I saw a video on this on CNN.com yesterday. This company used a Saturn VUE and patented off-the-shelf components to get a car that could get about 40 miles to the charge and ended up with the equivalent of 150 miles to the gallon. So if the little guy is doing stuff like this, how are the big companies not kicking some butt in the MPG category? Is it lack of motivation?

Hybrid Gets 150 Miles Per Gallon Using Ultracapacitors

I’m not a big fan of Neil Young’s music, but this is a pretty cool endeavor. He’s taking an old American gas guzzling behemoth and converting it to a hybrid electric/biodiesel vehicle. I hope he releases the movie. I’ll check it out.

Anyway, the whole article begs the all too common question of if a little guy with no high school education can do this, why can’t the auto industry match or surpass the results and reduce our dependancy on petroleum. While there may be more complicated answers, I’m thinking it’s because they don’t want to, and lobbyists keep the regulations from passing that would force the auto industry’s hands.

Gas Guzzlers Get New Lives – as Tire-Smoking Hybrid

Wow, a domestic car I’d consider buying. It’d be a great commuter. They gotta work on the miles per charge though. Didn’t the EV1 get like 150 several years back?

GM May Make 60,000 ‘Volt’ Electric Cars in First Year

Pretty cool, though I gotta agree with Gizmodo. They had better upgrade the engine. Maybe go with the Celica GT engine, like the Lotus Elise does.

DeLorean Confirms: New Cars to Roll Out in ‘08

I just heard about this today on the Diggnation video podcast. Pretty cool visuals of the front and side impact crash tests for 150 recent cars. The side curtain airbags definitely help in T-bone-type collisions.

Crash Test Videos

Kinda strange list of cities they go to, but can’t beat $10! There are going to be all kinds of surcharges and extra fees I would think. I bet riding it will be more like riding a bus than a plane.

New Airline to Offer $10 Tickets

Just last night, Amanda asked if I missed my little ol’ 6th gen Celica. I really don’t. I loved my 25th Anniversary Celica with its couple of upgrades (cold air intake and GReddy exhaust), but I’m completely content with my new 4Runner and its hauling capabilities.

But anyway, I just came across this little bit of nostalgia regarding the last four generations/body styles of the Toyota Celica. It does come from Europe though, and notes versions we never had (like the 6th gen AWD model):

The Final Four Toyota Celicas

Man, that EVO 8 is a great piece of machinery. Look at it hold its own against the much bigger engine of the Lambo!

Top Gear - Mitsubishi Evo 8 Vs Lamborghini Murcielago - Video