CARB chair calls all this hydrogen/battery fighting "madness"
While the California Air Resources Board has certainly played a huge role in putting cleaner vehicles on the road over the years, some plug-in vehicle advocates have a bone to pick with Chairman Mary Nichols (pictured here during the 2007 Alt Car Expo ). During the recent UC Berkeley Energy Symposium, Nichols said she had a problem with plug-in proponents as well. Well, not just with them, but with advocates who push one type of technology and have no room in their green motoring vision for another. Specifically, Nichols said that: “There is one thing that has really frustrated me in the last couple of years…it has been the ideological, I would almost say theological, debate between the people who think that hydrogen fuel cells are the answer and the people who think that only battery electric vehicles are the answer. Each of them do their best to trash the credibility, viability and good faith of the other side. … From the point of view of a regulator, this is madness.” Car Blog Greenmore of Nichols’ statement, and why she is certain that we need both technologies, over at Green Car Congress [Source: Green Car Congress ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hydrogen , Green Daily CARB chair calls all this hydrogen/battery fighting “madness” originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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CARB chair calls all this hydrogen/battery fighting "madness"
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Leave a commentZero Motorcycles to host 24 Hours Of Electricross
If you happen to have an electric motorcycle, ATV or quad and always wanted to have your name in the record books, your chance for glory might be arriving this upcoming 4th of April. Zero Motorcycles is hosting the world’s very first 24 hour off-road endurance event for battery-powered vehicles and you’re invited to give it a shot. All the action happens “in the heart of San Jose” at the 408MX Motocross Track and registration ( PDF ), which must be sent in by March 20th, is free. While everyone that enters will get some type of prize (plus free drinks and snacks!), only the top three finishers will bring home trophies so plan on bringing your “A” game. If you’re an enthusiast and don’t yet have an electric bike, Zero says they want to give you a chance to be involved and will make a “special effort” to make that happen. We’re not sure exactly what they mean by that but we do know that anyone who buys a Zero X now will get about $745 back at tax time next year due to the federal tax credits now in effect . While we’re on the topic of Zero Motorcycles, we should mention that the video we featured last month by Blake Mitchell won that month’s prize and the rider now has an extra battery to swap out. Nice. [Source: Zero Motorcycles ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , On Two Wheels , USA , Racing Zero Motorcycles to host 24 Hours Of Electricross originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Zero Motorcycles to host 24 Hours Of Electricross
Kentucky Ford plant could build Kuga crossover
Click the Kuga for a high-res gallery Late in 2008, Ford revealed that it would be re-tooling several North American plants to build smaller vehicles that will be brought over from Europe over the next several years. One of those is a Louisville, Kentucky truck plant that was expected to make vehicles based off the European Focus. A Louisville TV station is reporting that sources have told them that one of the vehicles coming from the plant will be the Ford Kuga crossover. The Kuga was launched in Europe last year to very positive reviews. If the Kuga is offered in the U.S., its not clear if it will replace the Escape or supplement it. Either way it will make a stylish, smaller addition to Ford’s domestic lineup. Gallery: 2009 Ford Kuga Related: Geneva 2008: 2009 Ford Kuga arrives in Europe under diesel power [Source: WAVE3.com ] Auto Blog: Ford Kentucky Ford plant could build Kuga crossover originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Kentucky Ford plant could build Kuga crossover
Posted in Auto Green | based-off-the, europe, ford, ford kuga, from-the-plant, kentucky-ford, kuga, louisville, north, over-the-next, under-diesel | Leave a commentStudy: modern ethanol plants are A-OK for this one land use issue
