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Should the U.S. institute a vehicle scrapping plan?

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:06:00 +0000

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

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:23:00 +0000

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

Wind Helmet concept would recharge batteries while riding on 2 wheels

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:52:00 +0000

Click above for a gallery of the Wind Helmet We’ve seen lots of interesting ideas to generate electricity in our quest to locate story material for our blogging duties, but, as far as we can remember, this is the first helmet we’ve ever seen that’s designed to recharge batteries. The theoretical headgear would feature a small propeller that would catch the flow of wind over the motorcyclist’s helmet, acting as a turbine connected to a small generator that can recharge a set of batteries. From that point, the stored electricity could be used by any number of electronic devices, like cell phones or iPods. There’s no doubt that some thought went into this design, but we’re not so sure it’d be a good idea in practice. A small generator connected to one of the bike’s wheels would certainly be more efficient; alternatively, a small array of solar panels could gather as much energy without putting a drag on the bike’s engine. Gallery: Wind Helmet concept [Source: Core 77 via Motorcycle.com ] Auto Blog: Etc. , On Two Wheels , Green Daily Wind Helmet concept would recharge batteries while riding on 2 wheels originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:52:00 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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Wind Helmet concept would recharge batteries while riding on 2 wheels

Elon Musk reportedly sets trap for loose lipped employees

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:46:00 +0000

The breathless style of writing at which Valleywag has made a name for itself isn’t the sort of thing we often link to, but we’ll make an exception today. According to the Gawker team , Tesla CEO Elon Musk is not making any friends in his own company; in fact, Valleywag claims that Musk recently tried to pinpoint people on his team who may be leaking confidential information to the media. The tactic? Sending each employee a slightly altered version of an email about stopping the leaks and then checking to see which version made it to the media. It reportedly backfired in a pretty big way. Valleywag reports that Musk did not let his own executives know of this plan to smoke out the leaker. One of them unknowingly forwarded his version of the email within the company, which made it clear to the rest of Tesla’s workforce that they were being set up. We contacted Tesla about this story, but got a simple “No Comment.” That’s fine for us, but it might be a long, long month before the Model S unveiling on the 26th . Follow the source link to Car Blog Greena version of the email, presumably one of many, that Musk sent to his employees. Thanks to Yanquetino for the tip! [Source: Valleywag ] Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in , Tesla Motors , Green Daily Elon Musk reportedly sets trap for loose lipped employees originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:46:00 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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GM responds to Carnegie Mellon study

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:11:00 +0000

Click above for a high res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Volt After reading through the recent study from Carnegie Mellon University that suggested the best compromise between price, performance and environmental benefit would put a 3kWh battery in plug-in hybrids – enough for about 7 miles of electric-only travel – Jon Lauckner, GM’s Vice President Global Program Management, decided that he should weigh in with his own analysis of the situation. The big problems that GM has with CMU’s study are its suppositions on the cost of large-scale battery packs and the omission of the federal tax credits that plug-in hybrids like the Volt will be eligible for. A vehicle that only allows for a 7-mile EV range would not qualify for any credits while the Volt would earn the full $7,500 allotment due to the capacity of its lithium ion battery. What’s more, GM says that CMU is overestimating the cost of the pack that GM will be using for its Voltec powertrain. The Chevy Volt’s 16 kWh of capacity should provide an electric range of about 40 miles, which GM believes will be sufficient for nearly 80 percent of the population to get to work and back on an average day. If the Volt were primarily driven under this 40-mile limit, GM says drivers could recharge the car at night when electricity is cheap and plentiful. After already holding back on hybrid technology once due to cost considerations, GM’s not about to make that mistake again. Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt [Source: GM Fastlane ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Chevrolet , GM , Green Daily GM responds to Carnegie Mellon study originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:11:00 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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GM responds to Carnegie Mellon study

EPA opens up public comment window on CA emissions waiver

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:34:00 +0000

President Obama announced in January that he was asking the EPA to reconsider a December 2007 decision by the Bush Administration’s to deny California an emissions rules waiver (for background, Car Blog Greenthis ). Today, the EPA is holding a (the first?) public hearing on the subject in Arlington, Virginia (for specifics, click past the jump). Earlier this year, we heard that the EPA would acceptCar Blog Green from the public for at least 45 to 60 days, but the comment period ends on April 6. The good news? The EPA says it “will consider writtenCar Blog Green submitted during the comment period with the same weight as oralCar Blog Green presented during the public hearing.” Find out how to submitCar Blog Green here , and get your typing fingers ready. [Source: EPA ] Continue reading EPA opens up public comment window on CA emissions waiver Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , Green Daily , USA EPA opens up public comment window on CA emissions waiver originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 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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EPA opens up public comment window on CA emissions waiver

RETECH 2009: hydrogen proponent Sandy Thomas says fuel cells beat the pants off of battery-powered cars

