Toyota and Tesla Partner to Build Electric Cars Near San Francisco

by Jerry James Stone

From: http://www.treehugger.com/

Tesla Motors, Inc and Toyota Motor Corp have officially announced a partnership in next-gen technology for electric cars that begins with a $50 million investment from Toyota. The collaboration involves not just electric cars but also parts, production and engineering support.

Governor Schwarzenegger had first leaked the news during a visit to Google's headquarters in Mountain View. It's safe to say that this was not good news for everyone. Telsa had been in talks to build their electric car plant in a former NASA manufacturing complex located in Downey City.

"We are shocked, upset and betrayed. We can see why the public is so upset with corporate America," said Downey City Councilman Mario Guerra, adding that Tesla had told the city it would sign the lease for the Downey plant on Friday.

The thousand-plus jobs the operation is expected to create will remain closer to Tesla's home-base of San Carlos, CA. The automakers are re-opening the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., or NUMM, assembly line across the San Francisco Bay in Fremont. NUMMI--which primarily existed as a joint effort between Toyota and General Motors--had officially stopped operating in April when GM ended the 25-year partnership. A decision that cost about 4,700 workers their jobs.

No wonder NUMMI is trending on Twitter.

The official announcement came was made at 5:00 pm today when Schwarzenegger joined President and CEO of Toyota Akio Toyoda, Co-Founder and CEO of Tesla Elon Musk to announce the historic partnership. "Toyota is a company founded on innovation, quality, and commitment to sustainable mobility. It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of our technology that Toyota would choose to invest in and partner with Tesla," said Musk.

Governor Schwarzenegger added that "We love our cars in California and California loves cars! But we also love our environment and the coastline." He went on to explain that "This all happened because we created tax incentives for this company and this partnership," Schwarzenegger said.

The first car to roll of the production line will be Tesla's Model S electric sedan which costs around $57,400. While Tesla will still be late to the game when compared to the LEAF or the Volt, this amps up the company's reputation ten-fold. For a recent study just named Toyota as one of the top three companies consumers would buy an EV from.

Musk also noted that several former employees of the NUMMI plant have already been rehired.

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Toyota to release solar charger for electric vehicles

by Lin Edwards

The charging equipment. Image: TechOn

(PhysOrg.com) -- Toyota is developing a solar charging station for electric cars and plug-in hybrids, making a green technology even greener. It has also designed a battery charger for mounting inside an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid to recharge the storage batteries.

Toyota Industries Corporation's announcement follows similar press releases in August by Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Showa Shell Sekiyu KK.

Toyota's solar charging station will consist of solar cells capable of generating 100/200V of electricity. The station includes storage batteries to store the electricity generated until it is required to recharge electric vehicles. The station also has a communication facility to authenticate users' identification information, and to communicate the amount of charge and other data to a remote data center. The communication system is expected to use LANs and Mobile networks.

Earlier this year Toyota Industries unveiled a new public charging station for electric vehicles, which went on sale a few months ago at a cost of 450,000 Yen (around 4,600USD). Both the earlier public charging station and the new solar charging system were developed in collaboration with Nitto Kogyo Corporation.

A variety of charging station options is needed to address the potential range limitations of electric vehicles, and a significant network of charging stations will need to be deployed to make electric vehicles viable for longer distance travel. Virtually all major car manufacturers are planning to launch electric or plug-in hybrid cars starting next year.

Charging stations for electric cars are gradually becoming more widespread. In the UK the Department of Transport estimates there will be about two million electric vehicles by 2020. In the US, SolarCity and Rabbobank have created a partnership to provide free electric charging for electric vehicles traveling between San Francisco and Los Angeles along Highway 101. SolarCity has also bought SolSource Energy, which is in the business of installing charging stations for electric cars.

Toyota made the announcement and exhibited the charging station and battery charger at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show being held from October 23 to November 4, 2009 at Makuhari Messe, in Chiba City, Japan. The solar charger is scheduled for release late next year or in 2011 at a price of several hundred thousand Yen.

Via: TechOn

© 2009 PhysOrg.com

Toyota recalls 3.8 million vehicles

Potentially dangerous floor mats cited for company's largest U.S. recall

Video

Toyota issues largest U.S. recall in its history Sept. 29: Toyota is recalling 3.8 million vehicles because of a floor mat problem that could cause the accelerator to stick. NBC's Brian Williams reports. Nightly News

WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will recall 3.8 million vehicles in the United States, the company’s largest-ever U.S. recall, to address problems with a removable floor mat that could cause accelerators to get stuck and lead to a crash.

The recall will involve popular models such as the Toyota Camry, the top-selling passenger car in America, and the Toyota Prius, the best-selling gas-electric hybrid.

Toyota said it was still working with officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to find a remedy to fix the problem and said owners could be notified about the recall as early as next week. Toyota spokesman Irv Miller said until the company finds a fix, owners should take out the removable floor mat on the driver’s side and not replace it.

