Green Car Advisor
Manufacturers
November 20, 2009
The California agency that sets the American standard for automotive emissions today unveiled a much-improved Website that helps consumers choose the least polluting cars on the market.
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Click on art to enlarge.
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The California Air Resources Board Website, using information collected for vehicle certification in the golden state, offers a practical and easy to use system that ranks vehicles according to their emission characteristics and provides tools to compare models.
The site allows visitors to view models by technology/fuel type, smog score, global-warming score and engine family. And there's a very smart tool that, with a click of your mouse, allows you to view all the tax incentives available for a particular model.
Last year, the agency adopted a state regulation requiring automakers to affix the Environmental Performance Label to California showroom models that convey the vehicle's smog and greenhouse-gas emissions. The simply illustrated graphic has two rankings, from one to 10, that depict vehicle emissions. The higher the score, the less polluting it is.
Driveclean.ca.gov puts these same rankings in an online format, making them practical for web research. The Website also provides information about clean-car technology and guides users to consider the emissions of the models they are evaluating.
We salute CARB, once again, for taking another significant step to make the world we live in a healthier place.
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- Scott Doggett November 20, 2009, 8:15 AM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Butanol, Coal, Compressed Air, Diesel, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, LPG, Legislation, Manufacturers, Methanol, Motorcycles, Natural Gas, Oil, Plug-ins and Electric, Solar, Tax Incentives
- Technorati Tags:
- Alternative Fuels and Vehicles
, California Air Resources Board, CARB, Electric Vehicles, Fuel Economy
November 12, 2009
By John O'Dell and Scott Doggett
(Updated 11/13/09 to correct Chevy Aveo monthly fuel figure.)
"Miles per gallon" made sense when all cars drank gas, or diesel, and that was that.
But with the advent of rechargeable electric vehicles, whether all-electric or plug-in hybrid, the fuel-use scene gets quickly blurred.
How many miles per gallon do you assign to a Nissan Leaf, with a lithium-ion battery and no fuel tank or internal combustion engine?
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Edmunds.com proposes the EPA scrap its mileage-based fuel-economy guide, right, for one built on fuel costs.
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And how does a car shopper compare the Leaf, or any of the other all-electric cars heading our way in the next decade, to a gasoline-burning Honda Fit or a Ford Fusion hybrid or, to complicate things even more, compare any of those cars to a Chevrolet Volt or other extended-range plug-in hybrid that uses gasoline and electricity from the commercial power grid.?
Can't be done - unless the consumer's an electrical engineer with a minor in math.
To make it easier and more accurate for consumers to get honest comparative information, Edmunds.com is proposing to the EPA that it replace the mileage-based fuel-economy stickers it's been putting on new cars since 1975 with stickers that display monthly fuel costs.
That's right, replace MPG with MFC.
Then consumers could see that at 1,250 miles a month, a 2010 Toyota Prius would cost, on a national average, $67 a month at the pump, while an electric Mini E would cost $49 a month to "fill" from a 220-volt charger in the consumer's garage; the monthly gasoline bill for a four-cylinder Chevrolet Aveo would be $11 $111, and a 2011 Chevrolet Volt - running on gas and electricity - would cost $54.
That's information people can use to make informed decisions.
Edmunds.com - our parent - is submitting its recommendation and rationale in a letter being sent Friday morning to the agency and to the Department of Transportation.
Continue reading...
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- Scott Doggett November 12, 2009, 4:44 PM
- Categories:
- Alternative Fuels, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Legislation, Manufacturers, Plug-ins and Electric
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- Department of Transportation
, DOT, Edmunds Monthly Fuel Cost, EPA, Fuel Economy, Mileage, Ratings
September 25, 2009
South Korea's CT&T Co. intends to make neighborhood electric vehicles at two production and distribution facilities in Pennsylvania, Governor Ed Rendell announced today at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
CT&T makes low- and mid-speed, short-distance NEVs that the company claims passes the crash tests required for passenger cars. The vehicles sell for about $12,000 apiece.
