Green Car Advisor
Solar
October 13, 2009
A new "transportable" solar EV charging station is being tested in the Northern California city of San Jose - and no, you can't tow it behind your Tesla or other electric vehicle for constant charging and unlimited range.
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One of the city's plug-in Prius conversions using SunPods' solar EV charging system at temporary location in San Jose.
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It needs a grid-connected electrical hookup.
That said, the SP-300 "Plug-N-Go" EV charger is, according to manufacturer SunPods Inc., the world's first modular, integrated solar power system that can be pre-assembled at the factory and dropped off at your site, ready to go except for that electrical hookup.
It is an effort to move EV charging off the grid (as much as possible), SunPods co-founder and president Dan Jaeger said. "It just didn't make sense for us to power electric cars with electricity produced by burning coal and other carbon-based fuels."
The charging station does need a hookup to the grid, though, to supply power for the inverter that makes it possible to send excess solar electricity back into the grid, and to draw power from the grid for charging when the sun doesn't shine.
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- John O'Dell October 13, 2009, 9:55 AM
- Categories:
- Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
- Technorati Tags:
- EV Charger
, EVs, Plug In Hybrids, Solar EV Charging Stations, SunPods
September 22, 2009
The federal government has awarded $100 million in grants to 43 metropolitan transit agencies that had submitted plans to cut emissions and create so-called "green" jobs.
The grants mark the Obama Administration's continued investment in reducing the environmental impact of transportation vehicles by using technologies that boost fuel efficiency and cut pollution.
Many of the green grants are for agencies to replace diesel transit buses with diesel-electric hybrid and battery-electric buses, but a number also involve increased use of solar energy.
California-based transportation agencies such as the Bay Area's AC Transit and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be given more than $17 million for projects such as boosting solar energy capacity to make hydrogen with clean electricity, installing photovoltaic panels to offset electricity use at maintenance yards, and installing a flywheel energy storage system, the U.S. Transportation Department said in a statement announcing the grants.
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- John O'Dell September 22, 2009, 12:12 AM
- Categories:
- Diesel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Mass Transit, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
- Technorati Tags:
- Federal Transit Authority
, Green Mass Transit Grants, Hybrid Buses, Mass Transit
September 18, 2009
The vast majority of U.S. federal subsidies for fossil fuels and renewable energy from 2002-2008 supported fossil energy sources that emit high levels of greenhouse gases when used as fuel, according to research released today by the Environmental Law Institute in partnership with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Applying a conservative approach, the respected organizations found that the U.S. government provided substantially larger subsidies to fossil fuels than to renewable fuels.
Subsidies to fossil fuels -- a mature, developed industry that has enjoyed government support for many years -- totaled approximately $72 billion over the study period, representing a direct cost to taxpayers.
Over the same period, subsidies for renewable fuels -- a relatively young and developing industry -- totaled $29 billion, the study found. What's more, of the $29 billion, more than half -- $16.8 billion -- went toward corn-based ethanol, the climate effects of which are hotly disputed.
The study also found that most of the largest subsidies to fossil fuels were written into the U.S. Tax Code as permanent provisions. By comparison, many subsidies for renewables were time-limited initiatives implemented through energy bills, with expiration dates that limit their usefulness to the renewables industry.
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- Scott Doggett September 18, 2009, 1:32 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Emissions, Energy Companies, Ethanol, Legislation, Oil, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar, Tax Incentives
- Technorati Tags:
- Climate Change
, Global Warming, Greenhouse Gas, Legislation, Renewable Energy, Renewable Fuels, Tax Credits, Tax Incentives
September 10, 2009
From energy-sucking Mustang GTs to energy-producing solar panels: Ford Motor Co. says its idled Wixom Assembly Plant about 30 miles northwest of Detroit is being sold to a pair of "green" energy companies.
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Rendering shows redeveloped Wixom green energy facility.
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The tentative deal, announced this afternoon, would see solar system manufacturer
Clairvoyant Energy, of Santa Barbara, Calif., and renewable energy storage systems developer
Xtreme Power, of Austin, Texas, spend $725 million to refurbish and outfit the 52-year-old plant where Ford build Lincoln Continentals and Ford Thunderbirds and Mustang GTs.
The two companies will occupy about half the 4.7 million-square-feet of plant space on the 320-acre site and plan to rent or lease the rest to other renewable energy companies. Manufacturing is expected to begin in 2011 after an extensive redevelopment effort.
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- John O'Dell September 10, 2009, 1:29 PM
- Categories:
- Ford, Solar, Tax Incentives
- Technorati Tags:
- Ford Wixom Plant
, Green Energy, Michigan Redevelopment
July 2, 2009
Hundreds of solar panels contribute up to 40 kilowatts directly into the Auriga Leader's electrical system
.
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
The Auriga Leader, the first pure car carrier partly powered by solar energy, called on the Port of Long Beach Wednesday to unload a cargo consisting chiefly of Toyota Priuses (pictured right).
Rising more than seven stories out of blue-green water, the ship sported 328 solar panels affixed to the top deck to offset diesel fuel consumption and reduce air pollution.
The 656-foot, 60,000-ton vessel can carry more than 6,200 cars at a time and regularly does so, transporting Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles from Toyota Motor Co. factories in Japan to this port 24 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, under a clear blue Southern California sky, Captain Eugen State (pictured
) told Green Car Advisor
that on this trip some 60 percent of the vehicles aboard his ship were third-generation Priuses - a fact he said with pride.
While Toyota on Wednesday reported a 32 percent plunge in June-over-May sales overall, demand for the spunky hybrid actually rose 10 percent for the same period and its second-quarter sales outperformed first-quarter figures by more than 51,000 vehicles.
But enough about the car. On this day the news at Toyota's 144-acre spread at the Port of Long Beach was the seaworthy car-mover, not the cargo. Pure car carriers are notorious for fouling air while docked, and the world's biggest automaker was doing something about it.
In the seven months since the Auriga Leader was fitted with solar panels, the first vessel in its class to utilize solar technology to add electricity to its grid - as opposed meeting a particular need, such as powering a ship's low-watt lighting - curbed its thirst for diesel by an estimated six tons, State told us.
