In the past couple weeks, the Chevrolet Volt integration prototypes (pictured above) have been going through extensive testing prior to the model’s full-scale production.  The introduction of the Volt, and its Voltec propulsion system, seemed to many like a technical exercise that would lead to the propulsion technology being coopted into other models while the original Volt faded into the background.  This is apparently not the case, however, as a General Motors spokesperson has confimed that the company is already deep into production on the next generation of the Volt.

This confirmation seems to indicate that the Volt may become to Chevy what the Prius is to Toyota.  Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system gets its major refinements and press coverage in the form of the Prius, then the company integrates variations of the system into the rest of their models, like the Camry or the Lexus RXh.  But the Prius sticks around.  The Chevrolet Volt will probably be the same way.  A dedicated electric vehicle like the Volt may end up being a small portion of the new GM’s overall sales, but the technology will probably find its way into a variety of GM cars.

What’s to come in the next generation of the Volt?  Due to the early stages of the vehicle’s development, there aren’t too many details available, but it isn’t hard to figure out a main concern:  batteries.  In order to make electric vehicles widely palatable to U.S. drivers, automakers need to be able to offer extended range.  People aren’t going to shell out an extra $15,000 premium for an electric car that can go for 40 miles on electricity before needing to be plugged in for a few hours.  They would probably pay that for a car that goes 100+ miles, however.  The key is to advance battery technology to the point where a battery pack can deliver that charge without being too large and heavy, and without being too expensive.

Ford just got a nice $5.9 billion chunk of change from the Department of Energy to make their vehicles more fuel efficient, and it looks as if their plans are a bit more ambitious than previously thought.  The original plan for Ford was to use the money to take 13 of their existing models and improve their fuel consumption through hybrid models and variations of traditional powerplants like the EcoBoost engine line.  New reports indicate that a full 25% of Ford’s vehicle offerings could be either hybrids or electric vehicles by the year 2020.

The improved fuel economy of the 13 models mentioned above is a very short term goal.  Ford has recently introduced their V6 EcoBoost engine to the market in the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS, and it will also make an appearance in the next F-150.  They have a four-cylinder version currently being tested in the Ford Focus in Europe that will hit the States next year when the next generatino of that car premiers.  But that is just step one of Ford’s plan.

The next big hurdle is to not only produce a range of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, but also to convince the driving public that plug-in cars are really worth the price.  While current gas prices, which are fairly low, aren’t likely to do this, as the economy rebounds, so will fuel demand and the prices will go up.  To get ready for this, Ford is working with utilities companies in order to gather data about precise energy costs for running a plug-in vehicle, like the pictured Ford Escape PHEV (plug-in electric vehicle).  By the year 2020, a Ford representative has stated that between 10-25% of the company’s offerings will be electrified in some way, whether a traditional hybrid or a plug-in.  Given the current cultural and political climate, this actually seems to have a good chance at becoming reality.

The new generation 2010 Toyota Prius has the best fuel economy ever seen on a production hybrid.  So how does it get greener?  By manufacturing it in an eco-friendly factory.  The production of carbon emissions and the consumption of fossil fuels occurs through all phases of the automotive supply chain.  From the energy required to mine the metals to construct a car, to the energy required to transport it to a refinery, then converting it into a pliable form, further transportation to the manufacturing site, and then the actual production.  In order to cut down on the environmental damage that is largely unseen by the driving public, Toyota is constructing the Prius in a manufacturing complex that extends the model’s green credentials.

The Tsutsumi factory, one of five such eco-friendly plants in the Toyota network, has a huge solar panel array for developing electricity.  And it really is huge, measuring in at 50,000 square meters, which equates to about nine and a half football fields.  The array produces about 2,000 Kw/h of electricity, which comprises about half of the plant’s needs.  But it doesn’t end there.  Another 22,000 square meters of the plant is covered in a photocatalytic paint.  When receiving sunlight, this paint causes a chemical reaction that takes hazardous NOx emissions and breaks them down to their constituent parts, Nitrogen and Oxygen, the two most plentiful gases in the atmosphere.

