Amid the unwrapping of concept cars at the auto show in New York, car manufacturers are also busy with other things. General Motors recently announced the official pricing of the Chevrolet Spark which will start at $12,995 inclusive of destination charge.

All variants of the minicar will have a 1.2L 4-cylinder powerplant and a 5 speed manual gearbox. While the Spark is being marketed as a 4-passenger vehicle, the manufacturer distinguishes it from competitions like the Smart ForTwo, Scion IQ, and the Fiat 500 as having more space.

The Chevrolet Spark will be offered in three trims: the 2LT, 1LT, and the LS. The Spark comes standard with 15 inch alloy rims, power windows, air conditioning, trip computer, rear wiper, and a folding rear seat which flips forward.

The minicar also has the Chevrolet MyLink which is a connectivity system utilizing apps for internet radio with Pandora and Stitcher plus the standard OnStar.

The 1LT has a tag price of $14,495 gives you power mirrors and power locks, cruise control, keyless entry, touch screen entertainment system, satellite radio, controls of audio on the steering wheel, and Bluetooth.

The top of the line 2LT has a sticker price of $15,795 for its base model and gives consumers additional appearance upgrades. The looks is upgraded with chrome accents, different design for the alloy rim, different fascia for the front and the rear, silver finish for the roof rails, heated seats, and leather steering wheel.

Other options available are to go for a 4-speed automatic gearbox which will cost you $925, Black granite body finish for $175, and a heater for the engine block for $75. There will also be the GogoLink which will be available later on for the model year. This is a navigation system and a real time traffic information system among its other functions.

The exact date of the official roll out has not been announced yet but it will later this year.

Mercedes-Benz will be selling its extended range B-Class plug-in that was unveiled in Frankfurt last September in the United States according to recent reports. During a recent interview of the brand’s marketing and sales division, Joachim Schmidt shared that the new B Class will be hitting the exhibit floor of the auto show in New York this April.

The B-Class E Cell is one of the smaller vehicles that will be introduced to the US market in order to trim down the average fuel consumption of their fleet. The Mercedes executive did not specify the date of release of the B-Class plug-in though.

Last September, Mercedes showcased the B-Class E-Cell which boasted of an electric motor with a battery pack that can bring it from one point t 62miles away relying solely on electric power, and a 1.0L 3-cylinder gas engine that also serves as a generator and added power source when cruising at faster speeds.

According to the car manufacturer, the powertrain of the car gives out 136 horsepower and can bring the car to its top speed of 93 miles per hour. The total range of this plug-in vehicle is said to hit 373 miles.

Aside from the B-Class plug-in, Mercedes also plans to launch a compact SUV and a hatchback A-Class in the United States by 2013. The German carmaker also has a fuel cell EV version of its B-Class which is available thru lease in Southern California. The fuel cell version might roll out two years from now.

Honda unwrapped the refreshed 2012 Insight for their European market during the motor show in Frankfurt with the updates also reaching the car in the U.S. market. Honda reworked on some styling details and interior upgrades.

The biggest work was put into the styling of the new Honda Insight which is given a more aggressie look with larger intakes, new headlamps, new tail lights, and also new rim designs. The EX version of the Insight is still the only model that rolls on aluminum rims. All trims also get a new grille with a blue streak that represents its hybrid technology.

The tweaks done to the bumper iactually added 1 mile per gallon on the fuel economy numbers of the Insight. The fuel ratings are pegged at 44 mpg on highway cruising, 41 mpg while on city streets, and a combine rating of 42 mpg. The numbers of the Prisu are still better but the ride experience is better with the Honda Insight.

The Japanese car manufacturer appropriately did the reworks where they were needed most. The interior. Designers worked on better sound insulation, upgraded the navigation system, installed a backup camera, and made the seats more classy and comfortable.

The 2012 Honda Insight still runs on the IMA or Integrated Motor Assist hybrid technology just like its older sibling. This setup combines the effort of the 1.3L 4-cylinder 88 horsepower engine with the power outputs o f the 13 horsepower electric motor.

The new Honda Insight has a starting sticker price of $19,120.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in a very difficult position. Ethanol producers are convincing the agency to raise the ethanol content in gasoline to 15 percent (E15). Meanwhile, automakers and oil companies are protesting against the move, saying that the raise can damage engines. They want to keep the ethanol level at a safe 10 percent (E10).

Without enough concrete evidence, though, that the E15 can indeed damage engines, the EPA may be forced to approve the raise of ethanol levels in gasoline. This presents a challenge for automakers, now, to come up with actual tests to back up their claims. According to a report in New York Times, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers already has sufficient data to prove the E15’s damage.

