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Piaggio MP3 Hybrid coming to America first quarter 2010

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 08:56:00 +0000

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Piaggio MP3 Hybrid Good news for eccentric scooter lovers who live in the States: Piaggio’s MP3 Hybrid is coming to America in the first quarter of 2010. This revelation came out while Piaggio Group USA President and CEO Paolo Timoni was sharing television time with our friend Wes from Hell For Leather on Fox Car Report Live . According to Timoni, the hybrid three-wheeler will be priced around $9,000. Other details that we previously didn’t know is that the hybrid scooter will be able to travel up to 40 miles on electricity alone. Riders can switch the scooter into electric-only mode if they want to use zero gas and there will also be three separate hybrid modes to choose from, including a performance mode that can “boost performance” by an impressive 85 percent. The result of all of this hybrid wizardry? Up to 140 miles per gallon, depending on riding conditions and distance traveled. Gallery: Piaggio MP3 hybrid scooter [Source: Hell For Leather ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , On Two Wheels , Green Daily , USA Piaggio MP3 Hybrid coming to America first quarter 2010 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 08 Mar 2009 08:56:00 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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Piaggio MP3 Hybrid coming to America first quarter 2010

Used hybrid values have "fallen off a cliff"

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 18:25:00 +0000

As we’re sure you’ve noticed every time you’ve gone to refill your gas tank in the last few months, gas is once again relatively cheap. Just under a year ago, the price for a gallon of fuel was about double what it is today in most parts of the country, and those high costs were driving the sales of hybrids – both new and used – to record levels. Now? Well, not so much. According to Kelley Blue Book , used hybrid prices have fallen by an amazing 23.5 percent since last summer, and 4.5 percent of that has come in the first two months of 2009. It’s not just fuel prices that are causing hybrid values to plummet. Due to the lack of discretionary spending money and despite the savings on each tank of gas, the extra cost associated with a hybrid at the time of initial purchase is something that many buyers are unwilling to consider. Perhaps there’s a positive side to this story. Buyers looking to get a good deal on a used hybrid should have plenty of options to consider. Then, when the price of fuel inevitably climbs back up, you can laugh all the way to the bank. [Source: USA Today ] Auto Blog: Hybrid , Green Daily Used hybrid values have “fallen off a cliff” originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:25:00 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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Nissan gets a charge out of Ecotality in Arizona

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:36:00 +0000

Ecotality , an electric transportation and storage company, has been big-timing it lately with the likes of Nissan . Together with the Pima Association of Governments ( PAG ), they have formed an EV Micro-Climate Working Group with a goal of making Pima County , which encompasses Tucson, Arizona, the charging-infrastructured home of many electric vehicles. When Nissan launches its electric car in 2010, they will make sure to have some of their battery-operated lovelies available for public and private fleets in the region while Ecotality is to help with the planning and installation of the charging stations. Although the project is being implemented to support the vehicles from Nissan, the public stations will meet charge system standards and be equipped with the J1772 connector that the Society of Engineers (SAE) has been working on . This should be the same plug other future electric cars will be equipped with. For older, pre-J1772 electric vehicles, we imagine adapters will be necessary. Full press release after the break. [Source: Ecotality ] Continue reading Nissan gets a charge out of Ecotality in Arizona Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in , Nissan , USA Nissan gets a charge out of Ecotality in Arizona originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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California Air Resources Board proposes Low Carbon Fuel Standard

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:24:00 +0000

The California Air Resources Board wants to reduce the amount of carbon in transportation fuels as a way to reduce the resulting greenhouse gas emissions. One way CARB wants to meet California’s stated goal of a statewide GHG emissions cap for 2020 (which would be based on 1990 emissions) is a Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Since at least 2007, CARB has been looking into implementing a Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and yesterday made an official announcement of a public hearing to consider the adoption of this standard. As a preliminary measure, this standard “would reduce GHG emissions by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuels used in California by an average of 10 percent by the year 2020.” The draft regulations issued yesterday call for the fuel industry to meet the first step of the standard by 2011. Up to 20 percent of the conventional fuels used today would be replaced by things like electricity, hydrogen, natural gas and biofuels. CARB will hold a public hearing on the proposal on April 23rd and 24th. More details here and at GreenTechMedia . [Source: CARB via GreenTechMedia ] Auto Blog: Legislation and Policy , USA California Air Resources Board proposes Low Carbon Fuel Standard originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:24:00 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: Pininfarina and Bolloré now accepting orders for all-electric B0

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:26:00 +0000

Click on picture for a complete high-resolution gallery of the B0 concept If you’re a fan of Pininfarina’s B0 concept , go and join the list. The two partners in the car, Pininfarina and Bolloré, have officially opened their registration list for a €330 per month lease for the car. The lease includes 24 hour roadside assistance. Vincent Bolloré announced during the Geneva Motor Show that the first orders will be delivered in about a year, and future buyers will be able to test-drive one of the 15 current prototypes before that. The car will first be leased in six European countries (France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain and Switzerland) and the B0 will also someday reach U.S. and some Asian markets. You will be able to lease the car online, and the marque is planning to create dealer networks to distribute and repairing the car. According to Bolloré, B0 is able to go 100 kilometers for €1. It’s got a 50 kW (68hp) motor, a 250 km (155 miles) range and is able to run for 30 km (20 miles) on a charge of “a few minutes” (a full charge is achieved after 5 hours plugged into any wall socket). Bolloré also mentioned that the car will be built at Pininfarina’s site in Turin, Italy, with planned production rates of 10,000 cars in 2010, 20,000 in 2011 and 30,000 units in 2012. Two additional production sites are also planned in Quimper and Montreal and, depending on lithium reserves, one could be installed in Bolivia . Gallery: Pininfarina B0 [Source: Le Blog Auto ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Europe/EU , USA Geneva 2009: Pininfarina and Bolloré now accepting orders for all-electric B0 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:26:00 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: Pininfarina and Bolloré now accepting orders for all-electric B0