Although the media focuses on highway-capable EVs, it's worth noting that most of the EVs in the U.S. and the rest of the world today are NEVs such as the CT&T plug-in and zero-emissions vehicle pictured here.
Indeed, CT&T has a contract to supply 4,000 NEVs to California police organizations for parking enforcement and it sees a strong market for NEVs across the U.S.
The company says cities with large municipal fleets offer a considerable initial market opportunity, with the electric car as a low-cost option for parking authorities, parks and recreation departments, and similar agencies with short-distance, low-speed vehicle needs.
CT&T President Young Gi Lee said in a statement that the company's long-term business plan calls for 40 regional assembly and sales systems in North America. CT&T has been exporting to China, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and America since 2005.
The company is focusing on sites on the Delaware River in Philadelphia for its initial Pennsylvania location. Company executives visited five prospective sites in the Pittsburgh region Thursday, including two within the city.
While in Pittsburgh, CT&T executives also met with experts in battery and fuel technology from Carnegie Mellon University, which is engaged in a range of research initiatives to support the growth and development of electric vehicle technology.
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- Scott Doggett September 25, 2009, 11:21 AM
- Categories:
- Batteries, CT&T, Emissions, Manufacturers, Plug-ins and Electric
- Technorati Tags:
- Battery
, CT&T Co., NEV Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, Pennsylvania, Plug-in EV, Zero-Emissions
September 23, 2009
A British publication reported today that luxury-car crafter Rolls Royce is thinking about producing an all-electric Phantom similar in appearance to the gasoline-powered Phantom pictured here.
Auto Express News, citing an unidentified RR spokesman, said that of the brand's entire lineup a battery-powered Phantom made the most sense because, at more than 5,600 pounds with a heavy 6.75-liter V12 under the hood, replacing the engine with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery shouldn't create a major weight issue.
The greatest problem RR engineers anticipate is coming up with an electric Phantom that gives the vehicle a respectable travel range between charges. But then, there'd be nothing preventing the engineers from adding a small range-extending gasoline- and diesel-powered engine to serve as a generator to keep the juice flowing.
With the base price of the 2009 Phantom set at $350,000, an additional EV or plug-in hybrid EV premium wouldn't likely be an issue for prospective customers. And there's something awfully cool about being able to prowl the nights in a silent Phantom.
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- Scott Doggett September 23, 2009, 2:49 PM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Manufacturers, Plug-ins and Electric, Rolls Royce
- Technorati Tags:
- Electric Vehicle
, Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Phantom, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Rolls Royce
February 23, 2009
The vehicles owned by the Obama administration's auto team could reflect one reason why Detroit's Big Three automakers are in trouble: The list includes few new American cars.
Among the eight members named Friday to the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry and the 10 senior policy aides who will assist them in their work, two own American models. Add the Treasury Department's special adviser to the task force and the total jumps to three.
The Detroit News reviewed public records to discover what many of the task force and staff members drove, but information was not available on all of the officials, and records for some states were not complete.
At least two task force members don't own a car, and there are still two open slots on the 10-member panel that will be filled by the secretaries of labor and commerce, who have not yet been appointed.
The co-chairs of the task force -- Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and White House National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers -- both own foreign automobiles.
Geithner owns a 2008 Acura TSX. He has also owned a 1999 Honda Accord and a 2002 Acura MDX. Summers owns a 1995 Mazda Protege.
Geithner is the president's designee for purposes of enforcing loan agreements with GM and Chrysler and must approve or reject any proposed transactions by either company that would cost $100 million or more.
While we're on the subject, President Obama traded in his Chrysler 300C for a more fuel-efficient Ford Escape Hybrid during the 2008 presidential campaign, and Vice President Joe Biden owns a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette -- a wedding gift from his dad.
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- Scott Doggett February 23, 2009, 1:25 AM
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- Legislation, Manufacturers
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- Detroit Three
, Legislation, Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry
October 16, 2008
By John O'Dell, Senior Editor
Has it been a story that was, indeed, too good to be true?