State emphasized that the panels constituted an experiment to see if such a system would work effectively aboard a car carrier. So far, so good, State said, adding that not a single problem had arisen since the panels were installed last December.
"She may be the first of her kind," he said, "for sure, she will not be the last."
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- Scott Doggett July 2, 2009, 1:16 AM
- Categories:
- China, Courts, Diesel, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Solar, Tesla
- Technorati Tags:
- Air Pollution
, Auriga Leader, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Solar Energy, Solar Power, Toyota Motor Co., Toyota Prius
June 16, 2009
Swedish supercar company Koenigsegg obtained a controlling interest in Saab so it could access Saab's production facilities to build electric cars, according to a report today by the Website Realtid.se.
Citing unnamed sources, Realtid.se reported that buying into Saab will allow Koenigsegg to bring its stunning solar-powered Quant EV concept car (pictured) to production reality.
With government aid, production of the zero-emissions Quant is expected to start in very low volumes in a couple of years, Realtid.se reported. The Quant garnered quite a bit of interest when it was shown at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.
The vehicle is the creation of fellow Swedish firm NLV Solar AG, which is a pioneer in photovoltaics and electrical-power technology. The Quant was born when NLV commissioned Koenigsegg to develop and design a "car of the future," incorporating the company's proprietary solar technology.
We hope this car's future really is just a couple of years away.
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- Scott Doggett June 16, 2009, 12:53 PM
- Categories:
- Emissions, Fuel Economy, Koenigsegg, Plug-ins and Electric, Saab, Solar
- Technorati Tags:
- Electric Car
, Electric Vehicle, EV, Koenigsegg, Quant, Saab, Zero Emissions, Zero-Emissions
June 8, 2009
Alright, not full
solar, as you probably guessed.
But the Ohio State Highway Patrol is fitting its entire fleet of Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars - more than 1,100 units statewide - with a small solar panel the OHP says will help conserve fuel and limit the potential for vehicle downtime.
The $37 panel will generate a max of about five watts. Crucially, that's enough to power the patrol-car radios, enabling the troopers to sometimes engage in stationary traffic monitoring without the car's engine idling. Police cruisers spend a lot of time with the engine running, even when stationary, because of the potential for electrical-equipment drain to discharge the battery.
The OHP said it increased its stationary patrol time in fiscal-year 2007-08, saving some 16.4 percent on fuel costs - or about $1 million. The new solar panels will increase the fuel-consumption savings because the cruisers now will be able to spend a portion of their stationary time with the engine off.
The solar panel is wired directly to the patrol-car's battery, also helping to extend the life of the battery and further cutting costs, the OHP said.
The panels are expected to last about five years. Brackets to mount the panel on the cruisers' rear deck were fashioned from misprinted license plates.
Bill Visnic, senior editor, Edmunds AutoObserver
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- Scott Doggett June 8, 2009, 3:20 PM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Fuel Economy, Solar
- Technorati Tags:
- Battery Electric
, Fuel Efficient Cars, Solar
April 15, 2009
A pair of green ideas are included in AAA's Top Ten automotive technology picks for 2009 and 2010 models. The nation's largest automobile club highlighted solar roof panels and eco-driving systems, two developments that we've written about in recent months.
Solar roof panels generate power that can be sent to the electric motors that drive the car, be used to power climate controls or simply be stored for future use. Fisker Automotive's Karma luxury hybrid sedan and the 2010 Toyota Prius both incorporate solar roof panels.
The Karma has 20 solar cells in series that convert sunlight into electrical energy. The Prius uses a solar roof to power a fan that draws cooler air into a parked car's interior. That reduces the load on the electrically-powered air conditioning system when the car starts up again.
AAA also listed "Green Driving Assistance," or the technology that helps drivers to obtain maximum fuel efficiency. (When Green Car Advisor wrote about these technologies, we used this headline: "Eco-Driving Systems: Now Your Car Can Gently Nag You Into Being More Fuel-Wise.")
The Ford Fusion hybrid, for example, uses a display screen (above) to show a plant that grows branches and leaves as a car is driven in a fuel-efficient manner. The plant withers as fuel-economy decreases.
Greg Johnson, Contributor
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- Greg Johnson April 15, 2009, 1:58 PM
- Categories:
- Fisker, Solar, Toyota
- Technorati Tags:
- AAA
, Fisker Karma Plug In Hybrid, Green Cars, Solar, Toyota Prius
April 14, 2009
Talk about advanced technology batteries usually includes words like "lithium," "polymer" and "cobalt."
Lead, the substance on which common automotive batteries have been based for decades, is old school. Lead-acid batteries are too heavy, too bulky and won't hold enough energy for sufficient time to be useful in modern hybrids and electric cars.
But don't tell that to Axion Power International
, a small, publicly traded (over-the-counter) Pennsylvania battery and energy storage products developer that uses a new lead-carbon technology to lower the batteries' weight, reduce their size and boost their energy density.
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Axion batteries, lighter, more power-dense than conventional lead-acid batteries, are suitable for larger hybrids and EVs, company says.
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Axion claims that its lead-carbon, or PbC, batteries, can compete with nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries for use in conventional and plug-in hybrid vehicles and in all-electric vehicles.
While still not small and light enough for use in electric sports cars, they can be used in larger family cars, SUVs and pickups, the company says.
The lead-carbon battery's big advantages are relative low cost, ease of recycling and easy integration into existing battery manufacturing processes, thus avoiding the huge expense of building and equipping new plants, Axion Chief Executive Tom Granville told Green Car Advisor this morning.
The company is announcing a deal today to supply its batteries in a multi-phase supply contract with with Exide Technologies, a major global player in the energy storage market.
Exide, which has been looking for a way to break into the growing hybrid and battery-electric vehicle market, plans to test the batteries over a variety of applications.
