Anti-car extremists driving Big Brother to watch Britain’s roads?
The Association of British Drivers ( ABD ) has itself in a total tizzy over a proposal to limit speeds on rural single carriageways to 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph). If that wasn’t enough blasphemy to begin a barrage of bellicosity, they say the government plans to enforce this “speed bully” policy with a blanket of average speed cameras along the nations byways. At whose feet does the ABD lay the blame for this attempt at a national standard? Their elected representatives? The insurance lobby? The highway camera league (I made that one up)? Nope. They hold “anti-car extremists” responsible and to drive home their point they offer a 1995 quote (with no context) from Friends of the Earth ( FOE ), “speed limits should be made very low and rigidly enforced to take all the glamour out of motoring”. Perhaps environmentalists would like to see a drop in pollution and CO 2 levels as a result of slower speeds, but blaming people who care about the eco-systems that keep us all alive for every impingement of perceived liberty is getting a little old. Seriously. No one, not even “greenies,” enjoys being forced to drive slower than they want to and cameras alongside roads the length and breadth of Britain would not only be outrageously expensive but also really creepy. Perhaps the ABD would do better to avail themselves of the public comment period regarding the proposal and leave the hollow rhetoric for political discussions. Oh wait, this is the ABD we’re talking about . [Source: Association of British Drivers ] Auto Blog: Etc. , Legislation and Policy , UK Anti-car extremists driving Big Brother to watch Britain’s roads? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Anti-car extremists driving Big Brother to watch Britain’s roads?
Should the U.S. institute a vehicle scrapping plan?
Last month, Germany reported a shocking 21 percent improvement in auto sales, and the greatest driver in the uptick was a used vehicle scrapping plan that pays drivers 2,500 euros ($3,150) to remove their old car from the road. With new car sales in most other countries down by at least that much, it was widely speculated that other governments would look closely at Germany’s new system to see if it would be worth adopting in their areas. An opinion piece at Automotive News (sub. req’d) suggests that it’s time for the United States to implement its own vehicle scrapping program. President Obama’s recently-passed economic stimulus plan does contain provisions that are intended to help spur new vehicle sales, but has nothing as dramatic as what’s been enacted in Germany. Such a plan would certainly spark major debate as to the environmental benefits and drawbacks of replacing older cars with new ones. One one hand, new cars feature engines that generally use less fuel and definitely emit less pollutants. On the other hand, the production of cars in general creates its own emissions and uses lots of power. What do you think: With signs pointing towards a possible sales recovery in the U.S., is now the right time to give the market an extra kick with a scrapping plan? [Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd | Photo: nico.cavallotto ] Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , Green Daily , Germany , USA Should the U.S. institute a vehicle scrapping plan? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:06:00 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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Should the U.S. institute a vehicle scrapping plan?
Toyota corrects Prius mpg rating to 51 city/48 highway/50 combined
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Toyota Prius In our Prius info overload post from last week, we highlighted the official (though preliminary) mileage rating for the 2010 model, which Toyota had told us would be 50 mpg city, 49 mpg highway (they’d already revealed the 50 mpg combined number in Detroit). We just got an email from Toyota saying that a “misinterpretation of preliminary data” meant that “the EPA fuel economy numbers we gave you were slightly incorrect.” The combined rating remains at 50 mpg. This is an important number for all the advertisements we’ll be seeing shortly, I’m sure. The other two numbers, though, were incorrect. Today, Toyota PR told us that: While the combined rating of 50 mpg remains unchanged, the city rating went up one mpg and the highway number went down one mpg. Therefore the revised preliminary EPA fuel economy ratings for the new Prius are 51 city/48 highway/50 combined. There you have it. A deal-breaker? Certainly not. A minor (very minor) disappointment? For some, probably. Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius [Source: Toyota] Auto Blog: Hybrid , MPG , Toyota , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily Toyota corrects Prius mpg rating to 51 city/48 highway/50 combined originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Toyota corrects Prius mpg rating to 51 city/48 highway/50 combined