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:53:00 +0000

At the American Council on Renewable Energy’s RETECH conference and expo last week, I was able to listen to a few presentations on renewables and transportation. It’s always interesting to hear about the auto industry from people on the outside, and the RETECH presentations lived up to expectations. I’ll be writing about a few of them this week. The most full-throated defense of hydrogen vehicles I heard was issued by Sandy Thomas, president of H 2 Gen Innovations , during the “Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Advanced Engines” panel. H 2 Gen is mostly interested in stationary hydrogen production stations, but Thomas believes that hydrogen is the one right propulsion system for vehicles, since nothing else will meet America’s greenhouse gas emissions, energy independence, and clean air targets. He had the presentation to prove that H2 cars beat battery vehicles, too, and was willing to share his slides with AutoblogGreen readers. You can Car Blog Greenthem all in the gallery below (there’s a reason we try to post items like this at the end of the day, when we think you’ll have time to indulge a bit). I’ve also written up some more of what Thomas said after the jump. Gallery: RETECH 2009: Hydrogen presentation from Sandy Thomas Continue reading RETECH 2009: hydrogen proponent Sandy Thomas says fuel cells beat the pants off of battery-powered cars Auto Blog: Hydrogen , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily RETECH 2009: hydrogen proponent Sandy Thomas says fuel cells beat the pants off of battery-powered cars originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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RETECH 2009: hydrogen proponent Sandy Thomas says fuel cells beat the pants off of battery-powered cars

2010 Toyota Prius: the steering wheel wants your Touch (Tracer Display)

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:09:00 +0000

There is one aspect of the 2010 Prius that we didn’t highlight in our info overload post from yesterday: the Touch Tracer Display. Most of the time, there is nothing in front of the speedometer; we want a clear view of how fast we’re going, right? But, there are also a lot of buttons on the steering wheel and constantly shifting our view from the road to the volume or temperature control isn’t exactly a good way to drive. To combat furtive downward glances, Toyota has come up with the TTD, which causes little orange lights appear on an overlay screen that looks like it’s hovering above the speedometer when you put your finger on the circular buttons on the steering wheel . It’s neat and kind of surprising the first time it happens. Once you learn to expect it, it’s a great visual cue to go along with the wheel-mounted controls. Toyota says this is the “the first display system in the world to allow steering wheel controls to Car Blog Greenout on the instrument panel.” We doubt it’ll be the last. Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius [Source: Toyota] Auto Blog: Emerging Technologies , Hybrid , Toyota 2010 Toyota Prius: the steering wheel wants your Touch (Tracer Display) originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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2010 Toyota Prius: the steering wheel wants your Touch (Tracer Display)

Geneva 2009: Ford’s all-electric Tourneo Connect

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:10:00 +0000

Click above for a gallery of Ford Tourneo BEV Ford couldn’t be bothered to actually bring a battery-powered version of the Transit Connect to the Chicago Auto Show last month (but they did show off four gasoline-powered versions and announced the BEV there). People visiting the Geneva Motor Show will get a more personal experience with Ford’s latest zero-emission vehicle when the Tourneo Battery Electric Vehicle concept makes an appearance there this week. The idea behind the passenger-friendly Tourneo BEV is to showcase how the battery-only powerplant can be used to ferry people as well as freight. The powertrain for both models was co-developed by Ford and Smith EV and features a 21 kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery pack, a 50 kW permanent magnet motor, and a single-speed transmission. That’s good for a 160-km (100-mile) range and top speeds of about 113 km/h (70 mph). A full charge takes 6-8 hours. These numbers are exactly the same as those announced for the electric Transit Connect . Gallery: Ford Tourneo Connect BEV [Source: Ford ] Continue reading Geneva 2009: Ford’s all-electric Tourneo Connect Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Ford , Geneva Motor Show , Green Daily Geneva 2009: Ford’s all-electric Tourneo Connect originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:10:00 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 2009: Ford’s all-electric Tourneo Connect

Report: 32.7 million electric cars by 2015

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:53:00 +0000

Sometimes it seems like we are constantly bringing you articles and studies that might be seen as somewhat pessimistic or even skeptical of our future highways being populated by many electric cars. We were at a loss ourselves to find more than five electric cars you can purchase in the U.S. this year . However, the report that we are able to bring you news of today does not err on the conservative side. Worldwide Nanotechnology Electric Vehicle Market Shares Strategies, and Forecasts by Wintergreen Research Inc. predicts that by 2015, 32.7 million electric autos will have been shipped. Not too shabby considering they count a total of 685 battery-powered vehicles sold last year. Unfortunately, we could only Car Blog Greenthe summary and the table of contents of the 452-page report (it’s $3,400 to Car Blog Greenthe rest) but it does seem the authors have a pretty thorough knowledge of the players in the industry today and seem to base their optimism on increasing volumes of lower cost lithium ion batteries leveraging the implementation of higher performance nanotechnology-derived thin film lithium cells. They also see the electric vehicle as a way of storing energy from renewable sources and foresee the rise of package financing for cars and solar panels. Now, if you’ll excuse us, our rose-colored glasses are getting misty. [Source: Nanovip.com ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Green Daily Report: 32.7 million electric cars by 2015 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:53:00 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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Report: 32.7 million electric cars by 2015