In an advance toward introduction of an amazing new kind of internal combustion engine, researchers in China are reporting development and use of a new and more accurate computer model to assess performance of the so-called free-piston linear alternator (FPLA).

Following the launch of the Chery A3 model next month, Chery Auto will also put the 1.5L model of its Chery A5 onto the market at a price of 60,000 yuan ($8,770) or so, said xinhuanet.com today, citing sources from the company.

Insight from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, commitment from two Michigan companies and funding from the Department of Energy have led to the commercialization of a lightweight urban transit bus with double the fuel efficiency of conventional hybrid buses.

General Motors today delivered its first hybrid vehicles in the Middle East to the Government of Dubai and the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Saab comes to the 2008 Sexy Green Car Show at the Eden Project with its ground-breaking vision of what the future compact car could look like – the Saab 9-X BioHybrid. First seen at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show in March, where it won ‘Best Concept’, the Saab 9-X BioHybrid is making its UK debut at the show.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Ford Motor Company today announced a three year agreement to develop and evaluate technical approaches for integrating plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the nation’s electric grid system, a key requirement to facilitate widespread adoption of the vehicles.

Eco-minded drivers in drought-prone states take note: A new study concludes that producing electricity for hybrid and fully electric vehicles could sharply increase water consumption in the United States.

Taking a page out of a science fiction story, researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Webb Research Corporation (Falmouth, Mass.) have successfully flown the first environmentally powered robotic vehicle through the ocean. The new robotic “glider” harvests heat energy from the ocean to propel itself across thousands of kilometers of water.

Hybrid electric vehicles that run on both conventional gasoline and stored electricity can be no more than a stop gap until more sustainable technology is developed, according to researchers in France.

Deutsche Post World Net is the first logistics company in Europe to trial hybrid trucks in its operations. The go-ahead for the largest fleet test in the company’s history was given on January 29, 2008 during the World Mobility Forum in Stuttgart.

Major orders from transit agencies in Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Minneapolis/St. Paul for up to 1,732 GM-Allison hybrid-powered buses will save an estimated 2.4 million gallons of fuel annually, enough to fill 300 tanker trucks, GM announced today at the Washington Auto Show.

You've got to be careful with the accelerator because hybrid school buses like to go.