Green Car Advisor
Flex-Fuel
September 3, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
and John O'Dell, Senior Editor
General Motors has reaped a ton of publicity from its Chevrolet Volt, a car with a grid-charged battery pack that will power an electric motor and an on-board gasoline engine that will generate electricity to keep the electric motor running and recharge the batteries when the initial plug-in charge is depleted.
Often missed in all the high-voltage buzz is that Ford Motor Co. showed a concept car with essentially the same system during the same January 2007 Detroit Auto Show at which the Volt took its bows.
Now comes word that Ford's Japanese subsidiary, Mazda, is putting its zoom into development of a Volt competitor of its own.
The British blog autocar says it has "learned that Mazda engineers are hard at work trying to develop a rival to the Chevrolet Volt -- a car which uses a petrol engine to charge a battery pack which powers the wheels via an electric motor."
High-ranking sources at Mazda, autocar reports, "say that trials are currently underway in Japan, with a prototype that uses a rotary engine to charge the battery pack. The tests are sufficiently advanced that Mazda has a working prototype in a Mazda 5 MPV bodyshell. Company bosses are said to be keen to put this system into production but no firm decisions will be made until the cost of batteries is reduced.
"In the meantime the company will concentrate on simpler green technologies. The first stop-start Mazda will go on sale in Japan next year and the system is expected to be rolled out globally on a variety of models."
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- Scott Doggett September 3, 2008, 3:01 AM
- Categories:
- Chevrolet, China, Diesel, Dodge, Emissions, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
- Technorati Tags:
- Chevrolet Volt
, Chevy Volt, E-Flex, Electric Vehicle, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, GM, Hydrogen, HySeries Drive, Mazda, PHEV, Plug-In
August 18, 2008
Ford Motor Co. will launch production of the first EcoBoost V6 engines early next spring for installation into the Lincoln MKS sedan and Ford Flex crossover SUV, Automotive News reported today.
The automaker is planning to charge a $700 premium for the new 3.5-liter turbocharged and direct-injected engine, the subscription news service reported, adding that the first vehicles will be rated at 340 horsepower and 340 pound-feet of torque.
Ford spokesman Alan Hall, when asked to confirm the report, said, "We've not announced pricing."
The EcoBoost strategy, unveiled earlier this year, combines a smaller-than-usual engine with a turbocharger and direct injection to deliver 20 percent better fuel economy, 15 percent fewer tailpipe emissions and, often, more horsepower than the larger fuel-injected engines that typically would be offered as standard equipment in most models.
Compared to a similarly powerful V8 engine, the fuel savings from the new V6 were estimated at $339 a year at $3.25/gallon. The savings will be substantially greater at current gas prices.
In 2010, Ford will also add the engine to the F-150 pickup as an alternative to the current 5.4-liter V8, the service reported.
The automaker is expected to introduce four-cylinder EcoBoost engines in other models in the next couple of years. Ford has said that by 2012 it plans to offer EcoBoost engines for almost every model the company makes.
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- Scott Doggett August 18, 2008, 10:45 AM
- Categories:
- Emissions, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Economy, Lincoln
August 13, 2008
By Bill Visnic, Senior Editor
The annual Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars confab in Traverse City, MI, put together a feisty session Tuesday called "Energy, Efficiency and Climate -- What Role Auto?" And while the session resulted in some prickly give-and-take between auto-industry and environmental representatives, there was essentially agreement on one point: California needs to give up its crusade to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions.
Mike Stanton, president and CEO of the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, which represents almost all domestic and import automakers doing business in the U.S. and a longtime auto-industry rep in Washington, DC, said simply, "It's a little ridiculous," to have federal emissions standards, competing state emissions regulations, and the potential for even more conflict with California's CO2-regulating proposal.
He said the 14 manufacturers represented by the AIAM want "one national standard" for emissions regulation.
But he also said political winds appear to be blowing against their wishes. Both presidential candidates support granting California's waiver to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions.
"Neither candidate (Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain) has been terribly supportive of us in the past," Stanton said. Either presents challenges to the AIAM's hope for sanity in the emissions-regulation structure, he added.
