Chrysler Green Car Advisor Blog on Edmunds' Inside Line

November 20, 2009

EPA: U.S. Fleet of 2009 Cars, Trucks Only Slightly More Efficient Than 2008 Models

The fleet of new cars and trucks sold to U.S. consumers averaged 21 miles per gallon in the 2008 model year, a modest increase over the previous year, with Honda and Hyundai having the most fuel-efficient fleets in America, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported Friday.

New vehicle fuel efficiency improved 2 percent in 2008 from 20.6 mpg for the 2007 model year. The government projected it will improve slightly to 21.1 mpg in the 2009 model year.

The EPA figures are based on real-world estimates for city and highway mileage found on window stickers at dealer showrooms, instead of mileage values developed through laboratory testing.

Honda Motor Co. led the industry in 2008 with 23.9 mpg, followed by Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. with 23.7 mpg, and Toyota Motor Corp. with 22.8 mpg.

Volkswagen AG's fleet averaged 22.3 mpg, followed by Nissan Motor Co. with 21.9 and BMW AG with 21.2.

General Motors Co. led U.S. automakers with 19.7 mpg, followed by Ford Motor Co. with 19.4 and Chrysler Group LLC with 19.3. The EPA projects Ford will increase its fuel efficiency by more than 1 mpg in the 2009 model year and overtake GM.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett November 20, 2009, 1:27 PM
Categories:: BMW, Chrysler, Diesel, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Legislation, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: BMW

November 18, 2009

EVs Not Required of Chrysler or GM as Part of Bailout, White House Says

Chrysler ecoVoyager.jpg Concern among some taxpayer and environmental groups that Chrysler's recent decision to downplay development of fuel-efficient electric vehicles violated a pledge used to gain federal bailout funds are unfounded, an administration official says.

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Chrysler, which based part of its federal bailout on promised development of electric vehicles such as this "EcoVoyager" concept, has pulled way back on electrification plans since emerging from bankruptcy.

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"We obviously would be very happy if Chrysler and GM were making lots and lots of high mileage cars [but] it's not a prerequisite. It's not an obligation" of the bankruptcy bailout funding, auto industry restructuring task force chief Ron Bloom said in an interview with Reuters news service.

"We're completely separating policy from ownership," Bloom said of Chrysler's decision. "We trust that the [Chrysler] board has carefully thought out the various options ... and made judgments on the electric program based on that."

The federal government has extended $30 billion in capital to General Motors and $8.5 billion to Chrysler, representing a 60 percent share of GM and a 10 percent stake in Chrysler.

GM is pushing ahead with its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid program as well as with a number of conventional hybrid models, and is expected to expand the Volt's extended-range, gas-electric system to other models as well.

Chrysler, now controlled by Italy's Fiat, has slowed its previosuly announced vehicle electrification plans and now intends to meet federal fuel-efficiency standards by utilizing Fiat-develped gasoline engine efficiency technologies and adding more small cars to its lineup.

Chrysler and GM both have applied for federal guaranteed loans under the $25-billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loans Program, but their applications have not been approved to date.

Bloom said that the federal autos task force doesn't intend to dip into matters involving the automakers and the Energy Department-managed loan program.

We think Chrysler is financially constrained right now from aggressively pushing an expensive electrification program and can probably do what it needs on the fuel efficiency front under its new product plan - which includes introducing the dual mode hybrid Ram pickup next year, an all-electric commercial van early in 2012 and a pair of plug-in hybrids for limited test fleet use in 2011.

But we also think the company is playing the expediency game and could wind up surviving for the short term under the Fiat-designed plan only to fall into a deep hole in later years as more and more of its competitors bring well-develped electric vehicle programs into play.

The game, after all,isn't just about improving fuel economy.

Perhaps more important in the long run is reducing dependency on petroleum fuels and slashing emissions - things electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles can do far better than the best gas and diesel internal combustion engines the industry can develop.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 18, 2009, 1:42 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Fiat, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Bailout

November 16, 2009

Study Finds Clunkers Program Helped Japanese Carmakers Far More Than Detroit 3

A recent study evaluating the effectiveness of this summer's cash-for-clunkers program concluded that cost U.S. taxpayers $3 billion and did more to help Japan's three largest automakers than it did the Detroit 3 of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

The Japanese companies accounted for only 8 percent of trade-ins but 41 percent of new-car purchases, according to the new study by the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute.

By contrast, 85 percent of the trade-ins were manufactured by the Detroit 3 while only 39 percent of the new purchases were GM, Ford or Chrysler vehicles.

Sixty-eight percent of consumers who traded in a Toyota, Honda or Nissan bought another from one of the same from one of the three Japanese automakers.

Specifically, those owners who traded in Hondas bought another Honda 30 percent of the time. Nissan owners bought new Nissans under the clunker program did so 19 percent of the time and motorists unloading Toyotas turned around and bought another Toyota 44 percent of the time.

By contrast, 43 percent of consumers who traded in a Detroit 3 vehicle bought another Detroit 3 vehicle. Chrysler owners bought new Chryslers in 11 percent of the cases, Ford in 24 percent and GM in 32 percent.

As for those who switched, Japan's Big 3 got 38 percent of consumers who traded in a Detroit Big 3 vehicle. Toyota did best, with 18 percent. The Detroit Big 3 got only 12 percent of consumers who traded in a Japan Big 3 vehicle. GM did best with 5.3 percent.

The study made no attempt to determine how much of the money stayed in the United States and how much went to Japan. It should, of course, be noted that many of the Japanese cars purchased as a result of the clunker program were undoubtedly made in the USA.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett November 16, 2009, 9:16 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Nissan, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

November 13, 2009

Chrysler Stil Has Electric Plans, but Fiat's Turned the Voltage Way Down Low

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

It's not only Chrysler's battery-electric and plug-in electric hybrid vehicle programs that have been pared back - way back - under the post-bankruptcy plan devised for the company by its new management.

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Fiat Doblo small van is now being considered as platform for "new" Chrysler's fit electric vehicle...

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The once-vigorous Chrysler hydrogen fuel cell program - aimed at bringing fuel-cell electric vehicles, commercial and private, to market some day - is pretty much a memory as well. It was absorbed into Daimler's program when the German automaker acquired Chrysler back in 1999 and though it survived the 2007 divorce, it was phased out two months ago.

We're told by knowledgeable people who for various reasons didn't want to be identified that there are no plans right now to actively pursue further development of fuel cells but, of course, that "options are being kept open."

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It would be replacing a Dodge-based electric sports car such as this Zeo concept first shown in January 2008.

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We don't think - as some do - that Chrysler's entire alternative fuels and powertrains effort has been killed by Italy's Fiat, which took control of the country's smallest and weakest automaker as it came out of bankruptcy earlier this year.

Although Chrysler's two-year-old environmental vehicle group, ENVI, has been disbanded under Fiat, we believe the company will keep doing some development work and will follow though on its previous promises to put the hybrid Ram truck into the market next year followed by a pair of experimental plug-in hybrids - for test fleet use only - in 2011.

Not only did those few vehicles remain in the just-announced five-year plan, but the members of the ENVI team, as far as we know, all are still working at Chrysler - they've just been mainstreamed into the regular product development program. And Fiat appointed former ENVI boss Lou Rhodes to be head of vehicle electrification programs for both Fiat and Chrysler - a post that probably wouldn't exist if there wasn't at least some work going on.

There are changes, though, and not for the good.

The Dodge EV once thought to be a sure thing for 2010 is no more, and except for a battery-electric commercial van based on the Fiat Doblo minivan that is under "strongest consideration" for production by late 2011 or early 2012, the chances for other Chrysler hybrids, plug-in hybrids or EVs to make it into the retail market before the next 5-year plan is unveiled in 2015 are pretty slim.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 13, 2009, 2:33 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Fiat, Fuel Cell, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler electric vehicle Plans

November 10, 2009

Ford Scraps Plan to Bring All-New Fuel-Efficient Ka to U.S., Says It's Too Small

Despite a solid launch of the new Ka subcompact car in Europe earlier this year, Ford Motor Co. has reconsidered its plan to bring the subcompact to the U.S. and has decided that the car is too small for American tastes.

In an interview with Automotive News (subscription required) published Monday, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said "our view is that Fiesta is about the smallest vehicle that we think will be a real success in the United States."

The Ka, which Ford developed with Fiat, is at 142.5 inches a full 25 inches shorter than the Fiesta, which will go on sale in the U.S. early next year.

However, the Ka is more than 3 feet longer than the popular Smart ForTwo, which measures 106.1 inches from bumper to bumper. Both likely would have been priced the same, starting around $12,000 for the base model.

The Ka is also a few inches longer than its sister vehicle, the Fiat 500, which Chrysler Group plans to sell in America in 2011.

We're disappointed with Ford's decision, because the Ka European motorists can purchase can be had with either of two low-emission engines: a 1.2-liter, 69-horsepower gas-burner or a 1.3-liter, 75-hp turbodiesel.

While the EPA never got a chance to provide a fuel-efficiency rating for the Ka, the gasoline version is said to get about 40 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving, while the diesel version is said to be capable of more than 60 mpg.

The European Ka is produced in Tychy, Poland, while a version sold in Latin America is built in Brazil and Argentina. The model has been produced since 1996 and entered its second generation earlier this year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett November 10, 2009, 1:24 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, Fuel Economy
Technorati Tags:: Ford Ka

November 7, 2009

Chrysler Disbands ENVI Group, Scuttles Broad Electrification Plan

(Updated 11/8/09 to add confirmation and remarks from a Chrysler spokesman.)

Chrysler's ENVI Group, formed in 2007 to develop a line of electrified vehicles for the company's three brands, has been disbanded and the company's January pledge to have 500,000 conventional and plug-in hybrid-electric and all-electric vehicles on the road by 2013 has been junked under its new, Fiat-controlled leadership.

In an interview with Reuters news service Friday, Chrysler spokesman Nick Cappa - who only a few days before had assured us that the ENVI team was still "quietly" moving along - said the special group has been disbanded and its work "absorbed into the normal vehicle development program."

Cappa since has confirmed to Green Car Advisor that the formal group no longer exists. He bridled, though, at use of the term "disbanded," saying that the group's members all are still working and that former ENVI chief Lou Rhodes is still in charge of vehicle electrification programs - for both Chrysler and Fiat.

He confirmed, however, that the pre-bankruptcy timetable for putting hybrids and EVs into the Chrysler lineup has been replaced. By one that takes a much slower approach, it appears.

Prior to its bankruptcy and takeover by Fiat, Chrysler had showed a suite of five electric and PHEV vehicles and promised to have at least one in production by next year.

But last week, in delivering a day-long look at Chrysler's post-bankruptcy 5-year product and business plan, executives including Sergio Marchionne - CEO of both Fiat and Chrysler - made no mention of electric vehicles.

And Marchionne later told some reporters, according to Reuters, that electric cars would represent less than 2 percent of Chrysler's anticipated sales in 2015. That would be fewer than 60,000 - far from the 500,000 promised at the Detroit Auto Show in January, a few months before the car maker filed for bankruptcy.

Marchionne does plan to bring the Dodge Ram dual-mode hybrid to market next year and to introduce the fuel-efficient Fiat 500 and a lot of Fiat's fuel-efficient engine technology to the U.S. through Chrysler. He told reporters last week, Reuters reports, that he believes electric vehicles will struggle until battery reliability and range issues are resolved.

Chrysler reportedly still is talking about an all-electric commercial van to the market.

But Fiat got its 20 percent stake - and effective control - of Chrysler in a deal with the Obama Administration in which Chrysler promised to bring more fuel-efficient vehicles to market.

It's disappointing to see the company back-peddling on the electric front and will be interesting to see if Marchionne can do it without electrification.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 7, 2009, 11:26 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Fiat, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Disbands EV Program

November 4, 2009

Chrysler Plans, Part II: EVs, Hybrids Apparently Holding 'til Next 5-Year Plan

DodgeEV?.jpg While it was heartening to hear Chrysler's new powertrain chief talk about small and efficient gas and diesel engines this morning, it was far less so to listen and not hear anything about that long-rumored Dodge EV or a line of plug-in hybrids in the 2009-2014 Chrysler product plan that was unwound for us during the day.

Under the old, pre-bankruptcy plan, there was to be a Dodge EV in 2010 and a Chrysler extended-range plug-n hybrid in 2011, with more to follow. Maybe even a Chrysler 300 with all-electric drive.

Chrysler's new corporate website has a nice feature and Q&A about electrification and the work of the 2-year-old ENVI (stands for ENVIronmental) group that's developing EV and PHEV concepts and prototypes for Chrysler.

We did hear that Chrysler will bring the popular Fiat 500 subcompact (right) to the U.S. late next year as a 2011 model, to be sold in major metropolitan areas - hooray!

But discussion of its activities and plans for its future and for future electrified vehicles was glaringly absent from today's product plan session under Chrysler's post-bankruptcy bosses from Fiat.

But we're optimists at heart, and keep hearing our Chrysler friends telling us not to worry, that ENVI's still part of the company plan and still working on vehicles and systems that eventually will see the light of day.

So we cross our fingers and wait for Sig. Marchionne and crew to honor us with that information. Sooner, please, than later.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell November 4, 2009, 6:20 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Product Plan

Chrysler Plans Part 1: More Diesels and 4-Cylinder Gas Engines

Video explains Fiat Multiair system that will be used in many of Chrysler's new models to improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions and boost power.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Chrysler's new powertrain chief, Paolo Ferrero, says the company will begin widespread adoption of gas and diesel engine technologies from its new owner, Fiat Group, with the first of a family of more fuel-efficient engines due next summer.

The company believes that hybrids and electric vehicles are a longer-term strategy and will concentrate in the "short-to-medium" term on internal combustion engine improvements and downsizing, and introduction of fuel-efficient clean diesels and engines using alternative low carbon fuels such as compressed natural gas.

Chrysler also will be adopting the start-stop system, also called a micro-hybrid system, that is used in some Fiat models to shut down the engine at stop signs and when idling. It can reduce emissions and improve fuel economy by as much as 5 percent, Ferrero said.

The first model in the Chrysler lineup to use it will be the the 2011 Jeep Wrangler.

By 2014, Ferrero said during a morning presentation at the day-long Chrysler product plan meeting, 38 percent of Chrysler vehicles will use small, four-cylinder engines, up from 19 percent today, and 14 percent will use diesel engines, up from 9 percent now.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell November 4, 2009, 10:30 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Diesel, Dodge, Hybrid, Jeep, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Product Plans

Chrysler To Webcast Marathon Business Plan Meeting Today

If the future course of Fiat-controlled Chrysler is a hot topic in your circles, you can see - and hear - for yourself what is being planned as the company opens its marathon 7-hour (!!) business plan meeting to the world today via a live Webcast.

How will the Hemi company meet the 35.5 MPG federal CAFE standard by 2016?

Will there finally be Chrysler EVs? Hybrids? A Chrysler-branded version of the Fiat 500? More trucks, or fewer, from Dodge?

Is Chrysler's muscular styling (when it has styling) out the window, to be replaced by a sleeker, more European look?

We presume all those questions, and more, will be answered during the session as Fiat's sergio Marcionne unveils the new Chrysler 5-year product plan.

It starts at 11 a.m. Eastern (8 a.m. Pacific) and wraps up at 6 p.m. and you can watch all, or parts, by registering on the Chrysler Website.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 4, 2009, 7:35 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Fiat
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler 5-Year Plan Webcast

November 3, 2009

Chrysler 5-Year Plan Thought To Include an EV Along With Fuel-Efficient Small Cars

Dodge Zeo8 concept shown at Detroit Auto Show last year could be basis for a new EV in revised Chrysler product lineup under post-bankruptcy recovery plan.

If there's anything certain about Chrysler's new 5-year product plan, to be unveiled in a lengthy conference tomorrow, it is that small cars, advanced technology gas engines and at least one electric vehicle all are likely to figure into the automaker's future.

The company, fresh out of bankruptcy, is now controlled by Italy's Fiat and Fiat, according to the leaks from Chrysler' suburban HQ in Auburn Hills, Mich., wants to use its new American unit as a portal to being its popular Fiat 500 subcompact over form Europe and to reintroduce the Alfa Romeo brand to the states.

Fiat, we've heard, also intends to use its "multiair" fuel-efficient engine technology in Chrysler vehicles going forward and, insiders say, wants to use the Dodge brand for introduction of an electric car - likely one of the models that have been under development - quietly - by Chrysler's ENVI group.

Yes, Virginia, the ENVI group, tasked with developing EVs and extended-range, plug-in hybrids for Chrysler when it was formed in 2007, has survived the financial mayhem and is still plugging away, so to speak.

Whether Chrysler's new masters will pick the sexy Dodge Zeo electric sports car, one of the Jeep plug-ins or the Chrysler 300-based EV concept shown at the Detroit auto show in January - all ENVI productions -or select an all-new Chrysler- or Fiat-based model for the EV is up in the air.

But as we've said all along - and as Fiat's Sergio Marchionne well knows - Chrysler can't survive in the new automotive age without EVs and PHEVs in its portfolio.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 3, 2009, 1:54 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

October 28, 2009

Dodge Still Planning to Launch Two-Mode Ram Hybrid Pickup in 2010

Chrysler's new bosses unveil the company's new 5-year product plan next week and word already is leaking out that with Fiat in the driver's seat there will be a pared-down list of Dodge and Chrysler vehicles in the market.

One model that has survived the cut is the long-awaited two-mode hybrid version of the Dodge Ram pickup.

In an interview with the Detroit News, Scott Kunselman, Chrysler's senior vice president fopr engineering, said there have been no changes of plan for the Dodge Ram hybrid, due to be launched next year.

A diesel version of the truck, however, seems to be out - Kunselman said he doesn't see much recrerational buyer demand for an oil burner.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 28, 2009, 3:32 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Dodge, Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: Dodge Dual Mode Hybrid

September 24, 2009

EV Battery Maker A123 Systems Raises $380 Million from Initial Stock Offering

Lithium-ion car battery maker A123 Systems Inc. increased the number of shares in its initial public offering and priced them for $13.50 apiece, above the estimate range.

The upsized deal helped the Watertown, Massachusetts, company raise $380.4 million, far above what it had expected. On Tuesday, facing strong demand, A123 had raised the price estimate range of the IPO to between $10 and $11.50 apiece, up from the original range of $8 to $9.50.

A123 sold 28.1 million shares, 9.3 percent more than expected.

A123, which was founded by scientists linked to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, develops batteries and battery systems for hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and all-electric vehicles and works with such carmakers as BMW, Chrysler and General Motors.

"The fact that they have received several hundred million dollars from the government and have strong venture backers and corporate partners like Motorola and Qualcomm clearly reveals the confidence in this intriguing cleantech story," said Scott Sweet, senior managing partner with advisory firm IPO Boutique.

A123 won a $249.1 million grant in August from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a competition for $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funds for companies that make advanced automotive batteries.

The IPO's underwriters, led by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, have the option to buy another 4.2 million shares, which could bring the deal's total proceeds to $437.5 million.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 24, 2009, 3:23 PM
Categories:: BMW, Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: A123Systems

September 21, 2009

Silicon Valley VCs Say Detroit 3 Must Scrap Their Business Model to Succeed

Silicon Valley's venture capitalists believe the Detroit 3 automakers cannot become competitive again unless they scrap their traditional business model and embrace new, innovative ways of doing business.

That's the theme of a feature article Reuters distributed today, a copy of which can be read free of charge and registration at the new service's Website.

Speaking of the Detroit 3, Ray Lane, a managing partner at Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Buyers, said that "for years they have been led by accountants and lawyers, not engineers and entrepreneurs. That's OK if the industry isn't changing."

So what do Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group need to do to regain marketplace dominance?

"Start over," said Marc van den Berg, managing director of VantagePoint Venture Partners, which backs upstart electric carmaker Tesla Motors and electric-vehicle infrastructure firm Better Place.

The only way the Detroit 3 can succeed is by completely overhauling the business model, moving beyond just designing attractive cars, Silicon Valley venture capitalists say.

"There is room for business model innovation and technology innovation," said Vinod Khosla, managing general partner of Khosla Ventures.

Khosla said U.S. automakers need to embrace innovation at all levels. He pointed to Better Place, which is building charging infrastructure and battery-swapping stations for electric vehicles.

"Better Place is saying,'Don't let the consumer buy the batteries,' " Khosla said. "That's a business model innovation."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 21, 2009, 4:32 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Fisker, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hydrogen, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

September 17, 2009

House Passes $2.90 Billion Bill for Advanced Technology Vehicle Research

Targeting more federal money to support the auto industry, the House on Wednesday approved an expansion of government-led research into making cars and trucks more fuel-efficient.

The House plan would allow the Energy Department to spend up to $200 million more each year on research and development for advanced-technology vehicles and auto parts.

Lawmakers' aides said the additional $200 million would boost government-supported research in this area to around $550 million if Congress, as expected, funds the request later this year.

The measure passed on a 312-114 vote, attracting dozens of Republican votes, even though some GOP lawmakers questioned its cost.

Wednesday's House action represented the latest move by Congress and the Obama administration to aid the auto industry. The White House stepped in with billions of dollars to rescue General Motors and Chrysler and led the companies through bankruptcy, and Congress approved $25 billion last year to help the industry retool assembly plants to meet tougher fuel economy standards.

Congress also created a $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program of incentives that successfully spurred new car sales over the summer.

Fuel-efficient technology is in great demand because of higher gasoline prices and the expectation of tightening auto regulations. Administration officials on Tuesday released plans to raise the gas mileage standards to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 and link greenhouse-gas emissions and fuel-economy requirements.

Democratic Representative Gary Peters of Michigan, who sponsored the green vehicle technology bill, said "there is no doubt that in the years ahead more Americans will be driving hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles, and cars and trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells."

"The only question is whether these new technologies will be researched, developed and manufactured here in the United States, creating American jobs, or whether this technology will be built overseas," Peters said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 17, 2009, 1:37 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing

September 3, 2009

Tokyo Denies Chrysler Claim, Says Toyota Received No Aid in Development of Prius

Back in March, Jim Press, vice chairman and president of Chrysler, was quoted in a Business Week report as saying, "The Japanese government paid for 100 percent of the development of the battery and hybrid system that went into the Toyota Prius."

Toyota quickly denied the allegation, stating that it got no such help in developing the gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle.

Well, it took the Japanese government more than five months to respond, but today it announced that Press (pictured) was wrong.

Sosuke Tanaka, an official at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said today that Toyota had not received financial aid from the government in developing the Prius, according to ministry records.

"Toyota developed its own technology," Tanaka said in an interview with The New York Times. "So please talk to Toyota about research and development."

Chrysler defended Press, who worked at Toyota for 37 years before joining Chrysler in September 2007.

On its media blog, Chrysler said Press "was not speaking negatively of Toyota" but "referenced the close cooperation between the Japanese government and Japanese industry."

Chrysler said Press would like to see similar cooperation between government and industry in the U.S.

Didn't the U.S. government just save Chrysler's trunk, so to speak? For a second time? Jim Press, this would be a good time to reflect on the proverb, Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); Scott Doggett September 3, 2009, 1:03 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Hybrid, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

September 1, 2009

Chrysler Bringing New, 40-MPG Dodge Caliber With New Diesel Engine to Frankfurt

Chrysler announced today that it will be bringing the new Dodge Caliber to the Frankfurt Motor Show fitted with a new 2.2-liter, turbocharged, common-rail diesel engine that's Euro 5 compliant.

The engine, which is paired with a six-speed manual transmission, produces a claimed 163 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. That's 16 percent more power, 3 percent more torque and 25 percent (3,300 pounds) more towing capability than the previous diesel engine.

But wait, there's more: Fuel consumption is improved by 5 percent (40.6 miles per gallon versus 38.6 mpg), and carbon dioxide emissions are improved by 3 percent (154 grams per kilometer compared to 159 grams per kilometer).

Chrysler says forged steel connecting rods, aluminum head and pistons, and fourth-generation direct-injection system with common-rail pressurized at 1800 bar provide durability, weight reduction and performance.

Passenger comfort also improves as dual balance shafts and sound-deadening materials reduce the diesel engine's vibration and harshness by 25 percent compared with the previous Dodge Caliber CRD.

Unfortunately, there are no plans to bring the new diesel engine to the U.S. Unless there's a change, Americans will only be offered Calibers equipped with Chrysler's gasoline-consuming World Engines.

The two World Engines (2.0- and 2.4-liter) in the Caliber are equipped with dual variable-valve timing and an intake manifold design with flow control valves. Combined, these features produce more power, better fuel economy and a smoother, quieter operation than engines without them.

The 2.0-liter World Engine replaces the 1.8-liter engine, delivering 4 percent more power (156 hp) and 13 percent more torque (140 pound-feet). For even greater performance, the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine delivers 170 hp and 162 pound-feet of torque. But again, neither it nor the 2.4-liter will be offered to Americans as diesels.

The new Dodge Caliber will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in two weeks. It's interesting to note that the Dodge Caliber was the top-selling Chrysler Group LLC vehicle outside North America in 2008.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 1, 2009, 11:09 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Chrysler, Diesel, Emissions, Fuel Economy
Technorati Tags:: Carbon Dioxide

August 5, 2009

Detroit 3, Battery Makers Get Largest Cut of $2.4 Billion in EV Development Grants

Recovery.gov.jpg

President Obama announced the winners today of $2.4 billion in stimulus grants aimed at spurring the development of electric vehicles and the advanced batteries they need - with Detroit's Big Three securing more than $400 million for plug-in projects.

The cash was divvied up among 48 projects in 25 states, with General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC together grabbing some of the biggest grants. Still, the Big Three's tally was less than the combined haul of battery makers Johnson Controls Inc. and A123 Systems Inc., who together took home nearly $550 million.

"If we want to reduce our dependence on oil, put Americans back to work and reassert our manufacturing sector as one of the greatest in the world, we must produce the advanced, efficient vehicles of the future," Obama said at an event in Elkhart, Indiana, the hard-hit town he visited six months ago to drum up support for the $787 billion economic stimulus package.

The announcement comes as the administration continues its push to convince the public that the stimulus package has been a success, despite poor employment figures and other economic data showing a less than robust economic revival. As part of the grant rollout, Vice President Joe Biden was scheduled to speak in Michigan and Energy Secretary Steven Chu in Charlotte, N.C., later today.

The $2.4 billion is divided into three separate programs aimed at enticing U.S. manufacturers to produce more plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and the components and infrastructure that will support them. The first $1.5 billion is to help companies produce highly efficient batteries for plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars and trucks; $500 million is for the production of other necessary components, such as electric motors; and the final $400 million is for demonstration projects that evaluate electric infrastructure concepts.

