Filed under: Transportation Alternatives, Green Daily

The Ohio State University like a few alt-fuel cars: the Buckeye Bullet 2, hydrogen-powered golf carts and Zipcar/Flexcar. Well, scratch that last one. OSU has decided to give the campus car-sharing contract to Connect by Hertz instead of Zipcar. The exact reason for the switch was not disclosed, with OSU saying only that Zipcar was "not the successful bidder." The Columbus Dispatch reports that Zipcar, with at first 20 but then seven vehicles on campus, did not provide enough cars to suit employee needs. OSU did not provide details on how Connect will work at OSU, but in other places, Hertz offers rate plans that range from $50 a year to $125 per month (depending on the plan) that includes gas, insurance and maintenance. Then you have hourly rental fees that start at $8.50. The Dispatch says that Hertz will have a dozen cars on campus and charge between $9 and $11 an hour for them. OSU uses car-sharing in an attempt to reduce the number of state vehicles - most of which sit unused during the day - needed on campus. Thanks to a buckeye for the tip!

[Source: Ohio State University, Columbus Dispatch]

Hertz puts the hurt on Zipcar at OSU originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: China

One of the most well-known Chinese clones, the Chery QQ3, has been often been the target of retirement rumors. However, just like practically everywhere else, the Chinese auto market is getting help from the government, help that might help the QQ3 survive. One of the measures the Chinese government is applying is a tax reduction on certain vehicle niches, including vehicles mated to sequential gearboxes. Well, for the Chinese New Year, Chery is launching a new QQ3 model that, hey, uses a sequential gearbox. Mated to either a 0.8-liter or 1.1-liter engine, the gearbox manages to save 0.2 to 0.8 liters per 100 km. With the tax benefit, the prices for these QQ3 models have dropped 3,000 and 4,200 Yuan below the manual versions, respectively.


[Source: Sohu via Le Blog Auto]

Chery QQ gets sequential gearbox and a boost from the government originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, USA

With 4 of the worlds top brands now boasting mid-size sedan hybrids in their line ups, the chaps over at Car and Driver decided it was time to rustle them all together and see how they stack up. If you've been torn over whether to buy a hybrid in the shape of a Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima or Chevy Malibu, this is the comparo that can save you days of visiting dealerships and conducting your own set of test drives. To save you even more time, we break down their observations into a handful of bit-sized chunks, from worst to first.

The Chevrolet Malibu hybrid was the "mild hybrid" of the bunch. While its appearance has been praised by some, its engineering earned few accolades from the C&D crew. They found the start/stop system rudely abrupt and the electric assist seemed to surge off and on with a mind of its own while under way. It not only came last in mileage (19.8 mpg city! Dude!), it also came last in acceleration. The can of tire inflation product in lieu of an actual spare only adds insult to injury. Let's hope GM puts more effort into the Volt. A lot more. Hit the jump to see how the others contestants fared.


[Source: Car and Driver]

Continue reading Car and Driver hosts hybrid hoedown, hearts Ford Fusion heaps

Car and Driver hosts hybrid hoedown, hearts Ford Fusion heaps originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Cadillac, Detroit Auto Show

Next week at the Detroit Auto Show Cadillac will be taking the wraps off an all-new version of the SRX crossover. The SRX is getting smaller and moving to a new platform that is mix of the Epsilon II car platform and the Theta CUV. For 2010, the SRX will have two engines available, a 300 hp turbocharged 2.8L V6 based on the Saab Turbo-x engine and a new 3.0L direct injected V6. Both engines are part of GM's high-feature V6 family along with the 3.6L that's used in a wide variety of GM vehicles.

Contrary to some reports, the 3.0L SRX will not be a flex-fuel vehicle when it launches this summer. The spec sheet that was published by GM lists the engine as E85 capable. However, this is an error based on copy data over from the standard specs for the engine. GM Powertrain spokesman Tom Read confirmed to ABG that the engine has probably been engineered to be compatible with E85 with items such as high flow fuel injectors and corrosion resistant fuel lines. Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell confirmed that the SRX will run only at gasoline at launch and there are no current planst to make it flex-fuel capable. The only flex-fuel Cadillac currently available is the Escalade. For the full details on the SRX, head on over to Autoblog.