Canada wants North American fuel efficiency standard

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:44:00 +0000

Canada’s Environment Minister Jim Prentice believes that there should be a single fuel efficiency standard for all countries in North America. He says, “At this point in the United States, it would appear as though they are headed toward a 35 mile a gallon standard by 2020 and that would start to come into effect in the 2011 model year. We’ve essentially been prepared to go in that same direction.” That 35 mpg standard is good enough for Canada if it’s good enough for the United States, right? It makes sense for automakers that sell their products across all of North America, especially to the U.S. domestic manufacturers that build hundreds of thousands of cars in Canada and Mexico each year. It’s not perfect, though, as California is moving to create its own fuel economy standards under the guise of greenhouse gas emissions regulations. “The first thing that has to happen, however, is that the United States has to land with their own domestic policy. It’s by no means clear how this will emerge from Congress over the course of the next year,” Prentice said. [Source: Reuters | Image: AlexCovarrubias C.C. 2.5] Auto Blog: MPG , Legislation and Policy , Green Daily , North America , USA Canada wants North American fuel efficiency standard originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:44:00 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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100,000 Apteras in 5 years?

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:54:00 +0000

It appears that a sizable chunk of the 32.7 million electric vehicles predicted to be roaming the streets in that report we told you about will be built by Aptera . 100,000 of them to be exact. That is, if the company’s ambitious goals are reached. In their latest newsletter , the number was slipped in alongside mention of 1,500 jobs they plan on creating in that same time span. With a pool of customers over 4,000 deep, months before the first one hits the road, and a 4-wheeled sedan on the way as well, these targets may seem a little high-reaching but doable. This latest dispatch is more content rich than those in the past and contains links to some of the press attention they’ve gotten since their high-profile TED appearance . It also reveals an expanded web presence. Yes, the flightless ones are now Twittering away about everything Aptera and even fielding some questions. Look back over their past tweets and find links to pics of their appearance at the Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance or learn what one of these birds looks like in colors other than white. Enjoy. Gallery: Aptera 2e at TED [Source: Aptera ] Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Aptera , USA 100,000 Apteras in 5 years? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:54:00 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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Project Get Ready gets ready to get plug-in cars going

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Want to help the country meet or beat President Obama’s goal of 1 million plug-in cars by 2015? Perhaps, by working with like-minded folks at the community level to knock down barriers and help set up infrastructure, you can. Project Get Ready is a non-profit initiative that has emerged from the Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) Smart Garage Summit to help accomplish just that. They’ve already signed up three cities and are looking for more. To help guide interested individuals, their freshly launched website not only offers a menu of strategic actions that should be taken to speed plug-in adoption but also a database of readiness activities presently underway. Although brand new, there is already a wealth of information that could keep one reading (and thinking) for many hours. But don’t just think about it, get involved and help make a greener tomorrow a reality. Press release after the break. [Source: Project Get Ready ] Continue reading Project Get Ready gets ready to get plug-in cars going Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in , Legislation and Policy , Green Daily , USA Project Get Ready gets ready to get plug-in cars going originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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UL changes tune, will allow E15 in UL87 pumps

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Earlier this month, it was reported that Underwriters Laboratories had not yet approved gas dispensing pumps that were labeled with the UL87 certification to carry concentrations of ethanol higher than 10 percent. Meanwhile, many states in the corn belt were considering bumping the current E10 standard up to E15, which is a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline. Since that initial story broke, UL has apparently revisited the issue and has decided to allow the pumps to dispense gas with up to a 15 percent concentration of the alcohol fuel. The reason for the change of heart? According to UL, there isn’t any research that indicates there would be a serious safety risk when increasing the UL87-certified pumps ethanol content from 10 percent to 15 percent. Still, UL suggests that dispensers check with the manufacturer for final approval before using any concentrations higher than E10. Next question: What happens when states decide to go with E20? [Source: Underwriters Laboratories ] Auto Blog: Ethanol , Legislation and Policy , USA UL changes tune, will allow E15 in UL87 pumps originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:50:00 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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Jetta TDI proving tough to find in California

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:10:00 +0000

Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI In the minds of those in charge of voting for automotive awards , it seems that the new Volkswagen Jetta TDI can do no wrong . Perhaps the same can be said of new car purchasers, depending on where that buyer happens to live. Apparently, the German automaker can’t keep up with demand in a number of areas because of the way the vehicles are allocated to dealerships. At least one VW employee from California who had placed his order way back in 2008 is being told he won’t get his new car until late April or early May. In contrast, there is reportedly no wait at all in Washington, D.C. That unnamed employee says, “I could probably go there to buy one, but what am I going to do, drive it all the way back to California?” Think of the bright side… at least it would be a fuel efficient road trip. Gallery: In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI [Source: Tank of Diesel ] Auto Blog: Diesel , Volkswagen , USA Jetta TDI proving tough to find in California originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 23 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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Jetta TDI proving tough to find in California