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- Scott Doggett August 13, 2008, 7:26 AM
- Categories:
- Chrysler, Courts, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation
- Technorati Tags:
- Automakers
, Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars, CO2, Emissions, Fuel Economy, GHG, Greenhouse Gases
August 12, 2008
While automakers wait for more 85 percent ethanol blend gasoline pumps to be installed at gas stations, the ethanol industry is waiting for automakers to produce more "flex-fuel" vehicles that can safely burn the E85 blend, in what has resulted in a widespread waiting game.
"E85 needs more infrastructure," Rick Gunther, Midwest fleet and commercial operations manager for General Motors, told the subscription news service Greenwire. "I tell retailers, 'We're the chicken, you're the egg.' "
Detroit's Big Three automakers are waiting for Japanese companies Honda and Toyota to be more active in the flex-fuel market to stimulate demand for more pumps, but so far their response has been slow. Toyota plans to introduce a flex-fuel version of its Tundra in 2009.
Pump manufacturers told Greenwire they are waiting for Underwriters Laboratories certification of safety and efficiency on the new blender pump, which would offer more options for ethanol blends -- beyond the 10 percent or 85 percent currently available.
And everyone is waiting for U.S. EPA to decide whether it's safe to use a 20 percent blend of ethanol in car engines. The 10-percent blend is now the maximum for regular engines, although EPA has approved E85 for flex-fuel vehicles.
Ethanol proponents say E20 and maybe even E30 are safe for regular car engines, although automakers disagree.
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- Scott Doggett August 12, 2008, 2:08 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Chrysler, Diesel, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Toyota
August 11, 2008
Large-SUV segment: Could reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated?
The run-up in gas prices from April through June spooked American car buyers into a manic rush to find the most fuel-efficient vehicles they could and to dump their gas guzzlers.
So new-car buyers nearly abandoned the large-SUV and pickup-truck segments, grew lukewarm about crossovers even compared with the first quarter, sought out small cars, pushed OEMs' subcompact-car manufacturing capacity to the max, and completely sucked up supplies of Prius and of some other hybrids. All the while, overall sales tanked.
So automakers made some of the most precipitous and significant decisions ever about production cutbacks and segment reallocations. Each of Detroit's Big Three and even Toyota moved quickly and massively to slash pickup and SUV production and goose small-car output as much as they could.
But the latest Edmunds.com data indicate that the industry may well have rushed into these moves too soon, perhaps overreacting -- along with the news media and other entities -- to how American consumers plainly were responding to skyrocketing gasoline prices.
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- John O'Dell August 11, 2008, 7:15 AM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Chevrolet, General Motors, Profiles
- Technorati Tags:
- CAFE
, Edmunds.com, Fuel Economy, Fuel Efficieny, Hybrids, Mileage
August 7, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
To be honest, we nearly decided not to report the following development, because as anyone who has paid the slightest attention to EPA Administer Stephen Johnson (right) the past year knows, he was as likely to approve Texas's request to halve the 2008 renewable fuel standard as he was to appear before the Washington press corps in a yellow polka-dot bikini.
In denying the state's request to cut the national biofuels mandate in half for a year, Johnson -- a Bush appointee -- said today that the renewable fuel standard "is strengthening the nation's energy security and supporting America's farming communities."
The mandate "will remain an important tool in our ongoing effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lessen our dependence on foreign oil in aggressive yet practical ways," he said.
Texas Governor Rick Perry asked EPA to lower the 2008 renewable fuel standard from 9 billion gallons to 4.5 billion gallons, saying the mandate was spurring skyrocketing food and feed costs and hurting his state's economy.
Politically, rubbing some Texans the wrong way given that the state can be counted on to vote Republican anyway is a small price to pay compared to losing campaign contributions from the agriculture industry and votes from swing states where agriculture is big business.
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- Scott Doggett August 7, 2008, 12:25 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Economy, Legislation, Methanol
- Technorati Tags:
- EPA
, Ethanol, Flex Fuel, Renewable Fuel Standard, Stephen Johnson, Texas Governor Rick Perry
August 4, 2008
Auto dealers and consumer advocates told federal rulemakers today that a proposed 25 percent mandatory increase in fleetwide fuel economy standards is out of touch with importance buyers now give fuel-efficiency.
