July 23, 2008
Los Angeles County officials today approved a proposal by BlueFire Ethanol to build what might be the first commercial facility in the U.S. to process biowaste into ethanol.
Members of the county's regional planning commission voted today to issue a permit to BlueFire Ethanol of Irvine, Calif., to build a $30 million facility in Lancaster, 70 miles northeast of downtown L.A.
Ethanol is the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages and in thermometers, but it's largest single use today is as a fuel for internal combustion engines and as a fuel additive.
BlueFire President Arnold Klann said the plant would be the first commercial facility in the nation to make ethanol out of wood chips, paper and other biowaste.
Construction of the plant, which would be located next to a landfill, is expected to begin this fall.
Scott Doggett, Contributor
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- Scott Doggett July 23, 2008, 4:36 PM
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- Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Economy
General Motors and the U.S. Postal Service have joined forces again to deliver mail using hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles.
The two organizations announced today that the Postal Service has for the third time joined Chevrolet's Project Driveway, one of the largest market tests of fuel-cell vehicles to date.
Two postal stations - one in Irvine, California, another to be announced - will be using hydrogen-powered Chevrolet Equinox fuel-cell electric vehicles to deliver the mail on regular routes six days a week. The service will begin immediately in Irvine.
The Postal Service began using an Equinox in 2004 in Virginia. The service began using an Equinox two years later to deliver mail in Irvine. Both trial programs, which ended last year, helped GM learn a lot about how fuel-cell vehicles operate in real-world conditions.
GM will maintain the vehicle and pay the cost of its fuel. Letter carriers will fuel the vehicle at the University of California, Irvine, hydrogen fueling station.
Scott Doggett, Contributor
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- Scott Doggett July 23, 2008, 3:26 PM
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- Chevrolet, Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Hydrogen
By John O'Dell, Senior Editor
Well, somebody believes.
We hear a lot of doubt when the subject of Aptera Motors and its odd-looking, three-wheeled EV is raised around the office.
But the company and search engine giant Google has announced that Google's green tech investment arm has just pumped some of its money into Aptera.
The $2.75 million investment was made by RechargeIT, a unit Google.org started to "accelerate the commercialization of plug-in vehicles."
Google.org, if you are trying to keep score here, is Google's philanthropic arm.
"We've been looking for top entrepreneurs working to find innovative transportation solutions, and we're delighted to include Aptera Motors among those innovative companies we're supporting," said Karl Sun, a Google.org investments principal.
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- John O'Dell July 23, 2008, 3:24 PM
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- Aptera, Fuels & Technologies, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
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Click on images to enlarge. You may need to click on the smaller images twice to bring them into focus.
By John O'Dell, Senior Editor
Raser Technologies has signed a deal to develop and deliver a 100-mile-per-gallon extended range electric pickup truck for testing by Northern California utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
The 5-year-old Provo, Utah, developer of electric motors and controllers, says its proprietary plug-in EV system can enable full-size light pickups to achieve up to 140 miles per gallon in city driving and 33 MPG on the highway.
The company's system is a series hybrid, the same kind that drives diesel-electric locomotives and giant cruise ships.
It uses a combustion engine, but only to power an on-board generator that produces juice for an electric drive system. A 3-D animation on Raser's website offers an excellent look at how the drivetrain works.
The system to be used for the pickup combines a powerful 200-kilowatt electric traction motor and 700-volt lithium-ion battery system with a 100 kilowatt generator powered by a small 4-cylinder gasoline engine, said Raser spokesman Robert Putnam.
The batteries, initially charged from a home or commercial outlet, store sufficient energy to enable a full-size pickup or SUV to achieve up to 40 miles of all-electric drive before the combustion engine kicks in to generate power to keep the vehicle moving and recharge the batteries.
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- Scott Doggett July 23, 2008, 1:17 PM
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- Chevrolet, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
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- Electric Vehicle
, Hybrid, Plug In, Raser Technologies
Ford of Europe's most frugal car ever - the 2009 diesel-powered Fiesta ECOnetic - made its world premiere at the British auto show on Tuesday, but don't expect to see one in the U.S. anytime soon.
