Toyota seeks to raise awareness of the Prius Plug-in hybrid’s fuel economy, this week launched the second phase of the Prius Plug-In MPG Challenge, a 30-day contest among seven eco-friendly groups and individuals to achieve the highest overall fuel economy.
Volkswagen Group development coordinator Ulrich Hackenberg is working on ways to make the automaker’s future models lighter and greener through the use of the company’s modular platform as well as technology from its XL1 plug-in hybrid.
At the same time he says that VW can challenge value brands by producing a car that sells at a price as low as €6,000.
Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has formally recalled its i-MiEV electric vehicle in Japan.
Sales and production of the EV minicar, which is also sold as the Peugeot iOn and Citroen C-Zero in Europe, along with the Outlander plug-in hybrid crossover sold only in Japan, have been halted since a manufacturing glitch caused one of their lithium ion battery packs to melt and another to catch fire in March.
Electric car venture Better Place said it had filed a motion in an Israeli court to dissolve the company and sought to appoint a temporary liquidator.
The decision came after the company failed to raise enough funds to cover operating costs and despite making fundamental structural changes in recent months, Better Place said.