Unlike the separate $25 billion Energy Department loan program aimed at helping retool U.S. manufacturing plants to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles, the stimulus grants do not need to be repaid. The winners do, however, have to match the federal cash with their own investments, mostly on a one-to-one basis.

GM received the largest haul of the major carmakers, receiving three separate grants totaling $241.4 million, most of which was earmarked for the high-volume production of battery packs for the company's plug-in Chevy Volt and for the deployment of a 600 strong demonstration fleet.

Ford received two separate grants, totaling $92.7 million, a third of which will go toward a commercialization project with 15 electric utility companies. Chrysler received one grant for $70 million to develop and deploy 220 advanced plug-in pickups and minivans.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 5, 2009, 10:12 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: A123 Systems

Obama Administration to Award $2.4 Billion Today to Advance EV Development

The Obama administration today will award $2.4 billion in grants to 48 projects that promote advanced battery and electric vehicle manufacturing, according to administration officials.

The grants are designed to boost U.S. manufacturing jobs in an industry that has so far seen the leading technology come from Japan and elsewhere in the Far East.

"Today, almost all of these technologies are overseas," said Matt Rogers, a senior adviser at the Energy Department. "These are really about creating manufacturing capabilities in the United States."

The Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative was funded by the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funds are to advance and lower the cost of technologies, such as lithium-ion batteries, necessary to commercialize electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

President Obama has pledged to have 1 million plug-in hybrids on U.S. roads by 2015.

Only one in every five applications won funding, representing about a third of the total dollar amounts sought, said Rogers. While one-fifth of the funds went to small businesses, a number of major auto manufacturers will also benefit.

Twenty-five states will see money from the pool, with the most going to Michigan, followed by Indiana. Eleven and seven projects, respectively, will be funded in these two states, where unemployment has soared as the auto industry licks its wounds.

Information about specific project winners, dollar amounts and jobs created will be released today, Rogers said. One of the applicants is a struggling Chrysler LLC, which plans to develop
a plug-in hybrid version of its Dodge Ram pickup truck.

The money is divided into three pools: $1.5 billion will go toward expanding battery and battery component production, as well as recycling capabilities; $500 million will be for manufacturing electric drive and power electronic components; and $400 million will help purchase and test thousands of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles, install vehicle charging infrastructure, and provide education and work force training.

The administration plans to roll out the funds as part of today's full-court press highlighting the economic recovery.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 5, 2009, 8:44 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Battery

August 3, 2009

DOT Secretary: Unless Senate Approves Extra $2 Billion, Clunkers Program Will End

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the Cash for Clunkers program that's become the most visible of the Obama administration's economic-stimulus efforts would come to an end possibly as early as this week unless the U.S. Senate approves $2 billion in additional funding for the program.

"If we don't get the $2 billion from the Senate...we would have to suspend the program next week," LaHood (pictured) said in an interview with C-SPAN's "Newsmakers" show on Sunday.

The 10-day-old program has helped reduced inventories of unsold vehicles at many dealerships to their lowest levels in years, giving Ford, Chrysler and General Motors much-needed cash injections.

Senate Democratic leaders said today that they hoped to bring a $2 billion extension to the Senate floor this week as the program's original $1 billion in funding runs low.

But the additional funding is no slam dunk. At least one senator wants to see evidence the program is reducing automotive emissions -- that and boosting the economy are two of its goals.

And some senators have said they are opposed to extending the program unless it is changed to compel consumers to buy more fuel-efficient cars than is currently required. Those senators include Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California.

LaHood expressed support for the program just as it is, but he made clear that if the Senate doesn't approve the funding extension, the administration won't rescue the program.

The program offers government vouchers toward a new car to consumers who surrender for scrapping an older vehicle rated at 18 miles per gallon or less. To get a $3,500 voucher, the new car must be at least 4 mpg more efficient; a 10-mpg improvement is required for a $4,500 voucher.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 3, 2009, 10:08 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation, Tax Incentives
Technorati Tags:: Cash fort Clunkers

July 23, 2009

Starting Today Chrysler to Double U.S. Government's Cash-for-Clunkers Incentive

Chrysler Group LLC said Wednesday that it is offering $4,500 in cash toward the purchase of one of its new vehicles as it seeks to match a government incentive for people to trade in their old gas guzzlers.

The automaker said it will offer cash or zero percent financing for six years on most of its 2009 Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep models. The incentive begins today and lasts through Aug. 31.

Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy protection last month under new ownership and is now working to lure back car shoppers in a depressed market.

Chrysler sales were down 46 percent for the first six months of the year, while industrywide sales for the same period were down 35 percent.

The automaker is clearly using the financial incentive to lure prospective buyers into its showrooms, but unfortunately once there the prospects won't have the opportunity to buy any of the electric vehicles Chrysler has been showing in recent years.

However, Chrysler has promised that it will introduce a plug-in electric vehicle next year. It's shown several concepts, including a battery-electric Dodge two-seater based on a Lotus platform and a trio of "extended range" hybrid-electrics - two Jeeps and a Chrysler Town and Country minivan - that use electric motors, lithium-ion battery packs and small gasoline engine/generators in a set-up similar to that being pioneered by General Motors Corp. in the Chevrolet Volt due out late next year.

Most industry watchers, including us, are betting on the recently named Dodge Circuit sports car (right ) - a potential rival to the Tesla Roadster - to be first out of the chute.

Chrysler said in a statement Wednesday that buyers are eligible for the new incentive even if they are not trading in a vehicle under the government's cash-for-clunkers legislation.

That program's final rules will be announced Friday. It offers tax credits to car shoppers who trade in their old, fuel-inefficient vehicles for a cleaner new vehicle.

Not all vehicles qualify under the legislation, however. Car shoppers get a voucher worth $3,500 if they trade in a vehicle getting 18 miles per gallon or less for one getting at least 22 mpg. The voucher grows to $4,500 if the new car's mileage is 10 mpg higher than the old vehicle.

Owners of sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks or minivans getting 18 mpg or less could receive a voucher for $3,500 if their new truck or SUV got at least 2 mpg higher than their old vehicle. The voucher would increase to $4,500 if the mileage of the new truck or SUV was at least 5 mpg higher than the older vehicle.

That means some consumers could, in theory, get up to $9,000 off a new Chrysler vehicle if they trade in and buy the right combination of vehicles. According to our parent company, Edmunds.com, 16 Chrysler vehicles are fuel efficient enough to qualify a shopper for a tax rebate under cash for clunkers, so long as the trade-in vehicle qualifies as well.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 23, 2009, 2:01 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Dodge, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Jeep, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Cash for Clunkers

July 7, 2009

Chrysler Seeks OK To Cancel 64 GEM Franchises, Cites Poor Sales

Struggling Chrysler has asked the judge in its bankruptcy to approve a plan to cancel electric vehicle franchise agreements with 64 dealers.

Chrysler owns Global Electric Motorcars, best known as GEM, and sells the company's neighborhood electric vehicles -- NEVs (right) -- through some of its dealerships.

GEM has other sales outlets, including stand-alone dealerships, as well.

The automaker has filed papers seeking permission at a July 16 hearing to cancel the GEM franchises of 64 dealers -- some Chrysler, some stand alone -- mainly for lack of sales.

A Chrysler spokeswoman said the request isn't a reflection of poor GEM sales overall,but rather of poor performance by the specific dealerships. "Many are not located in areas where GEMs do well," she said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell July 7, 2009, 3:04 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, GEM
Technorati Tags:: GEM

July 1, 2009

California to Require Reflective Coating on Windshields to Reduce Climate Change

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

California's air-quality authorities are an innovative bunch, and this month they took an unprecedented step toward making the Golden State less hazy by requiring automakers to place a reflective coating on the windshields of cars and trucks purchased in California.

The requirement is one of several that the California Air Resources Board has considered under its Cool Cars program, which is designed, as you likely guessed, to keep vehicles in the sunny state cooler.

By doing that, they reason, Californians won't need to use their vehicles' air conditioners as much, which will reduce the strain on automotive engines, which will decrease the speed with which we gobble up fossil fuels, which in turn will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we release into the atmosphere.

Green Car Advisor first reported on the program in February, when CARB was focusing on having paint-makers tweak their automotive paints so they'd be more light reflective - as opposed to more light absorbing.

Light-absorbing paints, the king of which is black, contribute significantly to a vehicle's cabin temperature when parked in direct sunlight. Hot parked cars tend to cause their owners to reach for A-C controls the moment they enter their vehicles. Running the air conditioners adds to the workload of the vehicles, which in turn results in higher fuel consumption - you know the story.

The same is true with regard to windshields. When you consider at how much of the surface area of a car's sunny side consists of windshields, you can appreciate how important it is for the glass to be sunlight-reflective to help keep a vehicle's interior cool when parked in sunlight.

The technology used by glass manufacturers to make more reflective car windows has been around for nearly 20 years, said Mukesh Rustagi, director of strategic product management at Pittsburgh Glass Works, the largest automotive glass supplier in North America.

The technology exists and it's not particularly costly compared to, say, wiping out entire species and watching the world's glaciers - water sources for more than a billion people - melt away.

With that in mind, California's air regulators voted unanimously last week for a mandate requiring automakers to include sun-reflecting windshields on all vehicles sold within the state by 2014.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett July 1, 2009, 12:01 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Courts, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda
Technorati Tags:: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

June 29, 2009

Chrysler Reportedly To Build and Sell Four Versions of Fuel-Efficient Fiat 500 in U.S.

Four versions of the Fiat 500, a fuel-efficient, low-emissions subcompact car that's been a bestseller in Europe for years, will be coming to the U.S. as early as 2011, according to Automotive News (subscription required).

Often compared in style and character to the Mini Cooper, the Fiat 500 will be the first of the Italian automaker's modern offerings to reach the New World and it will be built at one of Chrysler's own U.S. plants, possibly the one in Belvidere, Illinois, not in Mexico, as had been speculated, the News reported.

In the wake of Fiat's becoming a 20 percent owner of the newly reorganized Chrysler, company officials have said to expect the 500 in about 18 months, allowing time for federal emissions and safety certification.

Like the Mini Cooper, the 500 is an updated incarnation of an iconic original, but with modern safety and emissions equipment. The 500 also borrows retro styling cues from the original, and it offers seating for four, like the Mini, but the 500 is 7 inches shorter and weighs 500 pounds less.

Four versions of the red-hot little car will be built for the U.S. market, Automotive News reported, quoting 500 designer Robert Giolito, who confirmed the plan to Edmunds.com in Italy. Two hatchbacks -- one standard, one sporty Abarth model -- a convertible and a wagon, will comprise the U.S. lineup.

The trade publication noted that it is possible a four-wheel-drive SUV version of the tiny car could be in the works as well for U.S. consumption.

The original 500, referred to as the Cinquecento in Italian, got its name from the size of its engine, an air-cooled scooter-like two-cylinder displacing just 479 cubic centimeters. It was a true gutless wonder.

Four engines are available in the current 500, ranging from a 69-horsepower 1.2-liter engine to the 1.4-liter engine generating 135 hp in the sporty Abarth version. It's unknown at this time if all of these engines will be offered in U.S.-bound 500s, and it's too soon to say if a diesel variant will be available (as it is in other countries today).

Unlike the original 500, the new one has a front engine and front-wheel drive.

As far as style is concerned, the 500 is offered elsewhere in 12 exterior colors, including pastel, metallic and pearl finishes, according to Fiat's Web site. Checkerboard paint schemes are also available, and the interior accommodates four passengers on a variety of seating fabrics and leather.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 29, 2009, 12:03 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Diesel, Emissions, Fiat, Fuel Economy, MINI
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler LLC

June 24, 2009

GM Reportedly Persuing Chrysler for Repayment of 2-Mode Hybrid R&D Costs

General Motors is reportedly seeking from Chrysler full payment of development and production costs related to the two-mode hybrid powertrain that the two automakers co-developed with other partners.

PickupTrucks.com reports that GM has filed court documents saying that Chrysler has promised $173,477 to settle $531,275 in costs associated with the development and manufacture of the Chrysler Aspen (pictured) and Dodge Durango Two-Mode Hybrid SUVs.

You might recall that both of the vehicles were killed after only two months of production.

Calls by Green Car Advisor to Julie Gibson, the GM spokeswoman authorized to discuss the matter, were not immediately returned.

Under Chapter 11, Chrysler's assets and liabilities were assigned to two entities: Old Chrysler and New Chrysler. Italian automaker Fiat, which recently merged with New Chrysler after that portion of the company emerged from bankruptcy, has not assumed the two-mode hybrid contract, leaving it with Old Chrysler.

According to a report by TheDetroitBureau.com, the court documents also state that New Chrysler has assigned all production-related contracts to Old Chrysler.

The Website reported that a source outside Chrysler said that Chrysler is hoping to renegotiate many of its pre-bankruptcy production contracts so they can be signed by New Chrysler under more favorable terms. The two-mode hybrid deal reportedly is one of those.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett June 24, 2009, 10:12 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Courts, Dodge, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Bankruptcy

June 23, 2009

Feds Reported Ready to Grant Advanced Technology Loans to Ford, Nissan, Tesla

Ford, Nissan and upstart electric car maker Tesla Motors will be the first auto companies to receive factory retooling loans under the $25 billion federal program to speed production of fuel-efficient vehicles in the U.S., the Detroit Free Press reported late Monday.

The awards from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program are to be announced this morning in Dearborn, Mich., Ford's hometown, by Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Ford, which had applied for $11 billion in loans under the program, is likely to receive the largest loan. The company wants to retool an SUV factory to use for a new electric vehicle it plans to launch in 2011.

Nissan has asked for $1.1 billion to help retool its Smyrna, Tenn. plant to build electric vehicles that it has said will go on sale in selected areas of the U.S. next year.

Tesla has asked for $350 million to refurbish a Southern California factory, believed to be a recently emptied aerospace plant, for production of its upcoming Model S electric sedan.

General Motors corp. and Chrysler are not eligible for loans from the program until they emerge from their Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The loan program is only open to companies that can show they are "financially viable."

In all, 75 companies have asked for $38 billion in loans from the program, exceeding the available funds by 52 percent. A proposal to double the loan pool to $50 billion is pending in Congress.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell June 23, 2009, 1:04 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Progra

June 19, 2009

Chrysler Light Duty Diesel Project Reportedly Stalled by Bankruptcy

But Hike in MPG Requirements Could Resurrect It and Other Abandoned Diesel Plans

2009.dodge.ram pickup 1500.20242297-396x249.jpg Chrysler's bankruptcy reportedly has killed its diesel engine development contract with Cummins, at least temporarily halting work on a fuel-efficient, light-duty diesel for the Dodge Ram pickup.

The enthusiast site PickupTrucks.com first reported the situation, quoting Cummins pubic relations director Mark Land as saying that while development could be resumed, "it just won't happen under the terms of the original contract."

Chrysler is shedding its old obligations as part of the bankruptcy, and would have to negotiate a new pact with Cummins to move forward on the diesel Dodge Ram project.

Chrysler has been noncommittal, saying only that is continues to explore all powertrain options. It wouldn't wouldn't be alone, though, if it doesn't move forward.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell June 19, 2009, 2:01 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Diesel, Dodge, Fuel Economy
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Diesel

June 17, 2009

Austrian Company AVL Opens Hybrid-Powertrain Center in California

In what seems like a continuing shift of automotive investment away from Michigan and into California, Austrian powertrain engineering firm AVL has opened an alternative-fuels powertrain engineering center in the Orange County city of Lake Forest.

The center will be used for prototype and proof-of-concept work, said Bruce Falls, the center's director of engineering. Anything closer to production will be sent to AVL's larger engineering centers in Plymouth, Michigan or Graz, Austria.

Falls said AVL is looking at bridging the systems-engineering gap between automakers and suppliers, both sides of an equation chasing next-generation propulsion systems.

"We're technology neutral. We're a facilitator. Systems engineering has always been the bottleneck," he said. "We're seeing how refined a concept car can go with mechanical integration, so that it's more than just a show car."

Among the center's features is an all-in-one test bed (pictured) that integrates a chassis tester and wheels-off dynamometer with drive-by-wire wheelslip simulators. The rig can handle any vehicle from a small car to a bus to a Class 8 tractor trailer, Falls said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 17, 2009, 11:51 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chrysler, Diesel, Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen
Technorati Tags:: Alternative Fuel

June 10, 2009

GSA Buys $210 Million Worth of Fuel Efficient Vehicles From U.S. Carmakers

Annual Purchase Total Now $287 Million; $15 Million More Committed For Buses and EVs

The federal General Services Administration said late Tuesday that it purchased $210 million worth of "fuel efficient" vehicles from Ford, GM and Chrysler last week.

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Ford's Fusion is part of the government's purchase of more than 17,000 new fuel-efficient vehicles from domestic automakers this year.
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The June 1 acquisition follows the previously announced purchase of 3,100 gas-electric hybrid cars and SUVs from Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. in April.; The purchases are part of the government's economic stimulus program. Chrysler wasn't included in the initial round because it has no hybrids in its retail fleet.

This month's order for 14,105 cars, SUVs and, presumably, pickups, competed the GSA's assignment from President Obama to spend $285 million this fiscal year on new, fuel efficient vehicles for various federal agency - the total actually hit $287 million.

Additionally, the GSA is slated to spend $15 million for an undetermined number of advanced technology buses and electric vehicles by the end of September for use in the federal fleet.

The agency, which does about a quarter of all the federal government's purchasing, is funding the vehicle acquisitions from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - that's 0.0003 percent of the total, if you are keeping score.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell June 10, 2009, 2:49 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: GSA Vehicle Purchases; Fuel Efficient Cars

June 3, 2009

Toyota Faces $1 Billion Cost to Comply With California ZEV Mandate Says Report

It's still 18 months before California's revised zero emissions vehicle requirements kick in, but the lobbying, has quietly begun.

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Cars such as this plugin Toyota Prius are needed to meet California ZEV mandate, but increase automakers' operating costs.

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Toyota Motor Co. will be most impacted by the rules requiring major antomakers to provide electric and plug-in vehicles for at least 3 percent of their sales in the state from 2012 through 2014, and in an interview with Bloomberg reporter Alan Ohnsman last week a Toyota insider said the company faces $1 billion in new costs to comply.

There's no overt complaining in the article, published today on Bloomberg.com, but Toyota's meassage is clear: $1 billion is a lot of money anytime, and is a particularly sizeable pile of cash to come up with in the midst of a recession that is hurting the entire auto industry including the world's biggest car company.

In addition Toyota, which has the biggest share of the California new-car makert, the mandate would apply to Honda Motor Co., Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and pre-bankruptcy General Motors Corp, and Chrysler LLC.

The two domestics have said that major production cuts are part of their recovery plans and if their sales in California drop below 60,000 a year as a result, they would no longer be bound by the mandate

Toyota, according to Bloomgerg's calculations, would have to produce 16,000 plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles to by 2014 to comply with the rules, which require major automakers to make non-polluting vehicles equal at least 3 percent of their sales for the 3-year period.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell June 3, 2009, 6:01 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: California Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate

June 2, 2009

Environmental Groups Renew Bid for EPA Ban on Lead in Wheel-Balancing Weights

In yet another effort to overturn laissez-faire decisions by the Bush-era Environmental Protection Agency, a number of environmental groups are petitioning the agency to ban use of lead in the weights used to balance automobile wheels.

The petitioners, lead by the Sierra Club and Michigan-based Ecology Center, are hoping that the EPA under President Obama will be more favorable to their arguments.

Although lead has long been identified as highly toxic, the EPA in 2005 rejected a similar call for a ban, ruling that petitioners hadn't sufficiently documented the risks associated with exposure to lead from tire weights. In humans, lead particles can cause brain damage, birth defects and death.

Instead of a ban, the agency adopted a program of encouraging automakers and tire shops to voluntarily stop using wheel weights made of lead.

The new petition claims that the weights often fall off and onto road surfaces and then are ground to lead dust by passing vehicles. The dust -- an estimated 3.5 million pounds a year -- can easily be washed off the roads in rainstorms and enter the underground water supply.

The petition follows a 2008 California court ruling in which Chrysler and the nation's three largest tire weight manufacturers agreed to stop using lead weights in that state.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell June 2, 2009, 12:45 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors
Technorati Tags:: Environmental Protection Agency

May 26, 2009

Chrysler Seeks Federal $ For Plug-in Pickups, Electric Minivans and EV Batteries; Development Facility Would Help Speed Commercial Production, Company Says

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Chrysler says the future has a plug on it and that, with a plug-in hybrid drive system, even its Dodge Ram pickups can find a home in the new world of high fuel economy and low greenhouse gas emissions.

We predicted as much last month, and this evening the company proved us right, saying it wants to spend $448 million to speed development and manufacture of plug-in and extended-range electric vehicles and has asked the federal government for $224 million in matching-fund grants to help with two programs.

Chrysler, which is in bankruptcy but is expected to emerge under the control of of Italy's Fiat, said it and a number of so-far unidentified partners would provide $224 million in matching funds

The bulk of the requested federal funding, $183.5 million, would be used for a $365 million demonstration project in which Chrysler would field "at least" 100 plug-in hybrid EV Town & Country minivans, 100 plug-in hybrid Dodge Ram 1500 pickup trucks and 165 all-electric Town & Country minivans (above) in several test fleets.

Manufacturing Center

The remaining federal funds, if the grants are approved, would be used for development and construction of a "vehicle electrification technology and manufacturing center."

The center, to be located in Michigan, would house facilities for developing, testing and manufacturing electric drive components and for assembling rechargeable battery EVs and range-extended EVs (so-called series hybrids which use an internal combustion engine to generate power for an electric drive system).

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell May 26, 2009, 4:59 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Dodge, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Electric Vehicles

May 20, 2009

House Climate Bill Would Double DOE Loan Program to Help Automakers Go Green

The House energy and climate bill would double a $25 billion Department of Energy loan program designed to help automakers produce more fuel-efficient cars and trucks.

The provision increasing the DOE pot to $50 billion was tucked into this week's substitute bill after being absent from both House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman's original March draft and Friday's revision.

The substitute, released Monday, was quickly followed by news that President Obama would dramatically ramp up the speed at which carmakers will need to achieve better fleetwide fuel economy.

The DOE program was established in the 2007 Energy Bill to provide loans to automakers and parts suppliers to retool their U.S. plants for making advanced technology vehicles to meet new corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, standards.

But Congress did not provide funding to back the loans until late last year as Washington scrambled to throw a lifeline to the battered auto industry, and DOE has yet to provide the first batch of loans.

The Energy Department cash is separate from billions of dollars already given by the government to General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC to help keep the two carmakers operating while they undergo sweeping restructuring, downsizing and, in Chrysler's case, bankruptcy.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett May 20, 2009, 3:10 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler LLC

Chrysler Says It Can Meet Future CAFE Standards With Help From Fiat

Chrysler's green prototypes include plug-in hybrid Jeeps and Town & Country van and a Dodge Circuit EV .

In a press release distributed Monday, Chrysler confirmed a report we posted last month in which the bankrupt automaker said it will rely heavily on Fiat to develop a nationwide fleet of low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles.

"Chrysler's alliance with Fiat will initially deliver consumers a world-class small engine and overall powertrain technology that will rapidly bring to market even more fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly small cars," the company said.

These small cars would supplement a Chrysler-created line of electric and plug-in hybrid-electric prototype vehicles, some of which are shown here, that may or may not enter production.

The small engines developed with help from Fiat will compliment an all-new, high-volume V-6 engine made by Chrysler that the automaker says will deliver up to 8 percent improved fuel economy across the company's current vehicle lineup.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett May 20, 2009, 9:02 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Dodge, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: CAFE Standards

May 18, 2009

Are Automakers Finally Seeing the Light? Will Government and Greens See it Too?

Auto Industry Lines Up To Praise National Program Idea, Now the Hard Work Begins

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

The auto industry, tired of being seen as the bad guy whenever fuel economy and emissions regulation is on the table, is wasting no time lining up in support of tomorrow's White House announcement on development of a national carbon emissions and fuel efficiency program.

A cynic might think this doesn't bode well for the ultimate result of the rulemaking process that President Obama will outline at a press conference in Washington Tuesday morning: That the auto industry figures it has enough clout left to wring the life out of any effort to significantly improve fuel economy.

But we think it simply shows that an industry on life support and dependent on government largess here and overseas has finally read the writing on the wall and realizes that this is as good as it is ever going to get and that if it doesn't play ball it will have no say in the rules it eventually will have to live by.

Automakers also have been caught in a trap of their own making. They've been fighting California, the national leader in establishing greenhouse gas controls on motor vehicles, insisting that individual states shouldn't be able to set carbon emissions rules and that a national standard is needed.

Now the Obama administration has stepped to the table and said, as the president is wont to: "Okay, let's develop a national rule."

To oppose that would be political suicide.

In that vein, the two lobbying groups representing almost every car maker that does business in the U.S. have jumped on board and are voicing support for the so-called National Program for Autos.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell May 18, 2009, 6:00 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, BMW, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Land Rover, Legislation, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opinion, Plug-ins and Electric, Porsche, Renault, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: National CAFE Plan

May 7, 2009

Energy Department Slashes Hydrogen Transportation Funding in Proposed Budget

(Note: Updated 5 p.m. 5/7/09 to include link to Hydrogen and Fuel Cell groups' joint statement.)

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

In a huge blow to backers of fuel-cell electric vehicles, the nation's top energy official said today he sees little promise of the technology becoming a significant player in the nation's transportation system within the next two decades.

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Honda's FCX Clarity, now being tested in Southern California, uses a hydrogen fuel cell to provide electric power.
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As a result, Energy Secretary Stephen Chu is proposing that more than $100 million be cut from the Energy Department hydrogen program in the 2010 budget the administration is submitting to Congress.

The proposed budget slashes hydrogen fuel cell spending by 59 percent to just $68 million and focuses on programs for stationary power generation rather than for transportation.

"We asked ourselves, 'Is it likely in the next 10 or 15, 20 years that we will covert to a hydrogen car economy?' The answer, we felt, was 'no,'" Chu said in a briefing today.

The National Hydrogen Association and the U.S. Fuel Cell Coalition quickly issued a joint statement criticizing the program cuts.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); John O'Dell May 7, 2009, 3:49 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: 2010 Energy Department Budget

April 30, 2009

Chrysler's Green Programs Likely To Survive Bankruptcy, Fiat Alliance

Company Can't Afford To Drop EV and Plug-in Development If It Hopes for a Future

Chrysler green prototypes include plug-in hybrid Jeeps and Town & Country van and Dodge Circuit EV.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Some quick thoughts on what Chrysler's bankruptcy and reorganization may mean for the company's green initiatives.

