The Green LiterGoing the extra mile with electric vehicles, hybrid cars, fuel efficient cars, biofuels and alternative energy sources

New Jersey Nets Billionaire owner, Mikhail Prokhorov shows off a prototype of Russia’s first Hybrid car, the Yo-Mobile, to no other than the Prime Minister himself, Vladimir Putin.

The PM drove the car for 10 kms to President Medvedev’s house, then had a meeting with the Prokhorov and his team. Although it wasn’t mentioned what he thought while he drove the car, he did site some concerns.

“I’d like to drive this Yo-Mobile of yours to Dmitry Anatolyevich’s and show it to him,” Putin said, referring to Medvedev’s residence. “Will it be able to go that long? It’s not far. It won’t fall apart?”

Prokhorov assured the Prime Minister that it wouldn’t.

The car is supposed to cost $15,900 and production schedule will start near the end of next year.

[Article via: Moscow Times | Image via: Reuters]

The first gas-electric hybrid car called “Yo”, after a Russian letter, is yet another brainchild of the Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who is highly known for being the owner of New Jersey Nets basketball team.

The generation of the electric power of Yo is either through natural gas or gasoline. Even if Yo is a testament to the innovations of the Russian engineering, proponents to this revolutionary leap forward is thumbs up for an affordable price of the hybrid car.

Yo features a small petroleum engine for the burning of either natural gas or gasoline and two propelling electric motors. Its motors are generated by filling a bank of capacitors or directly.

Expected in 2012 to be ready for sale, Yo costs about US$14,500. With gasoline and natural gas tanks filled, its range is 1090km and its top speed is 80 miles/hr.

[via Mixed Power | Image credit: MediaCorp Press Ltd]

If you are happy at the current trends of weekly oil price drops, better make some provisions for potential price hikes once again no thanks to the continued political indicators that have stemmed from wars in countries like Russia and Georgia. The United States is at it again and while the conflict has already been elevated to the United Nations, there is no telling what courses of action that President Bush may suddenly create and once again put us into crisis.

At the moment, the debacle in Russia seems to be stabilizing but do consider the fact that this is only one piece of the problem. Further issues such as eventual shortage of actual resources and oil hoarding are bound to ensue. So if you think it is time to close the alternative fuel developments around the world, doing so would place us in worst situations.

“I don’t think it will go down below $100 for very long,” said Christopher Ruppel, an energy analyst at Execution LLC, a broker and research firm for institutional investors like hedge and mutual funds. “Once you go down too low, you’ll shut down new production, and prices will go right back up.”

Source