Audi claims best in class mileage for Q5, still can’t touch the TDI
Auto Blog: Diesel , MPG , Audi Audi’s new Q5 mid-size SUV goes on sale here in the U.S. in March and the company is touting its fuel efficiency as a selling point in these lean economic times. Unfortunately, at launch, the U.S.-market Q5 will only have one powertrain option, the direct injected 3.2L V6 with a 6-speed automatic transmission. In this configuration, the Q5 is rated at 18 mpg city and 23 mpg highway. While this beats any of the non-hybrid comparable all-wheel-drive models, it’s not particularly impressive compared to the diesel models available overseas. In Europe, for example, the Q5 can be ordered with either a 170 hp 2.0L four cylinder diesel or the same 3.0L V6 that is going into Q7 any minute now. The 2.0L TDI is rated at 40.6 mpg (U.S.) while the V6 oil burner comes in at 35.6 mpg (U.S.). During last fall’s trans-continental Audi Mileage Marathon , the Q5 TDIs with the V6 averaged between 33 and 38 mpg, putting them on a par with the considerably smaller Ford Escape hybrid. Audi officials have hinted that the Q5 3.0 TDI will eventually make it to the U.S. market, likely early in 2010, but nothing has been confirmed yet. [Source: Audi] Continue reading Audi claims best in class mileage for Q5, still can’t touch the TDI Audi claims best in class mileage for Q5, still can’t touch the TDI originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
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Audi claims best in class mileage for Q5, still can’t touch the TDI
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Leave a commentUK government wants £2.5 billion auto loans used for green projects
Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , UK The UK government has promised a series of loans to automakers and suppliers in Britain that’s supposed to help them navigate the tough economic conditions that the industry now finds itself in. According to Lord Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, “The actions we and the automotive industry will now be taking together will help the industry build the bridge to a greener future for the auto sector.” How so? That’s a good question, and one that doesn’t yet seem to have a conclusive answer quite yet. Loans could be used by automakers to add eco-friendly updates to aging plants or for research and development costs into new technologies. Suppliers could use the money to create new parts that automakers would use to increase efficiency. According to the Financial Times , though, it’s not likely that any companies that are looking for a piece of the loans will have a hard time finding green programs to justify the government’s investment. [Source: Financial Times ] UK government wants £2.5 billion auto loans used for green projects originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:23:00 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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UK government wants £2.5 billion auto loans used for green projects
Posted in Auto Green | a-selling-point, auto, auto bailout, britain, british auto bailout, britishbailout, business, enterprise, green, money, u.k.bailout | Leave a commentTesla gives up on San Jose move
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Manufacturing/Plants , Tesla Motors , Green Daily Click on the Tesla Roadsters Hot Wheels for a high res gallery Tesla warned in early December that without a $350 million loan from the federal government, the Model S sedan will be delayed and the company’s planned move to San Jose, California to open a new HQ and manufacturing plant wouldn’t move forward. Guess what? It’s looking like it won’t happen . The problem, as you might expect, is money, and the fact that Tesla couldn’t raise enough money to finance the deal. Tesla spokesperson Rachel Konrad said that, “We abandoned that because the VC financing environment became so tight and difficult.” One problem with the previously-selected location is that it’s a greenfield site, where Tesla would build a totally new plant. With the low-interest loans that Tesla is applying for (about $400 million total, $250 million for the Model S plant and $150 million for a battery/powertrain facility), the government wants to see brownfield sites get developed. Konrad said that Tesla is looking to keep its headquarters in Silicon Valley and to search for a brownfield site where they can build the Model S. Plug-in aren’t dead in San Jose though. Recently, Coulomb Technologies installed EV charging stations in the city . Gallery: First Drive: Tesla Roadster [Source: KLIV , New Mexico Business Weekly ] Tesla gives up on San Jose move originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:35:00 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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Tesla gives up on San Jose move