Powered by a specially-calibrated version of the 1.6-liter four-cylinder TDCi turbo-diesel engine, Ford's most economical Fiesta can travel 63.6 miles per U.S. gallon on the European Commission's combined test cycle.
That said, EC fuel-economy estimates tend to be slightly higher than those the U.S. government attaches to vehicles sold in America. That's because, unlike U.S. mileage testing, the fuel-economy tests for cars sold in Europe contain a minimum of acceleration and therefore differ significantly from normal driving conditions.
Still, the fuel economy is impressive and it's matched with a class-leading carbon-dioxide output of 98 grams per kilometer, making the Fiesta ECOnetic the lowest carbon vehicle in both its segment and Ford's European range.
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- Scott Doggett July 23, 2008, 10:04 AM
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- Diesel, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy
Right, the European Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet.
Ford Motor Co. reportedly is planning to turn its Michigan Truck Assembly Plant, one of the most profitable in the world at the height of the pickup truck boom in the late 1990s, into a small-car factory.
If the report in today's Wall Street Journal is accurate, the move would send a clear signal to those who still need one that the era of the big truck has come to the end of the road in a stagnant U.S. economy plagued by high fuel prices andgrowing concern over future oil supplies.
The newspaper report, which Ford declined to comment on, says the automaker will announce plans Thursday to switch the Detroit area plant and two other truck assembly plants over to production of U.S. versions of Ford's more fuel-efficient (and generally better-looking) European small car models.
The report also says that Ford intends to begin using its ailing Mercury brand as the principal channel for those cars - an echo of the late 1980s when Lincoln-Mercury dealers tried - rather unsuccessfully as it turned out - to sell a pair of German-build European Fords under the "Merkur" brand name.
A report we posted earlier this week speculated on Ford's plans to switch from trucks to small cars but didn't mention specific plants or the idea of using Mercury as its new small-car sales outlet.
John O'Dell,Senior Editor
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- John O'Dell July 23, 2008, 8:14 AM
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- Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Mercury
July 22, 2008
At right, a dragster MINI Cooper.
Earlier this month we told you that Automotive News Europe was reporting that BMW plans to export nearly 500 electric versions of its popular MINI Cooper to California.
Today, Shawn Ticehurst of BMW Group, parent of the MINI brand, confirmed that "several hundred" electric MINIs would be coming the United States and that BMW was presently testing electric versions of the popular little car.
He said the cars would be available to the public. But whether they will be sold or leased - and technical details, such as the driving range between charges - are unknown at this time, Ticehurst said.
At least one blog reported today that BMW was seriously considering exporting diesel-powered MINI Coopers to the United States.
Ticehurst wouldn't deny the report, but he wouldn't confirm it either, chuckling instead as he said, "We haven't announced that at all."
Scott Doggett, Contributor
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- Scott Doggett July 22, 2008, 5:35 PM
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- BMW, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, MINI, Plug-ins and Electric
The White House directly influenced the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to reject California's bid to pursue its own regulations for controlling automotive greenhouse gas emissions within the state, a former key EPA manager told a congressional committee today.
California - the only state authorized to set air quality rules that are more stringent than federal standards - needed an EPA waiver to move ahead with its plan.
The waiver request was denied late last year by EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, a White House appointee, to howls of protest from influential Congressional Democrats led by California's Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Henry Waxman.
Both have alleged that the White House exerted undue influence over the agency.
Now, in congressional testimony reported today by the subscription-only environmental news service E&E News, former EPA deputy associate administrator Jason Burnett said Johnson had intended to grant the state's request until the White House "clearly articulated that the president had a policy preference for a single [national] standard."
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- John O'Dell July 22, 2008, 3:49 PM
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- Emissions
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Right, BMW 7 Hydrogen on Nürburgring racetrack. The car or one like it will be available for test drives.
The Detroit area is famous for the Woodward Dream Cruise, a summertime showcase of thousands of hotrods, muscle cars and other exotics.