Other systems that recycle water and reduce/eliminate the amount of landfill waste produced by the factory also helps to mitigate the production process’ envrionmental impact.

With governments worldwide instating stricter emissions standards and with demand for more fuel efficient vehicles steadily growing, it seems that every carmaker in the world is trying to get into the hybrid game.  Well, let’s add another one to the list, because rumors are flying that Land Rover’s LRX hybrid concept is getting ready to become a full-fledged production vehicle.  The only problem is that it is probably at least a couple years away from being released.

While the LRX may be a ways away, that isn’t stopping Land Rover from taking some fuel saving steps on their other products.  One of the technologies expected to appear soon from the British manufacturer is start/stop engine system that will preserve gas when at a stop and also regenerative braking to take some of the electrical load off of the internal combustion engine.

The big tech going into the forthcoming LRX hybrid is expected to be Land Rover’s Electric Rear Axle Drive, a technology that the company debuted at a technology show in London last year.  This drive system on its own is expected to cut fuel consumption by at least 20%, but, due to physical and development constraints, it cannot simply de retrofitted into an existing Land Rover chassis, so we’ll have to wait for them to iron out the kinks of the system, and debut a new chassis platform, before the system is found in a dealer showroom.

This past week, BMW has unveiled a lot of new information about their EfficientDynamics program which, as the name implies, helps to make their cars more eco-friendly by cutting down on energy consumption and boosting fuel efficiency.  The newest iteration of this effort is the above pictured 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder diesel engine, which not only cuts fuel consumption, but also boosts power.

BMW is all about making premium vehicles that are fun to drive, so when they develop a more fuel efficient vehicle, they want to make sure not to sacrifice that pedigree.  Case in point is the new EfficientDynamics 3.0 liter twin-tubo diesel engine.  The previous version of the engine produced 286 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque.  The new version pumps out 306 horsepower and 442 lb-ft while reducing the fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 4%.  One of the keys to these acheivements was the fuel injection system, which created a greater amount of pressure, which allows the onboard computer to more precisely monitor fuel flow.

Unfortunately, given the average U.S. driver’s aversion to diesel engines on the whole, it is unlikely that the newest diesel engine from BMW will cross the Atlantic.  The older version of the engine was just certified for U.S. sales this past year and it hasn’t been met with resounding success in the sales market.

The Fisker Karma Sunset, a stunningly beautiful hardtop convertible plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), has won the 2009 Production Preview Concept of the Year.  The award is part of the eighth annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year awards which honor the vehicles most likely to influence the future of the automotive industry.  Just from sheer looks alone, the Fisker Karma Sunset, also called the Karma S, would have done that.  But, by combining that incredible style with great energy efficiency and impressive performance, the Karma S secured a place in history.

The Karma S will be available worldwide in 2011, following the Karma sedan on which it was based.  Both vehicles feature an all-electric drivetrain with an onboard internal combustion generator, similar to the system design for the Chevrolet Volt.  A 2.0-liter four cylinder engine sourced from General Motors provides electricity to the lithium ion battery pack once the initial charge starts to die (the vehicles are expected to have a 50 mile all-electric range).  Power comes from two electric motors which provide a a combined 403 horsepower, more than enough for most drivers.

The main hurdle to bringing the Karma to production is in the longevity of the company.  Fisker has done a great job drumming up enthusiasm for their products at many recent car shows, but they have yet to actually produce a car from their factory.  With luck, for both green car fans and those who love aesthetically beautiful cars, the company will stay afloat over the coming few years so that the Karma Sunset will see the light of day.