Chrysler is going to continue to be run largely by government dictate as it wends its way though bankruptcy -- the Obama administration will be selecting new board members and the Feds will be providing much of the company's working capital -- and the government has made it clear time and again that it wants carmakers to concentrate on fuel-efficiency.

So if Chrysler is to have a post-bankruptcy future, then building cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles that help us kick our oil dependency has got to be part of it, as it must for all automakers.

A large part of that effort, now that Chrysler will be teamed with and ultimately controlled by Italy's Fiat, will be in development of fuel-efficient gasoline and, possibly, diesel engines for Chrysler's U.S. cars and trucks using Fiat technology.

So we can look for smaller, lighter vehicles to be added to the lineup of the company that made its bones with hulking pickups, gas-guzzling Hemi V8 muscle cars and hefty family hauling minivans. And we can surely expect some of Chrysler's more egregiously fuel-inefficient vehicles to disappear.

A Chrysler version of Fiat's popular and tiny 500 subcompact might not make a big hit in a U.S. still worried about the safety aspects of small cars sharing the road with all those Hummers and Expeditions and Rams, but Fiat has other, larger cars, especially in its Alfa Romeo brand, that might transition well in the U.S.

In his press conference today, President Obama skipped over the impact the restructuring will have on Chrysler's green initiatives except to say that Fiat already has agreed to transfer "billions" of dollars worth of "cutting-edge technology" to Chrysler so it can build "new fuel-efficient cars and engines in America."

But Chrysler also may have some technology of its own to bring to the table.

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Chrysler recently showed this 200C EV electric car concept.
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Skeptics believe Chrysler's green programs, particularly the electric and plug-in hybrid-electric prototype vehicles it has shown off in the past year, are vaporware.

But Green Car Advisor spoke with a few Chrysler insiders this morning and they said that there have been no signs that work on those technologies is being dropped or even diminished.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell April 30, 2009, 10:33 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Fiat, Fuel Cell, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Bankruptcy

April 17, 2009

Is U.S. Auto Task Force Getting Accurate Assessment of Plug-In Segment?

Advocacy Group Thinks Panel's Consultants Use Flawed Arguments to Downplay Technology

It's great that the Obama Administration is trying to do something to save the U.S. auto industry, but a bit unsettling that the right hand doesn't seem to know what the left is up to - a common Washington problem in general, we imagine, and in particular a problem in a new administration trying to grapple with half a dozen catastrophic events simultaneously.

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GM's Chevy Volt is seen by consultants as too expensive to be commercially viable in the nearterm.

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The issue we're talking about is the seeming disconnect between the president's oft-stated goal of promoting development of rechargeable, or plug-in, hybrid-electric vehicles - with a goal of having a million of them on the road by 2015 - and the administration's Automotive Task Force's apparent reliance on a consulting group that hasn't seen much future in plug-ins.

Felix Kramer, founder of the plug-in hybrid advocacy group California Cars Initiative, raised the alarm in a piece posted this week on the CalCars.org website.

It seems that the Obama administration, whose task force is charged with helping figure out how to save the U.S. auto industry, has awarded the Boston Consulting Group a contract worth up to $7 million for an analysis of the prospects of General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC.

Both automakers have said in the restructuring plans they've presented to the government that plug-in vehicles - hybrid and "pure" electric - will play a big role in their futures.

But Boston Consulting, Kramer says, has relied too heavily in the past on "business as usual" assumptions and "flawed data" in assessing plug-ins.

Kramer cites one recent report from the company, co-authored by one American- and four German-based analysts, titled "The Comeback of the Electric Car? How Real, How Soon, and What Must Happen Next." (Click here to download the 10-page report.)

The press release issued by the company to promote the report when it was released in January was headlined "Electric Cars Are Unlikely to Help Carmakers Cut CO2 Emissions Significantly by 2020," a less neutral approach that alerts you to the one of the report's conclusions.

We've no axe to grind with a hard-nosed assessment of the facts, but Kramer argues that the consulting company's analysis of the plug-in EV scene uses outdated, excessively high battery costs and ignores the impact of recent U.S. funding programs for battery development.

Green Car Advisor hopes to get Boston Consulting to comment, but two days after taking our request under consideration (with the remark that it would be unfair of us to write about Kramer's concerns without including BCG's response) the best the company's been able to come up with is a "no comment at this time."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell April 17, 2009, 4:00 PM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Chrysler, General Motors, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Boston Consulting Group

April 14, 2009

Michigan Awards $400 Million in Tax Credits for Advanced Battery Production

The battery wars heated up again today as Michigan awarded four $100-million tax credit packages to a quartet of advanced battery projects that could lead to the creation of thousands of new jobs in the economically distressed state. One of the $100-million tax credit packages is contingent upon state legislators passing enabling legislation.

The credits awarded by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority are part of the state's bid to build an advanced battery industry that, by 2020, would lead to the creation of 40,000 new jobs.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the winners will spend a cumulative $1.7 billion on their proposed projects.

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GM engineers work on a Volt battery pack.

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The winners of $100-million tax credit packages are:

A joint venture between Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Johnson Controls and French battery manufacturer Saft Advanced Power Solutions. The companies plan to build a plant in Holland, Michigan.

A123 Systems Inc. of Watertown, Massachusetts, which on Monday said it had drawn another $70 million in capital from General Electric, plans to build a plant in Livonia. Last week, A123 announced that it would supply batteries for Chrysler LLC's upcoming line of electric vehicles.

KD Advanced Battery Group, which is a joint venture between Dow Chemical, Kokam America and Townsend Ventures, has yet to say where it would build its planned facility.

Korea's LG Chem-Compact Power, which has a contract to provide batteries for General Motors Corp.'s Volt, was awarded a $100-million tax credit package that is contingent upon additional state legislation being passed.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Greg Johnson April 14, 2009, 9:54 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, General Motors, Green Vehicles, Hybrid Technologies, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Tax Incentives
Technorati Tags:: Battery Research

April 10, 2009

Feds To Speed Purchase of 17,600 Fuel-Efficient Vehicles From U.S. Automakers

Plan Includes 2,500 Hybrids and $15 million for EVs, CGN Vehicles and Hybrid Buses

Despite giving Chrysler just a month and General Motors Corp. only 60 days to finish figuring out how to save themselves without potentially devastating bankruptcy filings, the Obama administration continues showing its commitment to the U.S. auto industry by agreeing to spend $285 million to purchase 17,600 fuel-efficient vehicles from the domestic three by the end of May.

The federal vehicle purchases will include 2,500 gas-electric hybrid cars that are to be acquired by Wednesday (the same day federal income taxes are due). 2009.chevrolet.malibu hybrid.20234414-E.jpg

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Ford Fusion (top) and Chevrolet Malibu (bottom) hybrids are among the vehicles the federal government will be purchasing in coming weeks.

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In announcing the plan, President Obama said that the Government Services Agency also will spend $15 million on a pilot program to purchase and test an undisclosed number of new alternative fuel vehicles including compressed-natural gas vehicles, electric vehicles and hybrid buses.

The total isn't huge, representing only about 2 percent of last year's U.S. new car sales total and 29 percent of the government's average annual new vehicle purchases, but it will help brighten an otherwise woeful 2009 sales picture for GM, Chrysler and Ford Motor Co., the only carmakers eligible to participate in the plan.

The hybrid purchase marks the largest government order of gas-electric vehicles to date and will benefit both GM and Ford.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell April 10, 2009, 8:40 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Auto Industry Bailout

April 9, 2009

Exclusive: First Peapod Photos and Update on Planned Model Launches

Peapod 1.JPG

By Dale Buss, Contributor

These first photos of the final production version of the Peapod neighborhood electric vehicle, to be launched on Earth Day (April 22) are exclusive to Green Car Advisor.

They show a car completely in tune with designer Peter Arnell's vision of a radically new approach to the formerly dowdy, battery-powered NEV segment. Getting Peapod off the ground has been Arnell's main task for Chrysler LLC since last year when he became the company's chief innovation officer.

Peapod is meant to appeal to early-adopting city dwellers in search of stylish but limited automotive transportation. Initially, Peapod models will be classified as NEVs, which means their top speed can be only 25 mph, but Arnell has said that the company eventually wants to manufacture and market city electric vehicles, which can go faster. peapod 2.JPG

The single version of the four-seat, all-electric Peapod will retail for a suggested $12,500. It soon will be available in seven colors. The first deliveries are scheduled for October.

"It's a pretty straightforward proposition for a consumer to get their arms around," said Arnell, lead director of the Peapod Mobility Group that has been created out of GEM, Chrysler's long-time NEV subsidiary. Fargo, N.D.-based GEM is manufacturing the Peapod.

"We believe anything that plays well in the efficiency and convenience and simplicity arena with great style, and a sincere attitude toward the ecosystem, is a proposition that's very appropriate for today," Arnell told Green Car Advisor. "And at that price, it's a quality badge that you can wear easily."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Greg Johnson April 9, 2009, 3:41 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Transportation Alternatives
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler LLC

April 7, 2009

GM, Chrysler Could Be Frozen Out of Fuel-Efficient Technology Loan Program

File this bit of news in the "when it rains, it pours" category.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting that, at least for now, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC are prohibited from receiving any of the $25 billion in federal loans available to help automobile manufacturers and parts suppliers retool factories in order to bolster production of fuel-efficient vehicles.

Automakers and parts suppliers have submitted $44.6 billion in loan requests. GM asked for $10.3 billion and Chrysler requested $6 billion.

This pool of funds differs from the $17.4 billion in loans that the two automakers received as part of Washington, D.C.'s massive economic stimulus package and the additional loans they are seeking. But the two pools are linked in a couple of ways.

For starters, Department of Energy rules limit the $25 billion loan pool to companies that "demonstrate a reasonable prospect" of being able to make principal and interest payments. Applicants must have "a net present value which is positive, taking all costs, existing and future, into account."

Last week, of course, the Obama administration rejected restructuring plans submitted by the two financially troubled automakers. GM was given 60 days to present a credible plan and Chrysler was given a month to complete a partnership with Fiat.

In today's edition, the Free Press quotes GM spokesman Kerry Christopher as saying that federal officials "can't give us the additional loans until all other issues are worked out." The newspaper also reports that GM is working with DOE and the Treasury Department to do just that.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Greg Johnson April 7, 2009, 10:35 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler LLC

April 6, 2009

Chrysler Picks A123 Systems To Provide Batteries for Its Planned Green Fleet

In what company executives are describing as an all-American venture, Chrysler LLC today announced that Massachusetts-based A123 Systems will provide battery packs for its first-generation ENVI extended-range hybrids and battery-only vehicles that are scheduled to start appearing in dealer showrooms in 2010.

A123 Systems is developing proprietary next-generation lithium-ion technology at its Watertown, Mass. headquarters. The company plans to open a production facility in Michigan to serve Chrysler.

A123 Systems earlier had been in the running to supply battery packs for the competing Chevrolet Volt. It also has applied for $1.84 billion in federal loans to help build out its proposed lithium-ion battery plants.

Chrysler has been talking about its extended-range and battery-only vehicles for some time. During recent automobile shows it unveiled plans for five green vehicles: the Dodge Circuit EV, Jeep Wrangler EV, Jeep Patriot EV, Chrysler Town & Country EV and a Chrysler 200C EV concept.

"The most significant challenge to electric vehicles is battery technology," Frank Klegon, Chrysler's executive vice president for product development said. "The diligent selection of strategic partners like A123 Systems helps Chrysler achieve its leadership in electric-drive systems and vehicles."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Greg Johnson April 6, 2009, 11:53 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Hybrid, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: A123 Systems

March 30, 2009

Talk is Cheap: Public and Pols Need To Make Decisions, Concessions As Well

Successfully Restructuring Auto Industry Isn't Something That's Entirely Up to Detroit

There's an old Caribbean folksong in which a son calls his father's effort to explain the birds and bees "as clear as mud, but it covered the ground."

That pretty much describes the Obama administration's early direction to General Motors and Chrysler as it rejected the automakers' initial restructuring plans this morning and said they'd be given financial support for a limited period to come up with better plans.

In both cases, the President said in his televised address on the auto industry restructuring this morning, that means a plan to be economically viable while building and selling "the fuel efficient cars and trucks that will carry us to an energy independent future."

America's automakers, Obama said, should "lead the world in manufacturing the next generation of clean cars."

He covered the necessary ground, but without much clarity in terms of just how those goals are to be achieved. That's to be left it up to the automakers and the administration's auto industry restructuring team.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (5); John O'Dell March 30, 2009, 9:11 AM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Opinion
Technorati Tags:: Auto Industry Recovery

February 13, 2009

A Wild Card Now, 'Peapod' Could Be Key Influence on Future of NEVs

Peapod, originally by Chrysler-owned Global Electric Motorcars, is now built by a separate subsidiary.

By Dale Buss, Contributor

Executives of America's nascent NEV industry are on the edges of their little seats these days about two major, unresolved issues that will mightily influence their market in the years ahead.

One of them is obvious: the fate of electric-vehicle tax credits and other goodies included in the $789-billion federal stimulus package that is expected to be voted on and approved by Congress later today.

The other is neither as immediate nor as obvious -- but it could have just as significant an impact on the future of low-speed NEVs -- neighborhood electric vehicles.

"It" is the combination of Peter Arnell, the branding guru often associated with Chrysler, and Peapod Mobility LLC, the Chrysler-owned NEV maker that he now heads.

Arnell has designed a stylish NEV concept that looks -- well, like a smiling peapod, and a dramatic stylistic contrast to the squarishness of nearly all existing NEVs. He's the lead director of Peapod, which Chrysler just spun off from GEM, its long-established NEV market-leader.

Arnell (left) has declared that he wants to energize the NEV business by aiming Peapod at 20-somethings, who have been largely an afterthought to NEV makers.

"You know how the Beetle was the vehicle of choice for the whole '60s, the hippie revolution and everything?" he recently told Brandweek magazine. "We're hoping that this becomes the new-wave car for the younger set as well as addressing mom and her needs with her kids."

Small Footprint So Far

If Arnell and Peapod are able to elevate NEVs from a sideshow in the electric-vehicle sweepstakes into a true cultural phenomenon, the industry could be transformed.

But there's a lot of ground to cover between now and then -- and it's going to take a while in vehicles whose regulated top speed now is only 25 mph,

NEVs, of course, have been around for more than a decade. They resemble but are sturdier than golf cars, have all-electric powertrains, and can be plugged into regular 110-volt outlets for recharging. Generally, they are priced in the $10,000-$12,000 range.

All NEVs must have head- and taillights, a windshield, and other carlike features. But federal regulations limit their maximum loaded weight to 3,000 pounds and don't require all the safety systems a full-function car or truck must have.

Outfitted as cargo haulers and in other useful configurations, NEVs have become popular fleet vehicles for government agencies, college campuses, corporate complexes, parks and recreational sites, and other delivery- and maintenance-oriented customers.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell February 13, 2009, 3:15 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Plug-ins and Electric, Tax Incentives
Technorati Tags:: Neighborhood Electric Vehicles

February 10, 2009

Wagoner on Waxman and Fuel Economy: 'The Chairman Is Very Well-Informed'

It happened, just as we said it would earlier today : General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner (right ) met with Democratic Representative Henry Waxman of California, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which among other things can make life sweet or bitter for automakers doing business in the U.S.A.

GM - and Ford and Chrysler, probably all automakers come to think of it - hate being heavily regulated. For at least the past couple of decades, the Big 3 have fought efforts to regulate automotive emissions and fuel-economy standards that would force them to make cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars and trucks.

Chief among the members of Congress who've wanted tough tailpipe-emissions and fuel-economy laws is Waxman, who is a strong proponent of letting California and other states set emissions and efficiency standards, for automobiles sold in their states, that are much higher than those of the federal government.

We'd hope we'd get some colorful description of the Wagoner-Waxman sitdown, but following the meeting Waxman and his staff zippered their lips on the subject.

Wagoner spoke briefly to reporters after meeting, saying it lasted about 30 minutes in Waxman's Capitol Hill office. The discussion included talks about climate issues and other auto issues, he said.

"I appreciated the chance to sit down," Wagoner said. "Obviously, the chairman is very well-informed on the issues."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett February 10, 2009, 2:53 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

GM's CEO to Meet With Powerful Proponent of States' Drive to Set Emissions Rules

For more than half a century, Democratic Representative John Dingell of Michigan (right ) has been the Big 3's biggest lobbyist in Washington.

He has fought virtually every bill the automakers have opposed, from seatbelts and airbags to tailpipe emissions and fuel-efficiency standards.

Dingell's position as chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for 14 years - to say nothing of his other 38 years on the committee - has given him enormous influence over such matters.

Not by sheer coincidence, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler donated at least $650,000 toward his re-election efforts during his term as chairman.

Democratic Representative Henry Waxman of California has been on the same powerful committee since 1975, listening to Dingell decry efforts to regulate harmful tailpipe emissions and the like.

Waxman (left ) bided his time until this past fall, when he was able ride a national surge for change and unseat Dingell from his perch atop the committee by a close but decisive House vote.

It was a major change at the top, to put it mildly. Waxman has been so at odds with Dingell and the Big 3 that he didn't receive so much as a dollar from the automakers in all the years he served on the committee.

It's probably a fair bet that Waxman is despised by the men who run the Big 3 - or rather, the Detroit 3 now. Certainly, Waxman doesn't hold the men in high regard.

So it would be wonderful to be a fly on the wall today, overhearing what GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner (lower right) and Waxman say to one another when Wagoner pays the new chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce a visit.

Word of the meeting was supposed to be hush-hush, but it leaked out. As for the subject matter, it remains confidential.

But one thing is certain: Waxman vehemently supports efforts by California and other states to impose emissions standards that are tougher than the federal government's.

GM, Ford and Chrysler paid millions of dollars lobbying members of Congress and the Bush administration trying to crush the states' efforts. Thus far they've succeeded, but the battle isn't over.

We'll relay whatever information we're able to glean from today's Waxman-Wagoner powwow.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett February 10, 2009, 1:01 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

February 9, 2009

Nissan Joins GM, Ford, Tesla, 71 Others Seeking U.S. Funds for Fuel-Efficient Cars

Nissan Motor Co. announced today that it is seeking a federal loan under a U.S. program for fuel-efficient autos.

The decision means that it is competing for U.S. funds with numerous American companies, including General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and electric-car start-up Tesla Motors Inc.

The announcement came the same day as Nissan, Japan's third-largest automaker, said it intended to cut more than 20,000 jobs worldwide and shift production out of Japan as part of a broad new effort to weather the economic downturn.

Nissan, which suffered a net loss of $908 million for the quarter that ended in December, today projected a $1.92 billion operating loss for its year ending in March.

As for the federal loan, the U.S. Department of Energy may disburse some of the $25 billion in low-cost loans to successful applicants in coming weeks, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Friday.

Rules for the program were set in November and the agency received 75 applications for projects totaling $38 billion, Energy Department spokesman Phil West said. Of those, only 26 were "substantially complete," he said.

U.S. officials notified Nissan that its application met initial requirements, and the request entered the second of four approval stages, according to Alan Buddendeck, Nissan's U.S. vice president of communications.

Unlike the $17.4 billion in emergency federal loans GM and Chrysler LLC won to avoid bankruptcy, the $25 billion are part of 2007 legislation creating tougher fuel-efficiency rules. Any manufacturer can apply as long as the money is used to make autos at U.S. factories that produce cars with at least 25 percent better fuel economy.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett February 9, 2009, 3:12 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

February 3, 2009

Washington Auto Show Gives Carmakers Opportunity to Lobby Like Crazy

The auto industry gets a great opportunity to lobby some key congressional and administration officials this week as the Washington auto show gets underway, and by all accounts industry executives aren't missing a step.

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Rep. Ed Markey sits in Chevrolet Volt display at Washington auto show as Tony Posawatz, the GM executive in charge of the car, fields his questions.

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The theme of the show is "Driven by the Environment," which is a great political promise even if the evidence doesn't always point that way, and there are a host of floor displays pointing out the things automakers are doing to green up their product lines.

Officialdom is using the show's proximity to the Capitol to see first-hand what's up (although, political reality being what it is, the political types will be shown around by auto industry execs and will hear - and see - things through an industry-provided filter).

So far, Rep. Ed Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who chairs the select committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming , and Carol Browner, director of the White House Office on Energy and Climate Change both have visited the show and been wooed, especially by General Motors.

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Carol Browner, the administration's energy and climate change guru, listens as GM global design chief Ed Welburn (right) talks about the Chevrolet Spark economy car.

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GM, which soon has to validate its eligibility for billions in federal bailout loans (as will Chrysler) is showing off the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid - for the ten-gazillionth time - and the fuel-efficient Chevy Spark subcompact that made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show.

Also scheduled to walk the show floor this week are Ray LaHood, the new Transportation Secretary, and Lisa Jackson, just confirmed as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell February 3, 2009, 1:11 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Chevrolet, Chrysler, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: CAFE

January 20, 2009

Chrysler-Fiat Pact Good News for Fuel Economy, Emissions - If Chrysler Survives

Looks as though Chrysler has found someone interested in it for purposes other than picking the meat from its bones.

Italy's Fiat, itself just recently recovered from a near-death experience (remember just four years ago, when GM, worried that Fiat was close to collapse, paid $2 billion to walk away from an option to buy the company?) has signed a deal for a strategic partnership with Chrysler.

No money is expected to change hands, but the strategic partnership agreement opens each company's product, intellectual and marketing resources for the other to dip into.

We'll leave it to our colleagues at Edmunds' AutoObserver to opine on the business sense of a cashless deal that apparently leaves Chrysler still looking for several billions of dollars to make it through 2009.

But we're heartened by the proposition that, if the beleaguered third member of the U.S. auto-making industry does survive, its tie-up with Fiat could bring a whole new batch of fun to drive, fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly cars to our shores.

Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships in the U.S. could become outlets for upscale Alfa Romeos and the economical (40+ mpg) Fiat 500 mini-car (right) - the European Car of the Year in 2008.

Fiat isn't likely to be too interested in Chrysler's cars, but the company has underused factories in the U.S. that Fiat can use, and it provides the Italian company easier entry to this market than it would have had going it alone.

Chrysler also would benefit from Fiat's know-how in building small engines that deliver both fuel economy and performance - expertise Chrysler seems to be missing.

And who knows, maybe there's a secret lust for Dodge Ram duallies and Chrysler 300s in Fiat's European markets.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell January 20, 2009, 8:24 AM
Categories:: Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Fiat, Fuel Economy
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

January 15, 2009

GM Says Detroit 3 Partnership Great for U.S., but Draws Line on Sharing Technology

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

General Motors, Chrysler and Ford bet on the wrong horses, so to speak, regarding the kind of vehicles they made in recent years. They made ones that, generally speaking, guzzled gas and left the automakers enormously vulnerable to a sudden rise in the price of gasoline.

But American politicians, being the reelection-driven creatures that they are, weren't about to let any of the Detroit automakers go under. GM and Chrysler received bailouts. Ford hasn't asked for funds, but it has submitted a request asking that funds be on hand should they want them.

The pitch American taxpayers have been expected to swallow in exchange for billions in taxpayer dollars is that GM, Chrysler and Ford are doing everything possible now to make cars and trucks that are fuel efficient or don't require gasoline or diesel at all.

If they do this, as they have promised, they'll produce vehicles that people will want to buy, which is good for the U.S. economy, and that are cleaner burning, which is good for the planet.

Whether it's a deal you or I wanted is immaterial now. It will be a good deal for us if the automakers live up to their promise. But an entry on GM's Fastlane Blog Wednesday suggests that GM, Chrysler and Ford won't be doing everything possible to make those wonderful green cars.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (5); Scott Doggett January 15, 2009, 12:01 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Bailout

January 12, 2009

Detroit Auto Show: Chrysler Debuts PHEV Concept With 40-Mile All-Electric Range

Chrysler held the spotlight at the Detroit Auto Show for more than a solid half an hour Sunday with the unveiling of its 200C EV plug-in hybrid electric concept vehicle.

The "performance sedan" is capable of traveling up to 40 miles on battery-only power, company spokesmen said, producing zero tailpipe emissions in the process.

After that distance, an onboard gasoline generator fires up and supplies electricity to the battery, extending the fuel-efficient vehicle's driving range to 400 miles between charges and refills. An electric motor provides all of the vehicle's propulsion.

Frank Klegon, the company's executive vice president of product development, as well as other Chrysler executives and spokespeople, did not go into detail describing the concept's powertrain. Instead, they focused on the vehicle's lovely design.

Given that General Motors doesn't expect to profit from the similarly propelled Chevrolet Volt for at a couple of years after launch, and given Chrysler's worse financial shape, we'd be a little surprised if the 200C EV makes it to market, but we hope it does.

As is often the case with concepts, no price, estimated mileage or launch date was provided.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett January 12, 2009, 2:42 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Detroit Auto Show

January 10, 2009

Detroit Auto Show: Chrysler Adds Jeep Patriot Extended-Range EV to ENVI Stable

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Chrysler, which so far has shown us an electric sports car, an extended-range hybrid minivan and an extended-range hybrid Jeep Wrangler to prove that its green division is hard at work and that the company knows that the future isn't in hemi-V8s, has added a fourth vehicle to its electric lineup.

Just in time for the North American International Auto Show (ta dah!), Chrysler's ENVI unit has retrofitted a Jeep Patriot crossover utility vehicle with an electric drive hybrid system that uses a small gasoline engine to generate juice when the battery pack's initial charge is depleted.

ENVI, for those who don't know, is Chrysler's greenworks. Its name comes from the first four letters of "environmental" and not from Chrysler's feelings about Toyota and others that jumped on the alternative fuels and powerplants bandwagon long before Chrysler figured out which way the circus was heading.

Anyhow, the Jeep Patriot EV, pictured above, is just a concept. Chrysler says that one of the EVs its engineers at ENVI are working on will be put into production in 2010, but hasn't let slip yet which it will be (we're leaning toward the Dodge EV sports car, which has just been renamed the Dodge Circuit).

The Patriot uses a 150-kilowatt electric motor rated at 200 horsepower and boasts a top speed slightly in excess of 100 mpg, Chrysler says.

When it is officially introduced at the auto show in Detroit today, it will wear a green paint job that Chrysler calls "ENVI Green Pearl." And, of course, the gi-normous "EV" logo that's splashed across the sides of all four of Chrysler's EV concepts.