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Leave a commentNew Ford Fiesta SportVan on sale in UK; diesel gets 56 mpg
Click above for a high res gallery of Ford Fiesta SportVan Sleeker and smaller than a Transit Connect but also serving as a fuel-saving delivery vehicle that can carry up to 515 kg (1,135 lbs) worth of stuff, the new Ford Fiesta SportVan is now on sale in the UK. With a diesel powerplant that gives off CO 2 emissions of just 110 g/km, the SportVan will cost you £10,780. The new diesel SportVan also, well, sports 56 mpg (U.S.) on the combined cycle. Opt for the petrol versions and you’ll get 41 mpg (U.S.) and 133 g/kkm of CO 2 , starting at £9,025. What’s different about the SportVan from the standard Fiesta? As you can see in the image above and in the gallery below, the rear side windows are swapped out for solid panels that match the body color. Rear seats are similarly made more functional by removing them, turning the back into a 1,000 cubic liter cargo space with a standard half-height composite bulkhead and DIN-compliant tie-down hooks. More details are available after the jump. An earlier version of the Fiesta SportVan has been a part of the small delivery van market in Europe since 2006 . Gallery: Ford Fiesta SportVan [Source: Ford] Continue reading New Ford Fiesta SportVan on sale in UK; diesel gets 56 mpg Auto Blog: Diesel , Ford , UK New Ford Fiesta SportVan on sale in UK; diesel gets 56 mpg originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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New Ford Fiesta SportVan on sale in UK; diesel gets 56 mpg
Rendered Speculation: Return of the Smart ForFour?
Earlier this decade, Smart decided to expand it’s lineup with the addition of aroadster based on the original two-seat city car and a four-door, four-seat model. The ForFour was based on a front-engine, front drive Mitsubishi platform rather than the rear engine ForTwo architecture. AutoExpress is reporting that Smart may be getting ready to introduce a new four-seat variant, this time based on a stretched version of the existing model. The so-called ForTwo + 2 would be meant to compete more directly with the numerous small city cars coming from Toyota, Volkswagen, Audi and others in the next couple of years. Unlike most of the others, the ForTwo +2 would feature rear hinged back doors to ease access to the second row. The new model probably won’t hit the market until 2012, but will almost certainly include an electric version along with the usual gas and diesel versions. [Source: AutoExpress ] Auto Blog: Diesel , EV/Plug-in , SMART Rendered Speculation: Return of the Smart ForFour? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:48:00 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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Rendered Speculation: Return of the Smart ForFour?
Michigan governor supports change in gas tax for roads
As if Michigan doesn’t have enough problems, the state’s roads are generally acknowledged to be the among the worst, if not the worst in the United States . Even Governor Jennifer Granholm this week admitted that the pavement in Michigan is “the pits.” There are of course numerous reasons for that, including the weather (freeze thaw cycles), excessively heavy 82-ton truck weight limits and outright poor construction techniques. Another contributing factor is lack of funds. The state currently has a fixed, 19 cent per gallon tax on gasoline and 15 cents on gallons of diesel. These funds are used primarily for road construction. Unfortunately, when fuel prices climb, the tax revenues don’t, even though the cost of building roads and bridges is going up. Granholm last week supported a new fuel tax system that would be changed to a percentage rate. One of the byproducts of Michigan’s poor roads is that it discourages the use of smaller cars since they are more susceptible to damage. Changing to a new tax system would potentially raise revenues for road building, as well as encourage the use of more efficient vehicles. Of course a widescale move to EVs will mean yet another change in the road funding process, but that’s another story. [Source: Mlive.com ] Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy Michigan governor supports change in gas tax for roads originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Michigan governor supports change in gas tax for roads
Electric Aircraft Symposium will take-off April 24
