pi3573 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

a round-trip that required an extra charge — Smith cold-called restaurants to find one willing to let him plug in while dined there.Eric Diesen, co-owner of the restaurant Acapulco Fresh, didn't mind. He'd let others do the same.It didn't cost him much — about a dime or so. "If it brought people in, we would do that again," he said. "And it's something we believe in."

pi3573 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Bernheim says there are about 30 reliable sites in the Seattle area to plug in. Most are free, some require calling a fellow enthusiast ahead of time. Others charge the same as parking a gas-powered car — $7 an hour at the downtown Seattle Public Library garage.He bought a used Saturn with 100,000 miles and paid an expert $12,000 to convert it to all-electric. He estimates it has cost him about $252 in electricity to drive 9,000 miles in the past 18 months.

pi3573 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

"Every auto company in the world is developing all-electric or plug-in hybrids, "The utilities, municipalities and smart business people are seeing that this is the future."In Oregon, Portland General Electric put five free charging stations in downtown Portland, Salem and suburban Lake Oswego and plans to add more.In recent months, the smaller cities of Edmonds and Lacey invited drivers to plug in their electric vehicles at free public stations near city hall.

pi3573 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

BMW also touted the Mini E's ability to decelerate with less braking and while charging the battery. As soon as the driver releases the gas pedal, the electric motor acts as a generator, it stated. "This results in braking force, and the power recovered from the kinetic energy is fed back to the battery. In city traffic, some 75 percent of all deceleration can be done without the brakes. Making substantial use of this energy recuperation feature extends the car's range by up to 20 percent.

pi3573 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

The specs aren't bad: a lithium-ion battery range of 150 miles, a top speed of 95 mph and 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds.Of course, the cost of charging the Mini E will be minimal — pennies per gallon.The vehicles can be recharged overnight at any standard power outlet. BMW will also install a high-speed "wallbox" charger at a customer's garage that can recharge the battery pack in just 2.5 hours.

pi3573 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

2008BMW is jumping into — OK it's actually more like testing — the market for all-electric vehicles with its Mini brand"By introducing the Mini E, the BMW Group is underscoring the resolve with which it works towards reducing energy consumption and emissions in road traffic," the company said in a statement ahead of the car's debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Nov. 19-20.

pi3573 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

The EPA estimates it would take UPS less than three years to recover the cost of outfitting each of its trucks with the new hydraulic system by saving money on fuel and reducing brake wear.Delivery trucks pile up the hours and miles with city driving. They are among the most likely to benefit from a drivetrain that transfers the energy lost in braking into a series of fluid and air pumps that in turn power acceleration.

pi3573 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Oct. 28, 2008ATLANTA - By now we've all heard of hybrid vehicles, but there's a lesser known variation: hydraulic hybrids, or HHVs. The technology delivers significant reductions in fuel use and pollution, and delivery giant UPS Inc. has made the first commercial purchase.The new system replaces a truck's transmission with hydraulics and that, combined with a low-emission diesel engine, yields a 45 to 50 percent improvement in fuel economy, according to UPS.

soulcleanser1 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

your MOMMY should have cared enough when she raised you to tell you to learn something in school instead of just screwing off!

trogdor132777 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Up your butt and around the corner. Ya knwo where that oil is? Off shore. Alaska. Somewhere untouched by humans. Deep in the earth's crust. That's what mommy told me!!!