Filed under: Etc., Legislation and Policy, Green Daily, USA

No one could ever accuse Shai Agassi, the man behind electric-car infrastructure company Project Better Place, of not being ambitious. He has been all over the planet making deals with major car makers and various countries. His American discussions have been somewhat more modest though with a city here, and an island-state there. No longer.

Speaking to the House of Representatives Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming (we have one of those?), Agassi said, "For the price of two months worth of oil, some $100 billion, we can put in place the infrastructure needed to power the nation's cars and end this oil dependence," Ambitious, no? He then threw in the "American jobs" angle with, "Of that $100 billion, moreover, some $80 billion will go into jobs that, by their nature, can only be performed in the US - the construction of the infrastructure itself."

In the mood for throwing out big numbers and lofty goals, the man-on-a-mission even pitched renewable sources to power the nations automotive fleet saying, "For the price of one year's worth of oil, some $500 billion, we can go even farther - creating fully renewable electrical generation sufficient to power all of the nation's vehicles. In so doing, we will again create jobs that can only be performed in this country, and we will give a much broader stimulus to the renewables energy market." No word on what kind of impression was made on the politicians but we hope it got some hamster wheels turning. Check out the video after the break to gain your own impression of Agassi's vision.

[Source: Globes]

Continue reading Shai Agassi pitches $100 billion plan

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Filed under: Diesel, MPG, Ford

Ford is expected to take advantage of this month's British Motor Show in London to debut an ECOnetic version of the new Fiesta sub-compact. ECOnetic is Ford's branding for special low CO₂ versions of its different vehicles. In the case of the Fiesta ECOnetic, that means a 1.6L TDCi turbodiesel under the hood cranking out 89hp. Helping the Fiesta minimize its fuel consumption and hence CO₂ emissions will be a modified low-drag nose, side skirts, rear spoiler and wheels. Most of the grille will be closed off to push air around the car rather than through the engine compartment. The final drive ratio has been changed to lower the engine revs when cruising as well. The 2009 Fiestas, like their Mazda2 siblings, are lighter than the models that they replace. All of this adds up to 62.5mpg (U.S.) combined from the new model and CO₂ emissions of 98g/km. That CO₂ number is low enough to exempt the Fiesta ECOnetic from British road taxes and London Congestion Charges.

[Source: AutoExpress]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, USA

The only place we can think of that is more perfectly suited for electric cars than an island is an island paradise far, far away from the mainland. Hawaii, for instance. It seems the thought also occurred to them as they have already been in talks with Project better Place and still keep the first EV in Hawaii on hand. Now, to help them out with their electric-car contemplation comes a grant of 50,000 big ones from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. Obviously not a king's ransom, the money is better, to paraphrase Frank Sinatra, than a kick in the pants.

Actually, Hawaii and the Department of Energy are partnered in the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative which aims to have 70 percent of the islands energy derived from renewable sources and the money is in support of that program. Governor Linda Lingle also sees the economic advantages in moving transportation in this direction. She says, "This grant will help Hawaii build the foundation needed to transition to electric vehicles and help reduce the need for expensive gasoline...". And expensive it is, with people paying as much as $4.75 a gallon for regular within the past few days.

[Source: Pacific Business News]

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Filed under: Cars and Transportation, Gadgets and Tech, Alternative Energy

A biodegradable motor oil from cow fat sounds wonderful doesn't it! Just imagine the possibilities when it comes to something like this. There would be a reduction in our dependence on foreign oils. The environmental impact from waste oil would be eliminated. It's like a grand utopia of self-reliance and green pastures filled with dancing cows and unicorns and rainbows and.... wait.

The fact is, a biodegradable motor oil would be fantastic, but that's not the whole story. When this oil is extracted from cows, that means there's yet another reason to keep them locked up in pens and harvested for the sake of consumerism. So boo for that. This new oil (which comes out this fall) is not for our cars and trucks, but it's for small 2-cycle and 4-cycle engines, which frankly need all the help they can get in the eco-friendly department.

If this sounds like something you think you might be interested in, head on over to the website of Green Earth Technologies for a full product listing.

