RETECH 2009: hydrogen proponent Sandy Thomas says fuel cells beat the pants off of battery-powered cars
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
Originally posted here:
RETECH 2009: hydrogen proponent Sandy Thomas says fuel cells beat the pants off of battery-powered cars
Posted in Auto Green | 
a-friend-via, about-the-auto, after-the-jump, auto, daily, ghg, green-daily, green-exclusive, h2gen, hydrogen, retech, sandythomas | 
Leave a commentToyota will sell second-gen Priuses alongside 2010 models in Japan, not in U.S.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Toyota Prius We’ve finally gotten some official confirmation from Toyota about the sell-two-Prius-models-at-once strategy we’ve heard so much about. During a recent media event where we drove the next-gen 2010 Toyota Prius (sorry, we can’t say much about that right now) we had a chance to talk with John McCandless, from Toyota corporate communications, and Masahiko Maeda, assistant chief engineer who was heavily involved with developing the 2010 Prius. They confirmed that both the current and next-gen models will be available for sale at the same time, but only in Japan. Here in the U.S., once the 2010 version hits the streets, that’s all she wrote for the old model. Well, except for dealers who participate in the Toyota’s Certified Used Hybrid Program . While Toyota hasn’t released pricing information for the new Prius, we’re pretty sure it’ll be more than the Honda Insight. Considering the strong sales the Insight has had in Japan thus far, keeping a cheaper Prius option around seems like a smart move for Toyota. Auto Blog: Hybrid , Toyota , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Japan Toyota will sell second-gen Priuses alongside 2010 models in Japan, not in U.S. originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
Car Blog Greenthe rest here:
Toyota will sell second-gen Priuses alongside 2010 models in Japan, not in U.S.
Posted in Auto Green | four-cylinder, green-exclusive, i miev, mitsubishi i miev, priussales, toyota, toyota-prius, toyotaprius | Leave a commentGreenlings: What is biodiesel?
What is biodiesel? In short, biodiesel is a fuel that’s suitable for use in diesel engines that is not based on petroleum. Biodiesel is often made from plant sources. It’s also possible to mix biodiesel with petroleum-based diesel fuel in any ratio. Since most any engine designed to run on diesel fuel can use biodiesel, it would seem that this biofuel could displace a great deal of fuel pumped from the ground. In some cases, it is possible to run diesel engines on straight vegetable oil (often referred to as SVO or WVO), but SVO isn’t the same as biodiesel. There is a bunch of complex chemistry that goes into producing biodiesel from many different sources, and it all has to do with the transesterification of fats and oils. Excuse me? Transester-huh? Yeah, it’s about as complicated as it sounds, but the really short version of the story is that alcohol (methanol, ethanol etc.) is used to modify the chemical makeup of the original oil. Now that we’ve identified what biodiesel is and isn’t, let’s discuss why you should care and whether you can use it in your own vehicle. Car Blog Greenon. Gallery: Austin Alt Car: Biofuel Hummer Continue reading Greenlings: What is biodiesel? Auto Blog: Biodiesel , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily Greenlings: What is biodiesel? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
Car Blog Greenmore here:
Greenlings: What is biodiesel?
Greenlings: Why do so many green cars have only three wheels?
You may have noticed that a lot of new “green” cars not only lack a large carbon footprint but they also seem to be missing something else; a fourth wheel. Recently the three-wheel configuration has been appearing in various forms of vehicles, from the space-age Aptera to the a-bit-more-than-a-motorcycle Piaggio Mp3 . With this seeming flood of tricycles sloshing about one question needs a clear answer: “Why do so many green cars only have three wheels?” As you might imagine there are a variety of possible reasons why one would design a vehicle this way. Hit the jump to take a tricycular journey to find out why. Gallery: Aptera 2e Continue reading Greenlings: Why do so many green cars have only three wheels? Auto Blog: Green Culture , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , On Two Wheels , USA Greenlings: Why do so many green cars have only three wheels? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
Go here to Car Blog Greenthe rest:
Greenlings: Why do so many green cars have only three wheels?
eBay find of the day: Hymotion Plug-in Prius
Click above for high-res image gallery of the Hymotion Prius The current bid for the plug-in Prius you see above is $21,100, but the pesky reserve price has not yet been met. Considering the $10,000 price tag for the Hymotion plug-in conversion kit that this vehicle sports, someone might be able to get a really good deal on a PHEV, especially considering that this Prius is pretty loaded, with a leather trimmed interior, a navigation system and a backup camera. This 2007 Prius only has 14,800 miles on it and the warranty on the Hymotion pack that lasts for another 35 months (until January 2012). The seller is Green Motors and, according to a sticker on the battery pack , the conversion was done last month by our friends over at Green Gears . The car was in an front end collision, but, to give bidders some piece of mind, Green Motors is offering test drives to anyone who can get out to Berkeley before the auction ends in four days. Thanks to Paul G. for the tip! Gallery: eBay find: Hymotion plug-in Prius [Source: eBay] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Toyota , Green Daily eBay find of the day: Hymotion Plug-in Prius originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
Car Blog Greenthe original post:
eBay find of the day: Hymotion Plug-in Prius
First Mahindra pickup trucks to be imported from India
One upcoming vehicle that we’re truly looking forward to is the midsize pickup truck from Mahindra , which holds out the promise of 30 mile per gallon fuel efficiency and the ability to haul 1.3 tons in its 7.5-foot truck bed. Those looking to add one of these small trucks to their arsenal of vehicles will be glad to hear that the automaker may be able to move up the delivery date of the first units by a few weeks. Up until now, Global Vehicles, the company that is working to bring the trucks to the U.S. market, has been planning on having the trucks assembled in Ohio from knock-down kits. The plan has recently changed and the first trucks will come directly from India. One unfortunate byproduct of this decision is that Mahindra’s trucks will now be subject to the so-called Chicken Tax, which was introduced back in the ’60s as retaliation for a European tariff on imported chicken from America. Pricing isn’t expected to be affected, meaning that the Mahindra pickup should still cost 10-15 percent less than comparably-sized trucks from Japan. Sales are expected to start in the fourth quarter of this year . [Source: PickupTrucks.com ] Auto Blog: Diesel , MPG , India , USA First Mahindra pickup trucks to be imported from India originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
