vehicle will demonstrate “a whole new dimension of driving pleasure with regards to efficiency with performance” and now we can see what he is talking about in the form of the plug-in hybrid BMW EfficientDynamics all-wheel drive concept car.

The vehicle is powered by a 1.5 litre, three-cylinder turbo-diesel with two electric motors and a 10.8kWh lithium-polymer battery pack. The overall system output is 262kW and the maximum torque is 800Nm. It can run for up to 31 miles on electric power alone and, depending on the driving conditions, the two electric motors can be used for both accelerating and for regenerating energy.

In a bid to reduce energy loss even further, the car features a water-cooled thermo-electrical generator that converts a lot of the thermal energy into electric power. It also benefits from what is described as ‘forward-looking energy management’ where the individual system components on board the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics are networked with each other. This allows the on-board computer to forecast driving conditions on the road ahead to make efficient use of the energy available – so for example if the car is about to join a stretch of motorway, the cooling system is reduced for a period on the assumption that it will be offset by the higher speeds.

Aerodynamics also plays its role with a sweeping, arch-like roofline and the air flap control that is already used in a number of BMW EfficientDynamics vehicles. The chassis and suspension are made completely of aluminium and the roof and outer skin on the large doors use a special polycarbonate glass.

All this, results in a vehicle that can race from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 155mph and yet still produce remarkable fuel efficiency and CO2 emission levels – of 62.6mpg and 99g/km respectively.

The previous government in New Zealand may have proposed a fuel economy standard, but now the new government has announced it will not proceed with those plans.

Though details of the scheme were never confirmed it was believed it would have meant that importers of less fuel efficient vehicles would have had to buy credits, whereas the more fuel efficient vehicles would have been rewarded credits. However, Transport minister Steven Joyce stated that the benefits of the scheme would have been outweighed by the cost to motorists.

He said that New Zealand does not have a domestic vehicle manufacturing industry and imports a large number of used vehicles so the proposal would have been difficult and costly to carry out.

It is believed that the extra costs would have been passed on to motorists and could have resulted in costs up to $1,500 when buying a large car.

Nevertheless, he moved to reassure those with environmental concerns by pointing out that transport fuels will be included in the Emissions Trading Scheme and that a Road Users Charges exemption will apply to electric vehicles until 2013 with a grant for biodiesel production until 2012. Indeed statistics suggest that motorists are already moving to more fuel efficient cars without direct intervention by the government with the average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of new vehicles entering the fleet dropping from 220.6g/km to 203.8g/km in the first half of this year.

In a separate announcement, Minister Joyce also announced the Government has decided that from January 2010, used diesel vehicles in New Zealand will need to meet the Japanese 2005 standards in a bid to reduce harmful exhaust emissions.

Things have been quiet for a while as far as new fuel cell vehicles are concerned, with most manufacturers preferring to concentrate on short-term solutions to the oil crisis including electric and hybrid cars. However, fuel cells are still considered by many to be the ultimate long-term solution, and now Mercedes-Benz is launching a vehicle that can match the hype.

The new B-Class F-CELL is an electric-drive car that offers similar performance to a 2.0litre petrol engine vehicle, and, according to Mercedes, is suitable for everyday driving. It has a zero emission system that consumes the equivalent of just 3.3 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres – effectively 71.3mpg.

It takes its inspiration from the F600 HYGENIUS research vehicle that was presented by Mercedes back in 2005, but has come through far more testing than its predecessor. It is estimated that Daimler has tested more than 100 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and driven them over 4.5million kilometres.

Indeed the B-Class F-CELL certainly takes things to a new level. It has an 80kW stack module that is around 40 per cent smaller than the F600, but develops around 30 per cent more power output and cuts fuel consumption by 16 per cent compared to the A-Class stack. Its stack lifetime is more than 2,000 hours.

The electric motor shouldn’t let anyone down either with a continuous/peak performance of 70kW/100kW and a maximum torque of 290Nm.

It has a range of 239 miles and takes just three minutes to refuel. It uses a lithium-ion battery to boost power and help with the recovery of braking energy.

Production of the vehicle is scheduled to begin later this year with around 200 vehicles to be delivered in Europe and the USA at the start of 2010.

Three strikes and Audi is definitely IN at the Frankfurt International Motor Show.

The car maker has lined up three new vehicles to make their debut at the event: the efficient A3 1.2 TFSI; the low-emission A4 3.0TDI; and the S5 Sportback. Let’s take a look at each one:

Audi A3 and A3 Sportback 1.2 TFSI: Part of Audi’s philosophy in addressing efficiency is downsizing and so it’s no surprise to see a new turbocharged petrol direct injection 1.2 TFSI that generates 105hp and yet weighs just 89.5kg thanks to an aluminium crankcase on this four-cylinder engine.

The vehicle has been optimised to minimise fraction with eight valves that are actuated by a single camshaft. An electric control valve is used to operate the turbocharger’s wastegate valve.