The marketing guys in Auburn Hills must have figured that if it's a green car it really ought to be a green car and have repainted the other Jeep extended-range EV, a Wrangler, the same shade. It was white with giant chromed EV logos when it was in LA - land of bling.

But then, Chrysler has done up the Town and Country extended-range minivan in a deep gray - Liquid Graphite Pearl, to be precise - and the Dodge Circuit is tangerine, or "Tangoreen," so maybe it is only Jeeps that gotta be green to show that they are.

Anyhow, like the other extended range EVs Chrysler unveiled back in September and first publicly showed in November at the LA auto show, the Patriot EV uses a lithium-ion battery pack - Chrysler still hasn't said who the supplier is - and can travel up to 40 miles on all-electric power from a fully charged battery.

After that, the small gas engine kicks on to continue generating electricity to feed the electric motor, which is what drives the wheels.

By the time the fuel in the tank runs dry, Chrysler says its extended-range EVs can tick off 400 miles on their odometers.

And then you just fill 'er up at the first convenient gas station and you can keep driving until you have time to stop and plug-in the batteries for a recharge that will take several hours.

That's if Chrysler makes it out of the deep financial morass it's slogging around in these days, and, once out, actually pushes forward with its apparent commitment to electricity as the gasoline of the future.

The whole ENVI family: Jeep Wrangler and Patriot, Town and Country and Dodge Circuit EVs.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell January 10, 2009, 9:10 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Chrysler, Dodge, Hybrid, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler EVs

Detroit Auto Show: Dodge EV Concept Gets Real Name, New Color

In what could be a clue as to which of its electric vehicle concepts Chrysler is thinking of moving into its production plan for 2010, the carmaker has given the formerly bumblebee-striped and unimaginatively named Dodge EV a new color scheme, a distinctively Dodge grille and a new moniker.

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Now called the Circuit, Dodge's tangerine-colored electric sports car looks more Mopar than it did in its yellow-and-black days as the plain ol' Dodge EV at the LA auto show.
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The Lotus-based two-seater is now the Dodge Circuit, and it has been repainted a color the marketing geniuses at Dodge are calling "tangoreen" but which looks pretty much like the international orange a lot of Dodge muscle cars have sported over the years.

The rest of the package is the same as was shown with the yellow-and-black version at the LA auto show in November, as far as we can tell from material Dodge gave us in advance of the North American International Auto Show's opening media preview session Sunday, where the Circuit will make its debut.

The basics: a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack and 200 kilowatt electric motor good for 268 horsepower; top speed a little north of 120 mph; 0-60 in less than 5 seconds, and range between charges of 150-200 miles, depending on how the car is driven.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell January 10, 2009, 9:01 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chrysler, Dodge, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Detroit Auto Show

Jewel of a Deal: Army Orders 4,000 Low-Speed EVs From Chrysler's GEM

Struggling Chrysler's electric vehicle subsidiary, Global Electric Motorcars, has won a valuable contract to supply 4,000 of its low-speed EVs (right) to the U.S. Army for use on bases around the country.

The contract comes a few weeks after the the U.S. Army command in Europe rejected small EVs after testing a trio from GEM. An Army spokesman in Germany said the test uncovered maintenance and range limitations.

But the U.S. military services already had announced in November that they would collectively be ordering at least 10,000 low-speed EVs from a variety of suppliers in coming years for use on North American military installations.

The GEM EVs will be leased for six years, with the first batch to be shipped in April from GEM's factory in Fargo, N.D.

The deal represents the largest single order for GEM, which has leased or sold 38,000 electric vehicles in the decade since it was founded.

Rechargeable GEM vehicles are so-called neighborhood EVs with top speed limited to 25 mph. They are legal on public roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell January 10, 2009, 8:28 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Electric Vehicles

January 9, 2009

Detroit Auto Show Forecast: Gloomy, But With Flurries of Green

(Note: Article updated after initial posting to include Lexus hybrid)

The upcoming North American International Auto Show in snowy Detroit - media preview days begin Sunday and the show opens to the public on Jan. 17 - is likely to be a pretty glum affair, what with the auto industry imploding and the prospect of many people really being interested in buying a new car right now ranking right up there with being interested in having wisdom teeth pulled sans anesthesia.

But carmakers are trying, and what most are trying hardest with is fuel efficiency and alternatives to the thirsty, greenhouse-gas spewing cars and trucks of the past.

Oh, there will be speedsters and factory-built hot rods on display at the show - Ford Motor Co., for example, will unveil the 540-horsepower 2010 Shelby GT500 Mustang and Audi will be showing a 525-horsepower, V10-version of its exotic R8 sports car.

But most attention will be focused on advanced technology cars such as the 2010 Prius hybrid (right) and the battery-electric city car concept that Toyota will show, Honda's Prius-fighting 2009 Insight hybrid and concepts such as the all-electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel -cell electric trio, collectively called Concept Zero, that Mercedes-Benz will unveil.

Beyond the cars, the show's media preview will spotlight industry executives who will be delivering news about their companies' green futures.

Most notably, Toyota is expected to outline its hybrid and electric-vehicle strategies for the next few years and Ford is expected to discuss its plans for a stable of future EVs, starting with a commercial truck it plans to launch in 2010.

Green Car Advsior, along with Edmunds Auto Observer, Edmunds Inside Line and Edmunds.com, will be covering the show 's media days and bringing you timely reports, but we thought we'd also offer a preview today of the major green vehicles that will be displayed and discussed.

Green Preview

So, by manufacturer, here they are:

Audi
Volkswagen's upscale stablemate is expected to announce plans for its upcoming U.S. diesel lineup. So far, the company has said it will launch a 3-liter diesel version of its Q7 SUV (right) later this year and has broached the possibility of a diesel A4. We'll know more after Audi's Sunday afternoon press conference.

BMW
The pride of Bavaria will discuss the X5 and 3-Series diesels it plans to bring to the U.S., perhaps supplying us with some performance and fuel economy numbers as well as a marketing time-line.

Chevrolet
Nothing big here, unless the General decides to announce the upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid's pricing and/or the battery suppliers.

The Chevy vehicle that gets officially introduced at the show is the redesigned 2010 Equinox crossover (right), which will come with a new six-speed automatic and a fuel-efficient, direct-injection four-banger expected to deliver 182 horsepower (almost as much as the '08 model's base V6) and highway fuel economy of 30 miles per gallon.

Chrysler
The company has three brands that it has tied together for car show purposes with a trio of concept electric vehicles.

Chrysler EV trio - 300.JPG Those to be displayed in Detroit are further refined versions of the Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep EVs originally unveiled last September and first shown publicly at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in November.

By brand, they are the Chrysler EV, an extended-range electric version of the town and Country minivan; the Jeep EV, a gas-electric Wrangler; and the Dodge EV, a Lotus-based, bumblebee-striped battery-electric sports car that would look great in the garage next to an electric Tesla Roadster.

Chrysler has said that it will bring one of the cars to market in 2010, but hasn't said which or in what kind of numbers. Maybe that's what we'll hear at the show.

Fisker
The nascent plug-in-hybrid company headed by, and named for, noted auto designer Henrik Fisker (BMW, Aston Martin, Fisker Coachbuild), will show the production version of it first proposed vehicle, the Fisker Karma sports sedan (right) that it unveiled to great interest at last year's Detroit show. Fisker also will unveil a new version - a convertible, we suspect - caled the Karma S.

Like the Chevy Volt, the Karma uses an on-board internal combustion engine to generate power to keep its electric motors turning the wheels.

Ford
We expect a discussion of the company's electric vehicle strategy, perhaps with a teaser glimpse or two of potential future offerings and a look at the commercial truck the company has said it will launch in 2010.

Honda
The news here will be the unveiling of the production version 2009 Insight hybrid (right) , a sub $20,000, five-seater Honda hopes will finally, finally, pump its hybrid sales up into Prius territory.

We're expected to hear a lot of technical detail and, perhaps, even a firmer price for the car, which looks in pictures a bit like the Prius it's designed to battle.

Lexus
Toyota's luxury unit will reveal its first stand-alone hybrid model, a small car that is based off the upcoming 2010 Prius.

Although it is not unusual - its pretty common, even - for photos of new models to leak out before their official unveiling, the best we've been able to come up with for the new Lexus hybrid is this rendering (left) published in a Japanese auto magazine a few months ago.

Mercedes-Benz
The covers will come off a trio of EV concepts from Daimler's luxe brand. All use the same swoopy, sport wagon-ish body (below right) - a design that also shows where Mercedes is heading with the compact B-Class replacement due in 2010 and, perhaps, headed for the U.S.

The so-called Concept Zero family consists of the E-Cell, a battery-electric with a range of about 60 miles; the E-Cell Plus, a plug-in hybrid that uses a 3-cylinder gas engine-generator to extend the range of its batteries when the initial charge is depleted (think Chevy Volt), and the F-Cell, which uses a hydrogen fuel-cell to produce electricity on-board by combining hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel-cell stack. Range is about 125 miles. Mercedes says the E-Cell Plus can go almost 400 miles on an overnight battery charge and a tank of gas.

Toyota
The company whose name has become synonymous with 'hybrid" is introducing the redesigned 2010 Prius at the show, but photos of the car leaked out weeks ago and you've got to believe that anyone who's interested has already seen it. What will be news, of course, are the specifications and performance numbers.

The other biggie on the product front from Toyota will be the unveiling of a concept electric vehicle, probably called the FT-EV if the company's previous auto show naming practices prevail (that would stand for "future technology-electric vehicle").

The car, believed to be built on a current Toyota subcompact chassis, is the company's effort to give us a look at what a Toyota-built battery-electric EV for short-range urban driving might look like if the company does, as it has said it would, put an EV into its retail fleet in 2012.

Not The End

And, of course - Detroit being Detroit - there likely will be a surprise or two. So consider this list a starter, not a definitive catalog.

China's BYD, for instance, will be there with the plug-in-hybrid (left) it launched in its home market a few weeks ago, beating the big boys like GM and Toyota to the punch by a matter of, oh, a year or two. Who knows what the company - whose name is an acronym for Build Your Dreams and whose future is being backed by investment whiz Warren Buffett - will do next? We might find out as the Detroit show rolls along.

We'll be back when media days begin on Sunday to keep you up-to-date.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); John O'Dell January 9, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, BYD, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fisker, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Green Vehicles, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Detroit Auto Show

January 8, 2009

A123 Systems Seeks $1.8 Billion Federal Loan For EV Battery Factories in U.S.

By John ODell, Senior Editor

Advanced automotive battery developer A123 Systems has plunged into the government funding pool with an application for $1.84 billion in loans to help build several lithium-ion battery plants in the U.S.
The 7-year-old company is seeking the loans from the $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles program recently funded by Congress.

The so-called retooling loans are available to help automakers and automotive parts and components makers retool existing plants or build new ones dedicated to building more fuel-efficient vehicles.

In a statement issued Wednesday, A123 said that, if granted, the loans would help it "dramatically expand production capacity" to supply battery systems for up to 5 million conventional hybrid vehicles or 500,000 plug-in hybrids a year by 2013.

Fierce Competition

The company is one of dozens, in the U.S. and abroad, racing to develop powerful, reliable battery systems that will underpin the new generation of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles being worked on by automakers around the globe.

A123 Systems uses a proprietary nanophosphate chemistry to produce lithium-ion batteries. It's technology builds on work initially done by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where one of the company's three co-founders is a professor. Another is an MIT business school graduate.

The Massachusetts-based company was in a "quiet period" imposed by securities regulators prior to its proposed initial public offering and would not make any executives available for comment.

But in Wednesday's prepared statement, company CEO David Vieau said the auto industry is "entering a new phase...where we increase the electrification of vehicles, reducing consumption of gasoline though advanced batteries."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell January 8, 2009, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Ford, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Think
Technorati Tags:: A123Systems Seeks Federal Loan

December 30, 2008

Jetting to D.C. To Seek Bailout $$ Lands Auto CEOs Atop Year's Dumb Moves Lists

Automotive News ranks the maiden journey of the Detroit Big Three CEOs to Washington to beg for bailout funds as second on its list of the 10 top automotive blunders of the year.

But Fortune magazine, even though surveying things with a bit more detachment, puts that ill-fated trip at No. 1 on its list of the year's top blunders in all business segments.

We tend to agree with Fortune, which calls its list the "dumbest moments" review.

Having to go hat-in-hand to D.C. to ask Congress for help was bad enough, but to fly there in private corporate jets and then to have the gall to complain that you are running out of money - well, it takes a stunning degree of political and public relations naivetÃ© to do that.

There are, of course, valid arguments for sending your top dogs out on private jets. They can work undisturbed while in the air, get to where they are going in the minimum amount of time, arrive fresh and clear-headed and ready to go to bat for the company, and get home and back to the grind without having to loiter at the airport for hours waiting for a scheduled commercial flight.

But if they had to fly, for Pete's sake, couldn't they at least have jet-pooled? Did no one in their PR departments warn them, or are they so full of themselves they just couldn't see how insufferably pompous they looked?

(If you are wondering, for its top automotive industry blunder, Automotive News picked the fact that GM and Chrysler waited until they were nearly out of cash before seeking federal aid. We think that was probably a wise move - it would have been difficult to persuade Congress to act while there still was money in the bank.)

Fortune wasn't satisfied with lambasting GM's Rick Wagoner, Chrysler's Bob Nardelli and Ford's Alan Mulally for flying to D.C. to seek an auto industry bailout.

For its second-dumbest business blunder of the year, it again picked on the automakers-in-chief, this time for choosing to use their companies' hybrid cars for cross-country drives to D.C. on their second, and ultimately successful, trip to implore Congress for a financial rescue.

That ranking we don't agree with.

It seems that Fortune's gripe is that Chrysler's Nardelli made the drive in one of the company's Dodge Aspen two-mode hybrids, a car that had just been ordered dropped from the company's 2009 lineup.

We think the three should have drawn straws and carpooled in the hybrid from the company run by the guy with the short straw, but we don't think that the trip rates as the second-dumbest move made in the business world last year.

Not even close.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (6); John O'Dell December 30, 2008, 1:39 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Opinion
Technorati Tags:: Auto Industry Bailout

December 22, 2008

Economic Downturn Will Test Obama's Vision for an Energy-Efficient Auto Industry

President-elect Barack Obama leveled a stern warning at General Motors and Chrysler last week after the federal government promised them billions to help them survive: "The auto companies must not squander this chance to reform bad management practices."

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President-elect Obama on next week's cover of Time.
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Once he takes office, the bailout will give him a tool to prod the industry to change, but it will also test his resolve as he pushes it in new directions.

Obama, after all, has been thinking out loud about the future of the American automobile industry for years, well before his presidential campaign began. He co-sponsored two bills in 2006, during his second year as a U.S. senator -- one to raise fuel economy standards, and the other to encourage the use of alternative fuels.

His writings and speeches on the auto industry suggest a keen interest in finding ways, including new technology, to improve the fuel efficiency of the cars and trucks that Americans drive.

But with Detroit in a fragile financial state, it is unclear how many compromises he will have to make in pursuing his agenda for the auto industry, as he juggles other priorities such as providing a stimulus program for the broader economy, The New York Times reported Sunday. The United Automobile Workers union, which backed Obama, will want a say in the changes he envisions for the automakers.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett December 22, 2008, 1:01 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation, Tax Incentives
Technorati Tags:: Bailout

December 19, 2008

GM, Chrysler Insist They Are Proceeding With Green Plans Despite Product Delays

Chevy Volt.jpg By Scott Doggett and John O'Dell

During weeks leading up to today's bailout decision, Detroit's automakers insisted that short of a complete collapse they were continuing with their major green initiatives because they finally understand that increased fuel efficiency, clean emissions and sustainability are critical to their long-term survival.

However, General Motors and Chrysler -- both of which today received approval for federal bridge loans, while Ford continues to await a decision on a request for a line of credit -- have delayed specific programs as they prepare to battle for survival during the global economic slump.

For GM, that included delaying construction of a factory in Flint, Michigan, where the engine for the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid sedan is to be made.

And Chrysler, which has promised to field a battery-electric car in 2010 and says it is also developing plug-in hybrids, was close to financial meltdown, putting those plans in jeopardy.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett December 19, 2008, 11:56 AM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet Cruze

December 17, 2008

Small Cars Improve in Crash Tests Overall, but They Suffer Big Hit in Side Impacts

Small cars fare better in crashes than they used to, but they still lag behind larger vehicles in protecting passengers. Their disadvantages are especially clear in side-impact crashes.

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Chrysler's PT Cruiser did poorly in the side-impact test.
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Of the nine small cars recently tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, all received the group's top rating of "good" in frontal crashes, but only two got good ratings when broadsided.

The Insurance Institute tested nine small cars for the 2009 model year in front, side and rear collisions. The group included the BMW Mini Cooper, Chevrolet HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, Saturn Astra, Suzuki SX4, as well as the Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe, which are essentially the same vehicle sold under two brand names.

Only the SX4 and Matrix, and its twin the Vibe, received good ratings for protection in side crashes. The Ford and Chevrolet were judged acceptable in side-impact protection, while the Hyundai and Saturn were marginal and the Chrysler was poor.

Only the Ford Focus was top-rated in rear-impact crashes that test how well the vehicles' seats and head restraints protect passengers. The Chrysler PT Cruiser was the worst performer, with poor ratings for side and rear protection.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett December 17, 2008, 1:17 PM
Categories:: BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hyundai, MINI, Mitsubishi, Pontiac, Saturn, Scion, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: BMW Mini Cooper

December 10, 2008

Tesla Says It Won't Make Sedan or Build Factory Without $350 Million in Federal Aid

The fate of Tesla Motors' next generation all-electric sedan rests in the same pot of federal money lawmakers want to use to bail out General Motors and Chrysler.

The maker of the $109,000 Roadster electric sports car (right) is seeking $350 million in low-interest government loans to develop a $57,499 four-door plug-in electric sedan tentatively called the Model S, CEO Elon Musk told Bloomberg news service Tuesday. The company won't build a planned $250 million manufacturing facility in San Jose, California, for the new car without the aid, he said.

You may recall that on Nov. 21 we reported that the young Silicon Valley electric-vehicle maker had applied for about $400 million of a multi-billion government loan package designed to help automakers produce more efficient vehicles and meet new fuel economy standards.

And, you may recall that on Nov. 3 we reported that Tesla's directors had approved $40 million in convertible-debt financing to step up production of the Roadster and the Model S and to expand its battery-electric powertrain sales unit. We were told that most of Tesla's major investors had pledged a combined $40 million to ensure that amount would be met.

But according to Bloomberg, Musk said the recently completed $40 million debt offering "wasn't very easy."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett December 10, 2008, 9:39 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Bailout

December 9, 2008

Automotive Bailout Talks Heat Up Over States' Desire to Regulate Tailpipe Emissions

greenhouse gases.jpg Congressional Democrats crafting an auto industry bailout are pushing to include language requiring carmakers to drop their legal challenge to an attempt by more than a dozen states to regulate climate-changing emissions from motor vehicles.

A Democratic draft bill would require that Detroit carmakers who receive a portion of the bailout to drop their lawsuit against state efforts to enforce greenhouse-gas tailpipe restrictions on cars and trucks. The bill would prevent the carmakers from participating in "any legal challenge (existing or contemplated) to state laws concerning greenhouse-gas emission standards."

Longtime supporters of California's request for a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce such restrictions, which when granted would permit other state's to adopt California's car-emissions rules, are promoting the provision. Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer of California, who heads the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is among them.

One of the reasons the auto industry is in trouble is their fight against the waiver, Boxer told reporters Monday. Meeting California's tougher-than-federal emissions standards is in the automakers' best interests, she said.

But Republicans and auto industry supporters say the provision is unnecessary and counterproductive.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett December 9, 2008, 11:52 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chrysler, Courts, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

December 8, 2008

Ford Hybrid, Fuel-Efficient Diesels From BMW, VW Make Ward's Best-Engines List

Ward's Automotive Group has announced its 15th annual 10 Best Engines list, which "reflects the diversity of 2009 powertrains that will play a role in reshaping America's automotive landscape."

The winning engines were selected by editors for Ward's, publisher of automotive trade magazines since 1924.

Thirty-two engines were considered this year. Eligibility requirements included: Availability in a regular-production U.S.-specification model on sale no later than first-quarter 2009. And, the engine must be in a vehicle priced no more than $54,000 (a price cap indexed to the average cost of a new vehicle).

The winners by manufacturer, engine and vehicle tested:

Audi; 2.0-liter TFSI (Turbocharged Fuel Stratified Injection) DOHC (double overhead camshaft) I-4 (inline 4-cylinder); A4 Avant
BMW; 3.0-liter turbocharged DOHC I-6; 135i coupe
BMW; 3.0-liter DOHC I-6 Turbodiesel; 335d sedan
Chrysler; 5.7-liter Hemi OHV (overhead valves) V-8 (a V-shaped engine with eight cylinders); Dodge Ram truck/Challenger R/T large car
Ford; 2.5-liter DOHC I-4 HEV (hybrid electric vehicle); Escape Hybrid SUV
General Motors; 3.6-liter DOHC V-6; Cadillac CTS sedan
Honda; 3.5-liter SOHC (single overhead camshaft) V-6; Accord coupe
Hyundai; 4.6-liter DOHC V-8; Genesis sedan
Toyota; 3.5-liter DOHC V-6; Lexus IS 350 sedan
Volkswagen; 2.0-liter SOHC I-4 Turbodiesel; Jetta TDI sedan

The diesel engines from VW and BMW and the engine from the Ford Escape Hybrid all got better than 30 miles per gallon during Ward's testing and often topped 40 mpg, said Tom Murphy, executive editor of Ward's AutoWorld magazine.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett December 8, 2008, 6:18 PM
Categories:: Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Diesel, Dodge, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hyundai, Lexus, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Audi A4 Avant

Detroit's Second Trip to D.C., by Autos Instead of Jets, Still Not Very Fuel-Efficient

As she watched the chief executives of the Big Three American automakers drive to Washington to plead for a bailout last week, Libby Rosenthal could not help noticing the gas mileage of the "fuel-efficient" vehicles they used to make the trip from Detroit to demonstrate their green goodwill weren't all that fuel-efficient.

In a short piece published in The New York Times today, the regular contributor noticed that Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli chose to ride in a Chrysler Aspen Hybrid (pictured). That model, she correctly stated, gets 20 miles per gallon in the city and 22 mpg on the highway (and, though it launched only months ago, has already been discontinued due to low demand).

Alan Mulally of Ford arrived in an Escape Hybrid SUV (34/31 mpg city/highway), and General Motors' Rick Wagoner arrived in a Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid sedan (26/34 mpg city/high).

"What's wrong with this picture?" she asked. "For starters, although these vehicles may be hybrids, by any real-world standard they are not particularly fuel-efficient. Hybrid technology can only do so much to improve the gas mileage of a huge, heavy, overpowered car."

Ouch. She offers a reality check for those who would like to compare: The Toyota Prius -- a hybrid -- 48/45 mpg city/highway.

And she alludes to a claim by Bob Lutz, GM's vice chairman for global product development, that meeting the federal fuel-economy standards included in the 2007 energy bill would cost the consumer an additional $6,000 per car, on average. Seems like a lot of money, given the plethora of cars on the global market right now that best the fuel-economy mandate.

Traveling by not-so-efficient automobiles instead of a corporate jet -- the mode of transportation the three CEOs chose last month when they first came to Washington to plead for taxpayer dollars -- was a change for the better. But, she writes, it still shows how far American automakers have to go to match what's being done elsewhere around the globe.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (5); Scott Doggett December 8, 2008, 12:29 PM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Alan Mulally

New Gas Tax to Boost Fuel Efficiency a 'Mistake,' Obama Says, Favoring Incentives

President-elect Barack Obama opposes boosting taxes on gasoline to keep consumers away from gas-guzzlers and to raise funds for alternative energy programs.

"Putting additional burdens on American families right now I think is a mistake," Obama said during a "Meet the Press" interview with Tom Brokaw that aired Sunday, citing the current jobs and housing woes.

"What we have to do long-term is make sure that we have an energy strategy that focuses on fuel-efficient cars, that focuses on providing incentives for fuel-efficient cars. Same applies to buildings," Obama added, noting he plans to make building efficiency part of an upcoming stimulus plan.

Brokaw asked the president-elect about bumping gasoline back to $4 per gallon to fund alternative energy and to signal to consumers that the days of filling the tank cheaply are gone.

Some energy experts, including New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, support a gasoline price "floor" to keep drivers and automakers away from SUVs and similar vehicles, and to prevent new technologies from being undercut by falling energy prices.

Gasoline prices have dropped sharply in recent weeks and months, and Sunday the national average was $1.73 per gallon, far below the peak average of more than $4.11 per gallon last July.

Obama supports higher investments in alternative fuels and vehicle technologies, incentives for fuel-efficient cars and increasing the corporate average fuel economy standards for cars and trucks.

Click Video to watch the videotaped interview. Or, read the entire transcript of the show, or go to the next page to read just the portion that pertains to the automotive industry.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett December 8, 2008, 11:37 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Bailout

December 5, 2008

It's Detroit's Invaluable Green Automotive Technologies That Are at Stake, Congress

A lot has been written in recent days about the job losses and economic damage that would result if Washington chooses not to offer the General Motors, Ford and Chrysler financial aid.

James E. Malackowski, president of a merchant bank specializing in intellectual property financial products and services in Chicago, says there's something else at stake.

In an opinion piece published in The Detroit News this week, Malackowski states that the value of the automakers' green technologies is great and would likely be lost to the U.S. if they went out of business.

"There is far more at stake in this debate than just the future of Detroit and the U.S. auto industry," he wrote. "The fate of vital green and energy intellectual properties is at risk, too. When it comes to the Big 3, it's the technology, Congress."

The piece is well worth the time it takes to read it. It can be viewed by clicking on DetNews.com or by going to the next page.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett December 5, 2008, 2:41 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

December 3, 2008

Automakers, DOE Award Battery Technology Development Contract to Celgard

The U.S. Department of Energy and a consortium made up of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler today announced the award of a $2.3 million contract for battery technology development to Celgard , a global supplier of material for lithium-ion batteries that is located in Charlotte, N.C.

Battery separators are electronically insulating membranes that prevent the battery from overheating and increase battery power and capacity. The more advanced the separators, the better they are able to perform these functions.

Celgard was given the 18-month contract to advance lithium-ion battery separator technology for hybrid-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle applications. The work is totally in keeping with the mission of the United States Advanced Battery Consortium, which is to develop electrochemical energy storage technologies that support the commercialization of fuel cell, hybrid and electric vehicles.

