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Ethanol demand exceeds production levels

sábado, 31 de outubro de 2009 · 0 comentários

Ethanol demand exceeds production levels

Figures calculated by the Renewable Fuels Association in the US, suggest that ethanol demand is continuing to exceed production levels.

Its statistics for August show that demand was 734,000 barrels per day (b/d) during the month – up 11 per cent from 661,000 b/d during the same month in the previous year.

Meanwhile, production during the month was 727,500 b/d according to the US Energy Information Administration – that's an increase of 80,000 b/d compared to August 2008. The Energy Information Administration also reports that fuel ethanol imports reached 38.7million gallons in August.

Critics will point out however, that ethanol blend is mandatory and not necessarily a reflection of consumer demand. Blenders may demand more ethanol, but that is likely to be more of a reflection on its cost and the fact that they receive 45cents for every gallon they blend.

According to the RFA, the US has 630million gallons of fuel ethanol stocks – that's around 20.4 days of reserve.


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Coming Soon to an Automobile Near You: Plastic engines?

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Coming Soon to an Automobile Near You: Plastic engines?

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Automakers and consumers alike all want lighter cars. “Adding lightness” has a lot of desirable effects, most notably in overall fuel efficiency and performance. While numerous efforts have been made to reduce the weight of automobiles - including downsizing, subtracting unnecessary components and using lightweight alloys and carbon fiber for structural bits - one item that’s awfully hard to lighten without dire consequences is the engine.

Well, perhaps that’s not entirely true after all. Apparently, Matti Holtzberg, an engineer and president of Polimotor Research, successfully designed and built a working engine made almost entirely from plastic. Holtzberg created a motor based on the 88-horsepower powerplant from a Ford Pinto that reduced weight from 415 pounds to just 152 while putting out an impressive 300 horsepower.

Polimotor has reportedly partnered up with the Huntsman Corporation of Houston in an effort to get plastic engine components such as the block, cylinder heads, pistons and rods into mass production. While electric motors and high-tech batteries seem ready to take over in the coming decades as the power sources of choice, plastic engines could potentially still be used as lightweight range-extending powerplants. Intriguing, no?

[Source: New York Times via The Kneeslider]

Coming Soon to an Automobile Near You: Plastic engines? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford and Smith scrap electric Transit plans

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Ford and Smith scrap electric Transit plans

In a surprising decision, Ford Motor Company and Smith Electric Vehicles US have agreed to terminate the development project of an electric car-derived van that would have been based on the Transit Connect.

The UK-based Tanfield Group, Smith Electric Vehicles US's parent company, announced that due to growing demand for its production ready Smith Newton, the forecast volumes for the electric Transit Connect did not in the short- to medium-term justify the investment required. What's more is that proceeding with the Transit Connect would have meant limiting the working capital available to support the growth of the Newton, which has already commenced production at the assembly facility in Kansas City, Missouri, and has an order book of 255 trucks.

According to Tanfield, the Smith Electric Vehicles US Corporation believes investing in existing Smith platforms will make better use of its financial resources and there is concern that the market for electric car-derived vans would become increasingly competitive. However, Tanfield will remain as Ford of Europe's official collaborator on commercial electric vehicles.

Now, Ford will partner Azure Dynamics Corporation to deliver a pure battery electric Ford Transit Connect van for the Canadian and US markets in 2010.

Azure Dynamics, which is based in Oak Park, Michigan, will integrate its battery electric drivetrain into the Transit Connect BEV, which will have a targeted range of 80 miles minimum on a full charge. The collaboration will build on the existing relationship between Azure Dynamics and Ford, as well as their shared experience with battery supplier Johnson Controls-Saft.


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REPORT: Suzuki to put hydrogen two-wheelers into production

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REPORT: Suzuki to put hydrogen two-wheelers into production

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Suzuki fuel cell concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show - Click above for high-res image gallery

Suzuki and Intelligent Energy have been working on hydrogen fuel cell-powered two-wheelers for the last few years, with the Crosscage, their first public concept, debuting back in 2007 at the Tokyo Motor Show. Then, earlier this year, we heard rumblings that Suzuki hoped to have its first production hydrogen cycle ready within the next 12 months.