Amazingly this engine generates 175Nm of torque between 1,500rpm and 3,500rpm and can race from 0-60mph in 11.1 seconds, with the Sportback getting there in 11.3 seconds. Both versions can reach 118mph and have an average fuel economy of 42.8mpg while emitting 127g/km of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Audi A4 3.0 TDI clean diesel Quattro: The vehicle will use the same engine that made its debut in the Q7 SUV. It injects AdBlue upstream of a DeNOx converter with NOx catalytically reduced.

It complies with the emission limits of the EU’s Euro 6 standard that is expected to come to law in 2014. Fuel consumption averages 35mpg while it can reach a top speed of 155mph and move from 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds.

Audi S5 Sportback: This five-door coupe uses a three-litre V6 with a mechanical compressor and delivers 245kW and 440Nm of torque between 2,900 and 5,300rpm. It can reach 62mph in 5.4 seconds according to provisional figures, a top speed of 155mph and its fuel economy figure if 24.3mpg.

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson is planning to help create Britain’s first hydrogen highway to promote the use of fuel cell vehicles, according to The Times.

Johnson intends to introduce a scheme to promote the zero-emission hydrogen fuelled cars modelled on the one introduced in California, by state governor Arnold Schwartznegger.

He wants to make Britain a leader in fuel-cell technology and is planning a network of hydrogen filling stations throughout London. He intends to assemble a fleet of 150 hydrogen cars in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics, along with five buses and 20 black taxis.

Johnson’s officials believe that by 2029, one in three of the 31 million cars in Britain could be fuelled by hydrogen. The plans for the hydrogen network will be developed alongside plans to encourage electric cars.

Kit Malthouse, deputy London mayor and chairman of the London Hydrogen Partnership told the national newspaper: “We think it’s going to be pretty big. We plan an initial network of six or so hydrogen filling stations around the capital. We would then be able to fuel the next generation of vehicles.”

The US Cash for Clunkers scheme ran out of cash on Tuesday with 690,114 dealer transactions submitted. So did it achieve its objectives? Let’s look at the evidence.

According to official statistics, 84 per cent of consumers traded in trucks and 59 per cent purchased passenger cars. The average fuel economy of the vehicles being traded in was just 15.8mpg, but the average of those being bought was 24.9mpg – that’s an improvement of 58 per cent. Indeed the cars bought under the programme are on average 19 per cent above the average fuel economy of all new cars currently available.

So who were the big beneficiaries?

Well, Toyota reaped the largest percentage of sales under the programme with 19.4 per cent; followed by General Motors (GM) at 17.6 per cent; and Ford at 14.4 per cent. Honda finished in fourth place with 13 per cent.

The top 10 vehicles bought under the programme were: the Toyota Corolla; Honda Civic; Toyota Camry; Ford Focus FWD; Hyundai Elantra; Nissan Versa; Toyota Prius; Honda Accord; Honda Fit; and the Ford Escape FWD. Meanwhile the top 10 trade-ins were: the Ford Explorer 4WD; the Ford F150 Pickup 2WD; the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD; the Ford Explorer 2WD; the Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD; the Jeep Cherokee 4WD; the Chevrolet Blazer 4WD; the Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD; the Ford F150 Pickup 4WD; and the Ford Windstar FWD Van.

The state that requested the largest share of the cash for clunkers cash was California with 11.3 per cent of the total; followed by Texas at 6.4 per cent; and New York at 5.4 per cent.

Alternative fuel technologies have been embraced in Seattle, after the city was awarded a $1.4million grant from the US Department of Energy to enhance its fleet of green vehicles.

The funding is part of a $15million grant in Recovery Act funding awarded to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s Clean Cities Coalition which we told you about earlier today.

So how will the money be spent?

Well, Seattle will get 15 diesel/electric work trucks that are expected to save more than 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel a year as well as reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 112 tons annually.

It will also pick up $500,000 for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations.

It’s another boost for the city – earlier this month the DOE granted the Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation around $20million to establish 2,550 charging systems for electric vehicles in the area. Seattle also signed an agreement to be one of the first markets to introduce the Nissan LEAF back in April.

Stand by for another debut at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show – this time in the form of a new Saab 9-5 saloon car.

The vehicle features an all-turbo powertrain line-up – the most extensive ever offered by Saab – and sees the development of efficient four-cylinder turbo engines. In fact, there is a choice of three fuels – petrol, diesel and E85 bioethanol, with the four-cylinder, 2.0litre diesel with six speed transmission offering CO2 emissions of just 139g/km with fuel consumption at 44.4mpg.

There’s still plenty of power packed into this model, however. The 9-5 offers a 2.0 litre petrol turbo engine that develops 220hp and a top of the line 2.8 V6 turbo that generates 300hp. Shortly after launch, a 1.6 litre petrol turbo with 180hp will be introduced along with a 2.0litre E85 engine.

The Saab XWD, all-wheel drive system, will be offered at launch and among the features available throughout the range will be adaptive cruise control, adaptive chassis control and Bi-Xenon Smart Beam adaptive headlights.