"We believe our batteries can compete with the more expensive and exotic battery chemistries. In the end, our relatively low cost, when compared to the battery chemistries that appear to dominate today's headlines, along with our ease of integration into existing manufacturing lines, will be telling advantages when novelty wears thin and cost-consciousness and practicality move center stage," Granville said.
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- John O'Dell April 14, 2009, 9:17 AM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Fuels & Technologies, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
- Technorati Tags:
- Advanced Technology Batteries
, Electric Vehicles, Hybrid Batteries, Lead Batteries
March 25, 2009
What good is a green car without a showroom in which to showcase it? And what good is a showroom if it doesn't have attractive vehicles to lure customers?
In what amounts to a marriage of convenience, Fisker Automotive on Tuesday announced the names of 32 existing dealerships nationwide that will display and service the company's planned line of high-end, plug-in hybrids.
The alliances with existing dealerships that sell other models are designed to give Fisker an immediate presence nationwide without the expense of building a dedicated dealer system. That's tough enough to pull off even in a good economy.
In return, dealers who've signed with Fisker hope to get their hands on some attractive vehicles that will drive showroom traffic and spark sales, either of Fisker's cars or the other vehicles on display.
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- Greg Johnson March 25, 2009, 8:44 AM
- Categories:
- Fisker, Green Vehicles, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
- Technorati Tags:
- Electric Car
, Fisker Karma Plug In Hybrid
March 23, 2009
Porsche Cars North America (PCNA) has added a 327-module solar panel array on the roof of its Porsche Logistics facility in Ontario, California. On a typically sunny Southern California day the installation will generate 135,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, which is enough to cover 30 percent of daily energy consumption at the facility that has about 44 employees.
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Porsche has installed a solar electric assembly atop its logistics facility in Ontario, California.
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The installation, which cost just under $1 million, will cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50,000 pounds annually, said Tony Fouladpour, a spokesman for Atlanta-based PCNA, which is the exclusive importer of Porsche sports cars and sport-utility vehicles for the United States.
"It is a fairly significant move for us," Fouladpour said. "We have the capability of supplying more power but we've not made a decision yet on expanding it." Porsche did not receive government assistance for the module, Fouladpour said.
Porsche isn't the only car company looking to turn sunshine into electricity. Last year we reported on two massive solar projects undertaken by Toyota and General Motors.
Toyota has installed 10,000 photovoltaic modules atop its sprawling auto parts distribution center in Ontario. The installation that covers 242,000 square feet of the building's roof can produce 2.3 megawatts of electricity daily -- enough to supply 3.7 million kilowatt hours, or 60 percent of the building's power needs
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- Greg Johnson March 23, 2009, 8:54 AM
- Categories:
- General Motors, Porsche, Solar, Toyota
- Technorati Tags:
- General Motors Corp
, Porsche Cars North America, Solar Electricity, Toyota Motor Co.
January 22, 2009
Tony Locricchio's Pitch Is Example of Creativity Unleashed by New Administration's Green Recovery Plan
A sub-$3,000 personal electric vehicle, a "bus" to haul such vehicles down the freeway and a proposal for a shared-car program -- all will be unveiled by their developers Monday in a special program at the renowned Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
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Suntera Sunray EV could be basis for cheap personal electric vehicle.
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The designs and ideas are from
Renewable Electronics Transportation International
, a vehicle design and systems engineering company headed by longtime EV industry executive Tony Locricchio, who will unveil three new vehicle proposals as part of his presentation.
We don't know yet what the personal EV looks like (Locricchio markets the Suntera design and the electric scooters pictured above) but we are intrigued with the idea of a "Land interlink Ferry Transporter," or LiNK, designed to carry up to 40 of the personal vehicles at freeway speeds, with designated spots along the freeway system for vehicles to drive on and off the ferry. (And we don't know why the "i" isn't capitalized, either.)
We imagine a key component would be construction of LiFT stops -- a jobs creation element of the plan -- so the process could be carried out without blocking traffic.
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- John O'Dell January 22, 2009, 1:00 PM
- Categories:
- Plug-ins and Electric, Solar, Transportation Alternatives
- Technorati Tags:
- Electric Vehicles
, Renewable Electronics Transportation International, Tony Locricchio
January 5, 2009
Toshiba Corp., which got into the electric-car battery business
three months ago, said it now has launched a photovoltaic systems business
to take advantage of what many analysts see as a growing solar energy market.
While Toshiba's initial aim is to develop large solar power generating systems for utilities and industry, the new unit also would give it another avenue into the electric vehicle business if solar-powered EV recharging stations ever catch on commercially.
Toshiba already makes a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for use in EVs.
The company said that its new photovoltaic division intends to tap into a utilities and industry market that analysts expect to generate almost $24.5 billion in global sales by fiscal 2015. The company said it hopes to secure a $2.2-billion slice of the market by then.
Not Alone
Toshiba's announcement comes at the same time U.S.-based Solar Power Inc., a manufacturer of solar systems, said it has signed a deal for Chinese photovoltaic cell maker JA Solar to supply it with up to 60 megawatts of solar cells over the next year.
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- John O'Dell January 5, 2009, 2:59 PM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Fuels & Technologies, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
- Technorati Tags:
- Electric Vehicles
, Photovoltaic, Toshiba Solar Power Buisness
January 2, 2009
A New Year's Day report from the Associated Press that Toyota is secretly developing a solar-powered electric car has Toyota spokesman John Hanson, head of the company's U.S. environmental and safety communications team, scratching his head in wonder.
"My intelligence on this
 is about as deep
 as it gets" at Toyota's U.S. sales, marketing and development headquarters, "and I've heard nothing remotely close to a 
solar-powered" battery-electric vehicle, Hanson told Green Car Advisor in an e-mail this morning.
The AP report cites a Nikkei business daily story (which we can't locate) as reporting, without identifying any Toyota sources, that the carmaker is working on a car that would get part of its power from on-board solar panels and the rest by recharging its batteries from solar panels mounted on residential rooftops.
Beyond that, the report said, the work is aime at developing a Toyota solar car that would get all of its power from on-board solar panels.