Falling right in line with those expectations, Suzuki unveiled a new concept just last week at the most recent show in Tokyo, and instead of using a pie-in-the-sky motorcycle chassis with single-sided suspension bits that have little chance of actual production, the Japanese company placed its proprietary fuel cell and storage system in a regular old Burgman scooter.

Now, Wired reports that we can expect these hydrogen two-wheelers in production in very short order. Says Dr. Henri Winand, CEO of Intelligent Energy, “These clean fuel cell engine-powered motorcycles are not simply for motor shows, and can be widely available to everyone in the near future.”

If that does indeed take place, as cool as the Crosscage may be, we’d expect the initial offering to take a form similar to the conceptual Burgman scooter. We’ll know for sure soon enough.

[Source: Wired]

REPORT: Suzuki to put hydrogen two-wheelers into production originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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5 mpg = green in NASCAR

sexta-feira, 30 de outubro de 2009 · 0 comentários

5 mpg = green in NASCAR

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NASCAR has already gone solar and wants to help you (not themselves) use less fuel, but the cold hard reality is that those ovals are being made in cars that get around five miles per gallon. Not exactly hybrid SUV territory there. So, to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used in each race, race organizers are looking to maybe - maybe - using alternative fuels in the some of the cars.

Before NASCAR gets that ca-razy, though, there are other ways the series might use fewer resources, but at least NASCAR’s first director of green innovation, Mike Lynch, makes it clear that, “We’re not attempting to take any high ground. [...] This is a pragmatic approach to green, and what we’re doing now is just the beginning.”

Part of the problem is that NASCAR fans don’t want to give up what they’ve become accustomed to. Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development, told USAToday that, “Doubling fuel mileage means half the horsepower, and putting fans in the stands requires a show.” Driver Sam Hornish, Jr. added, “No one is going to come watch us run battery-powered cars. I don’t see anyone making enough electric power to go 200 mph.”

Driver Brian Vickers is also more than willing to take the let’s-all-do-something-but-you-go-first approach, said that, “Do our cars need to be more fuel efficient? Absolutely. But I think as a whole there’s a lot bigger low-hanging fruit we can go after as a sport. There are a lot of fans that come to these races, and there’s a lot we don’t recycle that we could.”

Some of that low-hanging fruit is carbon offsets, maybe replacing carburetors with fuel injection and Coke’s race-side display that “highlight(s) its recycling businesses and has placed more than 2,600 recycling bins at a dozen tracks that have collected more than 65,000 pounds of recyclable material.” When you have such a history of going in circles, maybe progress isn’t your forte.

[Source: USAToday via Domestic Fuel]
Photo by pocketwiley. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

5 mpg = green in NASCAR originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Corsa gets greener than ever

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Corsa gets greener than ever

Vauxhall is to launch its greenest ever Corsa. The new Corsa emits just 98g/km of CO2 and achieves a staggering 76.3 combined mpg.

Adding to the growing number of sub-100g/km CO2 vehicles, the new Corsa ecoFLEX has shaved off an extra gram off the old model taking it in line with the Ibiza Ecomotive and piping the new Golf Bluemotion.
Even in its five door variant, the new Corsa ecoFLEX emits just 99g/km.

Vauxhall Corsa ecoFLEX-image

As a result, Corsa ecoFLEX drivers will benefit from not only the lowest 13 per cent BIK diesel band, but full exemption from VED (Vehicle Excise Duty).

Yet incredibly, this parsimony has not dented this Corsa's driveability. Despite the improvement in fuel consumption and emissions, the ecoFLEX packs 21 per cent more power from its 1.3 CDTi turbodiesel engine, its output rising from 75 to 95PS. Torque is also up by 20Nm to 190Nm available at just 1750rpm, allowing drivers the kind of flexibility normally vacant in eco-class cars.

Available to order from January 2010, with pricing details yet to be revealed the new Corsa uses a variable geometry turbocharger increase power and efficiency at the same time. It will now accelerate from 0-62mph in 12.3 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 110mph.