The Energy Department is involved in the work because its overarching mission is to advance America's national, economic and energy security. Transportation technologies that reduce the nation's use of imported oil is seen as increasing America's energy security.

Plus, the department has identified electrochemical energy storage as a critical enabling technology for advanced, fuel-efficient, light- and heavy-duty vehicles. By supporting that research and development, the department supports the U.S. automotive industry, which it views as important to the economic security of the country.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett December 3, 2008, 11:47 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Energy Companies, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Battery

December 2, 2008

Chrysler CEO, Seeking $7 Billion From Congress, Has Big Plans for Electric Vehicles

Chrysler today submitted a plan requested by Congress detailing its business case for receiving government funding as part of a bailout for the struggling auto industry.

The Chrysler Viability Plan.pdf seems to some of us to paint a picture of a corporation that's struck an iceberg and may soon reach its final resting place, deep under water, despite the valiant efforts of its captain.

The captain would, of course, be Robert Nardelli (left), chairman and CEO of Chrysler, author of the company's viability plan. If he manages to get the $7 billion he says the company needs by the end of this month, he seems to feel he might just keep the thing afloat.

"The company believes this request is the least costly alternative considering the options we face," he writes in the last paragraph of the plan. "It provides the least detrimental effect on human capital and the stimulus necessary to prevent further economic decline, if not outright economic depression."

Reads like an obituary, which of course we hope it's not. That "human capital" to which he refers are people. The detriment: their sudden unemployment, their wounded self-esteem, fears, perhaps, of being out on the street with few prospects.

But if he gets his money--actually, he states that he would work for free--as well as $8.5 billion in low cost loans Chrysler is seeking from the Department of the Energy, he wrote that we can all expect green things to come from Chrysler.

They are: introducing the company's first full-function electric-drive model by 2010; making 50 percent of the Chrysler product line flex-fuel capable by 2012; and, producing 500,000 electric vehicles by 2013.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett December 2, 2008, 5:41 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chrysler, Emissions, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

Death of Chrysler-Getrag Transmission Deal a Fuel Economy Disaster Says Analyst

The demise of Chrysler's dual-clutch transmission venture with Germany's Getrag has analysts at Global insight worried both about the troubled automaker's ability to hit tough new U.S. fuel efficiency rules and its apparent willingness to sue everyone in sight.

Collapse of the joint venture - which left a nearly completed transmission plant in Indiana standing empty and Chrysler suing Getrag over funding - means Chrysler will concentrate on refining its existing six-speed automatic transmission rather than using the more fuel-efficient dual-clutch trans in future products.

In a morning briefing by analysts in its London office, economic and business consulting firm Global insight opines that the situation "is a disaster" for Chrysler as the new transmissions had been expected to help the car company achieve a six percent fuel economy improvement.

That would have been helpful as new federal CAFE rules will require an average improvement of at least 4 percent a year starting in 2011.

The automaker likely will be able to squeeze a bit more fuel efficiency out of its six-speed transmissions, but not as much as it would have gotten from the dual-clutch models, which minimize power loss between shifts.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell December 2, 2008, 3:24 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Fuel Economy
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

December 1, 2008

Electric Vehicle Charger Company Says Sales Arm Now Reaches 28 States

EV charger manufacturer Coulomb Technologies, which recently announced that it has orders for 40 of its networked charging stations to be installed along major traffic corridors in California, says it now has established distributorships that cover 28 states with plans to expand into all 50.

Coulomb, headquartered in Northern California, is displaying its wirelessly linked charging stations at the Electric Drive Transportation Assn.'s annual conference in Washington, D.C. this week.

The company's "Smartlet" stations supply current at a variety of voltages for battery-electric and pug-in hybrid vehicles. Station users' would use prepaid accounts that would be debited via a wireless transaction when they access one of the charging stations - unless the station owner has opted, as several have, to deliver the power at no charge.

Coulomb said it will market the stations exclusively through its regional distributors, who now cover the major states in all regions except Texas and the Midwest.

Richard Lowenthal, Coulomb's chief executive, has said that he wants to position the company to have a commercial recharging infrastructure in place when vehicles with rechargeable batteries beginning appearing in the marketplace.

In addition to independents such as Tesla Motors, Miles Electric Vehicles, GEM and Zap that already market electric vehicles, several major and independent automakers, including General Motors, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, BMW, Fisker Automotive and Aptera Motors have announced plans for plug-in hybrids or battery-electric cars that will begin to hit the market -- some for testing, others for retail sales or leasing -- by late next year.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell December 1, 2008, 1:55 PM
Categories:: BMW, Chrysler, Fisker, Ford, General Motors, Green Vehicles, Mercedes-Benz, Miles, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Coulomb Technologies

November 28, 2008

Tesla Roadster Versus Chrysler's Dodge EV Concept: Plenty to Like About Both

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

If Tesla's Roadster and Chrysler's Dodge EV Concept provide a glimpse of the future, sports cars made after the internal combustion engine exits production might outperform their predecessors.

At a glance, the Tesla and the Dodge could be variants of one another, the Roadster being the convertible version, the Dodge the hardtop. Both of the zero-emissions vehicles are based on Lotus platforms, the Tesla on the Elise and the Dodge on the Europa S.

Spinning the rear wheels of both cars are electric motors receiving power from lithium-ion battery packs. The battery pack in either car can be fully charged in less than four hours.

After that, the pair differ significantly. For starters, the Roadster is in production. As of today, 70 have been delivered to customers, according to Jeremy Snyder, general manager of Tesla's Los Angeles showroom.

The Silicon Valley company is completing final assembly of the vehicle at the rate of 10 a week, Snyder said. That rate will double in early 2009, he said, adding that more than 1,200 people have placed deposits on one. Recent recipients include George Clooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Dodge may never enter production. Chrysler has made three EV concepts--an electric-powered Chrysler Town & Country van, Jeep Wrangler and the Dodge--and Chrysler insists that one of them will enter production in 2010. But the automaker isn't saying which one quite yet.

The Tesla was designed to be an electric vehicle from the ground up. Not so with any of the Chryslers.

The Roadster is based on the Elise platform, but the chassis is completely different, having had its exterior sheet metal replaced by a carbon-fiber composite and a styling that is unique to the Tesla. The chassis is built around a longer, stronger version of the Elise's aluminum frame.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett November 28, 2008, 11:33 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Dodge, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

November 25, 2008

GM, Ford and Chrysler CEOs May Make Their Next Trip to Washington by Automobile

After being skewered by Congress for using corporate jets to fly to Washington to seek a federal bailout, the chief executives of Detroit's three automakers may make their return trip to the U.S. capital by car.

They and others whose livelihood is dependent on Detroit's automotive industry spent the weekend discussing how to set up a giant car caravan for a road trip to the District of Columbia to press lawmakers into giving them taxpayers' dollars to rescue the Detroit 3.

It's unknown whether the executives might make the trip in a Hummer limousine or perhaps a small herd of Hummers. What is known is that GM CEO Rick Wagoner, Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli and Ford CEO Alan Mulally won't be going to Washington by corporate jet.

The carpool idea is intended to show Congress that more than three rich white men in expensive suits stand to lose their jobs if the automakers don't receive federal aid.

The notion of carpooling to the Capitol followed last week's disastrous hearings in front of two Congressional committees. Mulally, Nardelli and Wagoner traveled to Washington on separate corporate jets to seek $25 billion in government loans to help them make it through the worst U.S. auto sales downturn in a quarter-century.

Congress, though, abandoned a vote on the bailout after the appearances in which the automakers were criticized for lavish corporate travel as well as for having poor business plans to see the companies through the crisis.

It appeared the executives had no specific plan to change the way they do business in order to justify the bailout. Lawmakers have demanded restructuring plans by December 2, with hearings to follow.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); Scott Doggett November 25, 2008, 12:03 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hummer, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Alan Mulally

Automakers Reportedly Still Unable to Produce Profitable Hybrid and Plug-In Cars

Many members of Congress believe they know what the car company of the future should look like.

"A business model based on gas--a gas-guzzling past--is unacceptable," Democratic Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York said last week. "We need a business model based on cars of the future, and we already know what that future is: the plug-in hybrid electric car."

But the car company Schumer and other lawmakers envision for the future could turn out to be a money-losing operation, not part of a "sustainable U.S. auto industry" that President-elect Barack Obama and most members of Congress say they want to create, so says The Washington Post in story published today.

That's because car manufacturers still haven't figured out how to produce hybrid and plug-in vehicles cheaply enough to make money on them. After a decade of relative success with its hybrid Prius, Toyota has sold about a million of the cars and is still widely believed by analysts to be losing money on each one sold. General Motors has touted plans for a plug-in hybrid vehicle called the Volt, but the costly battery will prevent it from turning a profit on the vehicle for several years, at least.

"In 10 years are they (at GM) going to solve the technological problems with respect to the Volt? Sure," Maryann Keller, an automotive analyst and author of a book on GM, told the Post. "But are they going to be able to stake their survival, which is really more of a now to five-year proposition, on it? I'd say they can't. They have to stake their future on Malibus, the Chevy Cruze, and much more conventional technologies."

U.S. automakers faced a barrage of demands last week that they provide evidence and assurance that they would use federal bailout money to transform their companies to produce automobiles of the future, using advanced technologies and featuring hybrid or plug-in vehicles. And in his "60 Minutes" interview on Nov. 16, Obama said that before backing a big loan package he wanted to be sure "that we are creating a bridge loan to somewhere as opposed to a bridge loan to nowhere."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); Scott Doggett November 25, 2008, 10:00 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Tesla, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet Volt

November 24, 2008

Bill Ford Looks Beyond Bailout to Fuel-Efficient Cars to Secure Automaker's Future

While General Motors and Chrysler plead to Congress for a bailout, William C. Ford Jr. (right ), the executive chairman and scion of the founding family of the Ford Motor Co., has reached out to President-elect Barack Obama in hopes that his company can benefit from the administration's longer-term strategies for the auto industry.

Ford has been working behind the scenes, meeting one-on-one with Obama in August, conferring with his senior economic advisers, and teaming up with Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan to push a vision of a leaner, greener auto industry, The New York Times reported today.

With Detroit on the brink of disaster, the great-grandson of Henry Ford could play a critical role in how the Obama administration decides to assist the companies financially and shape broader energy policies.

"One of the things that I feel very encouraged about is the president-elect and where he'd like to take this country in terms of energy, and I completely buy into his vision," Ford said in an interview with the Times.

He can afford to take a longer view because Ford, unlike GM and Chrysler, does not need an immediate infusion of government aid to stay in business.

While Ford's chief executive, Alan R. Mulally, joined his counterparts from GM and Chrysler in testifying before Congress last week, Ford is not asking for an immediate bailout from Washington for now.

The company has enough cash on hand--$18.9 billion, as well as a $10.7 billion line of credit with private lenders, the Times reported--that will keep it running through 2009 without cutting development of its next generation of more fuel-efficient cars.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett November 24, 2008, 11:07 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Bailout

November 17, 2008

Detroit's Death Would Wallop Ad World, Deal Major Blow to Magazines, Other Media

Ford Adman Falling.jpg If you think you're insulated from the death rattle of Detroit, think again.

General Motors, Ford and Chrysler together accounted for 3.3 percent of 2007 U.S. measured ad spending, according to a report today in Automotive News (subscription required), citing Ad Age DataCenter's analysis of TNS Media Intelligence data. Big deal? Yes--as in $4.6 billion in measured spending.

The world's top four agency companies--Omnicom Group, WPP Group, Interpublic Group of Cos. and Publicis Groupe--count on Detroit's Big Three for as much as 6 percent of revenue.

If one or more of Detroit's carmakers goes away, gets smaller or goes into bankruptcy, "all media companies need to be concerned and there will be an impact on agencies, which derive a substantial amount of their income from [Detroit]," Bob Liodice, president-CEO of the Association of National Advertisers, told Automotive News. "These are substantial, heavyweight players. You've got some of the largest marketing spending companies in America."

The Detroit 3's measured ad spending tumbled 14 percent in the first eight months of the year--even before a credit freeze, freefall in October auto sales and dwindling cash made bankruptcy reorganization a real prospect for at least some of Detroit.

Some media are especially vulnerable. The four major TV networks last year generated a hefty 5.9 percent of revenue from the Detroit 3, according to TNS data. Most reliant was News Corp.'s Fox: 9.2 percent of the network's measured ad revenue came from Detroit.

Many blogs, including Green Car Advisor, would also feel the pinch if the well of automotive advertising dollars ran dry.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett November 17, 2008, 2:43 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Advertising

Democratic Senator Calls for 50 MPG Fleet Average as Condition of Automakers' Aid

Automakers that receive federal aid should double the fuel economy of their fleets by 2020, Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida said today.

Nelson's remarks during Senate floor debate suggest that Republicans are not the only lawmakers who may block emergency loans to the Detroit 3.

In an interview, Nelson said a new energy law that raises fleetwide fuel economy to 35 miles per gallon by 2020--about 40 percent higher than today--falls far short.

"Why should we be pouring taxpayer money into an automobile industry that has continued to resist higher miles per gallon, which has led us in part to the problems we're in?" he said.

Nelson said he wants a fleetwide average of 50 mpg by 2020. Asked whether he would seek to block aid to the industry over that issue, he said: "All of that is process. That is yet to be determined."

Nelson echoed other lawmakers who say the aid legislation should include pay limits for Detroit 3 executives. But he also said current senior management of the automakers should step down.

General Motors declined to comment on Nelson's proposals, pending the release of the actual legislative language.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he plans to introduce a broad economic stimulus bill that includes aid to automakers.

If that bill fails, Reid said, he will offer a bill that provides only for expanded unemployment benefits and aid to the Detroit 3, expected to be $25 billion in loans drawn from $700 billion already approved to rescue the nation's financial system.

The White House today proposed letting the car companies take $25 billion in loans previously approved to develop fuel-efficient vehicles and use the money for more immediate needs.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (11); Scott Doggett November 17, 2008, 2:03 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Bill Nelson

Chrysler Plan to Bring Small Chinese Cars to North America Is Reportedly Dead

Chrysler's plan to bring small, fuel-efficient cars made by China's Chery Automobile Co. to North America may be dead, according to a report in today's Automotive News (subscription required).

Last year, Tom LaSorda, Chrysler's CEO at the time, touted a deal in which Chery would supply small cars such as the one pictured here to Chrysler.

The two companies were scheduled to start bringing cars to Mexico this year. But now, neither company is talking about the deal. And a source says the program is on hold.

"I wouldn't place much hope on it," a former Chery executive familiar with the Chrysler deal told Automotive News. "Both companies have their own problems to deal with, and both have run out of money."

He said a major obstacle was the substandard quality of Chery's cars. "Chery knows there is no way for these cars to meet the safety and emission standards of the U.S. market in the near future," the former executive said.

Chrysler and Chery never offered a public timetable for the arrival of Chery-made cars in U.S. showrooms. In a May interview with Automotive News, LaSorda said plans for Chery's U.S. debut were having difficulties.

"We need small cars," said LaSorda, who now is Chrysler's co-president. "Chery's cars are still not ready for that exposure into these markets."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett November 17, 2008, 11:15 AM
Categories:: Chery, China, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy
Technorati Tags:: Automotive News

Hoping to Generate Excitement, Chrysler Brings EV Concepts to LA Auto Show

Chrysler Town and Country EV (left) Dodge EV (center) and Jeep EV concepts represent Chrysler's shot at a future.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

In hopes of creating some buzz about the company that doesn't have to do with who might be buying it or how soon it might collapse from lack of funds, Chrysler LLC is bringing its three recently unveiled electric vehicle concepts to the Los Angeles Auto show this week.

There won't be a press conference or any big announcements from the company during the media preview days Wednesday and Thursday, but the three Chrysler EVs will be on the stand for oohing and aaahing and, the company, hopes, photos and stories.

We wrote a bit about the cars when they were first introduced in Michigan in late September, and we happily would have taken the bait and written about them again when the LA show's media days commence.

But we got an early peek last week at a special program Chrysler's ENVI program for advanced technology vehicles (it stands for ENVIronmental) hosted for a few media types at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, so we're going to write about them a few days before they go on display for the rest of the crowd.

The cars are a battery-electric "Dodge" EV built from a Lotus Europa and "extended-range EV" versions of a Town and Country minivan and a Jeep Wrangler 4-door, both with 40 miles of all-electric range on an electric drive system whose batteries are "replaced" by juice from an on-board internal combustion generator once the battery charge is depleted.

All three are first-phase demonstration vehicles, said Lou Rhodes, ENVI's president and ranking engineer. That means that they started life as regular production models with gas engines and conventional drivetrains and were converted - a process that requires some compromises be made.

The compromises were hard to find, though, as all three are nicely finished vehicle with no dangling wires or exposed components (there were some test modules installed in the trunk of the Dodge EV that wouldn't be there in a production model, but there were nicely hidden, covered in the same material as lined the rest of the trunk.)

The Town and Country wasn't working, though, and the Jeep didn't have the ICE generator installed so was running only on battery power. Rhodes said the ENVI team has built "multiple models" of each in recent months and had simply run out of time to finish the LA Auto Show cars before it was time to ship them.

The reason there are multiple models is that Chrysler already has started on a plan to to have 100 of the cars on the road for real-world testing over the next two years-Rhodes said the plan is for 50 next year and 50 the year after, with one model ready for limited volume retail production sometime in 2010.

Nobody will say which model is the leading candidate for production, but we'd guess that the Town and Country would be a safe bet.

It is large enough to handle the extra weight and size of an EV's battery pack, and a range-extended EV model (or RE-EV) would give Chrysler - already king of the minivan segment -a unique entry in the growing electric car segment.

Just A Ploy?

Rhodes is an engineer and while he's got a lot of retirement money (and, we expect, bonus and incentive bucks and other potential future income) tied up in Chrysler's future, his job isn't to worry about finances but to build vehicles that people will want to buy - something Chrysler's a bit short of these days.

Still, we asked him how, with the economy collapsing, the auto industry collapsing faster and Chrysler's very existence being questioned daily in the mainstream and financial media, he can remain serious about his job.

Isn't ENVI just a smoke screen to make the politicians who control potential auto industry bailout funds more likely to end send some cash Chrysler's way?

How, we asked, can Chrysler afford to finance development of a whole line of electric vehicles when it can't afford to keep plants open and workers employed?

The financial struggle, he replied, is for others to worry about. He insisted that there's been no cut-back of funding for ENVI and no indication that Chrysler's bosses are anything but serious about moving forward with the project.

The question shouldn't be whether the company can afford to pursue green initiatives, but whether it can afford not to.

"There's always been product that has turned Chrysler around," he told us. "This is some of the product that will do it for the company in the future."

We hope so.

Now let's take a look at the cars.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 17, 2008, 3:00 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Batteries, Chrysler, Dodge, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler EVs

November 14, 2008

Dingell, Waxman Solidify Support for Position That Holds Gavel Over Autos Bills

There's less than a week to go in the intensifying battle between Democratic Representatives John Dingell of Michigan and Henry Waxman of California over who will chair the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, with the winner likely to shape tailpipe-emissions and fuel-economy legislation for years to come.

Dingell has fought virtually every regulation the automakers have opposed, from seatbelts and airbags to tailpipe emissions and fuel-efficiency standards. By contrast, Waxman has been as strong advocate of fuel-economy standards and legislation curbing automotive greenhouse-gas emissions.

Both sides are building up support in a dispute that also promises to have significant implications for energy legislation, but it's far from clear who has the inside track on winning the gavel.

To date, only a handful of House Democrats have publicly taken sides between the two lawmakers. More than 30 members have spoken up for Dingell, but Jodi Seth, a Dingell spokeswoman, insisted that many others are also on his side. She wouldn't give numbers.

Six members of the Congressional Black Caucus -- Bobby Rush and Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois, John Lewis of Georgia, Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Ed Towns of New York and Kendrick Meek of Florida -- sent out their own Dear Colleague letter yesterday urging party unity in support of Dingell.

"By overwhelmingly electing President Obama and a Democratic majority in Congress, Americans have placed their trust in the Democratic party," they wrote. "At this time, we should be coming together to address their concerns."

Another Dingell supporter, Representative Artur Davis (D-Alabama), released a statement saying the Michigan congressman "realizes that the challenges of climate change are real and demand a pragmatic approach that is not rooted in ideology."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett November 14, 2008, 12:30 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Energy Companies, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Automakers

The Cost of General Motors' Death Much Greater Than a GM Bailout, Editorial Says

In an editorial posted today , Automotive News (subscription required) reports than Congress should consider the cost of a General Motors failure if it thinks a bailout of the troubled automaker is expensive.

Let's be clear, the publication states: The alternative to government cash for GM is not a dreamy Chapter 11 filing, a reorganization that puts dealers and autoworkers in their place, ensuring future success.

No, even if GM could get debtor-in-possession financing to keep the lights on (which it can't), Chapter 11 means a collapse of sales and a spiral into a Chapter 7 liquidation.

GM's 100,000 American jobs will die, Automotive News states. Health care for a million Americans will be lost or at risk. Hundreds of GM's 1,300 suppliers will die. Their collapse could take down Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC, perhaps even North American transplants. Dealers in every county of America will close.

The government will face greater unemployment, more Americans without health insurance and greater pension liabilities.

Criticize Detroit 3 executives all you want, the publication states, but the issue today is not whether GM should have closed Buick years ago, been tougher with the UAW or supported higher fuel economy standards.

In the next two to four months, GM will run out of cash and turn out the lights. Only government money can prevent that. Every other alternative is fantasy.

The editorial states that "Ford, which borrowed big two years ago and thus has more cash today, may skip a bailout and the strings attached. Cerberus, which bought Chrysler last year, doesn't deserve money. Government cash might help sell Chrysler to a strategic owner."

A few paragraphs down the editorial concludes: "The stark fact remains: Absent a bailout, GM dies, and with it much of manufacturing in America. Congress needs to do the right thing--now.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett November 14, 2008, 10:56 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation, Opinion
Technorati Tags:: Auto Industry Bailout

November 12, 2008

Dingell Cites Dated Quotes From Heavy Hitters in Effort to Retain Chairmanship

Supporters of Representative John Dingell today released a list of favorable--but dated--quotes from Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Nancy Pelosi concerning the Michigan Democrat as part of the heated battle for the gavel of the House Energy and Commerce Committees.

None of the statements address the specific dispute between Dingell (pictured) and Democratic Representative Henry Waxman of California over the chairmanship, but Dingell supporters hope they will prompt other House members to speak up in favor of their candidate.

At stake: potentially enormous influence over automotive fuel-economy and tailpipe-emissions regulations. Dingell has been the Detroit 3's biggest supporter on Capitol Hill for years, their go-to Congress member to battle environmental restrictions placed on the industry. Waxman has been a proponent of such restrictions.

Dingell has received more than $625,000 from the Detroit 3 the last two decades--more money than all other members of the House from automakers since 1989. Waxman, by contrast, has not received a penny from the industry during his time in office. Dingell has also received $394,591 from the oil and gas industry since 1989, compared to Waxman's $23,580.

As for the impressive but dated quotes, Obama offered praise for Dingell at a June event in Flint, Michigan. "The senior member of the Michigan delegation is somebody who has done more for working people than just about anybody in the history of the House of Representatives," Obama said.

Former President Clinton's comments came more than a decade ago, in a March 1996 appearance in Taylor, Michigan "I've never met anybody who worked harder for the interest of ordinary Americans and working families than John Dingell--anybody who stood up more, and more consistently," Clinton said.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett November 12, 2008, 7:35 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation, Oil
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

Bailout for Automakers, If Approved, Likely to Come With Fuel-Economy Strings

If Congress extends the Wall Street bailout to include U.S. automakers, any financial aid to the battered industry will likely be accompanied by requirements for increased fuel economy.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hinted at potential fuel-efficiency conditions Tuesday when she announced plans to craft legislation to use a portion of the $700 billion bailout package to aid the cash-strapped American auto industry.

"It is essential for the domestic automobile manufacturing industry to re-emerge as a global, competitive leader in fuel efficiency," the California Democrat said in a statement emailed to reporters. "For the automobile industry to be truly viable, it must continue to move in this direction."

Pelosi's comments echoed those made by President-elect Barack Obama in recent days.

But Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said today that while autos is a "critical industry in this country," the government's $700 billion financial rescue program wasn't designed to help automakers.

Asked about Democratic congressional leaders' plan to rush financial aid to the industry, Paulson cautioned that "any solution has got to be leading to long-term viability" for auto companies.

He said Congress could try to make funding more available to the auto industry as part of a $25 billion loan program approved in September to develop fuel-efficient vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett November 12, 2008, 11:12 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, General Motors, Legislation
Technorati Tags:: Auto Industry Bailout

November 7, 2008

Waxman Power Play Could Have Huge Impact on Mileage, Emissions Standards

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

For years, members of Congress have been saying we needed to have more aggressive fuel-economy standards. And for years--32 to be precise--Detroit's automakers have lobbied aggressively to prevent that from happening.

The person the car companies have routinely turned to to fight their battles in Washington is Democratic Representative John Dingell of Michigan (right), the longest serving current member of the House and second-longest serving member in our nation's history.

For more than half a century, Dingell has fought virtually every regulation the automakers have opposed, from seatbelts and airbags to tailpipe emissions and fuel-efficiency standards. His position as chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has given him enormous influence over such matters.

For nearly as long as Dingell has been in office, critics have charged that elected officials such as him are far too beholden to large corporate interests to regulate them in a socially responsible manner.

One of those critics is Democratic Representative Henry Waxman of California, who has been as strong advocate of fuel-efficiency standards and legislation curbing greenhouse-gas emissions. And this week Waxman stated his intentions to replace Dingell as chairman of the Commerce Committee in a power play the chairmen of the Detroit 3 can only dread.

On Wednesday, Waxman (left) released the following statement:

"When the new Congress starts in January, we will face unprecedented opportunities and challenges. The public expects Congress and President-elect Obama to work together to find solutions to the nation's most pressing problems. But the issues we will confront are immensely difficult. We will need the very best leadership in Congress and our committees to succeed.

"That is why after long thought I have decided to seek the chairmanship of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Some of the most important challenges we face--energy, climate change, and health care--are under the jurisdiction of the Commerce Committee. In large measure, our success as Congress will depend on how the Commerce Committee performs.

