You ever wonder what is holding back the development of All Electric Vehicles? I’d point to battery technology. Specifically it has a lot to do with battery technology. Large nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries to be exact.

Here’s some interesting history:
“In 1994, General Motors acquired a controlling interest in Ovonics’s battery development and manufacturing, including patents controlling the manufacturing of large nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. In 2001, Texaco purchased GM’s share in GM Ovonics. A few months later, Chevron acquired Texaco. In 2003, Texaco Ovonics Battery Systems was restructured into Cobasys, a 50/50 joint venture between Chevron and Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) Ovonics. Chevron’s influence over Cobasys extends beyond a strict 50/50 joint venture. Chevron holds a 19.99% interest in ECD Ovonics. Chevron also maintains veto power over any sale or licensing of NiMH technology. In addition, Chevron maintains the right to seize all of Cobasys’ intellectual property rights in the event that ECD Ovonics does not fulfill its contractual obligations.” via Wikipedia

Much of what holds up the development of Electric Cars is patents that are held by one of the world’s largest oil companies.

We’ve covered Algae Based Fuel before and Sapphire Energy appears to be leading the way. This San Diego based Company has raised 50M in funding from the world’s second richest medical charity according to AlarmClock

San Diego’s Sapphire Energy says it plans to turn algae into oil, creating a clean fuel that can be used in unmodified cars and trucks. Sapphire and its alter-brand Green Crude Production, explains that it is using algae, sunlight, non-potable water and carbon dioxide to make a green crude that it boasts is the chemical equivalent of sweet crude oil. Moreover, production costs per barrel will be similar to petroleum-based fuel.

The company has raised $50M in funding from Wellcome Trust, a British charity, the world’s second richest medical charity after the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as Arch Venture Partners and Venrock. Sapphire’s technology was developed collaborations with Scripps Research Institute, UC San Diego, the University of Tulsa and the Energy Department’s Joint Genome Project.

Only in a place like Sweden does something like this actually happen, and then work. Some municipalities in Sweden have facilities that transform sewage waste into biogas to run cars and city buses.

“Taking a road trip? Remember to visit the toilet first. This city is among dozens of municipalities in Sweden with facilities that transform sewage waste into enough biogas to run thousands of cars and buses.

Cars using biogas created a stir when they began to be rolled out on a large scale at the start of the decade. The tailpipe emissions are virtually odorless, the fuel is cheaper than gasoline and diesel, and the idea of recovering energy from toilet waste appealed to green-minded Swedes.

This idea wouldn’t be a bad one in some small farming communities in the US where Cow Manure is a plenty and time is of no importance.

Source: Planetizen

America is ripe with Vintage Car Museums,Landmarks, and some plain old cool vintage junkyards. This monument is also pretty amazing. And it’s right in the middle of America’s heartland Nebraska. It’s called CarHenge. It’s a replica of Stonehenge built with Vintage cars. It’s an amazing story.

“Carhenge, which replicates Stonehenge, consists of the circle of cars, 3 standing trilithons within the circle, the heel stone, slaughter stone, and 2 station stones, and the Aubrey circle, named after Sir John Aubrey who first recognized the earthworks and great stones as a prehistoric temple in 1648. It was not until excavations undertaken in the 1920’s that they were found to be holes cut to hold timber uprights. A total of 56 holes were discovered and named the Aubrey Holes in honor of John Aubrey’s observation.

The artist of this unique car sculpture, Jim Reinders, experimented with unusual and interesting artistic creations throughout his life. While living in England, he had the opportunity to study the design and purpose of Stonehenge. His desire to copy Stonehenge in physical size and placement came to fruition in the summer of 1987 with the help of many family members.

Thirty-eight automobiles were placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring approximately 96 feet in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while those cars which are placed to form the arches have been welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The honor of depicting the heel stone goes to a 1962 Caddy.

Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders’ father who once lived on the farm where Carhenge now stands. While relatives were gathered following the death of Reinders’ father in 1982, the discussion turned to a memorial and the idea of a Stonehenge replica was developed. The family agreed to gather in five years and build it. The clan, about 35 strong, gathered in June 1987 and went to work. They held the dedication on the Summer Solstice in 1987, with champagne, poetry, songs and a play written by the family.”

Source: CarHenge

According to the Wall Street Journal, a Norwegian Company called Think, formerly a division of Ford is heading ashore to develop Electric Cars to help revolutionize the automotive industry.

This Silicon Valley backed company hopes to make inroads in the automotive industry and I think it’s a smart time to invest in companies that are looking to develop green technologies especially with the rising gas prices and national security concerns over our dependence on foreign oil.

Norway’s Think Global AS, with backing from U.S. venture capital investors, plans to produce and sell a small all-electric car in the U.S. that could go as far as 110 miles when fully charged – fresh evidence that the race to woo American consumers with electric cars is heating up and drawing interest from the same investors that helped build Silicon Valley.

In the UK, The Independent asks why it takes so long to produce a truly green solution to the rising costs of dirty car technology. I mean this is the same auto industry that killed the electric car.

My favorite part of the article follows:
“The car makers and oil companies will try to protect their old ‘brown’ technologies”

The Automotive Industry is one of the worlds biggest industries, right behind the Military Industrial Complex although I think we all know they are somewhat tied together. The whole lot will do whatever it takes to slow the progress of truly green technology.

Check out our Hybrid Car Guide and Alternative Fuel Guide for information on going green!

Is it me or are car companies spending more time working together than ever before? Every time I load up my car news it seems as though one company is holding its competitors hands on one project or another. This story is no different. Toyota and Subaru will be partnering to develop an affordable sports car that should hit global markets by the end of 2011.

Expect pricing to start just under $20,000. It will be sold under the Subaru brand globally except in Japan where it will be marketed under the Toyota brand. Go figure. Not that bad looking either if you ask me.

Source: InsideLine

At somepoint in time the Gas Prices will be more reflective of reality than based on what speculators can manipulate in the marketplace. Atleast that’s what George Soros thinks. By then I’m firmly in belief that the automotive industry will have shifted to alternative fuels, and electric powered vehicles. But lately I’m a junkie for alternative power supplies. Here’s the video where George Soros, the billionaire hedge fund investor chimes in.

Speculators are largely responsible for driving crude prices to their peaks in recent weeks and the record oil price now looks like a bubble, George Soros has warned.

The billionaire investor’s comments came only days after the oil price soared to a record high of $135 a barrel amid speculation that crude could soon be catapulted towards the $200 mark.

Source: Daily Telegraph

Interesting enough we profiled AMP, the company transforming Saturn Sky’s into Hybrid vehicles using a transformation kit. Likewise this company Poulsen Hybrid has a kit called PHEV, Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle that turns your gas guzzling automobile into a hybrid vehicle.

If you’re really interested in the nit and gritty details of how this works check out this explanation from Poulsen Hybrids:

Creates a PHEV by retro-fitting electric motors, DC motor controllers, storage batteries and an on-board charger to a conventional new or used automobile.

Everywhere I seem to turn someone is talking about hybrids, and high gas prices. So it’s no suprise to me when I head on over to a green blog network I frequent to find an interesting article on the cars we might be driving in 2010.

“Green” autos have been all the rage at this year’s auto shows, with fuel-sipping compacts, plug-in and all-electric vehicles headlining events from Detroit to Geneva. However, many of these cars from the largest automakers are concept or pre-production models that still won’t be available by 2010.

While many hybrid or ‘green autos’ won’t be available until 2010, one huge thing we can all do is drive slower to improve on gas effiency and check out sites like GasBuddy.com for places to find cheaper gas in your neighborhood.