Mark Cooper, research director for the Consumer Federation of America, said rulemakers wrongly assumed U.S. drivers would continue to covet large trucks and SUVs, even though car buyers began moving to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars in 2004.
"The auto industry acts as if plummeting SUV and pickup truck sales are a new phenomena," he told the National Transportation Safety Board at a Washington public hearing. "The fact is, gas-guzzling-vehicle sales have been falling off a cliff for over three years. And yet the administration's proposed fuel economy standards presumes no fall and no cliff."
As a result, Cooper said, the proposed fleetwide fuel economy standard of 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015 would fail to meet consumer demands. According to a study performed by his organization, 59 percent of those surveyed want their next vehicle to get more than 35 mpg. Meanwhile, only 1 percent of new models offer that degree of fuel economy.
Adam Lee, president of Lee Auto Malls, which has a dozen Maine dealerships, said he has seen firsthand the shifting buying trends that have resulted in across-the-board losses for major carmakers.
Lee said he has laid off salespeople while waiting for automakers to produce the type of cars Americans want. "We just don't have the cars to sell," he said. "And I'm not just talking hybrids.... Consumers are waiting for good, old-fashioned small cars."
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- Scott Doggett August 4, 2008, 2:05 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Chrysler, Courts, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Legislation, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
- Technorati Tags:
- CAFE
, Consumer Federation of America, Corporate Average Fuel Economy, EV, GM, National Transportation Safety Board, NTSB, PHEV
July 31, 2008
With almost daily announcements of initiatives aimed at chopping the price of fuel at America's pumps, West Virginia, one of the nation's most prolific coal-producing states, is making a serious move to leverage the lumpy black stuff for transportation fuel by fast-tracking construction of a commercial-scale plant utilizing a proven coal-to-gasoline process.
The coal-to-liquids plant, which will be the first in the U.S., could be up and running as quickly as three years from now, according to published reports, at a cost of some $800 million.
The planned facility is in Marshall County, located not far from the major cities of Pittsburgh and Cleveland in the state's Northern Panhandle. It will be operated in a joint venture between Pittsburgh-based Consol Energy Inc. and Houston's Synthesis Energy Systems Inc.
The plant will employ standard coal and waste coal from a nearby Consol mine and could draw on coal from two other nearby mines.
The joint venture, called Northern Appalachia Fuels LLC, will employ SES's U-Gas process to gasify coal to synthetic gas then convert it to methanol, the primary product of the process.
Synthetic Energy then uses its proprietary methanol-to-gasoline process to convert the methanol to gasoline. The company is negotiating with Exxon-Mobil Research and Engineering to license the process.
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- Scott Doggett July 31, 2008, 3:01 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Coal, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Economy, Legislation, Methanol
- Technorati Tags:
- coal-to-gasoline
, Consol Energy Inc., Exxon-Mobile, Fuels LLC, methanol, Synthesis Energy Systems Inc.
July 24, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
Ford Motor Co. today announced plans to accelerate its transformation away from gas-guzzling pickups and SUVs to fuel-efficient vehicles with the addition of new small cars to its North America lineup and unprecedented production changes as the automaker reported a record-high total net loss for the second quarter of $8.67 billion.
In addition to bringing six small vehicles to North America from the company's European lineup, Ford is accelerating the introduction of fuel-efficient EcoBoost and all-new four-cylinder engines, increasing hybrid production and converting three existing truck and SUV plants for small-car production, beginning this December.
Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally said the company is more focused than ever on its transformation plan, which calls for:
• Aggressively restructuring to operate profitably at the current demand and changing model mix.
• Accelerating the development of new products that customers want and value.
• Financing the plan and improving the balance sheet.
• Working together effectively as one team, leveraging Ford's global assets.
Aggressive Restructuring
Ford will convert three existing North American truck and SUV plants for small car production, with the first conversion beginning this December.
The moves are in addition to Ford's announcements in May and June that it is reducing its North American production plans for large trucks and SUVs for the remainder of 2008, as well as increasing production of smaller cars and crossovers.
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- Scott Doggett July 24, 2008, 7:55 AM
- Categories:
- Emissions, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid, Lincoln, Toyota
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
- Categories:
- Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Economy
July 22, 2008
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
July 21, 2008
By now most of us are aware of the pitfalls of ethanol, among them: It's raising food costs worldwide, it requires a tremendous amount of water, it produces less energy than gasoline while emitting more pollutants, it's contributing to rainforest deforestation, it's displacing valuable food crops, the fertilizers it requires are wiping out marine life. The list goes on.
