With concerns about global warming on the rise, Fred Fugiel’s new taxi is turning the longtime Chicago cabbie into a bit of a celebrity. Fugiel started humming around the city last month in a fuel-sipping Toyota Prius, the first hybrid vehicle among Chicago’s 6,300 taxis. His old 2001 Chevy Impala averaged a measly 19 miles to the gallon, less than half what his white-and-red Prius hatchback boasts in city driving. The Impala also churned out twice as much heat-trapping pollution. more on hybrid cars
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said Wednesday his company is working hard to develop the next generation of smaller, lighter auto batteries — a technology that holds promise for electric cars as well as for hybrids. He also said Nissan and its French partner Renault SA are moving ahead with studies on a US$3,000 (€2,230) car for the Indian market. As demand for green vehicles grows, automakers are racing to develop viable lithium ion batteries, which are common in gadgets such as laptops and cell phones but have yet to be fully adapted to the more rigorous demands of a car engine. more on hybrid cars
Internet search giant Google (GOOG) hopes to speed the development of plug-in hybrid cars by giving away millions of dollars to people and companies that have what appear to be practical ways to get plug-ins to market faster. But the money, announced Monday afternoon at Google headquarters in Mountain Valley, Calif., totals just $1 million so far with another $10 million pledged, which might not be enough to move the needle. more on hybrid cars