We will bring you more information on the new 9-5 when the vehicle is released at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Twenty five projects have been selected for a collective cash injection of $300million from the US Department of Energy (DOE) under the Clean Cities Programme. The projects will put more than 9,000 alternative fuel and energy efficient vehicles on the road, while establishing 542 refuelling locations across the US.

The funding comes on the back of the DOE’s announcement that it had selected 23 projects for up to $15million in annual appropriations funding with the Clean Cities project including grants for vehicles, education and infrastructure.

Here’s a look at the top six projects that will benefit in terms of the size of the award:

- State of Wisconsin’s Clean Transportation Programme: $15million to deploy 502 alternative and advanced technology vehicles through 119 public and private fleets and install 10 alternative refuelling sites.

- Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s Puget Sound Clean Cities Petroleum Reduction Project: A total of $14,999,927 to expand the use of alternative fuel and advanced vehicle technology including the creation of a regional sustainable market for renewable alternative fuels.

- Metropolitan Energy Information Centre’s Midwest Region Alternative Fuels Project: Will pick up $14,999,905 and includes 27 alternative fuel stations and the deployment of 373 alternative fuel and advanced vehicle technologies.

- City of Chicago, Department of Environment’s Chicago Area Alternative Fuels Deployment Project: $14,999,658 will help deploy 554 alternative fuel and hybrid electric vehicles as well as install 153 alternative fuel and electric vehicle charging stations throughout the region.

- New Jersey Clean Cities Coalition’s New Jersey Compressed Natural Gas Refuse Trucks, Shuttle Buses and Infrastructure: An award of $14,997,240 to deploy 227 heavy duty natural gas refuse trucks and shuttle buses as well as four new CNG fuelling stations.

- Greater Long Island Clean Cities Coalition’s Long Island Regional Energy Collaborative Promoting a Green Economy through Clean Alternatives: For the deployment of five CNG stations and 87 heavy duty alternative fuel trucks, an award of $14,994,183 has been granted.

If you’d like more information about the remaining 19 projects to benefit from the scheme, check out this link to the Department of Energy website.

Norwegian electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, Think announces today that the Norwegian courts have approved its debt settlement plan, enabling the company to exit court protection.

This means Think  is back in business and in a position to resume normal operations in terms of the manufacture and sale of new electric vehicles (EVs), namely, its latest TH!NK City model.

Think CEO Richard Canny said: “This court ruling completes the final step in our return to normal operations.  It is an important day for Think, and we would like to thank our creditors and suppliers for their continued support, and to show our appreciation to Think’s very patient and loyal customers – this means we can re-start production of the TH!NK City as soon as possible.”

The TH!NK City is the company’s latest generation EV, and is one of the few ready-to-market fully electric vehicles available in the world today.  With its market-leading 180km range, class-leading 100km/h performance and safety attributes, the TH!NK City is the first vehicle of its type to be granted pan-European regulatory safety approval and CE certification.

A significant capital increase has also been arranged to enable the company to immediately get back to the business of producing and selling EVs. The company continues to be backed by a very loyal group of investors, made up of some individual Norwegian investors as well as leading venture capital and clean-tech investment firms from the USA and the UK. 

In addition, some new investors have joined the shareholder group as part of the capital increase, which is worth some $47 million in total capital introduced and conversion of interim financing to equity.  The equity transaction is scheduled to close next week.

Named investors include Ener1, Inc. from the USA, Valmet Automotive from Finland and Investinor, the Norwegian Government-backed investment fund.

Think began small scale production last year for its Th!nk city EV and ran a business leasing program in Norway with plans for a similar scheme in the UK. Collapsing into administration set the company back late last year put back plans to introduce the car on a wider scale.

As part of the company’s restructuring process, future production of the TH!NK city EV will move to Finland at the Valmet’s high-technology manufacturing base in Uusikaupunki, , alongside its assembly facilities for Porsche’s Boxster and Cayman models.

Production at Think’s existing assembly facility in Aurskog, Norway, will be suspended indefinitely in light of the agreement with Valmet Automotive, resulting in approximately 85 employee positions being affected across the company.

However senior management, sales, marketing, design and engineering staff still located at the company’s Oslo headquarters.

Richard Canny added: “With this group of shareholders offering the financial backing and support needed to get Think back into production, we are very excited about what the future holds for this company.  We’d like to thank our existing investors for their continued support, and also to welcome the new investors on board.

He concluded: “Establishing production in Finland and expanding our sales organisation around Europe is going to keep us extremely busy in the coming months – but we are very confident, the TH!NK City is literally ready for sale and we look forward to delivering the first of our customers’ new cars this side of 2010.”

TH!NK city is a modern, two seater urban car which has a top speed of 100 km/h (65 mph). It accelerates from zero to 50 km/h (30 mph) in just 6.5 seconds and 80 km/h (50 mph) in 16 seconds. With zero local emissions and an energy efficiency three times that of a traditional combustion engine car, it is a car for the environment. It can travel for 180 km (112 miles) in city driving on a fully charged battery.