But here's one pitfall this writer was unaware of: Ethanol is allowing Detroit's Big Three automakers to manufacture more gas-guzzling vehicles and as a result is making the U.S. more dependent on foreign oil, not less.
In his book "Gusher of Lies," Robert Bryce points out that the Big Three love ethanol because the automakers can use it to inflate the fuel-efficiency ratings of their cars artificially at a time when the federal government requires them to increase the corporate average fuel economy of their vehicle lines.
The CAFE rules allow for a complex formula that increases gas mileage by factoring in a percentage of ethanol use, but only counting the gasoline consumed. If, for example, the gasoline-ethanol variant of the Chevy Suburban used gas 52 percent of the time and ethanol 48 percent, it would have consumed a gallon of gas in the first 15 miles, then would be refilled with ethanol and would have used a gallon or so over the next 14 miles. But of the nearly 2 gallons consumed, only the gallon of gas would be counted.
So what does Bryce, a freelance journalist specializing in energy issues, suggest as an alternative fuel? Biodiesel derived from algae, solar and nuclear power to feed a grid that charges plug-in electric cars, and super-batteries that haven't been invented yet but likely would be soon if private foundations, the U.S. Department of Energy, or both offered a $1 billion prize to its inventor.
"Gusher of Lies" gives alt-fuel fans lots to think about. It lists for $27, but can be found at Amazon.com and other online stores for $10 less.
Scott Doggett, Contributor
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- Scott Doggett July 21, 2008, 8:56 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Chrysler, Courts, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
July 16, 2008
While most automakers have shifted production to focus on smaller vehicles, nearly 70 percent of consumers want the companies to invest more in existing and emerging powertrain technologies, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Alternative Powertrain Study released today.
Now in its third year, the Alternative Powertrain Study examines the reasons why consumers consider or avoid alternative powertrain vehicles, such as gas-electric hybrid, flex fuel and clean diesel models.
The study includes the Automotive Environmental Index, which rates the 2008-model-year vehicles on the basis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data to fuel economy and greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as expert input from J.D. Power & Associates.
The study found that more than 80 percent of the 4,000 consumers polled believe the U.S. is currently facing an energy crisis. Only 18 percent of these respondents believe the issue can be addressed by building small, fuel-efficient vehicle.
Thirty percent believe automakers should continue to produce a comparable vehicle lineup with a focus on gas-electric hybrid, clean diesel and flexible-fuel vehicles, while another 39 percent believe carmakers should focus on developing fuel cell and all-electric vehicles.
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- Scott Doggett July 16, 2008, 3:32 PM
- Categories:
- Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Emissions, Ethanol, Fiat, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mitsubishi, Natural Gas, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Pontiac, Smart, Solar, Toyota
July 14, 2008
Future U.S.-bound Ford Explorers will likely be based on the European Ford Kuga crossover, right.
With high gasoline prices pressuring truck profits, making the Ford brand vehicle lineup fuel-efficient and profitable is Job 1 at Ford Motor Co. these days.
CEO Alan Mulally's product strategy calls for globalizing several small- and medium-size vehicles from Ford's European operations.
The new vehicles will be more premium than previous forays into the U.S. small-car business, but executives intend to make the investment pay by spreading costs across global volume.
Amy Wilson, a reporter for Automotive News Europe, did a fine job today of summarizing Ford's lineup for the near future. Because ANE is a subscription service that you likely don't have access to, we're going to post the summary here, with input from Green Car Advisor as warranted.
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- Scott Doggett July 14, 2008, 9:10 AM
- Categories:
- Emissions, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
July 7, 2008
The same day a World Bank report identifies biofuels as the principal cause of the global food crisis, the Bush administration announces creation of a Web site that Americans can use to locate biofuel service stations.
"Need to know where to buy E85 or other alternative fuels?" today's announcement asks. "The U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center now has an online station locator. Just specify which kind of fuel you want, then enter your address and the locator will map out the closest stations that sell that fuel."