Car Blog Greenthe rest here:
First Mahindra pickup trucks to be imported from India
Chicago 2009: Ford’s North American Fiesta Movement starts here
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Ford Fiesta What Car?’s Car of the Year , the new Ford Fiesta, was sitting at the Ford booth at the Chicago Auto Show sporting a fresh look. All tricked out to promote the Fiesta Movement , the Fiesta was looking pretty good – and very green. Lime green, that is. The Fiesta Movement is Ford’s plan to give 100 people a chance to drive one of these small cars – for free , if you’re willing to participate in the “secret assignments” – for six months. While we’ve seen the Fiesta, in various guises, for what seems like ages at auto shows, we still need to wait a while until the car actually goes on sale in North America in early 2010. Right now, the Fiesta is selling quite well in Europe (see press release after the jump). Gallery: Chicago 2009: Fiesta Movement 01 Live Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading Chicago 2009: Ford’s North American Fiesta Movement starts here Auto Blog: Ford , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Chicago Auto Show Chicago 2009: Ford’s North American Fiesta Movement starts here originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
The rest is here:
Chicago 2009: Ford’s North American Fiesta Movement starts here
Posted in Auto Green | a-fresh-look-, chicago auto show, fiesta, fiesta-movement, ford, fordfiesta, green-exclusive, kiaforte, photos | Leave a commentGreenlings: What is a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV)?
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , American Electric Vehicle , GEM , ZENN We all want electric vehicles that we can afford. Unfortunately the only full function electric car “available on the market” in the United States right now is the Tesla Roadster. However even before car loans became hard to get, the Roadster was largely unaffordable. So, what other options are there? For now at least the only option is the neighborhood electric vehicle, also known as NEVs. These are not exactly full function vehicles. In fact, most NEVs are considered little more than glorified golf carts. By law in the United States, NEVs are limited to no more than 25 mph (although a few locations are looking to increase that to 35 mph). NEVs are covered by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 500 which limits the maximum loaded weight to 3,000 lbs. According to FMVSS 500, an NEV has to be able to get to 20 mph within 1 mile, must have head and tail lights and a windshield, among other things. Learn more about NEVs after the jump. Gallery: AFVI 2008: GEM’s new cargo options Continue reading Greenlings: What is a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV)? Greenlings: What is a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV)? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 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 Greenmore:
Greenlings: What is a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV)?
Posted in Auto Green | a-few-locations, a-friend-via, entry, EV Plug in, federal-motor, green-exclusive, known-as-nevs, least-the-only, neighborhood, only, roadster, tesla | Leave a commentWashington 2009: picture fun with the Saturn Flextreme
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Saturn , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily , Washington DC Auto Show Click above for high-res image gallery of the Saturn Flextreme One of the guilty pleasures available during the quiet period before the public days of an auto show is taking pictures when no one is around. We’ve seen the Saturn Flextreme (and it’s Opel cousin ) before, but haven’t seen it spinning around on the stand all by itself, just asking for a few shutter clicks. We obliged, of course, and present you with these images. We got a little carried away with the long shutter speeds and liked the trippy effects they created. Oh, to have our fisheye with us at all times. Technical details on this Volt-like plug-in hybrid concept can be found here . This post is all about the pics. Enjoy. Gallery: Washington 2009: Saturn Flextreme Washington 2009: picture fun with the Saturn Flextreme originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
Original post:
Washington 2009: picture fun with the Saturn Flextreme
Washington 2009: modded Prius is part solar PHEV, part bed, part crazy
Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Green Culture , Hybrid , Toyota , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily , Washington DC Auto Show We usually use the main picture in a post to give you a straightforward idea of what vehicle or technology the post is about. More unusual images can live in the gallery. For a vehicle we discovered at the Washington Auto Show, though, we needed to use the main picture spot to show off just one of the many highlights that Bob Bruninga has made to his Prius: wood trim on the doors (see it from a distance here and here ). This little homebrew addition is just one of a ridiculous number of modifications made to the Prius Power vehicle we found on display in the Green Car Pavilion The more important mods include: solar panels on the roof and hood, a bigger battery setup (248 volt, 9 amp hour array) to give the solar energy somewhere to go when the car is parked, a retro analog instrument panel to keep track of all the added electronics, and a wood and glass/plastic cylinder thing on the top. No one was around when I stopped by, so I’m not sure what that’s all about but, man, is it cool. In a “huh?” kind of way. Bruninga writes that the solar panels and beefed up battery cost him about $3,000. He knows it won’t get him 100 mpge, but he doesn’t care. He wants to provide power for ham radio field days and explore the possibilities. One more thing: the passenger seat has been replaced with the DIY ” Prius Inn ,” bed for one option. Who knew you could do so much to a Prius? He has plans for more , BTW. Gallery: Washington 2009: Prius Power [Source: APRS ] Continue reading Washington 2009: modded Prius is part solar PHEV, part bed, part crazy Washington 2009: modded Prius is part solar PHEV, part bed, part crazy originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green
The rest is here:
Washington 2009: modded Prius is part solar PHEV, part bed, part crazy
Posted in Auto Green | culture, green-daily, green-exclusive, main, post, prius, prius inn, prius-power | Leave a commentGet Approved!
Recent Comments