If you have a strong interest in electric vehicles taking flight (in both the metaphoric and non-metaphoric senses) than you may want to attend the upcoming Electric Aircraft Symposium on April 24th at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California . The impressive line up of speakers features such notables as Dr. Yi Cui of nanowire battery breakthrough fame and will touch on subjects ranging from climate science to the proposed Aviation Green Prize (an Automotive X-Prize type competition). Though your electric vehicle interests may be oriented more toward the surface-based variety, the same concerns about energy and efficiency exist in the airborne sort too, perhaps to an even greater extent. The expertise on-hand may be quite valuable. Speaking of value, if you register before the 15th of April you can save $60 and pay only $245 for the full day affair which includes snack breaks and a networking lunch and dinner. Click here for the list of speakers that have been confirmed so far. [Source: CAFE Foundation ] Electric Aircraft Symposium will take-off April 24 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Electric Aircraft Symposium will take-off April 24
Get your Geld ready: Germany issues final draft on CO2-based taxes
Changing the road tax legislation in Germany wasn’t an easy thing to do. This tax is managed at the state level, but a nationwide modification will be enforced now that the German federal government has decided to give €9 billion in compensation to the states. The new road tax, like similar legislation in other European countries, is aimed at stimulating motorists to drive fuel-efficient cars. Here’s how the new tax works, starting July 1st: First, there’s a base tax based on displacement: €2 per each 100 cubic centimeters if it’s a gasoline car or €9.5 if it’s a diesel car. Additional taxes are based on CO 2 : for each gram over 120 that your car emits per kilometer, your tax will be increased by €2. That CO 2 limit will drop to 110 grams in 2012 and, from 2014 onwards, it will be 95 grams. So, for example, the new Toyota IQ 1.33 , which emits 113 gm/km. The 1.3-liter gas engine will be taxed at 13 * 2 = €26 and the number will stay the same until 2012. At that time, its owner will be charged an extra €6 additional (€32 in total) because 113-110 = 3 grams at €2 each. Then, in 2014, the tax will be even higher: 113-95 = 18 grams, at €2 each, €36 additional (€62 total). I’ll let you do the math with a Porsche Cayenne S. [Source: Auto News ] Photo by ckroberts61 under CCL 2.0 Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , Germany Get your Geld ready: Germany issues final draft on CO 2 -based taxes originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:42:00 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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Get your Geld ready: Germany issues final draft on CO2-based taxes
BMW adaptive navigation system helps save fuel
There are already numerous navigation systems available now that can download traffic data and compare it against route information programmed by the driver. But what if you know where you’re going and don’t program the nav? That’s what BMW is working to address with a new experimental system. BMW engineers have built artificial intelligence into the system that tracks where each driver of the car goes and builds up a history profile. It then uses this learned history and the car’s current track to predict where the driver might be going. Real time traffic data can then be compared to the prediction so that the driver can be warned of congestion, and alternate routes can be suggested to save fuel. Going beyond that, the system can potentially proactively modify the control strategies of the powertrain to reduce fuel use based on what the system expects to encounter. BMW has managed to improve the predictive accuracy from the initial 30 percent all the way to 70 percent in the current systems. BMW hasn’t given any indications of when this technology might make it into production vehicles. [Source: BMW] Continue reading BMW adaptive navigation system helps save fuel Auto Blog: Emerging Technologies , MPG , BMW BMW adaptive navigation system helps save fuel originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
Auto task force to visit GM, Chrysler today to check out their vision
Now that President Obama had appointed the task force that will study the future of the auto industry in this country, its time for them to get to work. The team spent last week looking over the latest viability plans from General Motors and Chrysler. Today, Steven Rattner and Ron Bloom, advisers to the task force will come to Michigan where they will sit down with officials at both GM and Chrysler to discuss the plans and learn more about both company’s future product directions. While they are at GM, they will also get a close up look at the Chevy Volt and its powertrain technology. Presumably, Chrysler will also be sharing what it has under the hoods and floors of its EVs and ER-EVs. Both companies will need further cash infusions in the next few weeks in order to keep paying the bills. [Source: Detroit Free Press] Auto Blog: Chrysler , GM Auto task force to visit GM, Chrysler today to check out their vision originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:09:00 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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Auto task force to visit GM, Chrysler today to check out their vision
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