"Enacting comprehensive energy, climate, and health care reform will not be easy. But my record shows that I have the skill and ability to build consensus and deliver legislation that improves the lives of all Americans."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett November 7, 2008, 4:37 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chrysler, Diesel, Emissions, Ethanol, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Natural Gas, Oil, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: CAFE

November 6, 2008

Auto Industry Bailout Rules Unveiled as Automakers Seek to Double the Funding

Remember that $25 billion, low-interest loan program Congress recently approved funding for to help the ailing auto industry re-tool U.S. factories to build more fuel-efficient cars and trucks?

Not a penny of the auto industry bailout loans has been distributed - the Energy Department only published its rules for the program yesterday - but the domestic auto makers already are asking that the total be doubled, to $50 billion.

The chief executives of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler, along with the president of the United Auto Workers Union, are in Washington today meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Michigan Democratic contingent, the subscription-only Greenwire news service reports.

Whether they get the extra funding or not, it will be a while before any of the companies actually gets any money - the loan applications have to pass several government review processes including one for environmental friendliness.

It is expected to be early next year before any funding is delivered - and that's if applications start rolling in now. It would take a presidential declaration of an emergency situation to speed things up.

Under the DOE's interim rule, preference will be given to automakers that have been operating in the U.S. for 20 years or more - a provision that favors the domestic companies. But any automaker with a U.S. factory - or plans to build one - can apply.

One big hurdle - the applicants have to show that they are financially viable and will likely be around to repay the loans - a provision that could hurt Chrysler and a few others.

Read Edmunds Auto Observer's take on the bailbout rules,

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell November 6, 2008, 11:57 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Green Vehicles
Technorati Tags:: Auto Industry Bailout

November 3, 2008

Treasury Won't Help GM With Merger, Will Help With Funding for Fuel-Efficient Cars

The Treasury Department has turned down a request by General Motors for up to $10 billion to help finance the automaker's possible merger with Chrysler, The New York Times reported today , citing people close to the discussions.

Instead of providing new assistance, the Treasury Department told GM on Friday, the Bush administration will now shift its focus to speeding up the $25 billion loan program for fuel-efficient vehicles approved by Congress in September and administered by the Department of Energy.

Treasury officials were said to be reluctant to broaden the $700 billion financial rescue program to include industrial companies or to play a part in a GM-Chrysler merger that could cost tens of thousands of jobs.

But it remained unclear whether the officials were also seeking to avoid making any decision that would conflict with the goals of a new presidential administration. The Democratic candidate, Senator Barack Obama, has said in recent days that he supports increasing aid to the troubled automakers, while Senator John McCain has not said whether he would support aid beyond the $25 billion.

While GM and Chrysler continue to talk, no deal is expected until the government clarifies its role, if any. Potential investors in the deal have been hesitant to back the merger without federal assistance, the Times reported.

GM's chairman, Rick Wagoner, had lobbied Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to provide emergency aid to the auto companies under the bailout program to stabilize the financial markets.

The Bush administration is still considering a range of options to aid the Detroit automakers, which are losing billions of dollars and rapidly depleting their cash reserves, the Times reported, citing auto industry and administration officials.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett November 3, 2008, 3:57 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

October 28, 2008

As Other Automakers Slash Production, Honda Raises Output for Fuel-Efficient Cars

Honda Motor Co., Japan's second-largest carmaker, increased global production in September to meet demand for small cars in the U.S. and emerging markets, Bloomberg news service reported Monday .

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Right, 2009 Honda Civic LX-S Sedan.
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Output rose 9.6 percent to 360,453 vehicles last month, the company said in a statement. Honda also benefited from one to two extra production days in the U.S. this year, it said.

The company is shuffling U.S. production to keep factories busy and boost car output, while building fewer minivans and sport-utility vehicles as light-truck sales fall. Expansion in China is reducing Honda's reliance on the U.S., where U.S. industrywide sales this year have slid 13 percent through September, triggered by high gasoline prices and a credit crunch.

"Honda has a very focused strategy'' emphasizing small cars over larger vehicles, Hirofumi Yokoi, a Tokyo-based analyst at auto-consulting company CSM Worldwide, told Bloomberg. "That leaves them in pretty good shape right now.''

Honda's sales are down 1.1 percent this year, compared with an 18 percent drop for General Motors Corp., a 17 percent decline for Ford Motor Co. and a 25 percent plunge for Chrysler LLC. Sales for Toyota Motor Corp., Japan's largest automaker, have fallen 10 percent.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett October 28, 2008, 8:15 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

October 27, 2008

GM Says Full-Size SUVs, Its Most Profitable Products Ever, Aren't Going Away

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

An article in Sunday's New York Times did a nice job of recapping the boom and bust of the sport-utility-vehicle market, particularly as it applies to General Motors.

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Right, the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid.
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The reporting high up in the article about GM putting the brakes on plans to overhaul the next generation of large SUVs and full-size trucks was particularly newsworthy; our regular readers will recall that we reported the development four months ago.

The decision came amid plummeting sales of full-size trucks and increasing demand for fuel-efficient cars. But as bad as things were for the auto industry in general and the Detroit Three in particular at the start of summer, they pale in comparison to the ugliness that followed.

Back in June, GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said "we think the higher fuel prices are here to stay and they'll have a significant -- essentially permanent -- impact on the truck market."

Although gas prices have since fallen, financial markets the world over have crashed and talk about America's major automakers possibly going belly-up is on the rise.

With this backdrop, we decided to call Wilkinson again to see where things stand now with regard to the GM's plans for full-size SUVS, the most profitable products in the General's hundred-year history.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett October 27, 2008, 5:38 PM
Categories:: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: 2008 Chevrolet Suburban

October 23, 2008

Chrysler to Discontinue Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen Hybrids, Shutter Plant; Move Not Seen As Indicator of a Hybrid Collapse Amid Industry's Financial Turmoil

By Scott Doggett and John O'Dell

The Chrysler Aspen (right) and Dodge Durango (below) full-size hybrid sport utility vehicles have become the first green vehicle casualties in the wake of the automotive industry's declining fortunes.

Chrysler announced today that it will close the Delaware plant where the SUVs and their nonhybrid namesakes are made and discontinue the models.

The Auburn Hills, Michigan, automaker won't move their production anywhere else when the plant closes at year's end, Chrysler spokesman Scott Brown told Green Car Advisor, despite the fact the hybrids entered full-scale production on Aug. 22, barely two months ago.

"Even though we got significant orders for the hybrids, it doesn't make sense to keep the plant open for just them," he said.

The death of the two Chrysler hybrids isn't going to cause much mourning in environmental circles, said Jim Kliesch, senior engineer for the clean vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

By using the hybrid system with the notoriously thirsty 5.7 liter "HEMI" V8 engine, Chrysler didn't produce significantly efficient hybrid SUVs, he said. The big engine helped make the Aspen and Durango 'utes very expensive as well.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett October 23, 2008, 12:34 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Chrysler Aspen Hybrid

Chrysler to Close Plant, Discontinue Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen Hybrids

BREAKING NEWS -- DETAILED VERSION TO FOLLOW

Less than a year after unveiling the Chrysler Aspen (right ) and Dodge Durango (below ) full-size hybrid SUVs and only two months into their full-scale production, Chrysler confirmed today that it will discontinue the models with the just-announced closing of the Delaware plant where they are made.

"The demand for our full-size SUVs has really dropped off this year," Chrysler spokesman Scott Brown told Green Car Advisor. "Even though we got significant orders for the hybrids, it doesn't make sense to keep the plant open for just the hybrids."

The SUVs are Chrysler's first-production hybrid vehicles. The Durango and Aspen models, which employ the same two-mode hybrid system found in General Motors' full-size SUVs, are sticker priced at $45,340 and $45,570, respectively.

Chrysler wouldn't say how many of the hybrid SUVs it had planned to build at the plant in Newark.

Both models made their international debuts at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show last November.

Today's announcement coincided a report from Daimler AG, which owns a 19.9 percent share of privately-held Chrysler, that the U.S. automaker suffered a $772.5 million second-quarter loss due to slowing U.S. sales and a market shift to small cars.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett October 23, 2008, 10:34 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Chrysler Aspen Hybrid

October 20, 2008

Getrag Says Its Deal to Supply Chrysler With Fuel-Saving Transmissions Is Dead

Getrag Transmission Manufacturing claims that Chrysler has canceled a deal for Getrag to build fuel-saving dual-clutch transmissions for the automaker at a nearly completed $530-million factory in Tipton, Indiana.

Chrysler canceled the plant and supply agreement after meeting with Getrag executives Friday to settle a dispute over financing the project, Getrag said in a statement.

Chrysler sued Getrag earlier this month over what the automaker alleges was a failure by Getrag to raise $300 million to initially fund tooling and equipment for the transmissions.

Getrag contends that it had lined up a group of German banks for the money with the proviso that Chrysler escrow $300 million to ultimately pay for the tooling.

Getrag said it would countersue Chrysler for damages and for reimbursement of the money it already had in the project.

The plant is mostly built but not equipped. The cancellation means that Chrysler will have to find an alternative supplier for dual-clutch transmission or do without them. Dual-clutch transmissions allow for quicker shifts, which in turn saves fuel.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett October 20, 2008, 2:16 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Fuel Economy
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

October 2, 2008

Hybrids Outpace Dismal September Market By Scant Margin

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

It's been pretty well established that there wasn't much of an auto market in the U.S. last month.

"Catastrophe" and "disaster" are applicable adjectives; "It sucked" is how some wags have described it.

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Sales of new GM hybrid SUVs like this Chevrolet Tahoe helped hybrid market.
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We've had Edmunds' crack number crunchers parsing the data for us, looking for any glimmer of hope that might be found in the "green" and fuel-efficiency parts of the market and, so, far, have to say that they haven't come up with much.

The first pass through Wednesday's raw sales data provides at look at how hybrids did in comparison to the market as a whole.

And depending on how you do the comparison - to the previous month or to the same month a year ago - we found a mixed message for September hybrid sales.

Hybrid Segment Outpaces Market

The market as a whole was down 26.5 percent from September 2007 and was off 22.5 percent from August '08. It was the first month since the late 1990s that sales dropped below the 1-million mark.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 2, 2008, 4:41 PM
Categories:: Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Green Vehicles, Honda, Hybrid, Mercury, Nissan, Toyota

October 1, 2008

Bush Signs Auto Loan Bill, But Tapping Badly Needed Funds Could Take 18 Months

President Bush signed a $634 billion spending bill Tuesday that includes funding for $25 billion in low-cost loans for U.S. automakers, but the cash-strapped companies will have to wait months to learn how and when they can tap the funds intended to help them build more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The loan program will allow automakers to borrow money to retool plants to build advanced-technology vehicles that are at least 25 percent more fuel efficient than currently required. The program gives preference to factories that are at least two decades old and sets aside $2.5 billion for small companies, such as startup electric-car makers.

The loan package was approved last year as a way to help automakers and their suppliers meet fuel-economy standards set by the federal government. But the funding for the package wasn't passed by Congress until this year.

General Motors spokesman Greg Martin commended the Congress and the president for "their action at a critical time in the auto industry's transformation. Now, we need the rulemaking process to keep pace with the urgency in which we're developing new technologies."

The Energy Department has 60 days to write regulations, setting the parameters that will govern who qualifies for the loans and when. Congressional leaders have called on the department to adhere to that timeline in the hopes that the companies would have access to the loans by the middle of 2009.

But Energy spokeswoman Healy E. Baumgardner said in a statement Tuesday that Congress failed to lift several restrictions on that process, making it more difficult to meet the timeline. She earlier estimated that it could take up to 18 months to complete.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett October 1, 2008, 6:36 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric

September 29, 2008

Subsidized Loans Will Pressure U.S. Automakers to Stop Doing Business as Usual

The Detroit auto industry has only itself to blame for clinging to an approach to business that was in deep trouble 20 years ago, and has been obviously doomed since early in this decade.

If America's taxpayers lend a helping hand to General Motors, Ford and Chrysler in the form of subsidized loans, the companies will face enormous pressure not to squander the opportunity by using the money to do business as usual.

The government loans are targeted to subsidize the production of cars with breakthrough technology to reduce oil consumption. That means that to get the money, the Detroit Three will have to stop showing off prototypes of high-technology vehicles and start building them.

According to an article in today's Wall Street Journal, they seem to be prepared to do this.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett September 29, 2008, 7:14 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation

September 27, 2008

Senate OKs $25 Billion in Loans to Help Automakers Produce Fuel-Efficient Vehicles

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

After spending years and hundreds of millions of dollars fighting governmental efforts to get them to produce fuel-efficient vehicles, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler today scored $7.5 billion in taxpayer funds needed to guarantee $25 billion in low-interest loans to help the American automakers produce fuel-efficient cars and trucks.

By a 78-12 vote cast during a rare Saturday session, the Senate passed a $634-billion spending bill containing the loan guarantee and sent the measure on to President Bush, who was expected to sign it. The bill is needed to keep the government operating beyond the current budget year, which ends Tuesday.

The automakers will get up to 25 years to repay the loans. Because they have sub-investment grade credit, the automakers would save more than $100 million per $1 billion borrowed in lending costs. They could also ask the Energy Department to defer repayment for up to five years.

Congress appropriated 7.5 billion taxpayer dollars to cover the costs of the loans, including the risk of default.

GM and Ford lost nearly $25 billion in the second quarter of this year, and along with Chrysler are closing plants, shrinking their work force and slashing spending.

The manufacturers and their domestic suppliers say they will use the money to offer a broader array of gas-electric vehicles, more fuel-efficient engines and plug-in electric cars that could be on the market within two years. It's unclear how the money will be divided.

The loans could be available by mid-2009, although legal and administrative procedures could delay them until 2010.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 27, 2008, 11:54 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Diesel, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric

September 25, 2008

Will Lotus Engineering Help Chrysler Plug In To The New Automotive Era?

When Chrysler showed off its prototype electric vehicles the other day, the standout was the bumblebee yellow-and-black Dodge EV, a racy electric sports coupe based on the Lotus Europa.

That wasn't just a case of one carmaker giving a nod of appreciation to another's design expertise: Chrysler and Lotus are teaming up.

The companies have released any details of their cooperative agreement, but best guesses are that Chrysler will be working with the engineering half of Lotus, not the car building unit.

As Senior Editor Bill Visnic reports for Edmunds Auto Observer today, Lotus Engineering has put a lot of effort and cash into development of various efficiency-enhancing technologies, from lightweight structures to biofuels compatibility and CO2 emissions reduction.

"Although nobody's confirming it yet, it appears Lotus may play a substantial engineering role in Chrysler's attempt to recover ground lost to GM, Toyota and others in the rush to introduce electrification and internal-combustion advances" to the U.S. auto market, says Visnic.

You can read his full report here.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); John O'Dell September 25, 2008, 10:58 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Lotus, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

Details, Details! More Info On Chrysler's Electric Vehicle Trio

Green Car Advisor was a bit early with our report Tuesday of Chrysler's unexpected but oh-so-welcome electric vehicle announcement, posting the bare bones of the story hours before the company held a press conference to lay out more detail.

We were in Portland covering a Toyota seminar on sustainable mobility when that happened and weren't able to make it to Chrysler HQ in Michigan for the show.

But colleague Michelle Krebs, senior editor of Edmunds Auto Observer, did attend and agreed to file an update to keep you all up to date.

Without further ado, heeeeere's Michelle's take on Chrysler's electric vehicles:

Chrysler EV trio - 300.JPG AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Chrysler unveiled a trio of battery-electric and extended-range series hybrid electric cars Tuesday and said it would eventually offer some type of electric version of every model in its line.

The first will hit showrooms in the U.S. sometime in 2010. European consumers will get one shortly thereafter.

Chrysler would not say which of the three models unveiled this week - one for each of its marques -- would go into production, and executives said that work continues on all of them.

The Dodge EV is two-seat, rear-drive sports car based on the Lotus Europa, a stretched version of the Elise sold only in Europe.

Chrysler revealed that it now has a partnership with the British sports car maker, though details remain under wraps.

The Dodge EV coupe is equipped with a 200-kilowatt motor that produces an estimated 268 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque, for a zero to 60 mile per hour time of less than five seconds and quarter mile of about 13 seconds.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 25, 2008, 6:00 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Emissions, General Motors, Hybrid, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Electric Vehicles

September 23, 2008

Chrysler Unveils Prototype EVs And Says At Least One Slated For Production

Aiming to show that it is not irrelevant in today's fast-changing auto market, Chrysler is announcing today that it will have at least one electric vehicle in production by 2010, a timetable that would put its zero-emissions, gasoline-free car into competition with EVs and plug-in hybrids being launched by General Motors and Toyota in the same timeframe.

To prove it is up to the challenge, Chrysler Chairman Bob Nardelli is giving journalists a peek this morning at four EV prototypes it has developed in its year-old green car R&D program- one of them a close relative of Tesla Motors' already-in-production electric roadster, another -- more likely for production, based on the Town & Country van.

Chrysler raised the curtain with a preview this morning on CNBC, and promised more details later today after a press conference at its Auburn Hills, Mich., headquarters

The cars, descendants of concept vehicles Chrysler introduced at this year's Detroit Auto Show, are being unveiuled just as Congress begins considering funding $25 billion loan program to help Detroit finance a new generation of fuel-efficient vehilces that could helkp it compete agan with cars from Asian and European manufacturers..

What we know now is that the operating prototype roadster (left) , called simply the Dodge EV, is based on an extended Lotus Europa chassis, uses a lithium-ion battery pack and has a claimed range of 150-200 miles per charge and a 0-60 acceleration time of under 5 seconds.

The specs closely mimic those of the Tesla Roadster, which uses a much-modified Lotus Elise chassis.

Other cars being shown are the Chrysler EV based on the T&C van (top), a Jeep four-wheel drive EV (bottom right) based on the Wrangler, and a bubble-shaped low-speed neighborhood EV (bottom left) that sprung from the imagination of a designer who apparently was once traumatized by a jelly bean.

The Chrysler and Jeep prototypes would use series hybrid electric drivetrains similar to that scheduled to be introduced in late 2010 in General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet Volt.

A grid-charged lithium-ion battery pack would provide up to 40 miles of range, after which an internal combustion engine/generator would kick on to produce enough juice to continue powering the electric drive motors while recharging the battery packs.

Click here to jump to the CNBC page where you can watch a (very slow to load) video of a test drive session.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell September 23, 2008, 7:30 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Electric Vehicles

September 19, 2008

U.S. Fuel Economy Up Sightly In 2008 As Consumers Shift To Smaller Cars

Thanks largely to the rapid and sudden shift to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles in the U.S. - a shift driven by soaring fuel prices - industrywide fuel economy for new cars and trucks sold this year is expected to top 20.8 miles per gallon, the federal Environmental Protection Agency said today.

The new "real-word" figure from the EPA marks the fourth consecutive year fuel economy has risen since a gradual 16-year decline that began with the rise of the full-size truck and SUV markets in 1988 and ended in 2004 as Asian automakers began rapidly increasing their share of the U.S. market with vehicles that were markedly more efficient than domestic models.

In a preliminary report released today, the EPA said it is estimating the average adjusted fuel economy for the light vehicle - or passenger - fleet this year will be at least 20.8 mpg, up 0.7% or two-tenths of a gallon, from last year.

That's still 1.2 miles per gallon, or 5.4 percent, below the all-time high of 22 mpg set in 1987.

For cars alone, the preliminary average is 24.1 miles per gallon, while the truck average is 18.1 mpg.

The agency said, though, that it expects final figures, to be released late this year, to show even higher averages for cars, trucks and the combined total.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); John O'Dell September 19, 2008, 4:27 PM
Categories:: Audi, Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: 2008 EPA Fuel Economy Ratings

Slumping Chrysler To Offer Dealers A Glimpse of Future Electric Vehicle

Chrysler's made no secret of its intent to add an EV or two to a fleet best known for its gas-guzzling Hemi V8 engines, hulking Ram pickups and thirsty, off-road-capable 4x4 Jeeps.

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The Dodge Zeo (left) or Chrysler Eco Voyager (below) concepts shown at this year's Detroit Auto Show could hint at what Chrysler is preparing for a real-world electric vehicle.
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Now, in what the Wall Street Journal calls an effort to cheer up its dealers - who've had little to smile about this year as sales have plunged - the carmaker is planning to treat them to a glimpse of the Chrysler electric vehicle it is racing to develop.

The newspaper reports today that it got the word from "people familiar with the matter" - that's code for insiders who want the news to get out so a buzz (like this) begins but who don't want to be publicly identified as the source of the info.

Chrysler ecoVoyager.jpg

The unidentified "people" told the paper that the car is a compact that uses a series hybrid system similar to the one GM has developed for the upcoming Chevrolet Volt.

It will use an electric drive system and, like the Volt, be able to travel about 40 miles on a single battery charge. It also, like the Volt, will carry an on-board internal combustion engine that will serve as a generator to keep the electrons flowing on longer trips.

But Chrysler isn't nearly as far along as GM, which is field-testing its system and has vowed to begin producing retail models by the end of 2010.

Unlike GM, which is deep into development of the lithium ion batteries that will be needed to make things work, Chrysler hasn't yet hashed out agreements with suppliers of components for its EV, the insiders told the paper.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 19, 2008, 8:43 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Electric Vehicles

September 18, 2008

Sing it Out Now! 'Gimme Money, That's What I Want!'

Concerned that Congress could adjourn for the rest of year without acting on a loan guarantee program, top executives for the three domestic automakers have stepped up their lobbying in Washington in the week before the closing gavel is scheduled to bang down on the '08 legislative session.

They are asking Congress to fund the full $25 billion auto industry loan guarantee program that was approved last year. Doing so would make it relatively easy for the car companies to obtain loans at 4-6 percent interest rather than at the double-digit interest rates ther shakey credit standings would otherwise justify.

GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner made a solo appearance last week before the Senate Energy Committee to ask for the funding.

On Wednesday, though, he was joined by Alan Mullaly, his counterpart at Ford Motor Co., and Robert Nardelli, chairman and chief executive of Chrysler, in a meeting with Democrats in the House and Senate.

The loan package has been backed by both parties in Congress and is now endorsed by both Presidential candidates.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell September 18, 2008, 12:24 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Legislation, Opinion
Technorati Tags:: Auto Industry Bailout

September 12, 2008

A Comprehensive Look at U.S. Tax Incentives for Buyers of Fuel-Efficient Vehicles

Some blogs are reporting today that the U.S. government is now offering tax incentives for five diesel models, three from Mercedes-Benz and two from Volkswagen.

We brought you that information weeks ago, when it had just come out of the oven, so to speak.

But in case you missed it, here it is again, in a wrap-up of all the fuel-efficient vehicles that are now eligible for U.S. tax credits.

Just click on the charts below for easily readable charts of what's available.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 12, 2008, 12:26 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Diesel, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Legislation, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Natural Gas, Saturn, Toyota, Volkswagen

September 11, 2008

Pelosi Says House Will Act on Detroit Automakers' Loan Request in Next Two Weeks

The U.S. House of Representatives will act within the next couple of weeks to provide funding for loans Detroit's cash-strapped automakers are seeking expressly to help them develop more fuel-efficient vehicles, Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters today.

The automakers are lobbying for the loan program to be funded before Congress adjourns before the election.

Pelosi said it was unclear what the funding levels would be. The California Democrat said the loans could be included in an energy bill, a second economic stimulus plan or a spending package to keep the government running into next year.

As part of last December's energy bill, Congress authorized $25 billion in loans meant to help the automakers develop fuel-efficient and advanced-engine technologies. But the money hasn't been funded and the automakers are now seeking $50 billion.

Pelosi told reporters that she believes there is broad support in Congress for appropriating funds, but the path forward largely depends on which piece of legislation can clear the president's desk.

"It's very essential to the industry to move in a direction with new technology, so there's great support for it," Pelosi said. "What vehicle it's in is a question of what will pass and get signed by the president."

Republican Whip Roy Blunt said it was not clear whether House Republicans would support the additional $25 billion the automakers want.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 11, 2008, 3:24 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric

September 8, 2008

Nader Bucks Fed Aid to Big 3, Says U.S. Taxpayers Shouldn't Be Played for Suckers

Independent presidential hopeful Ralph Nader criticized Detroit automakers Sunday for what he called decades of poor decision-making and said they do not deserve federal loans to save them.

"The taxpayer should not be played for a sucker," Nader told reporters outside a Detroit church, referring to a $50 billion low-interest loan package sought by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

Nader said a public takeover of the corporations or an approach similar to the one taken by Chrysler in the late 1970s, in which the automaker petitioned Congress for and got loan guarantees, are the only options Washington should consider.

A loan guarantee is a legal obligation to compensate a lender if the borrower fails to repay a loan. It reduces the risk of lending, allowing the borrower to receive a better interest rate.

Ford and GM's credit ratings are below investment grade, making it difficult for them to borrow money at attractive rates. Privately held Chrysler faces similar problems.

Democratic nominee Barack Obama has endorsed the $50 billion package. His Republican rival, John McCain, supports up to $25 billion in loan guarantees.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett September 8, 2008, 10:27 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Legislation

September 2, 2008

Chrysler Testing Green Vehicles, Says Progress 'Substantial' Toward Electrification

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Chrysler co-president Jim Press, the carmaker's self-described "demand" man charged with developing a product line people actually want to buy, says that despite its image, the company isn't stuck in the performance-car track and is well on the way to launching a full slate of "green" vehicles.

In addition to gas-electric hybrid models of the Chrysler Aspen (left) and Dodge Durango SUVs just hitting dealer showrooms and a hybrid Dodge Ram pickup due next year, Chrysler engineers are testing a trio of hybrid and all-electric models with componments that are "near" market-ready, Press said.

Speaking to a group of automotive journalists and industry insiders in Los Angeles today, Press -- former head of Toyota's ultra-successful U.S. sales and marketing operation -- said that while a slimmed-down Chrysler will not abandon the Hemi V8s, hulking trucks and off-road vehicles it is known for, it is also looking at ways to boost fuel economy and, eventually, offer plug-in hybrid and battery-electric versions of many of its models.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell September 2, 2008, 2:35 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies, Hydrogen, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler Green Vehicles

August 29, 2008

Bridgestone America Commits to National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative

Major tire maker Bridgestone America announced today that it will no longer use lead wheel weights.

The company, which operates 2,000 tire service stores across the U.S., made the announcement at a joint press conference in Detroit at which the federal Environmental Protection Agency called on businesses to voluntarily switch to steel weights when balancing wheels and tires.

The press conference served as the formal launch of the EPA's National Lead-Free Wheel Weight Initiative. The weights are attached to wheels when tires are installed to counteract the combined effect of tire and wheel weight imbalances that can cause the wheel to wobble.

The trouble with lead weights is that they tend to fall off, get ground to lead dust by passing vehicles and eventually end up in groundwater supplies. In humans, lead particles can cause brain damage, birth defects and death.