Conflicting study overload. That’s the only way to explain all the messages that we’re getting regarding biofuels recently. They speed up global warming . Ethanol is no better than gasoline . You know what I mean. Here’s another one, courtesy of the totally non-biased Illinois Corn Growers Association . The findings this time are that “a modern ethanol plant does not meaningfully change farmland use, neither the amount of land farmed nor the mix of crops planted (e.g., corn, soybeans).” Apparently, the ICGA felt the need to counter the “often cited” link between building new ethanol plants and shifting more land to cornfields. I didn’t know that was a troubling rumor, but Dr. Steffen Mueller from the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago looked at data from one plant for three years and came to the “no impact” conclusion. You can find the full study here if you really need to Car Blog Greenit yourself. [Source: Illinois Corn Growers Association ] Auto Blog: Ethanol Study: modern ethanol plants are A-OK for this one land use issue originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Study: modern ethanol plants are A-OK for this one land use issue
1936 Chevy Sedan gets the electric car conversion treatment [w/video]
Click above and scroll down to watch the video Shade tree mechanics. A 1936 Chevy Sedan. Down home narrator vibe. Yup, this video from a local TV station in Oklahoma has got everything you might be looking for to prove that electric cars are as American as apple pie. Emissions and gasoline use, on the other hand, don’t belong in this rewritten version of classic American cars. They are banished in favor of a recycled forklift motor and some truck batteries. This EV conversion, done near in Oklahoma City, has created a car called the DC Cruiser. The Cruiser can go about 20 miles on a charge using a 10-inch electric motor coupled directly to the transmission, there is no clutch, and has about 50 horsepower. Nothing fancy here, just a few older gentlemen who wanted to revive a classic – and make it better. Watch their story after the jump. [Source: News Channel 4] Continue reading 1936 Chevy Sedan gets the electric car conversion treatment [w/video] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Green Culture , Chevrolet , Green Daily 1936 Chevy Sedan gets the electric car conversion treatment [w/video] originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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1936 Chevy Sedan gets the electric car conversion treatment [w/video]
Geneva Preview: Skoda to debut Octavia Greenline
According to a report on Auto Express , Volkswagen-owned Czech automaker Skoda is set to debut a fuel-saving version of its Octavia sedan at the Geneva Motor Show next week. The Octavia is the longest-running nameplate from Skoda, celebrating its 50th anniversary earlier this year. Like other eco-friendly models from Skoda , the new Octavia will carry a Greenline badge and will feature various tricks designed solely to save on fuel bills. Expect the new sedan to be equipped with a 1.6L TDI diesel engine that offers up 105 horsepower and about 185 lb-ft (250 newton meters) of torque, probably mated up with a manual transmission powering the front wheels. Perhaps most importantly to Europeans, the Octavia Greenline should emit around 116 grams of carbon per kilometer, placing this relatively large sedan in a low £35 road tax bracket. EU fuel mileage ratings should be around 64 mpg (53 U.S.) on the combined cycle. [Source: Auto Express ] Auto Blog: Diesel , Geneva Motor Show , Europe/EU , UK Geneva Preview: Skoda to debut Octavia Greenline originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Geneva Preview: Skoda to debut Octavia Greenline
Ex-President Clinton loses out on Tesla Roadster test drive, for now
Earlier this week, former president Bill Clinton was in Burbank, California for a president’s day luncheon with a group of assorted green-minded politicians and business executives. Also on hand was Jeremy Snyder (that’s him on the left in the photo), the general manager of the Los Angeles Tesla store. Snyder was invited along by one of the early Tesla investors and a silver Roadster was also on hand. The event was held in what is claimed to be the only Platinum LEED certified aircraft hanger in the world. Needless to say, the former prez was eager to hop behind the wheel of the diminutive battery-powered sports car. Unfortunately, as the event was wrapping up, the guys with the suits and earpieces called a halt to the fun and dragged Clinton off to his next appointment before his thrill ride. With Tesla issuing an open invitation to the former president, it’s surely only a matter of time before a drive is arranged. [Source: Tesla ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Tesla Motors , Green Daily Ex-President Clinton loses out on Tesla Roadster test drive, for now originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Ex-President Clinton loses out on Tesla Roadster test drive, for now
ABG reader sends in Colorado Current electric car update