 

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Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, MPG, Volkswagen, Lightweight

Click above for more shots of the VW One-Liter concept

It has been so long since anything has been heard about Volkswagen's so-called one-liter car that we nearly forgot the concept had existed. It turns out that VeeDub has been quietly working away somewhere deep in Germany perfecting the design. Originally intended for a launch around 2012, rumors now indicate that the vehicle may indeed be ready by 2010. To refresh your memory, the vehicle gets its moniker due to its goal of achieving one liter of fuel consumption per 100 kilometers. The concept vehicle, with its single cylinder engine, was apparently capable of doing a bit better than that, as it was rated at a mind blowing 282 miles per gallon, or about .83 liters per 100 kilometers.

The production version of the carbon fiber vehicle may get a twin cylinder diesel engine along with a possible hybrid drive of some sort. For maximum compactness, the vehicle features the driver in the center of the car with one passenger sitting behind in a cockpit-like arrangement. No word as of yet on price, but it seems that VW is hoping that the government can step in to reduce the cost for purchasers.

[Source: Car Magazine Online]

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Filed under: Cars and Transportation, News, Climate Change

As part of their "bonus-malus" system of taxes and rewards on vehicles, the French government is looking to reassess this system from a one-time fee on the most polluting cars, to an annual assessment to be carried over throughout the life of a vehicle. This seems to make the most sense, as the older a car gets, the more polluting it can become.

Currently, when buying a car in France, buyers pay between 200 and 2,600 euros at the time of purchase if their vehicle emits more that 250 grams of CO2 per kilometer, while they receive a "bonus" of 200-1000 euros if the car is deemed to be more environmentally-friendly. Of course, the penalty side of this system will be the part carried over annually, not the bonus side. This program is making waves throughout Europe, as Austria is looking to instill a similar tax system for eco-friendly buying choices.

 

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Filed under: Biodiesel, Green Daily

Photo by Martin Pettitt. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

It was not an easy journey. Following a tragic first attempt, the crew of the biodiesel-powered Earthrace boat set out a second time to break the record for motorized circumnavigation. On the second trip, a biodiesel flood and a lost engine were serious setbacks, but this past weekend, the Earthrace pulled into Sagunto, Sapin, two months after setting forth. The 61-day journey means that the Earthrace can now claim to be the best at circling the globe with an engine: the previous such record took two weeks longer to go the distance.

The Guardian UK has a nice story about the crew's victory, the many troubles they faced along the way, and the well-deserved parties in their future. As tipster Sayyad wrote in to AutoblogGreen, "I think congratulations are in order, especially considering all they've been through." True, but let's not forget that the record for sailing around the world using nothing but wind and human power is just over 50 days. Sails beat biofuels on the open seas. h/t to Sayyad!


[Source: Guardian UK]

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Shifting one-quarter of U.S. freight from trucks to railroads by 2026 would spare each American an average of 41 hours of travel time, 79 gallons of fuel, and $985 in gas expenses each year, according to the seventh annual Congestion Relief Index on Tuesday.

“Freeing up space on our …

To the list of air pollution's health effects, add another one: loss of sense of smell.

Mexico City residents can't detect subtle smells as well as residents of neighboring Tlaxcala, researchers at Mexico's National University (UNAM) have reported, though the regions are quite similar in both culture and climate. The primary difference: Mexico City has much higher levels of air pollution.

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Filed under: Diesel, MPG, Audi

A group of 22 drivers has completed the second stage of Audi's efficiency marathon run between Basel, Switzerland and Vienna, Austria. While the winning team in the first round managed a "mere" 68.4mpg (U.S.) in a 120hp Audi A4 TDI, the top team in the second round managed an even thriftier 70.85mpg (U.S.). That equates to the same 88g/km CO₂ emissions as the tiny Smart ForTwo CDi. Over the 22-hour course of the journey the winning team averaged 46.35mph and if they had continued until the tank was dry they could have covered over 1,242 miles. Five of the eleven teams in the second round achieved better than 68.18mpg (U.S.) and even the most "lead-footed" drivers got 67.2mpg (U.S.). With an official combined rating of 46.12mpg (U.S.) for the A4, the 44 drivers on the two stages of this event demonstrated again that driver behavior can significantly influence, the efficiency of a vehicle. The Audi press release is after the jump.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi efficiency marathon over with best of 70.9mpg and 88g/km CO₂

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