Using the chassis and aerodynamic modifications from the current Corsa 105g/km model, the new ecoFLEX also benefits from a 20mm lower ride height than standard and in Life trim gets 175/70 low-rolling resistance tyres on 14-inch steel rims (Club models get 15-inch steel rims with alloys as an option) and aero-optimised wheel trims.The Corsa ecoFLEX iwill be available in Life and Club trim only.


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Eating his words: Michael Pollan retracts Hummer-vegan/Prius-meat-eater comment

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Eating his words: Michael Pollan retracts Hummer-vegan/Prius-meat-eater comment

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Want to give your public pronouncement a little zing? Try throwing in the words Hummer and Prius and imply that the SUV is better for the earth than the Prius. CNW sure knows the value of making the false claim. Last week, author Michael Pollan tried a similar trick when he said at the 2009 Poptech conference that, “A vegan in a Hummer has a lighter carbon footprint than a beef eater in a Prius.” Guess who’s had to issue a mea culpa?

Pollan, who wrote The Botany of Desire, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and other books, was blasted by people armed with facts. Specifically, Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin from the University of Chicago found that shifting from eating meat to veganism saved about 2 tons of CO2 equivalent per person per year. A Hummer driver, on the other hand, emits 4.76 tons more per year than a Prius. Pollan later said that:

After digging into it further, and consulting Gidon Eschel, I don’t feel comfortable defending [my earlier statement]. It’s much more important to keep the focus on the central thrust of the environmental case against eating industrial meat, which is not in dispute and certainly does not stand or fall on the case of the vegan Hummer driver.

We’re not against people making attention-getting statements for effect, but what’s with constantly attacking the Prius? Can’t a car just get 50 mph in peace?

[Source: HybridCars]

Eating his words: Michael Pollan retracts Hummer-vegan/Prius-meat-eater comment originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brazil to increase mandatory biodiesel blend

quinta-feira, 29 de outubro de 2009 · 0 comentários

Brazil to increase mandatory biodiesel blend

In a move that is likely to spark controversy among supporters of rainforest conservation, Brazilian diesel fuel vehicles will be required to run on a five per cent biodiesel blend from January 2010 – an increase from the previous level of four per cent.

The announcement, made by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is expected to increase biodiesel production levels in the country to 2.4billion litres and will move Brazil to being the second largest producer of biodiesel in the world, behind only Germany. Currently, Brazil ranks fourth behind Germany, the US and France.

It wasn't until early 2008 that mandatory blends were introduced – and this was quickly followed by a raise from two per cent to three per cent in July of the same year. This was again increased from three to four per cent earlier this year with the increase to five per cent originally scheduled for 2013.

The rising standard has meant a steady expansion of the Brazilian biodiesel market with 43 plants currently in operation with a collective production capacity of 3.6billion litres.

It is hoped that the increase will lead to the creation of jobs and the generation of more income through family farming. More than 90 per cent of the market has received the Social Fuel Label, which is used by the federal government to ensure joint participation by small farmers and agribusinesses in the production chain.

It is expected that using biodiesel as a substitute to regular diesel should reduce CO2 emissions by 62million tons from 2008 to 2017.


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Greenlings: How does weight affect a vehicle's efficiency?

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Greenlings: How does weight affect a vehicle's efficiency?

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Over the last few decades, the average weight of a vehicle sold in the U.S. climbed steadily after we got over the oil embargoes of the 1970s. Today, though, auto companies are putting a lot of effort into reducing weight - Lotus set up an entire lightweight structures division, BMW is investing millions into carbon fiber and Jaguar loves aluminum - because every ounce you take out of a car improves the vehicle’s performance and fuel economy. Options for weight savings that automakers are investigating include installing things like plastic fuel tanks (PDF) and using carbon fiber instead of steel. As we discovered in a previous Greenlings, carbon fiber is a remarkable, lightweight substance that will likely not be used widely until prices come way, way down.