AP file

Top image, 2005 Toyota Prius. Bottom image, 2007 Toyota Camry. Both car models are on the recall list.

“A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop a vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death,” Miller said.

NHTSA said it had received reports of 102 incidents in which the accelerator may have become stuck on the Toyota vehicles involved. It was unclear how many led to crashes but the inquiry was prompted by a highspeed crash in August in California of a Lexus barreling out of control. As the vehicle hit speeds exceeding 120 mph, family members made a frantic 911 call and said the accelerator was stuck and they couldn’t stop the vehicle.

“This is an urgent matter,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. “For everyone’s sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration.”

The recall will affect 2007-2010 model year Toyota Camry, 2005-2010 Toyota Avalon, 2004-2009 Toyota Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Toyota Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES350 and 2006-2010 Lexus IS250 and IS350.

Toyota’s previously largest U.S. recall was about 900,000 vehicles in 2005 to fix a steering issue. The company declined to say how many complaints it had received about the accelerator issue.

The Japanese automaker warned owners that if they think their vehicle is accelerating out of control, they should check to see whether their floor mat is under the pedal. If a driver can’t remove the floor mat, Toyota advises drivers to step on the brake pedal with both feet until the vehicle slows and then try to put it into neutral and switch the ignition to accessory power.

For vehicles with engine start/stop buttons, Toyota said the engine can be shut off by holding the button down for three seconds.

In the August incident near San Diego, the fiery crash of a 2009 Lexus ES 350 killed California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor, 45, and three others on State Route 125 in Santee. The runaway car was traveling at more than 120 mph when it hit a sport utility vehicle, launched off an embankment, rolled several times and burst into flames. One of the family members called police about a minute before the crash to report the vehicle had no brakes and the accelerator was stuck. The call ended with someone telling people in the car to hold on and pray, followed by a woman’s scream.

NHTSA investigators determined that a rubber all-weather floor mat found in the wreckage was slightly longer than the mat that belonged in the vehicle, something that could have snared or covered the accelerator pedal.

Toyota spokesman John Hanson said the final report had not yet been submitted in the California case.

“We don’t know what the actual cause was of that accident other than preliminary reports that have been published so it’s impossible for us to comment on that particular incident,” Hanson said.

In mid-September, Toyota ordered 1,400 Toyota and Lexus dealers nationwide to ensure that each new, used and loaner vehicles had the proper floor mats and that the mats were properly secured.

In September 2007, Toyota recalled an accessory all-weather floor mat sold for use in some 2007 and 2008 model year Lexus ES 350 and Toyota Camry vehicles because of similar problems.

For more information, consumers can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s hotline at (888) 327-4236, Toyota at (800) 331-4331 or Lexus at (800) 255-3987.

Aston Martin delivers a car to the masses with £20,000 Cygnet

Aston Martin says the Cygnet will be engineered to the highest standards, economical and very safe

Kevin Hackett

James Bond screeches around hairpin bends in them with a beautiful woman at his side, while they are the car of choice for European royalty in which to parade themselves around the Continent’s more opulent capitals.

Now, at last, the opportunity to pop out to the supermarket behind the wheel of an Aston Martin will be opened to the more conventional motorist.

The Aston Martin Cygnet — a new “luxury commuter concept” car, according to its marketeers — is to be built on the base of Toyota’s existing iQ city car and is likely to be available for less than £20,000.

“Small is beautiful these days,” Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin’s chief executive, said yesterday. “We have to move on from the preconceived ideas regarding what Aston Martin is about.”

What the company has been about is high-end performance cars that sell for upwards of £100,000. Even its wristwatches sell for more than the proposed price of the Cygnet.

Mr Bez said that Aston Martin needed to diversify to cope with a sharp fall in demand for its sports cars. “For decades we have seen the big US car manufacturers stick to what they have always done and now they’re on the brink of extinction,” he said.

“This concept will allow us to apply Aston Martin design language, craftsmanship and brand values to a completely new segment of the market.”

It is thought that between 4,000 and 5,000 Cygnets will be built each year. Toyota, attracted by the cachet of Aston Martin, said that it would be the only car that it would make for another manufacturer.

The two companies began their unlikely friendship at the Nürburgring 24-hour race, where they shared garage facilities.

Akio Toyoda, the new president of Toyota and the grandson of the company founder, had raced a Lexus while Dr Bez was behind the wheel of an Aston Martin. Dr Bez said that their friendship grew into a business opportunity.

“When I saw the iQ,” Dr Bez said, “I immediately saw potential for our two companies to work together. Two days after I called Akio Toyoda to discuss this, Toyota’s people were visiting our factory at Gaydon. Just a few months later and we are making public our intentions.”

The chief executive said that he had initially encountered great resistance in his attempts to reform the luxury carmaker when he took over the helm in July 2000. The company, then owned by Ford, was sold in 2007 to a consortium of Kuwaiti and British investors.