The new Ford Fusion Hybrid got a lot of attention a month or so back when it traveled over 1,400 miles on a single 17.5 gallon tank of regular unleaded gas, for an overage of about 81 mpg.  It wasn’t just the media and green car enthusiasts that were paying attention to the Fusion, however.  Technology geeks and patent clerks have been keeping a close eye on it as well.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid holds a combined 119 patents or pending patents, making it the most patented car in history.  Perhaps the most significant of these patents in regards to attaining peak fuel efficiency is the SmartGauge system with EcoGuide.  This system carefully monitors fuel and electricity consumption and translates it into a dynamic display of plants.  The more carefully and fuel conscious your driving, the more the plant flourishes.  If you accelerate quickly off the stop line and spend a lot of time at higher speeds, then the leaves will fall and the plant will wither.  This system helps drivers exceed the factory specifications for fuel economy by teach them to drive in a more fuel efficient manner which can be applied to any vehicle, not just a hybrid.

The amount of patents on the Ford Fusion hybrid represents the company’s strategy for future market expansion.  The Patent Board has said that Ford’s approach to creating new technologies is the most comprehensive of all automakers, which will help the company cement its place in the market for years to come.

Following the approval of a loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, Nissan has announced that they will be drastically expanding the operations of their Smyrna, Tennessee.  The $1.6 billion loan will be used to bring the factory into the 21st century by making it capable of constructing battery electric vehicles and individual battery packs for other vehicles.

Currently, Nissan’s Smyrna operations are responsible for creating the Altima, the Maxima, the Xterra, the Frontier, and the Pathfinder.  In order to make room for the battery electric vehicle construction, it is likely that the production of the Xterra, Frontier, and Pathfinder will be moved to another location.  Production goals for the facility will be 150,000 electric vehicles and 200,000 lithium ion battery packs.  The extra batteries will be sold to other vehicle manufacturers.

The pictured Nissan EV test vehicle is built off of a Cube platform, but this will not be the final form of the EV.  It will end up as a five-seat vehicle that will go into test production in Japan next year.  Once the kinks are ironed out of the vehicle’s test lease phase, full-scale production of the yet to be named Nissan EV will begin at the Smyrna location in 2012.  The EV is expected to have a 100 mile all electric range.

For the second time in eight months, a judge has struck down a measure that would allow hybrid taxis to charge higher rates than regular internal combustion taxis.  The measure was instituted by New York City as an incentive for the taxi companies to purchase hybrid vehicles.  As the rates for hybrid taxis went up, the city would also decrease the rates charged by regular taxis.

The reason that the measure was struck down was not due to the intent of the regulation, but rather its methods.  The judge ruled that standards for vehicle emissions and mileage is the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States Congress.  While the NYC government does have the legal right to institute laws that serve the public interest in regards to pollution, they must be careful to frame those laws within their sphere of influence.

In the judge’s opinion, there was mention that there are legal avenues open to the city for them to control the issuing of taxi medallions for hybrid vehicles as well as allowing hybrid vehicles to stay in service longer, thereby increasing their potential profits return.

When Toyota put their new 2010 Prius hybrid on the market last month, they were anticipating about 10,000 sales per month.  Well, after under two months on the market, they are currently beating that estimate by over 1,000%, and that’s in Japan alone.  The 2010 Prius has just gotten to the United States recently, and so far there have only been about 700 units sold.  However, that number is misleading as backstock of the previous generation Prius were over 9,000 for the month of May, so the model is still doing well.  What makes Japan’s demand for the Prius so much higher than the U.S.’s is a matter of economics.

In Japan, the cost of gas is a lot higher than in the United States (almost double), so the desire for fuel efficient vehicles is a lot greater.  Also, the Japanese government has been offering a lot of tax rebates and other incentives for buyers to purchase more fuel efficient and eco-friendly vehicles in the past few years, furth er catapulting sales.  In fact, this past April marked the first time ever that a hybrid vehicle, the Honda Insight, was the best-selling car in Japan.  The new Prius took away that title for the month of May and, considering the amount of orders, will likely retain it for June.

These sales must certainly come to a boost to the beleagured Toyota corporation, as the recently posted their worst fiscla year ever this past March.  However, the Prius, and to a lesser extent the Honda Insight, are not representative of the entire Japanese auto market.  While these two models have been making impressive sales, vehicle sales in Japan for the month of May were down almost 20% over that same month last year.