A very important development in the lithium market has recently taken place and appears to be trending. Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation has agreed to buy about 30 per cent of battery-grade lithium carbonate output from Galaxy Resources' Mt Cattlin mine in Western Australia. Galaxy said in a statement today it was close to finalizing similar agreements with other major groups and high-end users of battery-grade lithium carbonate in China and other parts of Asia. We can only assume these other high end users are other automotive or the sophisticated computer and cell phone makers. And the demand will continue to grow as the automotive world reinvents itself.

Honda has taken steps forward in the fuel cell world by unveiling the next generation in the hydrogen refill station. Utilizing solar power and designed as a single, integrated unit to fit in the home garage, the station produces enough hydrogen in an eight-hour overnight fill to power a fuel cell electric vehicle for its typical daily commute. The unit was designed to complement a public network of fast-fill hydrogen stations by refilling overnight, letting owners take advantage of less expensive off-peak electrical power and remove the requirement of hydrogen storage. In other words the unit will use solar during the day and run off the power grid at night. . . Bravo!

I was working the Google on the Internet machine and came across a very interesting and unique car that I have not seen before; sure, I have seen Bradley GT kit cars running around, but I have never come across an all-electric model. Now this is not a converted Bradley GT kit car at all, but was one of only 50 manufactured in the Bradley factory in 1980 specifically as an EV, based on a 1970 Volkswagen Beetle frame.

Tex Whitacre Jr. and GM's Board of Executives are currently searching for “a motivating, inspirational leader” to direct the ailing company back to its former glory. Though candidates need to be strong and accomplished leaders, they don't need to be existing CEOs or even have strong auto credentials ("auto credentials" being worth little more then a hill of beans in 2009 . . .).

Whitacre told reporters that he was looking for "A person that's a motivating, inspirational leader that's familiar with big companies, manufacturing or industrial, would be helpful." No ess; I thought you were planning on hiring a career junkie as the new CEO . . . instead you want a strong leader with manufacturing or industrial experience . . . gee, would that even apply to a mass-market auto manufacturer? Seriously, Tex, if you're going to call press conferences, try actually saying something at said conferences.

The future might just get more futuristic quicker than I thought. The concept of on-the-go recharging of electric cars may soon be a reality after a German engineering company IAV (Ingenieurgesellschaft Auto und Verkehr) pursues this promising technology. The company has received a patent for technology that would allow an electric car to be charged by an embedded strip in the road, using electromagnetic induction.

Yeah, yeah, we all know your Prius is just sooo kewl. We are super jealous, really. How could I possibly live without a car that has no room, is made out of crappy plastic and nickel, and costs north of 30 large? The media says I cannot, nay, must not drive a car that receives its locomotion from dead dinosaurs alone, and the media is always right; right?

If we all just have to drive hybrids, how difficult could it be to come up with one that has enough room for a family yet can still attain an impressive mpg rating? The Chevy Tahoe Hybrid and all of its offspring don't really count; 25 mpg isn't that impressive anymore. Volvo has the answer in the form of the stately V70 Two-Mode Plug-In Hybrid. And I thought Japanese sports cars had convoluted names . . .

There is light at the end of the tunnel, but no, it’s not from an oncoming Prius, Insight or Fusion Hybrid

There is much debate on which direction the automakers should go with the development of new vehicles, and this blog is no exception. Should auto manufacturers go the way of the hybrid by engineering more cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight or look at the EV (Electric Vehicle) possibilities? Both technologies have many pros and cons to consider.

There are plenty of perks to owning a hybrid. The main one being the added fuel economy, but how does the owners keep track of how 'green' they're are driving? Ford has the answer to that with their 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Hybrid models with something they have dubbed SmartGauge™ with EcoGuide.

Commuters on Highway 101 can now make stops at electric charging stations between San Francisco and Los Angeles. So far, five have been installed between the two major urban areas giving further momentum to the renewable fuels movement. They are believed to be the first of their kind.

One of the most high profile and controversial cars in modern history, GM's electric EV1, evolved from the GM Impact concept car. Through the years, the limited production EV1 has been held high by electric vehicle enthusiasts as a poster child for the electric vehicle's "success", and ultimate demise.

The GM concept car that debuted at the 1990 Los Angeles Auto Show was created by the automotive and energy efficiency wizards at AeroVironment, under the direction of Paul MacCready, renowned for his work in energy efficient vehicles of all types. Shortly after that, General Motors announced that the automaker would build the electric car. This generated tremendous media attention, but was a surprise to many within his own company since much of the technology did not yet exist to transform the concept car into reality.