Today, one of the main reasons automakers want to reduce weight is because it’s a great way to increase MPG numbers. AutoblogGreen reader GenWaylaid sent in a Greenlings question about how, exactly, reducing weight helps efficiency. We investigate his query after the jump.

Continue reading Greenlings: How does weight affect a vehicle’s efficiency?

Greenlings: How does weight affect a vehicle’s efficiency? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japanese solar car wins Global Green Challenge

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Japanese solar car wins Global Green Challenge

A solar car made by students from Japan's Tokai University was announced the winner of the 3,000 km Global Green Challenge 2009.

The race, which saw entries from across the globe, started in Australia's northern city of Darwin on October 24 and took entrants across the country's vast deserts and past some of its most famous locations.

Tokai university-image

The winning team crossed the finish line yesterday at 3.39pm local time in the South Australian capital of Adelaide.

In what appeared to be a near faultless run over the 3,000 kilometre distance from the Darwin, Tokai University team's first and only reported issue occurred in the final stage of the journey when car, known as the Tokai Challenger, suffered a flat tyre, 2824 kilometres from the Darwin start. They finished a day ahead of other entrants and the official closing date of the race.

The victory by Tokai Challenger is the first by a Japanese team since 1996 when the event was won by Honda Dream II. Honda also won the previous event in 1993.

The Global Green Challenge in its former guise as the World Solar Challenge was first run in 1987 and has been conducted every two years since. This year the race was expanded to include production and prototype eco friendly vehicles that are, or soon will be available to car buying public.

Other entrants included the world's fastest all electric sports car the Tesla, a Honda 'postie bike' run on alcohol fuel entered by Top Gear Australia, Deep Green Research has entered an electric Honda, motoring writer Peter McKay drove a Fords Fiesta Econetic and a Suzuki Alto was steered by Carsguide's Karla Pincott and writer Feann Torr.


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Drive Smarter Challenge loves a back seat driver, if they're intelligent and green

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Drive Smarter Challenge loves a back seat driver, if they're intelligent and green

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Backseat Smart Driver - Click above to watch the video after the break

The Drive $marter Challenge was started in early 2008 as a way to share tips on driving while using less fuel. The latest delivery method is a series four winning videos in the Drive Smarter Challenge video contest. The top prize goes to “Backseat Smart Driver,” made by David Markus of Beverly Hills, California. Markus created a new character, the back seat driver who you might actually want to drive with, since he gives out advice on how to save gas while getting around. For his short video, Markus’ prize was $5,000 and you can watch it after the jump.

The other winning videos include some kissing carpoolers, kids who help green up a car and a driver flirting with the GPS unit. They’re also available after the jump.

[Source: Drive Smarter Challenge]

Continue reading Drive Smarter Challenge loves a back seat driver, if they’re intelligent and green

Drive Smarter Challenge loves a back seat driver, if they’re intelligent and green originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM-Volt founder stranded, learns why EVs take so long to bring to market

quarta-feira, 28 de outubro de 2009 · 0 comentários

GM-Volt founder stranded, learns why EVs take so long to bring to market

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MINI E - click above for high-res image gallery

Over the last several years, many of the fans of battery-powered vehicles here on ABG have asked quite vociferously why it’s taking companies like General Motors so long to bring cars like the Volt to market. Many of you seem to think you can convert an existing platform and have it on the market in six months. While it is certainly plausible for individual conversions to be done in that time frame, mass production is a very different matter. Media guru Jeff Jarvis even recommended that automakers follow the Google model of just releasing cars as betas and fix them as they go along. We’ve already denounced that idea, but GM-Volt founder Lyle Dennis recently learned the hard way the down side of this approach.

Dennis is one of 500 Americans selected to test drive the MINI E for a year. He has had recurrent problems with the shift lever popping into neutral and, ultimately, BMW replaced an electronic control unit to “fix” the problem. It mostly went away until he hit a pothole recently that caused the car to go into neutral and stay there permanently. After the car was hauled away on a flat-bed, a similar solution rectified the problem but only after several days. Undoubtedly, this is an excellent way for BMW to learn the pitfalls of EV use in the real world and they have always maintained that the MINI E fleet is meant to do just that. In fact, BMW is planning to expand the trials to Australia.