It is possible that Hanson is in the dark if this is some ultra top-secret project being developed in a dark lab somewhere deep in the bowels of a Toyota R&D facility in Japan, but we're still in the doubter column.
We can believe that Toyota would like to use residential solar power to help charge plug-in hybrids. After all, the company has said as much, and out loud, not in secret.
But a completely self-contaned solar car would require an awful lot of surface area covered with solar panels, and despit its efforts with full-sized SUVs, we don't see Toyota scrambling to come out with a new model the size of a freight car.
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- John O'Dell January 2, 2009, 8:05 AM
- Categories:
- Plug-ins and Electric, Solar, Toyota
- Technorati Tags:
- Toyota Solar Car
Businesses in Japan have an even greater habit than businesses in the U.S. of using the media to float trial balloons, and this looks to be the first big one out of Tokyo for 2009.
The Associated Press says that the Nikkei business newspaper is reporting that Toyota - looking for some environmental bling to help bolster its suddenly money-losing business - is secretly developing a solar-powered electric car.
The AP report, published New Year's Day in the Detroit Free Press and a few hundred other news outlets, says it will be years before the vehicle would be available on the market.
No surprise there. Our understanding of solar energy conversion isn't great, but we suspect that it will require major improvements in solar cell technology to make them so powerful that a conventionally-sized car could carry enough of them to generate the juice that would be needed to make it go.
Fact or Fiction?
While the AP story got lots of traction, a blogger for The Truth About Cars has posted a piece debunking the whole thing, saying that a search of recent Nikkei articles didn't turn up anything that had Toyota and solar powering the same story.
The closest, according to the posting, was an article about solar-powered homes that could use electric cars as storage batteries (the cars would be able to pump juice back into the household system when the sun was down). The article, however, doesn't mention Toyota.
Our own search of the Nikkei index had the same result: we could find nothing about a Toyota solar car (and Toyota was closed for the holiday, so we couldn't get a comment there).
If, however, we're all missing something and the wire service writer got it right, we suggest that perhaps floating the idea of a solar Toyota now was seen as something that would brighten spirits among the automaker's investors in Japan - and elsewhere - who are looking at the company's first operational loss in 71 years with a pretty dismal 2009 expected to follow.
Solar Housing First
According to the Associated Press's report, Toyota supposedly is initially looking at a car that would get some of its electrical power from on-board solar cells but still would rely on rechargeable batteries for most of its juice. The wrinkle is that the power to recharge the batteries also would come from solar cells mounted on residential rooftops.
That plays into something we already know about Toyota: it is considering solar panels in the roof of the upcoming 2010 Prius to provide power for the air conditioner and perhaps a few other accessories, and it has a home-building business in Japan and is toying with the idea of solar power that would tie together a Toyota house and a Toyota electric car.
(Hmmm. That sounds a lot like the Jan.1 Nikkei story we did find, except we wrote about it way back in July.)
Toyota also uses solar power on several of its factories and warehouses, so is no stranger to the technology.
But a solar car?
We'd love to see it, and with Toyota one can never be sure.
But we're thinking this story might have been more appropriate on April 1 than on Jan. 1.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
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- John O'Dell January 2, 2009, 3:00 AM
- Categories:
- Japan, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar, Toyota
- Technorati Tags:
- Toyota Solar Car
December 22, 2008
Cellulosic ethanol, which people from President-elect Barack Obama to struggling farmers from his home state view a promising biofuel, is actually worse than much-criticized corn ethanol because cellulosic ethanol results in more air pollution, requires more land to produce and causes more harm to wildlife, a major study has found.
The energy alternatives "that are good are not the ones that people have been talking about the most. And some options that have been proposed are just downright awful," said Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, in a paper that reviewed and ranked major proposed energy-related solutions to global warming, air-pollution mortality and energy security.
"Ethanol-based biofuels will actually cause more harm to human health, wildlife, water supply and land use than current fossil fuels," he said, adding that ethanol may also emit more global-warming pollutants than fossil fuels, according to the latest scientific studies.
Jacobson has conducted the first quantitative, scientific evaluation of the proposed major energy-related solutions by assessing not only their potential for delivering energy for electricity and vehicles, but also their impacts on global warming, human health, energy security, water supply, space requirements, wildlife, water pollution, reliability and sustainability.
His findings indicate that the options that are getting the most attention are between 25 to 1,000 times more polluting than the best available options. His findings were published in this month's issue of Energy & Environmental Science.
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- Scott Doggett December 22, 2008, 1:31 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Coal, Diesel, Emissions, Energy Companies, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Hydrogen, Oil, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
- Technorati Tags:
- Alternative Fuel
, Battery Electric Vehicles, Energy & Environmental Science, Flex Fuel Vehicles, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles, Nuclear Energy, Solar Energy, Thermal Energy, Wind Energy
December 9, 2008
A 36-year-old Swiss school teacher has driven 32,000 miles through 38 countries in 17 months in a sunlight-powered car to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a solar vehicle.
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Louis Palmer is congratulated by Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
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Louis Palmer's voyage concluded Monday with him pulling up to a building in Poznan, Poland, where officials from nearly 200 countries were attending the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in the hope of drafting on a new treaty to address global warming.
His three-wheeled, zero-emissions "Solar Taxi" was propelled by an electric motor, which received power from six square meters of solar cells. The cells converted sunlight to electricity. Power was stored in a molten salt battery.
The 1,100-pound, aluminum and fiberglass vehicle did not require any fossil fuel during the journey, which began on July 3, 2007.
Palmer made the journey to demonstrate that solar is a viable transportation technology. On Monday, he said the car "ran like a Swiss watch," breaking down only twice. He described the car as "ecological, economical and absolutely reliable."
The two-seat Solar Taxi can reach 55 miles per hour and has a range of 185 miles.
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- Scott Doggett December 9, 2008, 8:42 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
- Technorati Tags:
- Alternative Fuel
, Automakers, Climate Change, Electric Power, Fossil Fuel, Global Warming, Louis Palmer, Solar Power, Solar Taxi, Solar Vehicle, Zero Emissions
November 7, 2008
Recession? What recession?