Tesla Motors, the pioneering electric roadster maker that recently survived a rough road potholed with
financial and management turmoil
, appears to have suffered substantial damage in a collision with the global economic mess.
The full extent won't be known for months, but the early outcome of the crash is ugly, with layoffs and downsizing in the works and yet another top management change already accomplished.
The privately held company's chairman and top financier, Silicon Valley multi-millionaire Elon Musk, said Wednesday that he has taken over the role of chief executive officer, bouncing recently-hired CEO Ze'ev Drori into the job of vice chairman and member of the board.
In a
posting on the Tesla blog
, Musk - who last year
fired Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard
in what was widely seen as a contest of egos - said in his posting that Tesla still is not generating positive cash flow and predicted that it will take six to nine months under an austerity regime to achieve that goal.
Musk said that for the duration of what he called "extraordinary times" that have impacted businesses everywhere, Tesla will focus on its two revenue-producing lines -sales of its battery-electric powertrain products to other companies and sales of its $109,000 Roadster to anyone who can still afford it after assessing the damage a collapsing market has done to their stock portfolios.
Work on a much-hyped "Model S" electric luxury sedan will be slowed until cash flow improves, he said.
Continue reading...
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- John O'Dell October 16, 2008, 12:11 AM
- Categories:
- Manufacturers, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
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- Elon musk
, Tesla Financial Woes, Tesla Management Change, Tesla Motors
October 6, 2008
European automakers today called for $55.2 billion of low-interest loans to help develop greener cars in the fight against climate change, but their request was instantly rebuffed.
"This idea does not even merit discussion," a source at the European Commission said.
An auto industry group claimed the global economic crisis was making it increasingly difficult for carmakers to achieve European Union emissions targets by 18 percent over the next several years.
But the European Commission rejected the demand for a loan that would equate to over one third of the annual EU budget.
A representative for the auto industry group said it was trying to start a discussion of how the EU might support its automakers in a time of change.
The same group has asked the EU to create incentives for motorists to scrap vehicles over eight years old to speed up fleet renewal.
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- Scott Doggett October 6, 2008, 2:12 PM
- Categories:
- Emissions, Fiat, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, Legislation, Manufacturers, Tax Incentives
Borrowing from the Detroit 3 playbook, Europe's automakers plan to ask the European Commission for a $55.2 billion loan to accelerate the transition to fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel cars, The Wall Street Journal
reported
today.
The request follows a similar move in the U.S., where Congress last week approved $25 billion in loans to help American carmakers improve the fuel economy of their vehicles.
Fiat suggested the request to European auto executives at a board meeting of the European Auto Makers Association, or ACEA, on Friday, the Journal reported, citing an unidentified person familiar with the matter.
The board met to discuss the commission's proposals for tighter rules on emissions that scientists say cause global warming. Under the rules, Europe's automakers would face fines if the average emission for their vehicle fleet exceeded 120 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer.
Car companies have complained that meeting the emission limit for the entire fleet by 2012 isn't economically feasible for them, though they would agree to a gradual application of the rules. They have lobbied for the commission to delay applying the rules in full until 2015.
"All European carmakers agree on the [$55.2 billion] demand," a spokesman for Fiat said Saturday, confirming earlier comments by his boss, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne. The final details of an agreement remain unclear, another person familiar with Fiat's proposal told the Journal.
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- Scott Doggett October 6, 2008, 5:01 AM
- Categories:
- Emissions, Fiat, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, Legislation, Manufacturers
September 15, 2008
The contract manufacturing firm that has formed a joint venture with Northern California EV distributor Zap
said today it has started clearing ground for a million-square-foot electric vehicle factory in Franklin, Kentucky.
We're not holding our breath on this one, but it is backed by a $48 million state tax incentives package approved August 15.
Additionally, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear earlier this month signed an executive order that permits low-speed vehicles such as those promoted by Zap to be used on state roads with posted speed limits of 45 miles an hour or less.
That will help create a local market for any EVs that do come out of the proposed factory.