It's been reported that the World Bank withheld publicizing its findings to avoid embarrassing President Bush. The World Bank's determination that biofuels are responsible for the food crisis that threatens the lives of 100 million people contradicts the U.S. government's claims that plant-derived fuels contribute less than 3 percent to food price rises.
The White House must be delighted that Bush isn't the only Western leader with egg on his face today. The president's good friend, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, sparked outrage after it was disclosed today that he and other world leaders enjoyed a six-course lunch followed by an eight-course dinner at the G8 summit, where the global food crisis tops the agenda.
The prime minister was served 24 different dishes during his first day at the summit -- just hours after urging the world to reduce the "unnecessary demand" for food and calling on British families to cut back on their wasteful use of food.
For the low-down on that scandal, take a look at an article in today's edition of the British newspaper Telegraph.
Scott Doggett, Contributor
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- Scott Doggett July 7, 2008, 2:17 PM
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- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hydrogen, Natural Gas
Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75 percent -- far more than previously estimated -- according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian newspaper.
The damning unpublished assessment is based on the most detailed analysis of the crisis so far, carried out by an internationally respected economist at the global financial body.
The figure emphatically contradicts the U.S. government's claims that plant-derived fuels contribute less than 3 percent to food-price rises, the newspaper reported. It will add to pressure on governments in Washington and across Europe, which have turned to plant-derived fuels to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and reduce their dependence on imported oil.
Senior development sources believe the report, completed in April, has not been published to avoid embarrassing President Bush.
"It would put the World Bank in a political hot spot with the White House," said source is quoted as telling the Guardian.
The news comes at a critical point in the world's negotiations on biofuels policy. Leaders of the G8 industrialized countries meet next week in Japan, where they will discuss the food crisis and come under intense lobbying from campaigners calling for a moratorium on the use of plant-derived fuels.
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- Scott Doggett July 7, 2008, 1:33 PM
- Categories:
- Biofuels, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Economy
June 27, 2008
Although not particularly good news for autoworkers worried about their jobs today, presidential hopeful John McCain's opposition to government bailout of the auto industry could hold promise for tomorrow's green technology should he wind up in the White House.
During a meeting with General Motors Corp. employees today, McCain told a Wall Street Journal reporter that rather than guaranteeing operating loans or providing direct grants, he would invest in research and development that advances fuel-cell and battery-electric cars.
"It depends on what you mean by a bailout," he told the reporter. If you're talking about it in the classic terms, I'm afraid not...I would like to invest American federal dollars in pure research and development as we move forward with new technologies, whether they be flex-fuel or whether it be hydrogen or whether it be the electric capability."
Now, if someone could remind him that flex-fuel vehicles aren't a new technology....
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- John O'Dell June 27, 2008, 3:57 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Flex-Fuel, Hydrogen, Plug-ins and Electric
June 24, 2008
Congress is vowing to take actions that it believes will reverse runaway crude and gasoline prices. Oil rose above $136 a barrel on Monday – more than double what it cost a year ago – and gas hovered around $4.07 a gallon nationwide.
Lawmakers have introduced nine different bills on speculation, not to mention many more that tackle other causes of escalating fuel and oil prices. Several of the speculation measures have bipartisan support...
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- Scott Doggett June 24, 2008, 7:46 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Courts, Diesel, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Legislation, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric, Tax Incentives
June 23, 2008
Republican John McCain said today that if elected president he would challenge American experts to develop a futuristic battery to power cars and win a $300 million prize.
McCain, a week after taking heat from Democrats for reversing his stance on offshore oil drilling after long opposing it, sought to portray himself as a forward-looking leader on solving America's energy crisis.
With Americans reeling from record-high $4-a-gallon gasoline during the prime summer driving season, both McCain and his Democratic opponent in the November election, Barack Obama, are pressing their proposals for tackling energy problems that are dragging down the U.S. economy.
McCain noted that Brazil has largely weaned itself from oil imports by converting most new cars to flex-fuel capacity that use alcohol-based fuels. Brazil went from 5 percent to 70 percent of flex-fuel new cars in three years, he said.
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- Scott Doggett June 23, 2008, 6:48 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Emissions, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Economy, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Tax Incentives
June 18, 2008
Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican, says he's part of a group of lawmakers preparing legislation to require that at least 50% of all new cars and trucks in the U.S. in 2012 and after be able to run on biofuels.