That's what the leasing team for BMW's upcoming Mini EV must be thinking.
Since announcing the car 21 days ago, BMW says that more than 9,000 people have expressed interest in leasing one - at the rather hefty price of $850 a month.
The scramble should be interesting as BMW has said it will only released 500 of the Mini E models, as the battery-electric car is being called.
Actual lease applications won't be available until the middle of the month - and then only to people in certain areas of California, New York and New Jersey where electric vehicle recharging infrastructure exists.
The 9,000-plus "hand-raisers" expressed interest in the Mini E lease program by signing up for information on the Mini web site.
The 2-seat car looks like a standard Mini with the rear seat removed to make room for the batteries. Range is estimated at about 150 miles on a single charge.
Mini Es also will sport special paint jobs and decals identifying them as electric cars.
The lease price, which will cover all maintenance, is only $29 a month less than the lease price of a $77,000 BMW 750i sedan.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
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- John O'Dell November 7, 2008, 1:40 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, BMW, MINI, Solar
- Technorati Tags:
- Mini E Lease Program
November 2, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
You can't always get what you want, but if you've got a big pot of money and a sweet-sounding environmental pitch, chances are you can get a proposition on a state ballot. In California, anyway.
And if there's enough money left in the pot to pay for volleys of TV ads after you've paid the people who gathered the signatures needed to put the proposition on the ballot, odds are it will become state law. In California, anyway.
And, because California is such a trendsetting state, if your proposition becomes law there, it stands a good chance of becoming law in other states as well.
Oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens knows this. It's why the Texas billionaire is bankrolling a proposition -- one that ostensibly would advance renewable energy and alternative fuels -- on California's November 4 general election ballot.
In truth, what it advances most is Picken's fortune -- while costing the state's taxpayers $10 billion.
To give you an idea of how little California can afford Pickens' proposition, consider that officials in Sacramento are expected to announce this coming week that the state's budget deficit has reached at least $10 billion.
The budget crisis is why Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson last month informing him that "California may need to turn to the Federal Treasury for short-term financing." A bailout, in other words.
At a time when the locomotive that drives America's economic train can least afford it, Pickens' initiative would nearly double California's deficit.
And despite the crushing cost the proposition would levy on all of the state's taxpayers, the ballot measure would benefit very few while throwing a tremendous amount of money behind an automotive fuel that isn't very green compared to other alternative fuels that could benefit from that kind of spending.
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- Scott Doggett November 2, 2008, 10:46 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Coal, Diesel, Emissions, Energy Companies, Fuel Economy, Honda, Legislation, Natural Gas, Oil, Opinion, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar, Surveys, Tax Incentives
- Technorati Tags:
- 2008 Honda Civic GX
, 2009 Honda Civic GX, Alternative Fuel, Arnold Schwarzenegger, California General Election, Carbon Dioxide, Climate Change, Diesel, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Fuel Efficiency, Greenhouse Gas, Natural Gas, Oil, Poll, Proposition 10, Solar Energy, Survey, T. Boone Pickens, Tax Incentives, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Wind Energy
October 9, 2008
Electric cars are the hot topic at this year's Paris auto show, with General Motors, Renault, Nissan, Smart and many lesser-known car manufacturers showing off a huge variety of EVs.
They range from wildly exotic supercars to tiny commuter cars that look ready to park in your driveway. Some are strictly concepts. Others could go on sale - even here in the U.S. -- much sooner than you think.
Green Car Advisor's man in Paris, contributor Nick Kurczewski, was at the show last week and offers some thoughts on the biggest electric-car newsmakers there.
Chevrolet Volt
- Yes, we've written a ton about it and you've read even more, but we still can't ignore it. There it was, sitting on the GM stand in Paris, bowtie gleaming in the spotlights.
Chevy's Volt is often called a plug-in hybrid, and it is a hybrid by definition. But it also is an electric car, using only an electric motor for propulsion.
Its small 1.4-liter gasoline engine cranks over only to recharge the batteries and never sends its power directly to the Volt's wheels.
Whether you consider it an EV or a hybrid, chances are the bigger factor in consumer acceptance of the four-door sedan will be its escalating price tag.
A new bill just signed by the White House makes the Volt eligible for a $7,500 federal income tax credit, but before applying that, the sticker price - which determines the size of down payments and monthly lease or purchase costs - is likely to be at or above $40,000 when it goes on sale in late 2010 in the U.S.
That's awfully steep sticker-price, especially considering that new Honda Insight hybrid will cost less than $20,000 when it arrives next year.
Renault Z.E. Concept
- Renault and its sister company, Nissan, are busy co-developing electric vehicles that will go on sale as early as 2010. The Z.E. Concept is the first indication as to where Renault is taking its version.
The design of the Z.E. - for Zero Emissions -- looks like a shortened version of the humble Renault Kangoo, a tall and boxy utility van currently sold throughout Europe. The green glass in the concept model adds a bizarre touch of show-car drama.
Other details include the use of rear-view cameras instead of side mirrors - to smooth out the aerodynamics and improve range - along with solar panels built into the roof, to aid battery recharging.
The Z.E. concept car uses double-walled insulating bodywork, which keeps the cabin cozy whether it is hot or cold outside and requires less energy from the ventilation system.
Its lithium-ion batteries provide a driving range between 60 to 90 miles.
Renault does not currently sell cars in America, which makes it unlikely the French manufacturer will ever bring its EV stateside.
But it's Japanese partner has other plans.
Nissan Nuvu
- Don't worry if you love the idea of an electric-powered Nissan but hate the blobby looks of the Nuvu concept car.
The 2+1 seat Nuvu is important chiefly because it offers a glimpse of the lithium-ion powered drivetrain of the electric vehicle Nissan says it will start selling in the U.S. in 2010.
The Japanese company reassures us that the quirky Nuvu is not a totally faithful indication of what this production car will eventually look like.
Under its skin, the Nuvu's battery pack provides a range of 75 miles and a top-speed of 78 miles per hour. Range will likely be improved, and the wacky looks toned down a bit when Nissan unveils a more accurate glimpse of its upcoming EV during next year's Tokyo motor show.
