AFS TrinityPower is a small company with a history of big innovations. They have developed a plug-in hybrid technology that allows their test SUVS to achieve an equivalent of 150 MPG. The vehicles can go 40 miles in all electric mode, then unlimited miles in gas hybrid mode. The XH-150 Extreme Hybrid™ platform is currently operating in 2 prototype Saturn Vue vehicles. They hope to move the technology into commercial cars within 2-3 years. AFS Trinity is actively seeking government assistance to move forward with their research.

Here is a video of the XH-150 in action:

As we reported 2 weeks ago, BMW is making an electric version of their popular “Mini Cooper” car. Now more information is available about their lease program. They are keeping advertising of the program fairly low key so they don’t have to turn too many people away.

The lease is only available in at 8 dealerships in California, New York, and New Jersey. The car requires special technicians which are only located at this small number of locations. The lease will include all maintenance and parts.

Formal applications will be taken for a 3-4 week period starting mid November, and delivery of the car will be in January. The cost of the year long lease is still not determined, but expected to be in the $500-600 range.

Interested? You can contact MINI here

Tesla received a infusion of $40 million in convertible debt financing from its investors this week. The board approved the cash to speed up the manufacturing process of the Tesla Roadster.

“Forty million is significantly more than we need,” said Elon Musk, Tesla Chairman and CEO. He goes on to say “However, the board, investors and I felt it was important to have significant cash reserves.”

Not only will the money help with production, but they will also use the cash to expand Tesla’s electric powertrain supply business and future product development. Tesla, like every other car maker, has recently had some issues due to the economic downturn and credit crunch, but demand for their cars is still high.

If you can’t wait until 2010, you can own a 2009 plug in Toyota Prius right now. The car is being auctioned off on Ebay right now with proceeds to benefit the non profit awareness group Plug in America. The car is a brand new 2009 Toyota Prius with all available options, and the professionally installed A123 Hymotion Plugin Hybrid Kit. This kit does not void the factory Toyota warranty.

The car has a pure electric mode of about 40 miles and an estimated 100-150 MPG. So if you want to be the first person in your city with a plug in Prius, head over and check out the live auction here. There are 7 days left and the current bid is $42,000.

As part of a bold new energy policy, the Danish government has exempted electric cars from all taxes until 2012. It’s all part of the Scandinavian country’s aggressive plan towards renewable energy. In March of this year Denmark’s Dong Energy in a partnership with a San Jose company, announced plans to build a 20,000 node recharging grid to be completed in 2011. That grid will be mostly powered from renewable wind energy.

The new tax credit has caused a rush of car makers looking to release electric cars for the favorable economic conditions in Denmark. Some of the car makers entering the market are Mercedes Benz, Saab, Volvo, France’s Axiom, China’s BYD, and America’s Tesla Motors.

It should be interesting in the next coming years to see if Denmark becomes the first country to have a real renewable energy powered car fleet.

Amid the economic turmoil at Chrysler, they have killed their planned hybrid programs before ever delivering a car. The Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen hybrid sport utility vehicles have been discontinued. Chrysler had claimed to have 3,000 orders already for the hybrid SUV models, but those orders will never be filled now. The downturn in SUVs as well as the economic downturn were too much for company to continue down the path of these more expensive models.

With plant closures, a 25% workforce layoff, and ongoing talks of a merger with GM, the future of Chrysler’s hybrid efforts seem uncertain. However, the planned plug in electric vehicles we reported about last month are apparently still on track.

Tesla may have had some setbacks lately with the faltering economy, but they are pressing forward with their much anticipated 4 door model. The Tesla S (S for sedan) is now set to be released in 2011, and the company has started releasing teaser photos onto the Internet.

The new 4 door sedan is expected to have an impressive 240 mile all electric range with a 0 to 60 time of under 6 seconds. The price tag is set at $60,000.

Australia is taking the lead in the electric car race with their plans to build a huge charging network. A group of companies is raising 1 Billion dollars to build the network of electric vehicle charging stations. The plan calls for up to 250,000 charging points in each of the 3 largest cites: Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. They plan to power the system with renewable energy to maximize the green benefits of plug in vehicles.

The plan is expected to be completed in 2012 and will include 150 “switch” stations in each city. These stations will be located various public locations, and will allow batteries to be switched out automatically in facilities similar to car washes.

Read the full AP article here.

The famous Italian design group Pininfarina, who is best known for their exotic sports cars, is set to produce an all electric city car called the Pininfarina B0 (B-Zero). The 5 door, 4 passenger electric car is a joint venture with the Bolloré Group, who is involved in Lithium Metal Polymer (LMP) battery production. These high energy, low weight batteries can be quickly charged in a few hours and claim to have a maintenance free life of 125,000 miles.

Another key to the design is the use of supercapacitors, which gather energy from regenerative braking and deliver that energy is rapid bursts needed during acceleration. This allows for 45 kWh of power to the front wheels and a top speed of 80 MPH. The range is an impressive 150 miles. 0-37 mph acceleration is 6.3 seconds.

Another unique feature is its photovoltaic solar roof which captures energy to feed the battery. Pininfarina expects to release the car in the Western Europe market in late 2009. Then possibly the U.S. and Asia in 2010.

Here is a link to Pininfarina’s site (in Italian)

BMW announced yesterday that they will indeed be releasing their new Mini E to the US market. They will be making 500 cars for a limited release by the end of 2008, then ramping up production after that. BMW has developed a special wallbox outlet charging system that the claim car fully charge the car in 2-3 hours rather than the 8+ hours of most EVs. The car can also charge from a normal outlet. The Mini E will have a beefed up weight of 3,230 lbs which is about 700 lbs more than the standard gas powered Mini.   In order to accommodate  the extra weight and space requirements, BMW has scrapped the 4 seater and made the Mini E a 2 seater.

Here are some quick specs:

Batteries: Lithium Ion

Range: 150 miles

Top Speed: 90 MPH

0-60 time: 8.5 seconds

Charge time: 2-3 hours using special “wallbox” outlet