Renew Green Energy

Lotus Engineering is the latest auto manufacturer to develop an internal combustion engine-powered electrical generator. Previously, General Motors has announced a similar product in their upcoming Chevrolet Volt. Toyota also uses an electric motor combined with a gas engine in many of their vehicles.The three-cylinder generator Lotus is putting in production is activated when the car’s battery runs downthe generator then recharges the battery while providing energy to the motor. According to General Motors, the Chevrolet Volt will be able to drive 340 miles under electrical power (40 miles from the battery and then 300 more with a tank of gas). Initially, there will be only a few markets where the Volt is available: California, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C.Hopefully the vehicle will prove successful in these markets and cause other manufacturers to emulate GM and Lotus. Hybrid vehicles are one step closer to the electric car, for which eco-friendly drivers have been clamoring for years. A 2006 documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car?, details how GM released an electric car, the EV1 in 1996, and how various elements like the oil industry and GM itself came together to keep the cars in production.Current alternatives to hybrid vehicle technology include a new particulate filter by Panasonic, which also supplies batteries for the Toyota Prius. The new filter increases the oxidation of particulates and decomposes them into CO2. The filters are also cheaper, as they use active alkali species rather than platinum. The filters will be available in 2012, more than a year after the release of the Chevrolet Volt, but may still serve as a means of bringing diesel technology up to more environmental standards.