Survey Says: Americans still interested in fuel efficiency
Auto Blog: MPG , Green Daily There’s been much conjecture these last few months over whether or not sales of big, thirsty vehicles would pick back up after hitting the brick wall of high fuel prices last summer. Despite a modest uptick in pickup truck sales, the answer has mostly been no, but we won’t know for sure how things will rebound until the economy picks back up and credit is once again available to more people to purchase new vehicles. At least one recent study indicates that fuel economy is still a top concern for new car shoppers. According to the Consumer Federation of America , over three-quarters of those surveyed say that they are concerned about high gas prices and America’s dependence on foreign oil. Fifty-five percent of respondents are also concerned about global warming. These numbers are not dramatically lower than those recorded from a similar survey conducted last April. One more interesting point about the survey: The average new car shopper expects that their next vehicle will get about 30 miles per gallon, which they say is 5 mpg better than they get with their current vehicle. For a more detailed look at the findings, click here (.pdf link). [Source: CFA (.pdf link) via TTAC ] Survey Says: Americans still interested in fuel efficiency originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:10:00 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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Survey Says: Americans still interested in fuel efficiency
Citroën announces new line of premium DS cars, which might include hybrid
Auto Blog: Diesel , Hybrid , PSA , Citroen What, a new Citroën DS? For those who don’t know, more than 50 years ago Citroën sparked a revolution with the DS (pronounced like “deésse” in French, which means goddess) and its hydraulic suspension, transmission and braking. When Citroën announced a revival of the DS, some classic car lovers thought that the new DS might be a neo-retro model. We were wrong. Instead, Citroën has announcing a new line of premium vehicles, the DS series, that will compete against German counterparts. The idea behind the DS badge is not to consume more, but consume better. Citroën states that they were inspired by Nespresso by adopting a specific product and branding based on market studies. So, side by side with regular models such as the C3 or C4 , buyers will be able to find upscale versions called DS 3 or DS 4. The first model, the DS 3 (pictured above) will be based on the C3 Picasso platform , but offers an “innovative solution for urban driving.” Citroën also promises CO 2 emissions for the DS 3 will range from 90 to 150 g/km. The DS 3 will have a Stop & Start system as a standard feature. For future models, such as the DS 4 or the DS 5, Citroën could include the same hybrid powerplant that PSA is readying for the Peugeot 3008 . There’s a couple of videos of the classic DS after the jump [Source: Le Figaro ] Continue reading Citroën announces new line of premium DS cars, which might include hybrid Citroën announces new line of premium DS cars, which might include hybrid originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:22:00 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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Citroën announces new line of premium DS cars, which might include hybrid
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Leave a commentUniversity of Minnesota: Ethanol no better than gas
Auto Blog: Ethanol , USA The University of Minnesota has released a study on the benefits of three types of fuels: gasoline, corn-based ethanol and cellulosic ethanol. The conclusion was what most readers know: corn-based ethanol doesn’t have that many benefits. Corn still needs tractors to be harvested, and some kind of fuel and/or electricity for distillation. However, the study doesn’t discard biofuels entirely and puts an emphasis on the benefits that cellulosic ethanol could bring. For instance, the study calculated the total environmental and health costs of making each type of fuel. A gallon of gasoline was about 71 cents, compared with between 72 cents and $1.45 for corn-based ethanol and 19 to 32 cents for cellulosic ethanol, depending, of course, on the technology and type of plants used. Reactions took very little time to arrive. Mark Hamerlinck, communications director for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, responded with the benefits of producing domestic fuel and also on how farming techniques could be improved in the near future by farmers themselves. Martha Schlicher, vice president of Illinois River Energy and former head of the National Corn To Ethanol Research Center, also published a press release severely criticizing the study, stating that it put too many hopes in cellulosic ethanol, which is yet-to-be proven at on a large scale, and that the report authors forgot that corn ethanol can be made using sources of non-polluting energy. [Source: Star Tribune and Martha Schlicher] University of Minnesota: Ethanol no better than gas originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:35:00 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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University of Minnesota: Ethanol no better than gas
AMG puts up the white flag in the Autobahn power war
Auto Blog: Diesel , Hybrid , MPG , Mercedes Benz , Lightweight Click the AMG C63 for a high res gallery Over the past two decades, the big German automakers have been continuously cranking up the power levels of their high performance cars to absolutely insane levels. It’s gotten to the point where you must have a minimum of 500 hp or more just to get into the game; many cars approach 600hp. Mercedes-Benz’s in-house performance brand AMG has now declared “ENOUGH!” Volker Mornhinweg, head of AMG told Autocar, “The horsepower war is over.” The key to performance is a high power to weight ratio. Unfortunately, when you have a lot of weight, you need more power to maintain performance. That means bigger tires and brakes are also needed, leading to an escalating cycle. As Lotus has clearly demonstrated with the Elise and its derivatives, a lightweight car can have tremendous performance even with modest power levels. Mornhinweg is taking that to heart and promises to reduce the mass of future AMG Mercedes models starting with the next-generation E63 that debuts later this year. The new E-Class is lighter than the outgoing model and a dual clutch gearbox will also be part of the package to help improve efficiency. Diesel, hybrid and four cylinder drivetrains are also in AMG’s future product plans as the tuner brand tries to maintain performance while meeting the new environmental realities. Related: In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Mercedes Benz C63 AMG [Source: Autocar ] AMG puts up the white flag in the Autobahn power war originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:32:00 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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AMG puts up the white flag in the Autobahn power war
Miles per gallon: Overrated?