Now in an effort to improve Motown's gas-guzzling image, a new group has organized what they call Nextcruise, which will actually give the public an opportunity to drive what many see as the next generation of vehicles - hybrids, fuel cell, clean-diesel, plug-in electric and other green machines.
The low-emissions, fuel-efficient vehicles will be available for free 15-minute drives on a first-come, first-served basis in Pleasant Ridge, just outside Detroit, in mid-August.
The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16, and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, at Memorial Park, 23925 Woodward Avenue, Pleasant Ridge 48069-1199.
Nine automakers have agreed to provide green vehicles and green-car-technology demonstrations for event to date. They are: General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
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- Scott Doggett July 22, 2008, 3:44 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, Biofuels, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Diesel, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Volkswagen
By Philip Reed, Senior Consumer Advice Editor
Andy Grove addresses 2008 Plug-In Conference in San Jose.
If only our elected leaders spoke as directly about our energy problems as does Intel founder Andy Grove.
Grove, speaking to a hushed lunchtime audience, said the bloodiest battle in history (the Battle of Stalingrad in which 1.5 million were killed) was fought over the oil fields of Caucasus. The implication is obvious. If we don't kick the oil habit we will wind up fighting more "resource wars" over oil.
Grove wants to see us using electricity to power our vehicles, an obvious choice, he said, because electricity is "fungible," meaning that it can be created in many different ways, transported easily and used in different ways.
Throughout the speech, Grove referred to the "Tragedy of the Commons," a phrase popularized by Garrett Hardin in a 1968 essay about what happens when resources that are held in common are overused.
Flashing a red powerpoint slide on the screen with the movie title "There Will Be Blood," Grove concluded his speech by saying, "It is up to us to rebuild the commons and make that (the movie title) not be so."
Grove threw down a stiff challenge to the gathered representatives of the auto industry and startup PHEV companies: convert 10 million existing pickups, SUVs and vans to plug-in electric hybrids in the next four years. He said this challenge should also be presented to the new president who takes office in 2009.
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- Philip Reed July 22, 2008, 2:26 PM
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- Ford, General Motors, Plug-ins and Electric
- Technorati Tags:
- Andy Grove
, EVs, Intel, Plug-in Hybrid, Southern California Edison
By John O'Dell, Senior Editor
It just had to happen.
After all, Nissan is there, in a master-planned business park next door to Nashville; Nissan wants to promote electric vehicles; and the Tennessee Valley Authority, which oversees a vast hydroelectric empire, has juice to spare.
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Nissan's Mixim EV Concept, right
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So Nissan and the state of Tennessee announced today that they are forming a partnership (actually, Tennessee and the Renault-Nissan Alliance) to promote zero emission vehicles - a category that right now includes only electric vehicles.
Nissan, which has said it will begin marketing electric vehicles in the U.S. in 2010, apparently will provide the ZEVs, while the state, working with the TVA and other corporate and non-profit participants, will work on ways to keep those electric cars running. That would include installation of publicly available recharging stations.
Efforts initially will be focused on the mid-Tennessee region along the Interstate 24 and Interstate 65 corridors.
The Tennessee Valley Authority - the nation's largest public power supplier - "is looking forward to being part of this project to explore the potential of electric vehicles," said TVA Chairman William B. Sansom.
"Electric vehicles could put electricity to work overnight, or off-peak, when other power needs are lower," he added, "and that has the potential to be an economic and environmental plus for all of us."
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- John O'Dell July 22, 2008, 1:43 PM
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- Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault
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, Nissan, Renault, Tennessee
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
Earlier this month we reported that Honda would unveil a lightweight, fuel-efficient sports car concept at the British auto show today.
We're now able to make good on that promise, but unfortunately we're not able to tell you that the gorgeous two-seat convertible you see here will be entering production.
Nor are we able to tell you that the apparent front-wheel-drive vehicle will be offered as a hybrid. Fact is, Honda is saying very little about the vehicle. Here's what we do know:
We're looking at the OSM concept, which stands for Open Study Model. It's a low-emissions car that joins the confirmed-for-production CR-Z sports hybrid and the FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell car on the display stand at the auto show in London.
