Extended-range

Intelligent Energy has unveiled a fuel cell/battery range extender that could become standard equipment on third-party drones. Not only should it greatly increase how long the drone can go between recharges, but those recharges should only take a couple of minutes.

Chinese drone manufacturer Walkera has decided to go beyond the battery, teaming up with micro-generator producers at GenSmart to build a new hybrid powertrain for its QR 900 professional heavy lift hexacopter.

After receiving EPA certification, Fisker Automotive's Karma sedan Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle is finally available for U.S. retail customers.

The Cadillac Converj luxury coupe which made such a splash back in 2009 with its extended-range EV technology, is destined for production and will be named the Cadillac ELR.

Fisker Automotive has surpassed its US$1 billion funding goal and plans to have its Karma PHEV in dealer showrooms in May or June and will begin fulfilling its 3,000-some pre-orders from June or July.

Vauxhall's Flextreme GT/E uses a small petrol engine to extend the electric range to more than 300 miles and active shape shifting to reduce the drag co-efficient to just 0.22.

GM has announced that its Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is expected to achieve city fuel economy of at least 230 miles per gallon. The figure is based on a new EPA methodology especially developed for plug-in electric vehicles.

If one thing is immediately and staggeringly obvious at this year's Detroit NAIAS auto show, it's that electric, hybrid and extended-range electric cars have stepped out of the shadowy corners to which they were relegated in 2008, and they're now the main event for a lot of manufacturers. It seems t