Auto Blog: Green Culture , MPG , Green Daily Sure, there are plenty of things in the automotive world that are overrated. Enough, in fact, to compile a whole list of them, as seen here . Come on, join in… it’s fun! For instance, in addition to the small SUVs that already made the list, why not add big SUVs too? Most buyers of the big behemoths rarely use the full capabilities of their rigs and could almost always use a smaller vehicle. What about those rare instances when a monster ‘ute is necessary? Rent one. Remember, even if one more giant SUV was never made, there’s an endless supply of perfectly good used ones to choose from. Moving right along, what else is on this particlar overrated list? The Prius? Well, perhaps, since quite a number of people admit to choosing them simply to look like they care. The Tesla? Eh, fine. It’s expensive and seats only two occupants. We’re not sure overrated is the right word for these two vehicles, but whatever. Miles per gallon? Um, no, not overrated in the slightest bit. Why’s it on the list? To quote the anonymous author, “In case you haven’t noticed (and nobody has) gas is really cheap again.” Ugh. Isn’t this the attitude that got us into this mess in the first place? [Source: Inside Line ] Miles per gallon: Overrated? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:47:00 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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Electric vehicle-to-grid network arrives in Newark, DE
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Scion , USA Newark, DE has gotten the green light for one of the first two-way Vehicle to Grid infrastructure. Sponsored by a $730,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, the project helps the state and the University of Delaware to purchase specially-equipped cars (retrofitted versions of the Scion xB) which would get electricity from the local utility and give back some of it when the car is parked and plugged in. Of course, a handful of cars aren’t enough to make any dramatic impact on the grid, but regional grid manager believes that a thousand will make a noticeable difference. The demonstration vehicles, plugged into a single 208-volt, 50-amp outlet, can each use or send onto the grid 10.4 kWh of electricity. What Delaware needs now, besides the EV cars, is a complete network of garages, apartment parking lots and city streets outfitted with the right size plugs, as the grid is actually ready to go. Thanks to GoodCheer for the tip. [Source: Delaware Online ] Electric vehicle-to-grid network arrives in Newark, DE originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:56:00 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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Electric vehicle-to-grid network arrives in Newark, DE
Posted in Auto Green | a-friend-via, delaware, detroit 2009, energy, fordfocusev, fuel mileage, green, list, made-the-list, newark delaware, newarkdelaware, online, smartgrid, the-automotive, university | Leave a commentDaimler only planning to use Tesla batteries for first 1,000 smart eds
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Tesla Motors , Daimler Click above for a high-res gallery of the smart ed When Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk told us yesterday that his company would be supplying battery packs and chargers for the first 1,000 second generation electric Smarts he expressed hope that the deal might be expanded beyond that. He told us that if the test program went well, he would like to supply packs and other components on an ongoing basis to Daimler. That may still happen, but the odds are likely against it. For one thing, most of Daimler’s production is in Europe and Tesla packs are assembled in California, making the logistics of overseas shipping expensive. The bigger problem is Daimler’s desire to keep battery technology in-house. This is not unique to Daimler; Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, and Nissan all have joint ventures for lithium ion batteries. At the Detroit Auto Show this week, GM announced that it will assemble the packs for it’s ER-EVs in its own factory with its own battery management systems. Matthias Brock, Head of Media Relations for Daimler’s Research, Development and Environmental Communications told Green Car Congress that the Tesla deal, “helps us to bridge the time until the industrialization of Lithium-Ion batteries within our Joint Venture with Evonik will be ready.” That JV was announced in December. Gallery: Detroit 2009: smart ed [Source: Green Car Congress ] Daimler only planning to use Tesla batteries for first 1,000 smart eds originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:10:00 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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Daimler only planning to use Tesla batteries for first 1,000 smart eds
Posted in Auto Green | a-friend-via, daimler, fuel mileage, made-the-list, newarkdelaware, online, smart ed, smartgrid, tesla-motors, teslamotors, the-automotive, time | Leave a commentToyota to sell batteries to other automakers
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Toyota Click above for a gallery of the Toyota FT-EV concept Part of Tesla Motors’ ongoing business plan involves selling complete lithium ion battery packs to other auto manufacturers. The most recent example of this strategy was just announced at the Detroit Auto Show , with Tesla supplying packs to Daimler for its smart ed . Daimler, for its part, also wants to sell battery packs to its competitors. Joining these two manufacturers may soon be Toyota, as Executive Vice President Masatami Takimoto has said in an interview that the Japanese giant would like to produce packs for its rivals. Since Toyota has such a large investment into batteries for its current and future range of hybrids, plug-ins and fully electric vehicles, it only makes sense to capotalize on all forms of incoming profit. Toyota owns 60 percent of a joint venture with Panasonic to produce lithium ion batteries specifically for use in electric vehicles, and the JV already sells nickel metal hydride packs to some automakers. Gallery: 2009 Toyota FT-EV Concept [Source: Bloomberg ] Toyota to sell batteries to other automakers originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:19:00 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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