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- Scott Doggett July 22, 2008, 12:26 PM
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- Auto Shows, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid
Lithium Ion battery packs being tested in U.S. at Argonne National Laboratory.
We don't think this is one of those signs and portents that mark the impending end of the world, but it does seem a near miracle: Several Japanese automakers, battery developers and power companies reportedly have agreed to work together to establish a global standard for lithium-ion batteries.
If you can remember back to the late 1990s and early 2000s and the days of the EV1, Nissan Altra, Toyota RAV4 EV and other first-generation electric vehicles built in extremely limited numbers to meet California's then-new Zero Emissions Vehicles mandate, you'll also remember that there were several types of batteries in use and two competing charging systems required.
That added more complexity and cost to an already complex and costly new-vehicle development program and helped hasten the demise of hopes for a vast fleet of readily available, affordable and easy-to-charge EVs.
A global standard, which means - among other things - that all battery systems would be designed to use the use the same recharging system, is one of the things needed if there is to be any chance of bringing back the battery-electric vehicle in a meaningful way.
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- John O'Dell July 22, 2008, 9:53 AM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Chrysler, Fisker, Ford, General Motors, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Smart, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota
- Technorati Tags:
- Electric Vehicles
, General Motors, Nissan, Toyota
Soy foam in the seats the Ford F-150 pickups and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. Locally farmed hemp, "ethically produced" woolen fabric and floor mats made of sisal in the Lotus Eco Elise.
Some automakers are increasingly going to great lengths to make the interiors of some of their models if not environmentally friendly, at least a bit wholesome.
But others, well...
Early today the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, Michigan, posted its second-annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and children's car seats at www.HealthyCar.org.
More than two hundred 2008- and 2009-model-year vehicles and more than 60 children's car seats were tested for unhealthy chemicals that seep in gaseous form from the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests, seats and carpet.
The "new-car smell," as the gases are commonly called, mingle with the air occupants breathe and have been linked to allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer.
The Ecology Center reported that Mazda, General Motors and Nissan improved since last year's findings, with GM showing the greatest gains of the domestic automakers, with an average vehicle ranking improvement of 27 percent.
The list of the 10 best and 10 worst vehicles as picked by the Center appears in the chart above.
Average child-car-seat scores improved 28 percent overall. The list of 10 best and worst car seats for 2008 as picked by the Center appears at left. Click on the chart for a better look.
For more information, go to www.HealthyCar.org.
Below are the three worst 2008-model-year vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Suzuki Reno and Volkswagen New Beetle.
Below are are the three best vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Acura RXD, Chevrolet Cobalt and Smart Passion Cabriolet.
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- Scott Doggett July 22, 2008, 12:21 AM
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- Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Pontiac, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Think, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo
July 21, 2008
At right, GM's Plug-in Electric Saturn, planned for release in 2010, is recharged at a public station in San Jose.
By Philip Reed, Senior Consumer Advice Editor
Paving the way for plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, GM is teaming up with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to bring together 34 utility companies across 37 states to prepare for a shift to electric vehicles. The effort is ongoing and GM hopes it will soon include more utilities nationwide.
The announcement came Monday night at the Plug-in 2008 Conference in San Jose, Calif., on the eve of what is expected to be a series of announcements about the shift toward electric vehicles. High gas prices and plummeting sales is creating more urgency to develop plug-in electric cars such as GM's Chevrolet Volt, due out in 2010.
GM is positioning itself to be the first in the market with its Volt and plug-in electric hybrid version of the Saturn Vue. However, it wants to begin a seamless transition to electric transportation by addressing issues with the utility companies needed to recharge its vehicles.
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- Philip Reed July 21, 2008, 9:44 PM
- Categories:
- Chevrolet, General Motors, Plug-ins and Electric
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, EPRI, GM, Jon Lauckner, plug-in electric hybrids
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