The goal, he said at a Senate hearing on the oil market, is to help ensure that the country is "not a hostage to oil."
The good senator, whose constituency includes a lot of farmers who have seen the interest in biofuels help push corn and soybean prices to new highs, needs to do a little more thinking and a little less grandstanding.
Congress can mandate all the flex-fuel or biofuel capability it wants, and GM, Ford and Chrysler can make all of their cars and trucks ethanol and biodiesel ready, but if there's no place for people to conveniently buy the fuels, it will do no good.
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- John O'Dell June 18, 2008, 9:30 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Opinion
June 11, 2008
Accelerating its attempt at quick and massive polishing of its green credentials, General Motors is tweaking and testing its advertising and marketing messages in various ways that amount to one bottom line: reducing its associations with Big Corn and Big Oil.
In the most definitive of these moves that were discussed by Kathryn Benoit, GM’s corporate marketing director, at an advertising forum in Atlanta this week, the company has basically shelved a once-ubiquitous marketing campaign for its E85 flex-fuel vehicles that use corn-based ethanol.
“Live Green, Go Yellow” was the tag line of the GM corporate campaign – that also got product-specific – promoting its industry-leading lineup of vehicles that could be powered by corn ethanol.
Now, in the wake of global controversy between the contribution of corn-ethanol demand to higher food prices, GM says it will be promoting “fuel options” broadly, including E85, hybrids and electric vehicles.
And GM spokeswoman Kelly Cusinato said that the company may soon consider promoting its partnerships with two startup producers of cellulosic ethanol, whose processes use non-food raw materials.
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- John O'Dell June 11, 2008, 4:15 PM
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- Biofuels, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, General Motors
May 30, 2008
Celebrity poses with man in tree costume at launch party for green TV network.
By Scott Doggett, ContributorThe launch party for Planet Green, a 24-hour eco-lifestyle cable TV network that will displace the Home channel starting June 4, was anything but green.
The celebrities who attended Wednesday night 's event at L.A.'s Greek Theater mostly arrived in stretch limousines and gas-snorting SUVs. At least two – Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee and rapper Ludacris – arrived in personal buses.
The tabloid darlings strolled a green plastic carpet to a man in a tree costume to pose for paparazzi, oblivious to the live majestic oaks mere steps away.
Minutes later the celebrities were treated to cocktails "made from organic vodka" served in plastic cups and hors d'oeuvres made from macaroni and cheese served on plastic plates.
Oddly, the greenest VIPs at the event that we're aware of seemed to be the two men from General Motors Corp., who brought with them a fuel-cell vehicle and some positive automotive news.
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- Scott Doggett May 30, 2008, 11:17 AM
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- Chevrolet, China, Diesel, Dodge, Emissions, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
April 9, 2008
Nearly 1.8 million alternative-fuel cars were sold in the United States during the 2007 model year, about 250,000 more than the previous model year, according to figures gathered by the automotive information and marketing company R.L. Polk & Co. and released by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
The sales tally included 1,670,933 E-85-capable flex-fuel vehicles, 375,506 diesel-powered and 347,847 hybrids that use gas engines and electric motors. Honda Motor Co. also sold about 1,000 Civic models modified to run on compressed natural gas -- the only factory-built CNG cars in the market.
Sales of E-85-capable vehicles more than doubled from the 823,726 sold during the 2006 model year, while sales of hybrid vehicles increased 37 percent from the 253,081 hybrids sold during the 2006 model year. Sales of diesel vehicles actually fell 21 percent from the 475,203 sold during the previous model year, due to the discontinuation of some models.
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- Scott Doggett April 9, 2008, 1:10 PM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Diesel, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
April 7, 2008
Sales of diesel-powered vehicles and gas-electric hybrids are expected to triple their share of the U.S. auto market to a combined 17 percent by 2015, according to a study by J.D. Power and Associates.
The study also predicted that sales of vehicles equipped with four-cylinder engines will outpace sales of more powerful cars and trucks as automakers find ways to increase fuel efficiency to the federally mandated industry-wide fleet average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020...
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- John O'Dell April 7, 2008, 4:02 PM
- Categories:
- Diesel, Flex-Fuel,