This is the sort of issue that is normally found and fixed in the hundreds of thousands of miles of durability testing done before a car is put on sale. All of this applies to every new vehicle regardless of powertrain. Is this public beta testing really what you want automakers to do? Or would you rather be patient and have the car come to market right? I think most people would opt for the latter.

[Source: GM-Volt.com]

GM-Volt founder stranded, learns why EVs take so long to bring to market originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Renault-Nissan to move into Barcelona

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Renault-Nissan to move into Barcelona

Having signed memorandums of understanding to promote the development of electric mobility in numerous countries and major cities around the world, the Renault-Nissan Alliance has now secured arguably its most high profile agreement yet – with the city of Barcelona, Spain.

The two organisations will work to promote the use of electric vehicles in the Catalan capital after Barcelona made environmental sustainability a key policy initiative through the use of renewable sources of energy and a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Earlier this year, the city outlined its plans to implement a sustainable mobility programme through a scheme that would include tax breaks for electric vehicle buyers, dedicated electric vehicle zones and parking spaces. It also calls for the establishment of 191 charging points across the city by 2011.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is well equipped to be at the forefront of steps towards electrification. At the Frankfurt Motor Show last month, Renault introduced four new electric vehicles that will enter the market between 2011 and 2013, while Nissan announced its LEAF electric vehicle back in August that is set to be launched in late 2010.

Indeed the Alliance can already boast a strong presence in Spain with Renault having announced the production of a fuel combustion engine and a full combustion vehicle in Castille and Leon. Its four plants in Spain feature solar panels which are said to save more than 160tons of CO2 every year.

Meanwhile, Nissan's Zona Franca plant created the largest solar panel structure for industrial use in Spain and has cut CO2 emissions by 20 per cent. Last year, Nissan picked up the Carles Ferrer Salat Award which recognised its efforts to improve energy efficiency.


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REPORT: Generation Y will "redefine" automotive market, trends green and big

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REPORT: Generation Y will "redefine" automotive market, trends green and big

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Were you born somewhere between 1976 and the early 1990s? Are you the child of a so-called Baby Boomer? If so, you, like me, are a member of Generation Y. So, what does that mean? Well, nothing really, but it’s a convenient way to classify a large chunk of the American population… and we should all get used to hearing how marketers are targeting us as their current and future consumers.

Such is the case with a recent study from AutoPacific, which finds that Generation Y will “redefine” the automotive market. It seems our generation is “willing to embrace new brands, new technology and alternative powertrains.” That means electric cars, hybrids and clean diesels. We’re also likely to want lots of electronic gadgetry in our cars and we expect that all that computing power will improve fuel mileage and environmental friendliness. Oh, and we don’t necessarily want small cars.

So, to recap, we want large cars with good fuel economy, lots of technology and without too big a price increase… No problem, right? Click past the break for the official press release.

[Source: AutoPacific]

Continue reading REPORT: Generation Y will “redefine” automotive market, trends green and big

REPORT: Generation Y will “redefine” automotive market, trends green and big originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Obama announces huge investment in SmartGrid

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Obama announces huge investment in SmartGrid

US President Barack Obama has announced $3.4billion in grant awards to fund a broad range of smart grid technologies and projects.

Part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, the awards will be matched by industry funding for a total investment worth more than $8billion. Among the major elements of the announcement were:

-         The empowering of consumers to save energy and cut utility bills: $1billion will go towards creating the infrastructure and expanding access to smart meters and customer systems so consumers can save money by programming smart appliances.

-         Integrating and crosscutting across different 'smart' components of a Smart Grid: The administration will fund projects that incorporate various components into one system or cut across various project areas – these may include plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, smart meters, smart thermostats and more for a total investment of $2billion.

-         Making electricity distribution and transmission more efficient: Around $400million will be dedicated to several grid modernisation projects across the country that could reduce the amount of power wasted from the time it is produced at a power plant to the time it reaches a house.

-         Building a Smart Grid manufacturing industry: Investments will be made to expand the manufacturing base of companies that can produce smart meters and other smart appliances with a total investment of $26million. 