Posted in Auto Green | a-selling-point, auto bailout, britishbailout, government, green, money, san jose, tesla, tesla san jose, tesla-motors, teslamodels, u.k.bailout | Leave a commentAerocivic gets a website, deer should now be safer
Auto Blog: Green Culture , MPG , Honda , Green Daily Ahhh, what $400 and a few hundred hours of work can get you. The ever-popular Aerocivic has graced our pages a few times in the past, but now modder Mike Turner is sharing his experiences with the world, first-person style. Turner has set up a website describing, in detail, the changes that he’s made to his 1992 Honda Civic CX to get it up to around 95 mpg. That’s the kind of thing we knew about already. When Turner is writing about his own car and experiences, we learn new details. For example, Turnser says that bugs and snow float over the car undisturbed, leaves barely rustle when he drives over them, and “the low sloped front of the car scoops [deer] up and over the top of the car with minimal damage to both deer and car.” I wonder if the Google Maps people will be calling him soon. In any case, the Aerocivic site is truly an enthusiasts’ source for people who want to know what it’s like to live in the aerodynamic future. Well worth checking out. [Source: Aerocivic via Treehugger ] Aerocivic gets a website, deer should now be safer originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:29:00 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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Aerocivic gets a website, deer should now be safer
Posted in Auto Green | a-few-hundred, a-selling-point, google, green-daily, miketurner, money, san jose, tesla, u.k.bailout | Leave a commentBMW X6 ActiveHybrid to arrive by year’s end
Auto Blog: Hybrid , BMW , Detroit Auto Show Click above for gallery of photos of the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid One of the vehicles we expected to see in Detroit somehow missed our radar. The not-so-green BMW X6 ActiveHybrid was previewed in COBO and we somehow missed it. Sure we’ve seen pics of this sports car/utility vehicle crossover hybrid before and we’ve also heard BMW promise that it will be available by the end of 2009, but this time they really seem to mean it. After giving a walkaround of the BMW Concept 7 Series ActiveHybrid, BMW’s Dr. Klaus Draeger gave some additional details about this upcoming hybrid hybrid. As we’ve told you before, the BMW Concept X6 ActiveHybrid is a two-mode hybrid, and uses BMW’s 4.4L V8 gasoline engine along with its electric assistant. Going hybrid increases fuel economy on this most oddly shaped BMW by a decent 20 percent, but that still puts the X6′s mileage at just about 15 mpg/city. BMW promises that both the 7-series and X6 hybrids will be on sale by the end of 2009. Well, it’s better than nothing we guess. Gallery: 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid [Source: AutoReview ] BMW X6 ActiveHybrid to arrive by year’s end originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:42:00 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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BMW X6 ActiveHybrid to arrive by year’s end
Video of Plug In America’s Inaugural Parade West – with 70 electric cars
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Green Culture , Green Daily Click above and scroll down to watch the video We’ve already learned a lot about the sweet electric car parade that cruised through Santa Monica two weekends ago , but if all those pictures were not enough for you, we’ve got a solid 38-minute video for you to check out. The video includes scenes from inside the parade cars, shots of EVs cruising down the streets and lots of plug-in advocates talking about where plug-in cars are today. Thanks to Viddler’s tag ability, you can easily skip to the speaker of your choice. Names you might know include Chris Paine, the director of “Who Killed the Electric Car?”; Ed Kjaer, the director of electric transportation for SoCal Edison; and California State Senator Fran Pavley. There are others, and this would be a fine way to spend your lunch hour if you haven’t already spent that today (hint, hint). You can watch what went down after the jump. Gallery: Plug In America’s Inauguration Parade West [Source: Stefano Paris ] Continue reading Video of Plug In America’s Inaugural Parade West – with 70 electric cars Video of Plug In America’s Inaugural Parade West – with 70 electric cars originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:53:00 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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Video of Plug In America’s Inaugural Parade West – with 70 electric cars
Posted in Auto Green | a-selling-point, california, entry, lnauguralparade, senator, series-active, speaker, tesla, video | Leave a commentGet Approved!
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