So, earlier this week we looked into a tip we got about an all-electric car called the Current. The website for the car left a little to be desired , and it looked like maybe another tale of someone with promising just a little more than they can deliver. Well, AutoblogGreen reader Brian from Colorado, who lives in – surprise – Colorado, actually paid the show a visit and sent in some pictures and a report. You can find some of what he wrote in hisCar Blog Green , things like that these are Chinese imports (via Pakistan), that they can go 70 mph and that they haven’t yet been through any crash testing. Brian also wrote the following to us directly: He [the shop owner] told me he plans on bringing in 4 to 6 more models in the next 90 days including the car that looks like the Mini and a small truck. He also told me he has been working on bringing and/or making battery powered cars for 5 years. He did not want me to take pictures of the motor, inverters, or the batteries but he told me they are testing several brands. He says he is asked everyday by phone and email what electronic parts he is using in the cars. He said they are available products and he wants to put as much US made products in the cars as he can. He also had a 5 speed transmission that he was testing. Personal observation: he is a car salesman and I have looked at his website and spec sheets and most of the cars I saw did not match, such as AC and CD stereo so take that for what’s it’s worth. The cars I saw had not been delivered and as you can see in the pictures were being built . The car I was able to ride in on the test drive did have AC but still had a crappy cassette player . I just wanted to find out if the cars are real and available for sale and if they can be driven on the highway and it appears to me that they can be driven, at least in Colorado on the highway. The red car I drove was going to Florida and two cars, Silver and White I think, are going to California. So, that’s what one reader reports. You can see Brian’s pictures here (the big ones are from him, the smaller are from the website). Any more questions? Gallery: Current EV Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , AutoblogGreen Exclusive ABG reader sends in Colorado Current electric car update originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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ABG reader sends in Colorado Current electric car update
Brammo Enertia to be sold at select Best Buy locations in May
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Brammo Enertia Last September, when Brammo Motorsports got a big c hunk of investment money from Best Buy Capital, eyebrows arched with the possibility that the biggest of all Big Box electronics retailers might actually sell the electric motorcycle from their own retail locations. Now that it’s been confirmed, the initial disbelief has turned into excited anticipation that the long-awaited fully electric Brammo Enertia will finally be available in May, and at 5 selected West Coast Best Buy locations to boot. Perhaps most interesting areCar Blog Green that CEO Craig Bramscher made about the future of the bike. “What we’re selling is a lot closer to consumer electronics than to transportation,” he said, suggesting that on-board cameras that can link up to the internet would be one likely add-on. Basic repairs and maintenance will be carried out by the Geek Squad crew while more intensive work would be performed at various service centers around the country. If this initial rollout proves successful, Bramscher envisions a time when the Enertia and its future siblings would be available at every Best Buy locations around the world. Thanks for the tip, John ! Gallery: EVS23: Brammo Enertia motorcycle [Source: Greentech Media via Electric Motorcycle Forum ] Auto Blog: Emerging Technologies , EV/Plug-in , On Two Wheels , USA Brammo Enertia to be sold at select Best Buy locations in May originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Brammo Enertia to be sold at select Best Buy locations in May
Renault kicks hybrids and hydrogen to the curb
While it’s sister company, Nissan , may still be chasing after hybrids and dreaming of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles ( HFCV) , reports say that Renault has had enough. It’s dropped the duo and has decided it wants to go steady with electric vehicles. Company COO Patrick Pelata has let it be known that all its research and development resources will be be strictly focused on battery-powered locomotion and that they hope to have a third of the Renault line-up electric in 10 years. In the near term, the French automaker will focus on three particular models equipped with batteries from NEC to give them all over 100 miles of range. They include an electric version of the Kangoo, a sedan to fulfill its Better Place commitment in Israel but also with European availability as well as a smaller 5-seat hatchback. Renault is also said to still be flirting with a battery lease and swap model. [Source: Autocar ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Hydrogen , Renault , Europe/EU Renault kicks hybrids and hydrogen to the curb originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Renault kicks hybrids and hydrogen to the curb
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