It is hoped that the investment will help achieve a number of goals including creating higher grid reliability and reducing power outages; installing more than 850 sensors that will cover 100 per cent of the US grid and make it possible for operators to better monitor conditions and prevent disturbances; and the installation of more than 200,000 smart transformers that will make it possible for power companies to replace units before they fail.

It is estimated by the Electric Power Research Institute, that smart grid technologies will help reduce electricity use by more than four per cent by 2030.


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Reva fanboy drives the NXR, loves it [w/VIDEO]

terça-feira, 27 de outubro de 2009 · 0 comentários

Reva fanboy drives the NXR, loves it [w/VIDEO]

Reva NXR - Click above for high res image gallery

You might call Mike Boxwell something of a Reva fanboy. Not only is the British electric vehicle advocate (and solar electricity author) a proud G-Wiz owner, he is also the force behind Reva Car Club, an internet forum based around the company and its products. Being such a big-time booster, it’s little wonder that when Mike traveled to the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show where Reva’s new models were being debuted, not only could he get a one-on-one interview with CEO Chetan Maini, but he also snagged a chance to drive their new NXR before any fancy-pants auto journalists. So what does he think of this new, possibly America-bound, electric offering? He likes it!

Before heading for Germany, Mike took it upon himself to try out Ford Ka, so as to have something to measure the NXR against and in almost every way the Indian electric matched up quite well. Fit and finish was comparable, with the materials in the interior of the Reva being somewhat snazzier. Our enthusiast also found the NXR to be a lot more roomy than the Ka both in the front seats and back. The only place the Ford seemed to excel was the satisfying “thunk” of the closing door, though Boxwell was assured that this and other minor details would be improved before actual production. You can read Mike’s written review at Reva Car Club and hit the jump to watch the video of his NXR first-drive as well as his interview of Mr. Maini interspersed with shots from inside both the NXR and their sporty NXG.

Gallery: Reva NXR

[Source: Reva Car Club]

Continue reading Reva fanboy drives the NXR, loves it [w/VIDEO]

Reva fanboy drives the NXR, loves it [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK carmaker unveils new plug-in hybri

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UK carmaker unveils new plug-in hybri

A new UK car manufacturer, Axon Automotive has previewed its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle at the Milton Keynes Science Festival. The vehicle combines full electric mode for short distance travel and uses a petrol or bioethanol powered engine for long distance or motorway travel.

Milton Keynes Axon-image

Axon Automotive uses revolutionary manufacturing techniques to make carbon fibre technology, which has been associated with racing cars, affordable for eco cars. "By designing light cars and giving them good aerodynamics you can radically lower vehicle emissions," says Axon's Managing Director, Dr Steve Cousins.

"As a plug-in hybrid we have no limitation on range but we can maximise the benefits of electrics day to day without the cost and weight of large batteries," he added.

The Axon car is built with space for two adults plus room for ample amounts of luggage. Much of the car is made from recycled material or can itself be recycled to minimise environmental impact. The carbon fibre body can be recycled, while the car has fashion house designed seating is made from recycled fabrics (jeans and recycled pinstriped suits) and door panels are made from recycled carbon fibre to make the car as green as possible.

This holistic approach to car manufacturer is continued through the Axon Automotive's consideration of carbon emissions generated at the electrical source that drives the car. Axon insists that electric powered vehicles should be clear about the emissions from the electricity they use, rather than simply equating electricity use as being zero emission operation. "We have had our greenhouse gas emissions calculated to include typical UK powerstation emissions when driving in electric mode. The result gives us just under 50g/CO2 per km for the mix of electric and petrol used in the Government test. This is just half the level needed for free annual road tax in UK for this car," explains Cousins.

Axon Automotive Ltd. is the only UK owned car company, focused on the production of plug-in hybrid vehicles. Funded through UK Technology Strategy Board and private investment, the carmaker aims for the first Axon car to go on sale in 2011 with full production in 2012. The manufacturing roll-out will be via small factories in UK and in Europe including Spain, France, Ireland, Denmark, and Holland.