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- John O'Dell October 9, 2008, 3:00 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Auto Shows, Chevrolet, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Renault, Smart, Solar
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September 25, 2008
Toyota Motor Co. and SunPower Corp.
opened the blinds and let the sunshine in on what the two companies say is North America's largest rooftop solar power installation.
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Workers install a SunPower solar array similar to Toyota's atop the Department of Energy building in Washington, D.C., earlier this year.
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The array of more than 10,000 photovoltaic modules is located atop Toyota's sprawling auto parts distribution center in Ontario, Calif. It was put into operation on Wednesday.
Toyota
said the installation, which covers 242,000 square feet of the buildings' roof, will produce 2.3 megawatts of electricity per day - sufficient to supply 3.7 million kilowatt hours, or 60 percent of the building's power needs.
It will replace conventional generating that was producing an estimated 3,200 tons a year of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, one of the major "greenhouse" gases believed to contribute to global warming.
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- John O'Dell September 25, 2008, 4:26 AM
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- Fuels & Technologies, Solar, Toyota
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, SunPower, Toyota Rooftop Solar Power, Toyota Solar Power System
September 23, 2008
Unlike most of the vehicles there, it won't be running, but a production model of General Motors Corp.'s Volt series hybrid car (left)
will be on hand for viewing at AltCar Expo 2008
this weekend in Santa Monica, Calif.
The two-day event, now in its third year, is one of the nation's premier showcases for alternatives to the conventional gasoline-burning automobile.
Organizers say more than 100 vehicles - cars, trucks, scooters and 'cycles with natural gas, battery-electric, hydrogen fuel-cell electric, compressed air, biodiesel, flex-fuel and hybrid propulsion systems - will be on hand, several available for test drives.
The expo, to be held Friday and Saturday at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, drew more than 10,000 attendees last year.
In addition to the vehicle displays, the event features numerous displays by alternative energy providers and proponents; a series of seminars addressing climate change and transportation and energy trends and featuring panelists from government, industry and advocacy groups.
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- John O'Dell September 23, 2008, 3:02 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, Biofuels, Diesel, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Motorcycles, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar, Transportation Alternatives
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- AltCar Expo 2008
, Alternative Fuel, Santa Monica Alternative Car Expo
September 17, 2008
A solar power company that plans to use sun-heated molten salt to produce the energy equivalent of five nuclear power plants said it has received $140 million in financing from a group of top-tier investors to fund its first project.
SolarReserve Inc.
said in a press release and an interview with subscription-only Greenwire news service that it will use the capital to build "power towers" that will convert the sun's thermal energy into electricity.
While solar energy can be used for lighting, air conditioning, running industrial plants and for any other use electricity can be put to, the automotive industry is looking to advances in solar generation as a prime source in the future of clean power for charging electric vehicle batteries and producing hydrogen for fuel-cell electric vehicles.
The Santa Monica-based company said it will build more than 5,000 megawatts of solar power plants, ranging in size from 50 to 300 megawatts each. A megawatt is one million watts of power.
The towers
would capture sunlight with reflective materials and convert the heat energy into electricity.
SolarReserve -- formed in January by the private equity firm U.S Renewables Group
and United Technologies Corp. subsidiary Hamilton Sundstrand
-- plans to build arrays of thousands of mirrors that would focus sunlight onto 600-foot-high central receivers, or "power towers."
The concentrated thermal energy -- about 1,050 degrees Fahrenheit -- would heat tubes filled with molten salt, which would in turn heat water to create steam for power-producing turbines.
Storing the solar heat in molten salt enables the system to operate after the sun goes down because the salt retains heat for a long period. Over 24 hours, only about 1 percent of the heat is lost, the company said.
SolarReserve hopes to break ground next year on its first commercial-scale projects, which could begin generating power by the end of 2012.
The power would be sold to electricity to utilities.
Citi Alternative Investments
, Sustainable Development Investments and Good Energies
led SolarReserve's second funding round.
Other investors included U.S. Renewables, PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund
, private investment fund Nimes Capital and Credit Suisse
.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
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- John O'Dell September 17, 2008, 2:59 AM
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- Solar
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September 11, 2008
In an event that gives off all kinds of mixed signals, the federal Department of Energy this week dedicated a solar energy system atop its headquarters.
The building is a few blocks from the Capitol, where Congress has failed eight times this year to pass an extension of the federal investment tax credit program that has helped subsidize the nation's nascent solar and wind energy businesses.
While Democrats generally back the stalled solar industry investment tax credit extension, congressional Republicans have been blocking it and the Republican in the White house, while favoring alternative energy in speech after speech, has failed to nudge his party to move on the issue.
Meantime, the Energy Department, whose top administrator is appointed by the president, is boasting this week that the sun now will be providing about 20 percent of the power needed to run its headquarters complex.
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- John O'Dell September 11, 2008, 2:45 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Legislation, Opinion, Solar, Tax Incentives
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, Solar Tax Credit Stalled
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
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- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Chrysler, Courts, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
July 17, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
In a speech that every American ought to read or at least watch, former VP Al Gore today told an energy conference "to join with me to call on every candidate, at every level, to accept this challenge: for America to be running on 100 percent zero-carbon electricity in 10 years. It's time for us to move beyond empty rhetoric. We need to act now."
It was in large part his inconvenient-truth pitch, but he broadened his case; he says we must abandon fossil fuels for national security and dire economic reasons, too. The New York Times' coverage made a nice note of the expansion.
But we could practically hear the ears of thousands of plug-in EV fans perk up when the Nobel laureate said, 27 minutes into his speech: "We could further increase the value and efficiency of a Unified National Grid by helping our struggling auto giants switch to the manufacture of plug-in electric cars. An electric vehicle fleet would sharply reduce the cost of driving a car, reduce pollution, and increase the flexibility of our electricity grid."
Those 49 common-yet-wonderfully-arranged words were magic to Felix Kramer, one of this nation's most resilient proponents of plug-in EVs, and thousands of other plug-in fans.