Randall S. Waldman, founder and president of two-year-old Integrity Manufacturing, the Kentucky firm that will run the plant, says that while the 200-acre EV factory site is all trees and dirt now, he expects to begin building the proposed Zap Alias 3-wheeler (above) and other Zap electric cars there within a year.
John O'Dell, Senior Advisor
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- John O'Dell September 15, 2008, 12:39 PM
- Categories:
- Manufacturers, Plug-ins and Electric, Zap
- Technorati Tags:
- EV
, Kentucky Electric Vehicle factory, Zap
September 11, 2008
Honda Motor Co. and Yamaha Motor Co. have set launch dates for electric motorcycles, the Nikkei business daily reported today.
Yamaha aims to launch electric motorcycles by 2010 with a range of 60 miles on a single charge, comparable to those with 50cc engine displacements, the paper said.
There was no information regarding the Yamaha's battery.
Honda, the world's largest motorcycle maker, will launch lithium-ion battery electric motorcycles in 2011, targeting fleet customers such as Japan Post Service, which likely would consider replacing its 90,000 gas-powered motorcycles with electric models.
Neither officials at Honda nor Yamaha would provide additional details, including prices.
A Honda Cub Concept fuel-cell motorcycle is pictured above.
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- Scott Doggett September 11, 2008, 3:57 PM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Fuels & Technologies, Honda, Manufacturers, Motorcycles, Plug-ins and Electric, Yamaha
August 18, 2008
By Scott Doggett, Contributor
The nerve of some people.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers today distributed a press release, saying that it had trademarked "EcoDriving" and launched a Website with fuel-saving tips for motorists.
This is the same Alliance that has vigilantly opposed legislation that would compel automakers to meet government-mandated fuel-economy standards.
The Website the Alliance launched -- ecodrivingusa.com -- contains what you'd expect: Nothing on how the industry can clean up its act and provide more fuel efficiency, just tips on how motorists can drive more fuel efficiently, a means to calculate your vehicle's carbon footprint, and of course instructions on how to "promote the EcoDriving program."
As for the Alliance's claim that they possess the trademark to "EcoDriving"?
The term "EcoDriving" is not unique to the Alliance or its services or products -- a litmus test that trademark terms must pass -- and the term has been in the public domain for awhile.
It can, for example, be found on ecomodders.com, ecodrive.org and other Websites that promote fuel-responsible driving and, unlike the Alliance and its new Website, aren't funded by BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen.
Continue reading...
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- Scott Doggett August 18, 2008, 5:58 PM
- Categories:
- BMW, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation, Manufacturers, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen
July 17, 2008
The first-ever international conference dedicated exclusively to plug-in electric hybrid technology will be held in California's Silicon Valley next week.
"Plug-In 2008: A Short Drive to Tomorrow" takes place July 21-24 in San Jose. The event is open to anyone and on-site registration is available.
Admission isn't cheap, with full access to the conference starting at $250 for students with ID, but everyone who's anyone in the PHEV world will be there. Among the attendees:
- Senior representatives from the automakers, high-tech component manufacturers, electric utilities, state and federal government.
- Exhibitors who will showcase the latest innovations associated with PHEVs and supporting electricity infrastructure.
- Scientists who will share current technical research on PHEVs in areas including batteries, powertrains and vehicle to home technology.
- Analysts who will discuss the business case for PHEVs, including potential adoption scenarios, customer segments and profit potential.
- Policymakers who will explain how regulations impact PHEVs and the electricity grid, and how future rules may accelerate PHEV adoption.
- Clean-tech entrepreneurs who will outline their ideas to expand the PHEV market with new technologies for vehicles and communication systems.
For more, check out the agenda.
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- Scott Doggett July 17, 2008, 7:55 AM
- Categories:
- Batteries, Chevrolet, Daimler, Emissions, Fisker, Ford, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Honda, Legislation, MINI, Manufacturers, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Smart, Tesla, Toyota
The California agency that sets the American standard for automotive emissions today unveiled a much-improved Website that helps consumers choose the least polluting cars on the market.