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Who is winning the green car race? The Green Piece

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Who is winning the green car race? The Green Piece

The Green Piece Column: Tuesday 27 October

With the global recession making drivers think about their wallets and the environment ahead of power and good looks, a green car race has emerged with manufacturers keen to offer more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles than their rivals.

So who is leading the green car race? In part one of our summary, we look at the leaders and the chasing pack.

The green car race – the leaders

Toyota: When the Toyota Prius originally went on sale in 1997, it was the world's first mass-produced hybrid car, meaning the Japanese automaker effectively stole a march on its rivals. The vehicle scooped the Car of the Year award in Japan in its debut year, and the third generation of the model took the prize again in 2009. Toyota has now built a plug-in version of the Prius, which may again see the company beat its rivals to the punch on name value alone.
Crucially, Toyota's success doesn't revolve solely around the Prius. It has pushed several hybrid cars in the USA including the Camry Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid, and a number of luxury hybrid vehicles through its Lexus brand. In Europe, the likes of the Yaris and the iQ have kept average fuel consumption levels low, while Toyota is working on several new concepts such as the FT-EV (see article) which has a claimed range of 50miles per charge.

Honda: On its launch in 2003, the Honda Civic Hybrid was seen as the first true competitor for the Prius with its continuously variable transmission and Integrated Motor Assist and won the International Engine of the Year "one litre to 1.4litre" size category award for three years straight from 2002 through 2004 as well as the "Best Fuel Economy" category for 2003 and 2004.

Honda Insight image 1

When sales of the Civic Hybrid started to flag, Honda introduced the Insight Hybrid earlier this year. It also plans to introduce the CR-Z (see article), which has been dubbed the world's first hybrid sports car; a hybrid version of the Fit; and both the EV-N and Skydeck concepts. However, arguably Honda's most innovative vehicle to date is the FCX Clarity, the world's first dedicated platform hydrogen vehicle.

Volkswagen: German manufacturer Volkswagen has taken an alternative route to early success in the green car race by placing the emphasis on clean diesel models, which it has been marketing in Europe since 2003. It developed turbocharged direct injection technology for diesel engines and has a wide range of TDI powertrains. The 2009 clean-diesel Jetta TDI for example, has scooped numerous 'Green Car of the Year' titles and reduces emissions by 90 per cent.

Despite focusing on clean-diesel technologies, VW has not been immune to alternative fuels. It has teamed up with Sanyo to develop a hybrid battery system with future VW models to be constructed with hybrid concepts. It has also launched flexible fuel vehicles in Brazil.

The green car race – the chasing pack

Nissan: Until recently Nissan's only contribution to the green car explosion was the Altima Hybrid, produced in collaboration with Toyota. However, Nissan has since embraced the need to drive down emissions and placed its focus firmly on electric cars.

As part of a partnership with Renault, Nissan will launch the LEAF in Europe and North America in 2010 before a global release in 2012 (see article). The company is also working on the radical Land Glider Concept (see article) which looks and feels like a mixture between a car, a motorcycle and an aeroplane; and the Nissan Nuvu, a compact all-electric city car with solar panels that can travel 80miles on a single charge.

Nissan Land Glider image 1

General Motors: Having been universally panned for its disregard of the EV1 and failing to get off the ground with a group of comparatively unsuccessful hybrids, the new GM is aiming to hit back with the Chevrolet Volt (see article) – arguably the most eagerly anticipated green car in North America.

The Volt will launch in 2010 and is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that can travel for up to 40miles on electricity alone, satisfying the daily commute for 75 per cent of Americans. After 40miles it reverts to a small four-cylinder internal combustion engine that creates electricity on-board to extend the Volt’s range to more than 300 miles.

Ford: The bulk of Ford's green efforts have centred on flex-fuel vehicles with E85 versions of the Focus and Mondeo among its most successful models. In 2005, it launched the Ford Escape Hybrid – the first hybrid electric SUV. In March 2009 however, its efforts really picked up pace as Ford launched to the US market the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Milan Mercury Hybrid, both as 2010 models. The company has enjoyed a 73 per cent increase in hybrid sales this year (see article).