"This definitive acknowledgment of the benefits of electrification gives advocates of steps on global warming a better answer for transportation than timid suggestions that more people buy more efficient gasoline cars or drive less," Kramer wrote in a passionate posting on his calcars.org site.
But it was another Website that came to mind when we heard Gore speak, the one belonging to Tesla Motors, maker of the all-electric Roadster. Tesla sponsors blogs for its customers, one of whom wrote something two years ago that stayed with us.
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- Scott Doggett July 17, 2008, 8:20 PM
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- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Emissions, Ethanol, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, Hybrid, Hydrogen, 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 8, 2008
The automaker said in a statement
that its factory in Zaragoza, Spain, will be covered by 183,000 square meters (218,866 square yards) of solar panels when work is completed in September. About 480,000 vehicles are assembled at the plant annually.
The $78.5 million investment should provide the equivalent of about a quarter of the factory's power needs at peak times. GM is working with France's Veolia Environnement and Clairvoyant Energy of Santa Barbara, California, on the 10-megawatt project.
GM is likely to make its factory in St. Petersburg, Russia, the next to have such solar panels because of the long daylight hours there. It will then evaluate whether to install solar panels at its other 10 manufacturing and eight component factories on the continent.
The solar project comes amid huge difficulties for GM in the American market, where it is losing money and shedding jobs. As a result, it is becoming increasingly reliant on its profitable international activities in regions such as Asia, Russia and Latin America.
The automaker is also trying to improve its environmental reputation, which took a huge hit nearly a decade ago when it stopped the development of an electric car. It now says introduction of a new electric car, the Chevrolet Volt, is its top priority.
Scott Doggett, Contributor
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- Scott Doggett July 8, 2008, 12:36 PM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
Soon to join the I-didn't-know-that file comes a story
published in the Wall Street Journal
regarding Toyota Motor Corp.'s increasingly bold home-building plans.
That's right. The automaker is also a homemaker. It's got a prefabricated-housing division and everything.
According to the Journal, Toyota has been building steel-frame houses designed to withstand earthquakes and typhoons for 33 years. But with the Japanese government calling for sturdier home construction, Toyota is shifting its prefab-housing division into high gear.
What's more, the carmaker is testing an electricity-monitoring system in its homes that could charge plug-in electric vehicles during off-peak hours to keep utility bills low, while the car's battery can serve as an electrical backup, powering the home during blackouts.
The Journal says Toyota engineers are also experimenting with using solar panels as house siding and powering homes with fuel cells, which combine hydrogen and air to produce electricity.
It's got to be only a matter of time until Toyota offers a house as a Prius accessory, or vice versa.
Scott Doggett, Contributor
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- Scott Doggett July 8, 2008, 11:09 AM
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- Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar, Toyota
July 7, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to install solar panels on some Prius hybrids next year, responding to growing demand for "green" cars amid record-high oil prices, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters today.
The panels will be supplied by Japanese electronics maker Kyocera Corp. and will be able to power part of the air-conditioning on high-end versions of the gasoline-electric Prius, the source said.
"It's more of a symbolic gesture," said the source, who asked not to be identified. "It's very difficult to power much more than that with solar energy."
The panels, which are expected to begin appearing on the high-end version of the gasoline-electric hybrid car as early as next spring, will be located on the roof and supply part of the 2-5 kilowatts needed to power the air-conditioning, according to a report in today's edition of the Nikkei newspaper.
The move would make Toyota the first major automaker to incorporate a solar-power generation system into a mass-produced car.
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- Scott Doggett July 7, 2008, 8:40 AM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Solar, Toyota
May 16, 2008
A $16.9 billion renewable energy and fuels tax incentive package that includes a first-ever $3,000 credit for purchase of plug-in hybrid vehicles, has made it through the House Ways and Means Committee and is headed for the floor.
The credits are part of a $50 billion tax package.
Among the provisions are a $1.01 per gallon production tax credit for cellulosic ethanol – made form non-edible waste and plant material – and a reduction of the present ethanol blending credit to 45 cents a gallon from 51 cents. Those same credits and reductions are in the Farm Bill that has passed through congress and is on the way to the White House.
The tax measure would increase the credit for installation of E85 ethanol fuel pumps to 50 percent of cost, up from 30 percent, and establishes tax incentives worth $1.4 billion for coal power and gasification projects aimed at capturing and reusing or sequestering carbon emissions.
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- John O'Dell May 16, 2008, 9:30 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar, Tax Incentives
March 21, 2008
New York -- The New York International Auto Show features a smattering of eco-friendly vehicles this year that, while unusual or even quirky, are not quite showstoppers. These include the
Mitsubishi iMIEV and
Subaru R1e electric minicars, and the
Nissan Denki Cube Concept.
But one eco-friendly show car here is an attention grabber: the
Saab 9-X BioHybrid, which made its world debut earlier this month at the
2008 Geneva Auto Show.
To improve aerodynamics and fuel economy at speed, the sleek and sporty two-door hatchback features a rooftop spoiler that automatically extends at speeds above 43 miles per hour, lengthening the roofline, while a rear diffuser automatically extends from beneath the rear bumper...
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- John O'Dell March 21, 2008, 8:58 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Auto Shows, Batteries, Biofuels, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Saab, Solar
Auto X-Prize entries will include mainstream vehicles and fanciful concepts.
By Robert E. Calem, ContributorNew York --The Automotive X Prize competition, an effort to do for the green car what the original
X Prize did for private space flight, was officially launched Thursday at the New York International Auto Show, where sample vehicles were displayed by four of the more than 60 teams from nine countries that will be vying for shares of a $10 million bounty.
The prize money was put up by Progressive Insurance, which has become the main sponsor in return for a name change: the competition is now the
Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize.
Additionally, the federal Department of Energy plans to provide a $3.5 million grant to fund a national education program organized around the competition in order to “inspire youth and the general public about the alternative vehicle and fuel options of the near future,” the X Prize Foundation announced.