The EPA's initiative follows a recent court decision that resulted in Chrysler and the three largest wheel weight makers in America agreeing to stop using lead weights in California by the end of 2009.

In its suit, the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health maintained that errant tire weights are responsible for 500,000 pounds of lead being released into California's environment alone each year.

According to Jeff Gearhart, director of the Clean Car Campaign at the Michigan-based Ecology Center, lead wheel weights are the nation's largest unregulated source of new lead leaching into the environment.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 29, 2008, 10:04 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Courts, Tires
Technorati Tags:: Bridgestone

August 25, 2008

Big Three Seek $50 Billion in Low-Cost Federal Loans for Green-Car Development

Detroit's Big Three automakers have begun lobbying Congress hard for up to $50 billion in low-cost loans they say they'd put toward development and production of fuel-efficient vehicles.

Congress authorized $25 billion in low-interest loans in last year's energy bill, but the auto industry's allies on Capitol Hill (right) thus far have been unable to get that amount funded.

The automakers say the loans would provide low-interest credit for up to 30 percent of the cost of retooling facilities to build hybrids, electric cars and other "green" vehicles.

Word of the stepped-up lobbying effort came only days after GM announced it will invest $500 million in the U.S. to build the Chevrolet Cruze, an all-new fuel-efficient global compact car.

The three American carmakers are under pressure to produce gas-stingy automobiles or lose more market share to foreign companies.

The energy bill authorized $25 billion in direct loans to the Big Three specifically to help them meet new federal fuel-economy standards.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 25, 2008, 12:46 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

August 21, 2008

California Case Sets Stage to End Use Of Toxic Lead Wheel-Balancing Weights

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

California once again is taking a lead role in a significant environmental cleanup effort involving the automobile.

This time, though, it nothing to do with tailpipe emissions, greenhouse gases or fuel economy.

It's those little lead wheel-balancing weights that are the culprit and in a court decision that sets the stage for a nationwide effort to get the lead out, Chrysler and the three largest wheel weight makers in the U.S. have agreed to stop using them in California by the end of 2009.

The agreement is likely to have nationwide repercussions and comes just two weeks before the federal Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce a national education and voluntary compliance campaign to eliminate lead wheel weights, which release thousands of tons of toxic lead particles into the environment each year.

The weights are considered an environmental hazard because they have a tendency to fall off and get ground to lead dust by passing vehicles.

A lot of the lead particles washed from road surfaces during rainstorms end up in groundwater supplies.

In its suit, the Oakland, Calif-based Center for Environmental Health maintained that errant tire weights are responsible for 500,000 pounds of lead being released into California's environment alone each year.

The weights are the nation's largest unregulated source of new lead leaching into the environment, said Jeff Gearhart, director of the Clean Car Campaign at the Michigan-based Ecology Center .

"This is about to become a major national issue, he told Green Car Advisor in an interview following the California settlement.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell August 21, 2008, 10:02 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Green Vehicles
Technorati Tags:: Clean Car Campaign

August 20, 2008

Ford Escape Hybrid Among Small SUVs to Earn Top Safety Rating

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

Many people if not most who buy a small or midsize sport utility vehicle do so because they believe it offers greater personal protection than a car. And for that extra measure of protection, they are willing to sacrifice fuel economy.

Today, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced that the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid earned top ratings in recent crash-test evaluations, bringing to three the number of hybrid SUVs getting superior mileage without compromising safety.

The other hybrid SUVs earning top-safety-pick honors from the respected institute are the midsize 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid and the 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which the institute had previously evaluated.

But the big winner announced today by the institute was the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan, which outperformed the competition in recent front, side and rear crash test evaluations of eight small SUV models.

The 2009 Escape, including the hybrid version, 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander and 2008 Nissan Rogue joined the Tiguan in earning top ratings in all three of the institute's evaluations. All four models come equipped with electronic stability control and side airbags, which the institute considered very important.

The institute ratings of good, acceptable, marginal or poor are based on results of front and side crash tests, plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against whiplash injury in rear crashes.

The 2008 Chevrolet Equinox, 2008 Jeep Patriot, 2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara and 2-door 2008 Jeep Wrangler all earned the second-lowest rating of marginal.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 20, 2008, 8:02 AM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Saturn, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen

August 18, 2008

Website Helps Motorists Become Fuel Efficient -- and Automakers Appear Green

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.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); 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

August 14, 2008

Revamped Chrysler Plant Will Produce Fuel-Efficient Car-Based SUVs

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

Chrysler will spend $1.8 billion to convert a Detroit automotive plant tooled to produce the full-size Jeep Grand Cherokee into a factory rolling out more fuel-efficient, car-based crossovers.

Chrysler Vice Chairman and President Tom LaSorda, speaking Wednesday at a conference in Traverse City, Michigan, said the Auburn Hills-based automaker intends to make a "new generation of world-class vehicles" at the factory.

While skimping on specifics, LaSorda said the new vehicles would be "of various sizes and dimensions" and represent an "evolution" of the older, gas-guzzling Jeeps.

The 2.7 million-square-foot Jefferson North assembly plant was built in 1991 and expanded in 1999. Its main product has been the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The current Grand Cherokee (above) began production in August 2004 and the Jeep Commander was added in July 2005.

No vehicle illustrates Chrysler's financial woes more than the Grand Cherokee. Unlike its competition, the SUV had a so-called unibody construction rather than a body mounted on a truck frame.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 14, 2008, 5:03 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Jeep, Nissan
Technorati Tags:: Chrysler

August 13, 2008

Auto Industry Big Shots Insist: One National Tailpipe Standard

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.Â Either presents challenges to the AIAM's hope for sanity in the emissions-regulation structure, he added.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); 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

August 12, 2008

Ethanol-85 Producers, Auto Manufacturers Stalled in Flex-Fuel Waiting Game

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.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); 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

Business Is Brisk at Nation's First Rental Car Company That Loans Only Hybrids

With established rent-a-car companies reporting that they are having trouble meeting customer demand for fuel-efficient vehicles, a Southern California company has begun renting nothing but hybrid vehicles.

Business has been brisk at Eqocar in Burbank since it opened its doors three months ago, General Manager Nick Hamed told Green Car Advisor today. Hamed said Eqocar, which rents only hybrid vehicles, is in talks to open four more rental-car centers, all in California.

Eventually, the company would like to expand nationwide, Hamed said.

Eqocar has a fleet of 45 hybrids, which include the Toyota Prius, Camry and Highlander hybrids, Ford Escape Hybrid, Lexus LS600h L, GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe hybrids, and the Nissan Altima hybrid. Daily rates range from $59 for the Prius to $650 for the LS600h L.

There are plans to add the extended-range plug-in electric Chevrolet Volt, hybrid versions of the Smart Fortwo, Chrysler Aspen, Cadillac Escalade, and Porsche Cayenne and Panamera, as well as the Tesla and Fisker plug-in sports cars and the bubbled-faced three-wheel Aptera to the rental fleet, Hamed said.

The Aptera is reminiscent of vehicles appearing in The Jetsons, a futuristic cartoon series produced during 1962 and '63.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 11, 2008, 2:42 PM
Categories:: Aptera, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Emissions, Fisker, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Lexus, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Porsche, Smart, Tesla, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Camry Hybrid

August 4, 2008

Rulemakers Told Fuel Economy Standards Fall Far Short of Consumer Demands

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."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); 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

July 30, 2008

Honeywell to Provide Turbochargers for Ford's Initial EcoBoost Engines

Honeywell International has been selected by Ford Motor Co. to develop turbochargers for the first of its EcoBoost engines , which will initially appear in next year's 2010 Lincoln MKS.

The new turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine will perform like a large V-8, but will deliver the fuel economy of a V-6, Honeywell announced today.

To help bring the new engine to market, Honeywell says it leveraged the latest advances in turbine design and materials to optimise the performance and ensure the reliability of its gasoline turbo technology.

The twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 will deliver upwards of 340-plus pound-feet of torque across a wide engine range - 2,000-5,000 rpm - versus 270 to 310 pound-feet of torque for a conventional naturally aspirated 4.6-liter V-8 over the same speed range.

Honeywell expects the global turbocharger segment to grow from 30 percent of the overall automotive market to more than 38 percent by 2013 as automakers look to boost engines to help increase fuel-efficiency and reduce exhaust emissions without sacrificing performance.

Honeywell provides turbochargers to many automakers, including BMW, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Volkswagen.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett July 30, 2008, 2:21 PM
Categories:: BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: BMW

July 22, 2008

Public Invited to Test Drive Newest Green Machines at Inaugural Event

Right, BMW 7 Hydrogen on NÃ¼rburgring 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.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); 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

Japan Inc. Reportedly Working on Uniform Lithium-Ion Battery Standard

Lithium Ion battery packs being tested in U.S. at Argonne National Laboratory.

We don't think this is one of those signs and portents that mark the impending end of the world, but it does seem a near miracle: Several Japanese automakers, battery developers and power companies reportedly have agreed to work together to establish a global standard for lithium-ion batteries.

If you can remember back to the late 1990s and early 2000s and the days of the EV1, Nissan Altra, Toyota RAV4 EV and other first-generation electric vehicles built in extremely limited numbers to meet California's then-new Zero Emissions Vehicles mandate, you'll also remember that there were several types of batteries in use and two competing charging systems required.

That added more complexity and cost to an already complex and costly new-vehicle development program and helped hasten the demise of hopes for a vast fleet of readily available, affordable and easy-to-charge EVs.

A global standard, which means - among other things - that all battery systems would be designed to use the use the same recharging system, is one of the things needed if there is to be any chance of bringing back the battery-electric vehicle in a meaningful way.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell July 22, 2008, 9:53 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Fisker, Ford, General Motors, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Smart, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicles

Acura, Smart, Chevy Models Top List of Healthiest Cars Tested by Ecology Center

Soy foam in the seats the Ford F-150 pickups and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. Locally farmed hemp , "ethically produced" woolen fabric and floor mats made of sisal in the Lotus Eco Elise.

Some automakers are increasingly going to great lengths to make the interiors of some of their models if not environmentally friendly, at least a bit wholesome.

But others, well...

Early today the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, Michigan, posted its second-annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and children's car seats at www.HealthyCar.org.

More than two hundred 2008- and 2009-model-year vehicles and more than 60 children's car seats were tested for unhealthy chemicals that seep in gaseous form from the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests, seats and carpet.

The "new-car smell," as the gases are commonly called, mingle with the air occupants breathe and have been linked to allergies, birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity and cancer.

The Ecology Center reported that Mazda, General Motors and Nissan improved since last year's findings, with GM showing the greatest gains of the domestic automakers, with an average vehicle ranking improvement of 27 percent.

The list of the 10 best and 10 worst vehicles as picked by the Center appears in the chart above.

Average child-car-seat scores improved 28 percent overall. The list of 10 best and worst car seats for 2008 as picked by the Center appears at left. Click on the chart for a better look.

For more information, go to www.HealthyCar.org.

Below are the three worst 2008-model-year vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Mitsubishi Eclipse, Suzuki Reno and Volkswagen New Beetle.

Below are are the three best vehicles by interior pollution, according to the Center (click on each to enlarge). From left to right: Acura RXD, Chevrolet Cobalt and Smart Passion Cabriolet.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 22, 2008, 12:21 AM
Categories:: Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Pontiac, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Smart, Subaru, Suzuki, Think, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo

July 21, 2008

Ethanol Allows Detroit to Skirt CAFE Rules, Increases Oil Dependency, Author Says

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

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); 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 18, 2008

EPA Supplies Fuel-Economy Estimates for Hybrid Variants of '09 Silverado, Sierra

Right, the 2009 Chevy Silverado Hybrid.
Below, the 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

The Environmental Protection Agency has posted the official mileage numbers for the new two-mode hybrid variants of the 2009-model-year Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickup trucks offered in limited availability starting late this fall.

The rear-wheel-drive models achieved 21 miles per gallon city, 22 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined while the 4-wheel-drive models achieved 20/20/20 mpg. The open bed crew-cab hybrid trucks scored the identical numbers as their 2009 full-body SUV siblings.

However, the conventional model with the same 6-liter V8 only manages 14 mpg city and 19 highway in RWD running on premium-grade gasoline, and only 13 mpg city and 19 highway in RWD running on regular. The EPA did not provide combined estimates for the 2008 models.

The hybrids are outfitted with an advanced two-mode powertrain developed by BMW, DaimlerChrysler and General Motors.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 18, 2008, 11:30 PM
Categories:: BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid

Corporate Average Fuel Economy Figure for Tesla Motors: 244.0 Miles Per Gallon

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

The Automotive News reported today that Tesla Motors, the fledgling California electric-car maker, received a 2008 corporate average fuel economy rating of 244.0 miles per gallon.

Indeed, here's their entire article on the matter:

"The latest government fuel economy report says 2008-model cars and trucks sold in the United States will average 26.8 mpg, up only slightly from 26.6 mpg in 2007.

"But one eye-popping number appears in the report: Tesla Motors, the upstart maker of an electric sports car, gets a 2008 corporate average fuel economy rating of 244 mpg. The federal CAFE standard for cars is 27.5 mpg.

"The figures show government may have more work to do to compare fairly the energy and environmental impact of electric vehicles with those that use gasoline. But Tesla's CAFE number is more than a curiosity. It could mean cash.

"Tesla Vice President Darryl Siry told Automotive News today the company is eager to sell its CAFE credits when trading begins. 'It's all upside for us,' he said."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett July 18, 2008, 4:43 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Legislation, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota

July 17, 2008

That New Car Smell Might Kill You

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

That's our sensational headline for 2008, but there's more than a smidgen of truth in it.

Last year Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Ecology Center released the first-ever consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and child car seats -- and what they reported was sickening.

The odor you inhale when you slide into a new car? It might very well be bromine, chlorine, lead, other harmful chemicals or a witches' brew of them. They've been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births and, no doubt, cancer.

If you think the government protects you against such things, think again. Some of the vehicles on the road today are veritable toxic dumps on wheels. And many drivers are exposed to these chemicals through inhalation and contact with dust every day.

In case you missed last year's report, Ecology Center found the most toxic vehicles were the Nissan Versa, Chevy Aveo, Scion xB 5dr and the Kia Rio. The least toxic vehicles were the Chevy Cobalt, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Odyssey and the Volvo V50.

Next Tuesday -- July 22 -- Ecology Center will release its second annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars and child car seats, and if you're thinking of buying a new car anytime soon, you'll want to check it out. The guide will be posted at www.healthycar.org a little after midnight on the 22nd.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett July 17, 2008, 1:39 PM
Categories:: Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Fiat, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Legislation, Lexus, MINI, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opinion, Pontiac, Porsche, Renault, Saab, Smart, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo

Bailout? Fannie Mae, Yes; Detroit's Big Three, No

There'll be no bailout hero this time. At right, the March 21, 1983, cover of Time magazine. Lee Iacocca negotiated Chrysler's survival back then.

Washington is rushing to rescue two embattled mortgage giants -- proclaiming them too big to fail -- but Michigan's threatened automakers and autoworkers should not expect similar treatment, reports Gordon Trowbridge in today's Detroit News.

Like President Bush, Republican presidential candidate John McCain rules out federal aid to keep the Detroit carmakers solvent. But he supports the Bush administration's plan to put billions of taxpayer dollars behind mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Democrat Barack Obama has largely avoided the question.

The carmakers are by no means asking for a bailout at this point, and Democratic Rep. John Dingell of Dearborn, one of the industry's biggest supporters in Washington, says "there should be ... no talk right now of a bailout," Trowbridge reports. But it's more than just an academic question, after General Motors' latest round of job and benefit cuts, aimed at giving the company enough cash to survive.

At a recent visit to a car plant, McCain said he would oppose any federal action to bail out American automakers.

Last week in Michigan, when McCain was asked how he could reconcile support for aid to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with opposition to a bailout of the Big Three, he avoided the question -- pointing to steps he said he would take to boost the companies' fortunes, such as making a research and development tax credit perfect and offering a $300 million prize for new battery technology.

The Obama campaign likewise has avoided taking a position -- unlike Hillary Clinton, Obama's primary opponent, who said during her campaign that the government should come to the Big Three's rescue if that becomes necessary.

View the article to learn why Washington was willing to bailout out Chrysler during the Carter administration but frowns upon automotive bailouts today. It doesn't contain much information pertaining specifically to green cars, but it's a good read all the same.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett July 17, 2008, 8:56 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Legislation

July 16, 2008

Survey Finds American Consumers Are Hot for Hybrids but Cooling on Ethanol

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.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); 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

Chrysler Says It Will Offer Three Electric-Powertrain Models Within 3-5 Years

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

Chrysler is working on three extended-range electric vehicles that will be ready for market within three to five years, a company spokesman told Green Car Advisor today.

The EVs will be based on the Jeep Renegade, Dodge Zeo (at right) and Chrysler ecoVoyager (in Moon rock silver-beigel, below) concept vehicles that stole much of the limelight for their Ã¼ber-cool designs at their debut in Detroit this past January.

All three production models will be powered by electric motors connected to advanced lithium-ion battery packs, and each will be capable of extended drive ranges, Chrysler's Nick Cappa said in an interview.

The Dodge Zeo will be a pure plug-in electric sports car packing enough lithium-ion battery modules to travel 250 miles between charges, Cappa said. The sleek, four-door coupe will certainly be one of the most exciting concept cars to debut all year, and the reason should be apparent (it's breathtakingly beautiful!).

What's not apparent is the fact that the Zeo's doors -- front and back -- open upward instead of outward. Also not apparent is the Zeo's single 200-kilowatt/hour, 286-horsepower electric motor capable of propeling the EV to 60 miles per hour in under six seconds.

To keep costs and prices in check, the same motor, electrical architecture, power electronics and next-generation lithium-ion battery technology in the Zeo will be used in Chrysler's two other initial EVs.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett July 14, 2008, 6:38 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Dodge, Fuel Cell, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Jeep, Plug-ins and Electric

July 12, 2008

A Little Knowledge of Transmissions Can Save You Big Bucks at the Pump

All images click to enlarge.

By Robert E. Calem, Contributor

Choosing a fuel-efficient automobile was a whole lot simpler 30 years ago, the last time the U.S. was in the throes of a gasoline price crisis. It was often as simple as buying a small vehicle with a manual transmission.

Today, with gas prices soaring to new record highs almost weekly, finding fuel economy means navigating an almost bewildering selection of vehicles. Even enormous SUVs can qualify if they come equipped with gasoline-electric hybrid drive systems.

Behind this tremendous hike in choices -- to a fairly significant extent, experts say -- has been a concomitant increase in the variety of transmissions.

Whereas in the 1970s there were only four- and five-speed manual transmissions and three- and four-speed automatic transmissions, now there are six-speed manual, six-, seven- and eight-speed automatic, six- and seven-speed "dual-clutch" automatic-manual, and continuously variable transmissions.

The result: more efficient engine operation and higher fuel economy in every car, whether it's a high-performance Porsche Carrera or a modest Volkswagen Jetta.

But there are important differences among these sophisticated transmissions, including in how much they contribute to better fuel efficiency. Knowing those differences may help you the next time you're in the market for a new car.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett July 12, 2008, 12:53 AM
Categories:: Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Honda, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Smart, Subaru

July 1, 2008

Automakers Say Federal Fuel Economy Rules Could Leave 82,000 Unemployed

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

A lobbying group for 10 major automakers including Detroit's Big Three, Toyota and Daimler urged federal regulators today to dramatically water down its proposal to hike fuel efficiency standards or run the risk of costing 82,000 autoworkers their jobs and the U.S. economy tens of billions of dollars.

In a thousand-page document filed today by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the automakers condemned the April 22 proposal by the U.S. Transportation Department that would boost fuel economy requirements to a fleetwide average of 31.6 miles per gallon by the 2015 model year.

That average includes 35.7 mpg for passenger cars and 28.6 mpg for light trucks. The nation's new passenger cars currently are required to meet a fleet average of 27.5 mpg, while the light-truck fleet - generally encompassing port utility vehicles, pickup trucks and vans - must hit a target average of 22.5 mpg.

"This goes beyond what is technologically feasible and economically practical," the automakers said. "It would require manufacturers to expend resources at a pace that is excessive given the fact that the auto industry is already under economic stress."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett July 1, 2008, 1:31 PM
Categories:: BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Courts, Daimler, Dodge, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Legislation, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen

June 23, 2008

More Hybrids Coming Says Chrysler Exec

Taking a page from Toyota's playbook (hmm, didn't they recently hire some big shot from Toyota, a guy named Jim Press?) Chrysler says it will be offering hybrid versions of lots of its cars and trucks in the future.

The Detroit News reports that Chrysler brand marketing manager Michael Berube promised at the Boston launch of the two-mode hybrid Dodge Durango (left) and Chrysler Aspen SUVs last week that they wouldn't be the last Chrysler hybrids.

"In the future, hybrid and other fuel-saving technology will come in all sizes, shapes and colors," he said.

We already know the Dodge Ram pickup is next up on the hybrid timetable, and best guess is that the next shapes to be hybridized will be the company’s rear-drive Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell June 23, 2008, 11:30 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Dodge, Hybrid

Big Trucks, Big Engines, Big Mistakes: Auto DOAs

BMW's X6 gets critic's nod as one of silliest packages on the market.

As do most automotive evaluators, we here at Edmunds are criticized from time to time for having an import bias.

Well, if we ever did, Auto Observer sage Bill Visnic is putting things right today with a funny – and insightful – critique of a number of vehicles, foreign and domestic, that were given the green-light back when gas was cheap and the economy wasn't lying in a hospital bed on life support.

Sure, his piece on automotive DOAs skewers Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, but it doesn't do any favors for the likes of Honda, Toyota, Nissan, BMW and Volkswagen, either...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell June 23, 2008, 10:05 AM
Categories:: BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hummer, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen

June 18, 2008

Toyota Joins Gang With Truck, SUV Cutbacks

Tundra and Sequoia (below) are victims of $4 gasoline and weak economy.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Even giants stumble.

Toyota is cutting production at its truck plants in San Antonio, Texas, and Princeton, Ind., and at its Alabama truck engine plant, hoping to adjust to the steep and sudden plunge in sales of large pickups and sport utility vehicles as shell-shocked consumers scramble for more fuel-efficient transportation.

The automaker, famed for its ability to read the market, also is dismissing all 200 members of the fulltime temporary workforce – contract workers supplied by a temp agency – at the San Antonio plant, where production is dedicated to the Tundra full-size pickup. The Indiana plant, which builds both the Tundra and the full-size Sequoia SUV, has no temporary workers.

"This is a painful but necessary step, given the state of the economy," said Toyota manufacturing spokesman Mike Goss.

$4-a-gallon gasoline, a moribund housing construction industry and a weak overall economy points to a permanent change in auto-buying habits in North America, with sales of small cars and compact trucks and SUVs expected to continue rising while sales of large trucks and SUVs shrink.

At present sales rates, it would take Toyota dealers about four months to sell out the backlog of built but unsold Tundras and Sequoias.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell June 18, 2008, 3:09 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Nissan, Toyota

June 17, 2008

Chrysler to Price Its Hybrid SUVs Well Under $50,000

Taking a cue from the lukewarm reception buyers have given GM's $50,000-plus SUV hybrids, Chrysler announced today that its Chrysler Aspen (above) and Dodge Durango (right) hybrids will cost $45,000 and change â€“ including shipping â€“ when they arrive in showrooms this August.

As you may recall, Green Car Advisor reported that the General was having such a hard time unloading his 2008 Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrids that he felt compelled to offer $4,000 cash rebates on both full-size SUVs earlier this month.

To avoid possibly having to make a similar retreat, Chrysler will be offering the 2009 Durango and Aspen hybrids for $45,340 and $45,570, respectively.

The Chryslers will be all-wheel-drive vehicles and are expected to be rated at the same 20 miles per gallon highway as the four-wheel-drive GM trucks (the Tahoe is also available in 2WD), which is a 40 percent bump over the conventional models...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett June 17, 2008, 5:16 PM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric

GE, Chrysler Developing New Plug-In Battery

Looking to get a piece of the market for cars that run on electricity, General Electric Corp. has teamed up with Chrysler to develop plug-in hybrid vehicles.

GE already has a pretty good background in hybrids, although its hybrid buses, tugboats and locomotives are all a little bit bigger than passenger cars (except, maybe, the Hummer, which isn't a Chrysler anyhow), but sees a future -- and potentially big profits â€“ in developing components for the auto industry.

Chrysler has said that the two are looking to develop plug-in models of the upcoming Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen hybrid SUVs.

The companies are developing a "dual battery" technology that would combine two battery chemistries â€“ presumably nickel metal-hydride and lithium-ion â€“ in the same unit.

The apparent intent is to produce a single battery that can deliver power and energy storage to meet a variety of driving demands.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell June 17, 2008, 3:09 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric

General Motors Fights to Attract High-Tech Engineers

Detroit's car companies are playing a frantic game of high-tech catchup with Asian and European rivals when it comes to developing new fuel-saving technology from hybrid systems to clean diesel engines, according to an article in The Detroit News.

Getting ahead will take the best talent around, but those workers are getting harder to come by.

"There are so many options for engineers, and we're looking at a lot of young people today who have concerns about working for the Big Three," said Phil Gardner, director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University.

Automakers' needs are becoming more specialized and advanced, especially as the companies grapple with a worldwide push to dramatically increase the fuel efficiency of automobiles...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 17, 2008, 7:25 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid

June 15, 2008

Honda Begins Clarity Production, Unveils First Leases

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

True to its word, Honda Motor Co. began production of its long-awaited FCX Clarity fuel-cell electric sedan this evening (Monday morning in Japan) and said that it would begin putting the strikingly sculpted vehicles into the hands of carefully selected customers early next month.

The first of the cars, which produce electricity from hydrogen gas and oxygen and emit only water vapor from their tailpipes, will go to Hollywood producer ("Little Miss Sunshine") Ron Yerxa, who traveled to Japan to attend the ceremony at Honda's new fuel-cell vehicle assembly facility at its advanced R&D campus in Tochigi, about 100 miles north of Tokyo.

Honda introduced the production model of the garnet-red car at the 2007 Los Angeles International Auto Show in November and said at the time that it would launch a three-year Clarity leasing program this summer.

Yerxa and other lessees – there will be about 200 in Southern California and Japan by the end of 2011 – will pay $600 a month and will be required to provide considerable feed-back to Honda about their experiences with the vehicle.