[Source: GM, Domestic Fuel]

Continue reading Detroit preview: Cadillac SRX is direct injected but not flex-fuel

Detroit preview: Cadillac SRX is direct injected but not flex-fuel originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Ethanol, Lotus

For the engineering crew at Lotus, building transportation devices that are not sports cars is nothing new. Back in the early 90s they put their knowledge of lightweight materials and aerodynamics together to create a race bicycle that tore up the velodrome at the Olympics, not to mention wild soap box racers. The latest project is a three ski snow speeder that will be used in an Antarctic expedition next November to raise awareness of climate change. The Concept Ice Vehicle (CIV) is powered by a two cylinder BMW bike engine converted to E85 operation and turning a propeller that pushes the vehicle across the ice and snow at up to 84 mph. The CIV will be used to scout for crevasses in the ice. When the voids are found the GPS coordinates will be sent back to the rest of the team to warn them before anyone falls in.

[Source: Wired]

Bond would kill for this Lotus-developed biofueled Antarctic speeder originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Green Daily

When he's not taunting Tesla, Dale Vince is pretty focused on building his wind-powered car. The Zero Carbonista project (previous post) is moving along and the fourth (of six) video about the project is new ready for your viewing pleasure. The front of the car is taking shape and now it needs a name. On the shortlist are: The Zero, The Storm and The Nemesis. I think the Zero Storm would be a good compromise, and I think it'll sound good with a British accent.

In the video, the biggest problem the team is facing seems to be figuring out the fingerprint entry and startup system. What's more exciting is the torque potential the designers and engineers discuss towards the end of the video. Check it out after the jump and see what the (indirectly) wind-powered Exige is up to these days.

[Source: Zero Carbonista via Treehugger]

Continue reading Dale Vince's wind-powered car could be the Storm, the Zero or the Nemesis

Dale Vince's wind-powered car could be the Storm, the Zero or the Nemesis originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Solar, Honda, Green Daily, Pacific Region

If you are going to bill yourselves as the World's Greenest Automaker, as Honda does from time to time, you'd better be willing to back it up. Luckily, Honda always seems to be looking for a way to do just that. Whether it's by offering the best overall fuel economy in the United States or powering billboards with solar power, Honda is often a step ahead. Wait, hold on... powering billboards with solar power? Yep, in the land of Oz at least, Honda has partnered up with APN Outdoor to create Australia's first eco-friendly outdoor advertisements. The solar panels provide power when possible and a backup electrical connection that gets its power from a green feed is there to pick up the slack. This may be a small thing, but we'll take it. We should also mention that Honda has invested in solar technology itself, with its Soltec subsidiary opening for business in 2006 and now selling panels for residential or commercial use.

[Source: Honda]

Continue reading Honda advertises cars with green hybrid billboards

Honda advertises cars with green hybrid billboards originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Cadillac

The legacy of experimentation with alternative fuels to gasoline is nothing new. It started back in the earliest days of the car in the late 19th century. Alternatives to piston engines are also not new, although none but the Wankel rotary have had any notable commercial success. Starting back in the 1950s, there was a lot of interest in trying to run cars on turbine engines. Turbines had some inherent advantages,including high power density and, most importantly, the ability to run on virtually anything combustible. In the wake of the first Middle East oil embargo, the search for gas alternatives heated up again, and the engineers at General Motors came up with a novel idea: a coal-powered Caddy. The US had plenty of coal, after all, and GM had a turbine engine. The General's engineers therefore built a Cadillac Eldorado with a turbine engine that ran on powdered coal. As a proof of concept, it worked. The car ran fine. As a practical alternative? Not so much. The coal powder was messy and difficult to handle and the engines produced high NOx emissions. Then there was that pesky problem of a re-fueling infrastructure. Where have we heard that one before?

[Source: New York Times]

It's not clean and certainly not green - it's a coal-powered Caddy originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Manufacturing/Plants, Toyota, Green Daily, Japan

Toyota has announced that all of its 12 production plants in Japan will be shut down for 11 days in February and March thanks to the recent sales drop. Toyota sold about 20,000 fewer Priuses in 2008 than in 2007. According to Automotive News Europe (subs req'd), Toyota already reduced the number of vehicles it will build this business year by almost a million units and this round of closures means there will be even fewer Toyota's built in the coming year. The last time all Japanese Toyota plants were shut at the same time was in 1993. Considering that all Priuses are made in Japan (that Mississippi Prius plant never got off the ground), the Prius supply will be reduced over the 11 days of quiet. The big question is if it'll be down enough to meet demand without excess.

[Source: Automotive News Europe (subs req'd), AP]

Toyota halts all Japanese production - that means the Prius, too - for 11 days originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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