Inspiring EntrepreneursThe contest, developed over the past two and a half years by the non-profit foundation, has the lofty goal of inspiring entrepreneurs to develop a new generation of commercially viable automobiles with low emissions and fuel economy equivalent to 100 miles per gallon.
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- John O'Dell March 21, 2008, 4:03 AM
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- Alternative Fuels, Auto Shows, Biofuels, Diesel, Emissions, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar, Transportation Alternatives
March 18, 2008
By John O'Dell, Senior EditorCalifornia's clean air regulators are updating the state's controversial zero emissions vehicle, or ZEV, mandate and are holding a public hearing in Sacramento next week to hear comment on the proposed revisions.
In advance of that, the
Plug In America advocacy group today sent a lengthy letter to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, urging him to influence the panel to protect present rules calling for automakers to collectively build 25,000 zero emissions vehicles for sale in the state between 2012 and 2014 and 50,000 between 2015 and 2017.
One of the proposed changes would cut the number of ZEVs to just 2,500 in the first stage of the build-up and to 25,000 in the second stage.
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- John O'Dell March 18, 2008, 1:58 PM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Cell, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Legislation, Natural Gas, Solar
March 10, 2008
Ah, Monday.
Another week of commuting begins, and with it, more concern about what the price of gasoline is doing to the family budget.
Which brings up this thought: What if you could do a whole year's worth of commuting on a couple gallons of gas?
A team of students from a French technology school accomplished the equivalent (in theory) when they achieved an amazing 7,148 miles per gallon driving their ultralight, ultra-streamlined wondercar around the 1.94-mile banked circuit at Rockingham Motor Speedway outside of London during the Royal Dutch Shell-sponsored 2007 Eco-Marathon last July.
We say "in theory" because Team Microjoule, entered in the "prototype" category, didn't burn anywhere near a gallon of gas -- the car's fuel tank held only 1.01 ounces of fuel and the mileage was extrapolated from the gas used during 7 laps around the racecourse.
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- John O'Dell March 10, 2008, 10:30 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Hydrogen, Natural Gas, Solar, Transportation Alternatives
January 2, 2008
We don't believe a candidate's stand on energy, or fuel economy regulation or even the larger issue of climate change, ought to be the sole reason he, or she, is judged worthy of office.
But it certainly ought to be an important part of every voter's decision-making, so we're offering up this look at the auto-related portions of the main candidates' energy plans to help those who haven't made up their minds with primary (and caucus) season rapidly closing in.
There are hundreds or sources for interested voters to find out how Hillary stands on health care, or Rudy on Iraq, but pinning down the presidential hopefuls' positions on CAFE and related alternative fuel issues isn't quite so easy.
To help out, we asked correspondent Terril Yue Jones to put together a look at the auto and fuels aspects of the energy plans of candidates who are polling at least 1 percent in
national surveys
.
We're doing this now, of course, because voting season gets off to an especially early start this year, with more than half the primaries and caucuses slated to be held on or before February 5 -- the so-called Super Tuesday when 22 states hold primaries and the major party nominees, who won't officially be named until the Democratic and Republican conventions at the end of summer, will be all but set in cement.
First up, though, are the Iowa caucuses, to be held Thursday evening, a fortnight after President Bush signed sweeping new energy legislation that raises the required
corporate average fuel economy
(CAFE) of automakers to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, from their current levels of 27.5 miles per gallon for passenger cars and 22.2 miles per gallon for light trucks.
Led by Hillary Clinton’s call for a massive increase in the fuel efficiency required of automakers, Democratic candidates' energy plans almost all spell out specific fuel economy standards for the nation’s automobiles. For the most part the Democrats even set fuel efficiency timetables.
Republicans speak in broader terms, preferring discussion of ending dependence on foreign oil and promoting alternative fuels and saying that specific miles-per-gallon benchmarks are not the way to go.
Here's the rundown on the candidates, in alphabetical order, from a green car perspective. Have fun!
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- John O'Dell January 2, 2008, 4:00 AM
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- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar
December 17, 2007
Hybrid-electric Citroen prototype enters Challenge Bibendum in Shanghai.
By Kate McLeod, Contributor
There was little TV coverage and hardly anyone watched from the sidelines, but this still was one of the most important races in the world.
Run in the form of a rally on the public roads of China’s Shanghai province on November 14, it was part of a unique event, the Challenge Bibendum.
There were no winners, though. The Bibendum philosophy is that the race won't be over until we all enter and drive together to find a sustainable finish. The environment is the ultimate winner, says Michelin, although the Hyundai Tucson fuel-cell prototype received "As" in tests for noise, local pollutants, fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions -- tank to tire. Venturi’s Eclectic got As across the board for the above tests as well as acceleration and maneuverability. Two prototype buses made in China, WanXiang EV Co.’s C3 fuel cell and CITIC Guoan Mengguli’s battery-electric, also made top grades.
Until then, the event -- launched by French tire giant Michelin Group in 1998 -- is staged annually to showcase existing and developing technologies that can help save fuel and reduce atmospheric pollutants, including greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
It brings together global vehicle makers, energy suppliers, researchers and political and economic decision makers and encourages discussion of potential solutions to transportation, energy consumption, and traffic congestion and noise problems.
Equally important is that it lets them see advanced technology vehicles in motion.
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- John O'Dell December 17, 2007, 3:26 AM
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- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Diesel, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar, Transportation Alternatives
September 15, 2007
One of the biggest solar power arrays in use by corporate America will be installed atop the 300,000-square-foot roof of General Motors'
Service and Parts Operations warehouse in Fontana, California, the carmaker said.
The system, expected to be in operation by December, will provide about half the electricity needed to run the facility. It also will feed extra power to the grid.
It joins a similar-size solar array at a GM warehouse eight miles away in Rancho Cucamonga...
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- John O'Dell September 15, 2007, 2:00 AM
- Categories:
- Solar
A new "transportable" solar EV charging station is being tested in the Northern California city of San Jose - and no, you can't tow it behind your Tesla or other electric vehicle for constant charging and unlimited range.