Closer But No Cigar

"This is an important day in the history of fuel-cell vehicle technology and a monumental step closer to the day when fuel cell cars will be part of the mainstream," John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda, said in a statement.

"Our customers and dealers share in our vision for a cleaner and more sustainable transportation future, and share in our challenge to embrace a new generation of automotive technology that we think will carry the auto industry and its customers into the future."

While fuel cell cars represent the auto industry's best effort so far to free the motor vehicle from its dependence on oil and to avoid some of the perceived pitfalls of using rechargeable batteries to store power for electric cars, the technology is not without problems.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell June 15, 2008, 9:30 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Volkswagen

June 13, 2008

DOE Awards $30 Million For Plug-In Hybrid Projects

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Talk about getting what you ask for!

A day after Ford executive Mark Fields urged the federal government to help U.S. automakers develop plug-in hybrid vehicles, the Department of Energy has announced $30 million in grants for plug-in hybrid projects headed by Ford, General Motors and General Electric Corp.

The three-year program is aimed at accelerating development of plug-ins capable of achieving at least 40 miles of all-electric travel without recharging. The projects all center on battery development.

The department said it hopes to make plug-ins "cost-competitive by 2014 and ready for commercialization by 2016."

Meanwhile, Toyota Motor Co. says it will introduce commercial plug-in hybrids in the U.S. in 2010, albeit only for business and government fleet use initially with no definite date for retail introduction of the cars.

The DOE grants are to cover half the projects' costs, with the project teams picking up the other half.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell June 13, 2008, 10:55 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric

June 12, 2008

Chrysler Working On Mini Based On Hornet Concept

Chrysler LLC is developing a global compact car model based on the Dodge Hornet concept car (above) that debuted at the 2006 Geneva Auto Show, Financial Times Germany reported Wednesday, citing Thomas Hausch, the company's vice president for international purchasing.

"We are working intensely on the Hornet study," Hausch said. "I think we will announce something on this in the future."

The new model will likely be launched in 2010 in Europe, the U.S. and other markets, the newspaper said...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett June 12, 2008, 10:54 AM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Chrysler, Dodge, Fuel Economy, Nissan

June 2, 2008

Tata-Chrysler Deal Could Bring Nano Minicar EV to U.S., Tata Also Confirms Low-speed Electric Truck Plans

Ace mini-truck may hit U.S. as low-speed electric vehicle in Tata-Chrysler deal.

By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor

In a move that could have strong implications for the arrival of the ultra-low-cost Tata Nano mini-car in the U.S. market, Tata Motors has announced that it’s teaming with Chrysler LLC to build mini-trucks in America, at least one model a low-speed electric vehicle.

Speaking with reporters in Mumbai last week, P.M. Telang, executive director at Tata Motors, confirmed a January report that the two manufacturers will develop battery-electric versions of the trucks. Tata Motors and Chrysler have given no specifics about the trucks themselves, and no production date or manufacturing site has been confirmed.

However, a glance at Tata’s current Indian market offerings shows that the most probable candidate is the company’s Ace mini-truck.

With prices starting at only $5,000, the Ace is a cut-price utility vehicle that can be had as either a small pickup or passenger van.

Rugged and cheap, the Ace could be a handy delivery vehicle for the American market – especially in crowded city centers. But its feeble17-horsepower two-cylinder diesel engine would have to go as it’s too under-powered for American roads.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell June 2, 2008, 3:01 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, India, Plug-ins and Electric, Tata

May 21, 2008

Hybrid Cars, Fuel Cell Cars, Green Cars Galore

It's turning into a banner year for hybrid and other green car news.

After all the Honda hoopla this morning, word leaks out that Toyota will debut the next-generation Prius, expected to be longer, lower and more powerful, but not radically different-looking, at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show with a sales launch slated for later in the year.

If that's not enough, Toyota's luxury marque, Lexus, is believed to be considering two new hybrids of its own, one of them a premium-priced version of that new Prius, the other a midsize crossover utility vehicle.

Edmunds.com's Inside Line has the details.

We think its great news -- although our aching keyboarding fingers wish it had been spaced out a bit.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell May 21, 2008, 5:51 PM
Categories:: Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Fisker, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen

May 20, 2008

Fuel Economy Forcing Pickup Market Shakeup

Rising gas costs are moving market from pickups like this Ford F-150...

...to compacts such as this Mahindra diesel from India, coming in 2009.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

What a difference a few bucks make. The full-size pickup truck, once the cash cow of the domestic auto industry, seems to be on the way, well, not out, but certainly down.

They've become victim of soaring gas prices – although perhaps it would be more accurate to say they've been penalized by their own, inherent, fuel inefficiency.

To help cope, Ford Motor Co., whose F-Series has been the best-selling line of full-size trucks for years, is considering a downsized version of its F-150, according to reports in the Detroit News and the industry journal Automotive News.

And General Motors Corp. is reconsidering the future of the big pickup n a market study aimed at forecasting demand for full-size pickups and SUVs four years from now.

The study will help GM's product planners decide whether to continue pursuing the present shift toward fuel-efficient smaller vehicles and away from big trucks.

Falling Fast

Sales of full-size pickups in the U.S. are down almost 40 percent since 2005.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (5); John O'Dell May 20, 2008, 1:07 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, India, Mahindra

May 9, 2008

Schwarzenegger Unmoved by Auto Industry Lobbying; Says California Still Wants Own GHG Regulations

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

If a seven-man contingent representing the biggest automakers thought they could talk California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger into terminating his campaign to force them to meet California's stringent fuel-efficiency standards, they were sadly mistaken.

Following a private, 45-minute meeting Thursday with executives from Toyota, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler and BMW, the governor has released a statement that reads, in part:

â€œ... I made it clear to the automakers that California will not back down in the fight to protect our own environment by regulating pollution that causes global warming...

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell May 9, 2008, 3:01 AM
Categories:: BMW, Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, General Motors

May 7, 2008

Automakers Lobbying California Governor Over GHG

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the governor's office, easily overlooked while overlooking and overhearing all.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who last year told the Big 3 automakers to "Get off your butt" and meet the state's tailpipe emissions regulations, is scheduled to sit down with representatives from Ford, General Motors, Chrysler and Toyota at the state Capitol in Sacramento Thursday.

The meeting, at the automakers' request, comes just two weeks after 12 governors, led by Schwarzenegger, threatened legal action against the Bush administration for trying to prohibit states from setting automotive emissions limits.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell May 7, 2008, 3:08 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, General Motors, Toyota

May 5, 2008

Chrysler Hopes Gas Subsidy Will Spur Sales

It was only a matter of time before automakers started using subsidized gas prices as a sales tool – in fact, Jesse Toprak, Edmunds.com's senior industry analyst, suggested last week that the time is now.

Keeping Jesse honest, Chrysler today announced a plan that will let new car and truck buyers freeze the cost of regular gas, E85 and diesel at $2.99 a gallon for up to three years.

The company is calling the plan "Let's Refuel America," and says the offer kicks in Wednesday and expires June 2 (although, as we've all seen, incentive plans have a way of outliving their original expiration date if they're driving a lot of new traffic).

For a vehicle averaging 25 miles per gallon and traveling 12,000 miles a year, the guaranteed price freeze is worth $144 for every dime above $2.99 per gallon that the price of regular gas rises.

There's a lot of small print and red tape involved, and the gas price incentive has to be taken in lieu of most other incentives that Chrysler is offering at the time.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell May 5, 2008, 3:59 PM
Categories:: Chrysler

May 1, 2008

A New Gorilla in Plug-in Market? Magna Enters Race

Plug-in hybrids are seen by many, including Magna, as the next great frontier.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Another entry in the plug-in hybrid race, this time from a competitor with really powerful potential.

Magna International , the top-tier Canadian auto parts maker, says it will roll out a plug-in car late next year or in 2010.

So as not to foul relationships with the major automakers that it already supplies with scores of parts, Magna says it won't sell a competing plug-in but will sell them the bits and pieces needed to make their own.

In markets where its customers don't sell cars, though, Magna intends to field a complete plug-in under its own brand.

The company, which reported $26.1 billion in sales and a $663 million net profit last year, is serious about becoming a car maker.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell May 1, 2008, 12:22 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Daimler, Fisker, Ford, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Saab, Tesla, Toyota, Volvo

April 15, 2008

Greener Pickup Could Come From Nissan-Chrysler Pact

Could fuel-slurping Nissan Titan's appetite shrink as a Chrysler-built truck?

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

It wasn't long ago that most auto industry consultants â€“ and auto industry insiders, at least those in the truck departments -- were poo-pooing the idea that rising gas prices and oil shortage concerns would bring big hurt to the full-size pickup market.

But sales of those trucks are off by 12.5%, and the first casualty has just been announced as Nissan Motor Corp. said Monday it can no longer justify building its slow-selling Titan pickup â€“ a truck launched in 2003 with hopes of making Nissan a significant player in what some company insiders cheerily referred to as the BFT market ("B" for Big and "T" for Truck and you can fill in the rest). The Titan isn't leaving the market â€“ at least not yet â€“ but it is leaving the billion-dollar assembly plant Nissan built in Canton, Miss., to handle its new big trucks.

Under a deal announced Monday, Chrysler â€“ whose Dodge Ram proves its mettle in the big truck segment -- will build the next-generation Ttitan for Nissan at a plant in Saltillo, Mexico.

In return, Nissan â€“ which does small cars a lot better than Chrysler â€“ will supply a new small passenger car that its new "partner" will sell in the U.S., probably under the Chrysler brand.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell April 15, 2008, 11:10 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Diesel, Dodge, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Nissan

April 11, 2008

BMW X6 Dual Mode Hybrid Coming for 2009

Hybrid version of BMW's X6 will hit U.S. roads as an '09 model.

BMW says a hybrid version of its X6 "activity vehicle" will, indeed, hit the U.S. market in 2009, initially available only with the company's twin-turbo, 407-horsepower, 4.4-liter V8 coupled to the dual-mode electric drive system co-developed with General Motors and the former DaimlerChrysler.

It's the automotive equivalent of strapping a hydrogen bomb to a nuclear bomb for extra oomph.

In that configuration the hefty X6 won't be the poster child for fuel economy, but it will use less gas than the conventional model.

BMW hasn't disclosed mileage estimates for the hybrid, but says it should be about 20 percent better than the 19 mpg combined city/highway rating for the conventional version. That would put it close to 23 mpg for drivers who can keep the accelerator pedal off the floor.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell April 11, 2008, 3:33 PM
Categories:: BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, General Motors, Hybrid

March 31, 2008

Tired of Battery Talk? How About a Flywheel?

Part 1 of 2 Parts

This 1994 Chrysler patriot racecar concept used a flywheel for extra power.

By Bill Visnic, Contributor

Technology developed for Formula One racing has resuscitated decade-old talk of using flywheels as the energy-storage medium for hybrid-electric passenger cars.

When the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of F1, quietly issued its 2009 technical regulations late last year, they included provision for F1 cars to use a "kinetic energy recovery system," or KERS. It enables the cars to recovery braking energy – as do the hybrids we drive today – and use it, on demand, as “surge power” to boost acceleration when the driver deems appropriate.

The KERS regulation effectively means F1 racecars will be hybrids come 2009.

The three British companies that cooperated on development of a kinetic system already purchased by one F1 team won the Engine Innovation of the Year award from the Professional MotorSport World Expo Awards earlier this year. The system uses a carbon-fiber composite flywheel, rather than a chemical battery, to store the braking energy.

Passenger Cars by 2012?

Underscoring the technology trickle-down theory that always has been a marketing goal of F1 racing, the companies say a similar flywheel system could be available for hybrid passenger cars as early as 2012.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell March 31, 2008, 3:10 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Hybrid

March 6, 2008

U.S. Should Drive on Electricity, Not Gas, Says Bush

Plug-in hybrids under development include these from Toyota and GM.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

President Bush said Wednesday that he wants Americans "driving not on gasoline, but on electricity."

In a speech at the International Renewable Energy Conference in Washington, D.C., the president also said that developments in electric car battery technologies "are amazing, and the United States is investing millions of dollars to hasten the day" they replace gasoline tanks.

Since 1991, the federal government has subsidized battery research at the rate of about $25 million a year, far less than the hundreds of millions of dollars Japan and other East Asian countries send each year to subsidize battery research to help their automakers compete.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell March 6, 2008, 11:30 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Transportation Alternatives

March 4, 2008

Chrysler Lineup: All-Hybrid Some Day, Says Press

Taking a page from the playbook he used at Toyota, Chrysler Vice Chairman Jim Press said Monday that every vehicle the company makes will eventually be hybrid-powered.

Press, who was head of Toyota's U.S. sales and marketing arm and its Washington, D.C., governmental unit before being lured to Chrysler late last year, made the remark while talking to reporters at the Levin Institute in New York.

Press offered no timetable, but said the U.S. government's mandate to increase fleetwide fuel economy by 40 percent by 2020 is a big hurdle that hybrid technology can help Chrysler overcome.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell March 4, 2008, 12:20 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Hybrid

February 13, 2008

Dog Bites Man: Car Cos. Oppose California GHG Effort

In the "Gee, is this news?" category:

The industry organization representing the three major U.S. automakers and Japanese giant Toyota Motor Corp. has begun lobbying Congress to block the ongoing bid by California and as many as 19 other states to set tougher fuel-economy rules than the 35 miles per gallon national standard established late last year.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell February 13, 2008, 1:45 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Emissions, Ford, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Legislation, Toyota

February 1, 2008

New Battery Factory Could Power EV Production

Johnson Controls-Saft plant in France is dedicated to advanced auto batteries.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

Battery makers Johnson Controls of Milwaukee, and Saft Advanced Power Solutions of Bagnolet, France, have opened the world's first factory dedicated to advanced lithium-ion batteries for electric cars and next-generation hybrid vehicles.

The $22 million joint venture plant in Nersac, France, will supply General Motors, Chrysler and Daimlerâ€™s Mercedes-Benz cars division, according to a report in the Financial Times.

Aaron Bragman, a research analyst for Global Insight in Detroit, told Green Car Advisor that the plant represents "a significant step forward" in getting production lithium-ion batteries on the market in an automotive application.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell February 1, 2008, 5:15 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Batteries, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric

January 25, 2008

GM Forms Hybrid, EV Development Unit

General Motors, which has been among the auto industry leaders lately in pushing development of hybrid and electric cars, says it will formally combine its various alternative technology engineering efforts into a separate R&D unit.

The move is part of a growing industry-wide effort to speed development of production vehicles that use fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly powertrains. It should help push hybirds and EVs out of the "fad" category in Detroit.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell January 25, 2008, 3:05 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chrysler, Emissions, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric, Transportation Alternatives

January 13, 2008

Detroit Auto Show: The Green Guide

Fisker Automotive's exotic plug-in hybrid is one of the show's green offerings.

It's Sunday, kickoff day for the press preview of the North American International Auto Show and we're here in Detroit, struggling to get an overcoat on before heading out to chip the ice off the windshield and cursing the wife for her cheerful telephone reminder that it's supposed to be 80-degrees at home today.

Used to be that heading for this show supercharged the brain's anticipatory centers, but this year it seems a bit ho-hum.

There' still good stuff, especially on the green car front, but several industry insiders have suggested in recent weeks as we pondered the show schedule together that the newly rejuvenated Los Angeles Auto Show, which now takes place in November instead of just days before Detroit, has stolen some of the thunder.

Or maybe it's the economy â€“ the U.S. auto industry hasn't been all that healthy of late.

Whatever the reason, while there's enough here this year to make it worthwhile attending, there's not enough to get the salivary glands working overtime.

On the green front, much of what we'll be seeing is concept, not stuff that will hit the road this year.

We are expecting some announcements from Toyota about its hybrid and fuel economy strategies, and from the American Le Mans Racing series about further adoption of green technologies and fuels for racing. General Motors is expected to have something to say about its drive to make ethanol a bigger part of the U.S. fuel supply base.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell January 13, 2008, 7:15 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Auto Shows, BMW, Biofuels, Chrysler, Diesel, Fisker, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Mitsubishi, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota

January 3, 2008

$30.3 Million Fine Gives CAFE Fine Crown to Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz is counting on its new clean diesel engines to help boost sales in a U.S. market suddenly consumed by fuel economy concerns.

But the German luxury carmaker could get another big benefit from diesel sales here: the increased mileage diesel cars and trucks deliver could save it millions of dollars a year in the fines it regularly pays for exceeding the federal CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standard.

For 2006, the most recent figures available, Mercedes – through its then-parent DaimlerChrysler -- paid a record $30.3 million in CAFE fines, according to data posted recently by the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency.

As we reported previously, the record for the highest annual fine had been held by BWW of North America, which paid $27.9 million in 2001 (breaking its own record of $27.3 million set in 2000).

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell January 3, 2008, 6:40 AM
Categories:: BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Legislation, Porsche, Volkswagen, Volvo

December 21, 2007

Mileage Improvements Easy, Or Not. Depends on Who's Talking

By Terril Yue Jones, Contributor

The auto industry says it faces a tough task in trying to meet the new fuel efficiency standards signed into law this week by President Bush.

But environmental and climate experts say the world's carmakers can raise fuel economy relatively quickly and painlessly to meet the average 35 miles per gallon mark by the 2020 deadline â€“ and possibly could get there much sooner.

"Technology exists today to get us to 40 mpg with non-hybrid technologies," says Jim Kliesch, a senior clean vehicles analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, DC.

Kliesch cites a 2002 National Academy of Sciences report concluding that even without hybrid vehicles, which combine an electric motor with an internal combustion engine, automakers could achieve 41 miles per gallon in family cars, 37 mpg in minivans, 34 mpg in mid-size SUVs and 30 mpg in pickup trucks within 10 to 15 years.

Such marks could be attained through engine and transmission improvements, cylinder deactivation technology, friction and drag reductions and other advances available today.

The figures would be higher yet "if we decided to significantly deploy hybrid technologies," Kliesch says.

Even an August report from the National Petroleum Council said light-duty vehicle fuel economy could be doubled by 2030, notes Deron Lovaas, vehicles campaign director for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "There's a lot of pent-up technology ready to be employed," Lovaas says.

For their part, automakers this week quickly pledged to meet the new standards -- but said it wouldn't be easy.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell December 21, 2007, 7:00 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Diesel, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Legislation, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota

November 21, 2007

Lutz Vows Volt by 2010 Despite In-House Skeptics

GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz has told Reuters news service that there's a lot of skepticism inside General Motors about his oft-repeated pledge to bring the Chevy Volt extended range plug-in hybrid to market by the end of 2010.

Perhaps that's because GM insiders know better than most how many times the General has raised hopes and then dashed them.

Still, Lutz knows that GM has put its reputation on the line with the Volt project and that failure would be fatal to the company's hopes of regaining the green credentials it lost when it canceled the EV1 battery-electric car project and followed that up by dawdling while Toyota and Honda developed the gas-electric hybrid.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell November 21, 2007, 3:50 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota

November 15, 2007

LA Auto Show: Hybrid Systems Help Cut SUVs' Thirst

If you’ve ever looked upon an XXL SUV and wondered what kind of person would drive such a gas hog in the face of An Inconvenient Truth, you’re not alone. General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says many owners of the Cadillac of urban assault vehicles — the Escalade — are wondering the same thing.

“Many of them are in show business or sports and they are starting to get leery of their public image of driving around in a vehicle that manifestly consumes a lot of fuel,” he told Green Car Advisor on the first day of the LA Auto Show. GM’s response: The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. Or as Lutz put it, “guilt-free Escalade driving.”

Never mind that the Escalade Hybrid might only get 19 miles per gallon. And never mind that its price — at least $60,000, but otherwise unspecified — is a lot of money for a vehicle that’s unlikely to match any of the muy macho, mountain-conquering moves common to sport-ute commercials.

What really matters is that this Escalade model will bear “H Y B R I D” stickers across both sets of side doors and sport GM’s green “H” badges in multiple locations, which should make image-conscious celebrity owners feel better about themselves.

Cadillac isn't alone in worrying about image. Engineers at Chrysler, Dodge and Porsche also are working hard to boost the fuel economy of some of their petrol-slurping machines.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell November 15, 2007, 1:50 PM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Chrysler, General Motors, Hybrid, Porsche

November 13, 2007

A Green Preview of the LA Auto Show

Production version of Honda FCX concept (above) will be unveiled at the LA Show

Although environmental transportation isn't a central theme of this year's Los Angeles auto show, there's still a touch of green to be found among the displays at the LA Convention Center.

Green used to be a big thing for the West Coast's premier auto show, but that was before environmental issues became part of just about every auto show on the calendar.

From Detroit to Tokyo, these days they all have a green component, ranging from the unveiling of concepts that explore things like plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and the hydrogen future to the introduction of production models that give us the newest in gas-electric hybrids and alternative fuels such as diesel and ethanol.

In LA this year, events will include an announcement Thursday morning of the Green Car of the Year award winner. Nominees for the award, sponsored by the Green Car Journal magazine, all are hybrids this year, and three are from General Motors: The Chevrolet Malibu sedan, Saturn Aura sedan and Tahoe SUV hybrids. The other finalists are the Mazda Tribute SUV hybrid and the Nissan Altima sedan hybrid.

As the 2007 show prepares to open its doors this week, for a two-day media preview Wednesday and Thursday and to the general public Friday evening for a 10-day run, here's a look at what to expect.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell November 13, 2007, 2:54 PM
Categories:: Auto Shows, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Diesel, Ford, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo

October 19, 2007

Fuel Economy, Greenhouse Gases Making News, But No Talk of Fuel Tax Hike

Look for some big headlines about fuel economy and greenhouse gases next week.

The state of California is likely to file suit Wednesday against the federal Environmental Protection Agency, seeking a court order to force the agency to act on the state's nearly year-old request for permission to implement a tough limit on automotive emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that can contribute to global warming.

And the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate will be putting together a joint committee to thrash out a compromise energy bill that is likely to set new fuel economy rules for cars and trucks -- rules that won't be as tough as many congressional Democrats, and major environmental groups, had hoped for.

Meantime, nobody is talking about a hike in gas taxes, which many environmental activists, as well as auto company executives and legislators on both sides of the aisle, privately agree is a better way than fuel economy and greenhouse gas regulation to curb the national appetite for petroleum-based automotive fuel.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (4); John O'Dell October 19, 2007, 9:00 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Legislation

October 18, 2007

CAFE Battle Heats Up in Week of Sparring

Congress and the Bush Administration are trading salvos this week as things heat up in the battle over pending energy legislation that could dramatically change U.S. fuel economy standards.

On Thursday, House Democrats brushed aside White House threats of a veto of an energy bill and said they'll keep pushing for a tougher corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) rule. They want to boost it by about 40% to 35 miles per gallon.

"We're going to stay committed to our principles," said Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel. "The goal is not to get a veto but to get a signature, but we're not going to do that by shortchanging our initiatives." The Illinois congressman was quoted in Environment & Energy Daily.

Al Hubbard, director of the White House National Economic Council,on Tuesday threatened that the president would veto any energy legislation that combines fuel standards for passenger cars and light trucks into a single, industrywide average. That's exactly what the current measure favored by the Senate seeksâ€“35 miles per gallon for cars and light trucks by 2020.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell October 18, 2007, 6:00 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Legislation, Toyota

October 15, 2007

Race Is On for Alternative to Corn-Based Ethanol

Plants for cellulosic ethanol can be grown in much of the country

Garbage in, garbage out? Not if biofuels researchers and automakers have their way.

Facing limitations on how much corn-based ethanol can be produced to fuel automobiles and other gasoline-powered machines â€” not to mention questions about the energy efficiency and social impacts of converting corn to car fuel -- researchers are working on ways to turn underused plant material and municipal waste into a fuel called cellulosic ethanol.

National policy calls for less pollution from our trucks and cars and for our collective dependence on imported oil and gas to be overcome.

Ethanol is an important alternative fuel that can be used to achieve those goals in the short term â€” until more advanced battery and hydrogen fuel-cell technologies are made viable for mainstream vehicles.

But corn isn't a reliable source of ethanol: There's not enough of it, and a number of studies indicate that the energy used to grow, harvest and transport it, convert it to ethanol and then disperse it to fueling stations may negate the energy it saves by replacing gasoline.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); John O'Dell October 15, 2007, 4:00 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Biofuels, Chrysler, Flex-Fuel, Ford, General Motors

September 30, 2007

U.S. Fuel Economy Unchanged, Buyers Still Like Trucks

EPA fuel economy ratings for individual models are posted on price stickers

Americaâ€™s passenger vehicle fleet, still top-heavy with light trucks and large sport utility vehicles, turned in an average fuel economy of 20.2 miles per gallon for 2007 models, unimproved from 2006, according to a new report by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

That the numbers didnâ€™t change despite soaring fuel prices and a nationwide push for greater fuel economy to help reduce our dependence on imported oil reflects both the slow pace at which automakers can adopt improved technologies and the reluctance of U.S. car buyers to give up the kinds of vehicles theyâ€™ve been buying for years.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell September 30, 2007, 11:51 PM
Categories:: Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota

September 13, 2007

Prius Envy? Chrysler Launches Advanced Tech Unit

The newly independent Chrysler said it is launching a separate engineering division to develop and build hybrid and electric cars and trucks.

The company, which had been part of DaimlerChrysler until it was sold to a private investment company last month, had been heavily invested in alternative transportation development until its 1998 merger with the German luxury-car maker.

Its new unit will be called ENVI and will be headed by veteran Chrysler engineer Lou Rhodes, formerly director of advanced vehicle concepts and innovation. The names isn't an acronym. "It's the first four letters of the word 'environment,'" said company spokesman Nick Cappa.

ENVI's mission, according to Chrysler, will be to design and build new vehicles that use all-electric or hybrid powertrains.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); John O'Dell September 13, 2007, 10:20 AM
Categories:: Chrysler, Hybrid, Plug-ins and Electric

September 11, 2007

Chrysler: Shave Weight, Save Gas

This illustration from Chrysler LLC shows the major steel framing components under the skin of a modern vehicle.

The auto industry celebrates achieving a mere tenth of a percent gain in fuel economy. And it is constantly being pressed by regulators and consumer and environmental groups to improve fuel efficiency.

So it was interesting to note how little celebration, or congratulations, attended a recent announcement by Chrysler, its former partner Daimler and the American Iron and Steel Institute that they've jointly developed a process that can result in fuel savings of up to 1 percent.

It's not as sexy as announcing a new electric vehicle with 300 miles of range, or a way to turn water into gasoline, but every little advancement of automotive technology helps.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell September 11, 2007, 6:00 AM
Categories:: Chrysler