The alliance is represented by 11 car manufacturers including General Motors. GM biofuel implementation manager Coleman Jones said that the E15 caused engines to overheat, damaged the cylinder walls, and compromised the vehicles’ catalytic converters. At least fifty percent of the tested engines showed this problem. According to Jones, the E15 fuel can leave a lot of commuters stranded.

While the debacle between car manufacturers, oil companies, and ethanol producers have been going on for some time now, auto makers are begging for the E15 approval to be postponed according to New Car Fuels. At least, they said, until further engine tests have been completed.

On the other side of the fence, furious ethanol producers express their need for the switch to be imposed as soon as possible because they’re already losing too much money, as it is.

According to reports from Tech On, researchers from the Naoi Laboratory of Tokyo University were able to develop electrode materials which may just improve the performance of lithium ion batteries. They used an in situ sol gel method, stimulated by ultra-centrifugal mechanical agitation to include another active material in the electrode’s carbon content.

The ultra-centrifugal method was developed by K&W, which is a venture-firm affiliated with the University. The laboratory already used the method earlier to develop a lithium-ion capacitor. This capacitor was made with a negative electrode derived from lithium titanate and CNFs.

For the li-ion electrode materials, the researchers used the same method to mix in li-ion phosphate to carbon nanofibers and hollow carbon. The mixture produced “podded pea type” and “ground cherry type” materials respectively.

To produce an anote material, the researchers bound tin oxide to carbon. The tin oxide is said to be a potential anode material which can increase the capacity of li-ion batteries. The only downside is that it can shorten the life cycle of the battery because of the increased volume of charges distributed during the charge and discharge cycles.

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Skoda, a member of the Volkswagen group, revealed the Fabia Estate Combi GreenlineII and the RoomsterII. The vehicles feature the company’s new three-cylinder, 1.2-liter diesel engine. They also carry a stop-start and engine-recuperation system. Both the Fabia Greenline II and RoomsterII vehicles are second-generation Skoda releases. These vehicles are specifically designed to be more environmentally-friendly.

The new Fabia and Roomster models were redesigned to fit the new technology which will reduce the vehicles’ CO2-emission levels and fuel consumption. The most notable improvement is probably the 1.2 TDI CR DPF diesel engine which is equipped with a start-stop, Common Rail technology. This also has an energy recuperation and gear recommendation system on the vehicles’ Maxi DOT display.

The Fabia Estate GreenlineII, which is equipped with a 3-cylinder diesel engine can consume a mere 3.4 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. Its CO2 emission is an impressive 89g/km. On the other hand, the Roomster GreenlineII consumes 4.1 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. Its CO2 emission is just slightly higher, with 109g/km.

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According to reports, an international research project to develop renewable airplane fuel made out of algae is underway. This will be spearheaded by the University of Queensland, Australia. The host university will be teaming up with international partners Virgin Blue, Boeing, and Amyris. In Queensland, James Cook University, Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries, IOR Energy and Mackay Sugar will also be taking part in the initiative.

The government of Queensland contributed A$2 million to the project through the host university’s Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. This institute, in particular, will be doing the bulk research studies for the aviation biofuel.

Meanwhile, Boeing contributed $450,000, and Amyris promised more than $1 million. The study will be headed by Professor Lars Nielsen. Aside from the funding for this research, the Queensland government also granted A$ 1.48 million to a research study on microalgal biofuel systems. These systems aim to produce biofuel ranges through photo-bioreactors. The study is headed by Prof. Ben Hankamer.

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We are officially closer to having solar road as a reality with Solar Roadways making good use of the funding they received from the Department of Energy to produce the prototype of a solar panel which they envision to line our roadways and the electric grid.

The whole idea of the project is to replace all the petrol based asphalt highways, streets, driveways, and parking lots that you see around with solar panels that are structurally engineered. The Solar Road Panels will be capable of storing solar energy that businesses and homes can use.

In the long run, the energy generated by the very road we move upon will be able to replace our dependence on fossil fuels. Continue the equation and you will end up with green gas houses being cut by as much as half.

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Coulomb Technologies have stretched further their business reach by building a network of charging stations in Germany.

The infrastructure consists of ChargePoint Systems which will serve as charging stations for consumers who own electric vehicles. It is not the first in the country since another firm called 365 Energy Group was the first to install five stations for charging plug-in vehicles.

The ChargePoint stations will be built in the Ruhr metro area and will cater to the battery dependent electric vehicles in the city and the nearby communities.

Two of these stations have already been installed. One is located near a utility company while the other stands near a housing association. Three additional stations will be constructed but the company is still looking for the ideal spots.

The ChargePoint system is expanding worldwide being chosen by major cities in several countries around the globe. In Europe, the Netherlands was the first to utilize the charging system.

Owners of electric vehicles subscribe to the network of charging stations through a smart card provided by the company. The card allows the car owner to use the stations where ever they can access one in their community, workplace, or other public locations located around the globe.

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