He added that the company had finally adapted to the philosophies of car buying in a new greener age. “Aston Martin has reduced the CO2 emissions of its cars by 15 per cent in the past year but it has no real impact on anything,” he said.

“What the Cygnet will do is allow our customers to drive a car with all the hallmarks of Aston Martin’s design philosophy but one that is cheap to run, is environmentally friendly and, above all, extremely safe.”

One question does remain, however — would James Bond be seen in one? Time will tell.

Thousands of miles apart

Aston Martin

Founded 1913 in London

Employees 1,250

Vehicles made each year 7,000

Most famous for DB5, driven by James Bond in Goldfinger

The name Derived from that of the founder Lionel Martin and the Aston Hill speed climb track in Buckinghamshire

Toyota

Founded 1937 in Toyota City, Japan

Employees 320,000

Vehicles made each year 7 million

Most famous for Prius, one of the first mass-market hybrids

The name “Toyoda” became Toyota after a Japanese designer left two lines out of the design in order to use eight “lucky” brush strokes

Rumored Toyota Hybrid Sportscar is Prius-based

By Adrian Covert

The thing that's always kept me from wanting a hybrid car is that they aren't all that fast. And the ones that are fast cost too much money. That might change with Toyota's MR2 Hybrid.

The rumored MR2 Hybrid is said to be built around the Prius design, but would go 0-60 in under 7 seconds and come equipped with paddle shifters. Jalopnik thinks that the engine would be similar to the FT-HS's 3.5-liter, V6 Hybrized innards from a few of years ago. The price? Supposedly it's would only be around $24,000. I think I'm starting to get hot flashes. [Auto Express via Jalopnik]

Top 10 Turbocharged Cars of All Time (With Video!)

Turbochargers are fast becoming ubiquitous. It's not because the whole car-buying world is crying out for huge surpluses of horsepower, but because turbos are simply the most elegant way to help small engines produce power while still delivering decent fuel economy. That's been obvious for decades. The development of turbocharged production cars hasn't been a steady march, but more a series of intermittent storms; big leaps forward, followed by fallow periods lasting years. In fact, some of the first turbocharged cars, like the Chevrolet Corvair Monza and Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire introduced by GM for the 1962 model year, led to few sales and no significant production legacy. But since the mid-1970s certain turbo cars have pushed the art forward significantly. These are ten of the most important and prominent.

By John Pearley Huffman

Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next »

1. 1976 Porsche Turbo Carrera

Whatever you call it – 911 Turbo, Turbo Carrera, Turbo Porsche, 930, or just plain Turbo – this is it: The great icon of the turbocharged art. It's more than merely a Porsche 911 with a turbocharger, it's a cultural touchstone for anyone who grew up during the '70s. It's the car that inspired teenagers to put a poster of it up in their dorms next to that one with Farrah Fawcett—and the Lamborghini Countach of course. It's the car upon which the awesome 934 and 935 race cars were based, and there has never been a more thrilling or dominant race car than the 935. With its flared fenders and whale-tail spoiler, this is the car virtually everyone thinks of when the word "turbo" comes up in conversation.

But none of this is the reason why the original Turbo Carrera is so important. Porsche had been ludicrously successful in Can Am racing with its turbocharged 917/30 race machine so it made sense to port that experience over to the 911 where it could elevate Porsche's road car into a serious competitor against Ferraris and Lamborghinis. But making a turbocharged engine that was both powerful and civil enough for everyday driving wasn't going to be easy. Unlike previous turbo car builders, Porsche was able to pair the Turbo Carrera's turbocharger with Bosch's new K-Jetronic electronic fuel injection.

The combination of turbocharging paired with the precise fuel metering of electronic fuel injection was almost magical. It was now finally possible to produce a turbo engine that didn't detonate or starve for fuel throughout its operating rev range. That first Turbo Carrera wasn't an easy car to drive fast (there was plenty of turbo lag), but it was just about the first turbo car so capable of reliably puttering around town.

That Carrera's 3.0-liter flat Six was rated at just 234 hp and was available only with a four-speed manual transmission. As time passed, Porsche has sustained the 911 Turbo legend by constantly upgrading and tweaking its successors. Today, the beastliest 911 Turbo of them all is the 2009 GT2, which slams along with 530 hp. 'Nuff said.

This video is in Norwegian … you do speak Norwegian, right?

Test Driving the 1976 Porsche Turbo Carrera

CLICK FOR MORE The Top 10 Turbocharged Cars of All Time
1. 1976 Porsche Turbo Carrera	2. 1978 Saab 99 Turbo	3. 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO and 1987 Ferrari F40	4. 1978 Mercedes-Benz 300SD	5. 1984 Buick Grand National and Regal T-Type
6. 2005 Bugatti Veyron	7. 1994 Toyota Supra Turbo	8. 1982 Volvo 240 Turbo Wagon	9. 1992 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution	10. 1979 Ford Mustang Turbo