In the next edition of The Green Piece we'll examine the emerging contenders, including the likes of Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive.

Faye Sunderland


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REPORT: Detroit ignored voices who called for fuel efficient vehicles, says GM insider

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REPORT: Detroit ignored voices who called for fuel efficient vehicles, says GM insider

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We noted the other day that a recent survey from PriceWaterhouseCoopers that found out fuel economy has finally overtaken cup holders as the most important feature in new cars and trucks for Americans. That fuel economy wasn’t at the top of
the list in the recent past fits with the insistence by U.S. automakers over the last decade or two that customers wanted big honkin’ SUVs, MPGs be damned. According to one ex-GM economist, this is not true.

While big, safe-feeling SUVs were certainly popular with buyers, Walter McManus, currently a professor and head of the Automotive Analysis division of the Transportation Research Institute at the University of Michigan, fuel economy was also important. The Big Three just did everything they could to dismiss mpg concerns because they didn’t conform to what was believed inside the corporate board rooms.

“The survey would estimate that people would estimate fuel economy fairly highly,” McManus told the subscription-only Energy & Environment News. “Being a good economist, I said, ‘No, they don’t,’ and I changed the results. [...] Our job was not to seek the truth, but to justify decisions that had already been made.” Well, thanks a lot.

[Source: Energy & Environment News via Green Car Advisor]
Photo by farlane. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

REPORT: Detroit ignored voices who called for fuel efficient vehicles, says GM insider originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carbon capture won’t clean up tar sands

segunda-feira, 26 de outubro de 2009 · 0 comentários

Carbon capture won't clean up tar sands

Carbon capture technology will not solve the climate change threat posed by the expansion of tar sands developments, a damning new report warns today.

The study entitled ‘CCS in the Alberta oil sands – a dangerous myth' is published as part of The Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) and WWF-UK Toxic Fuels campaign, which is seeking an end to the emerging global trend of exploiting climate hostile fuels such as Canada's tar sands.

The production of tar sands oil -also know as oil sands- is a highly energy intensive process and emits on average three times more CO2 than conventional oil production. Canada's proven tar sands reserves are 173 billion barrels of oil, second only to Saudi Arabia.

The report examines the potential for carbon capture and storage (CCS) to prevent CO2 from entering the atmosphere as a result of tar sands production and concludes that the process could not possibly achieve what has been claimed.

The study finds that while the amount of CO2 emitted during production needs to be reduced by around 85 per cent to make tar sands oil comparable with conventional oil, even the most optimistic forecasts for CCS see production emissions reduced by 10 to 30 at selected locations by 2020 and 30 to 50 per cent across the industry by 2050.

Additionally even under the most optimistic scenarios for the application of CCS, the projected production emissions from tar sands developments would be greater than the whole of Canada's 2050 carbon budget were it to reduce emissions by 80 per cent compared with 1990 levels, as the climate science requires.

Paul Monaghan, Head of Social Goals at the Co-operative Financial Services said: "Last year we published a report which found that Canada's tar sands could increase atmospheric CO2 by more than 10 parts per million, which would take us right to the edge of runaway climate change. The industry's response was that CCS would address this threat. Today's report shows that even the most wildly optimistic scenarios for the development of CCS fail to bring emissions down to those of today's conventional fossil fuels."

David Norman, director of campaigns at WWF-UK added: "The application of CCS technology to oil sands is simply too little, too late, and too expensive to qualify as a climate solution. Investing billions in unproven CCS technology for tar sands is diverting money away from projects that will help meet the global energy demand without damaging the climate. Canada should invest in other low-carbon technology and stop the expansion of tar sands."

Tar sands have been promoted as an alternative source of fuel to replace conventional oil. The refined product can be used as a fuel for cars, but has been heavily criticised as environmentally damaging fuel.

Carbon capture and storage is still an unproven science, trials are in place but it is yet unknown how effective it could be at reducing carbon emissions. Oil companies have been promoting tar sands as a viable source of fuel with the assistance of this unproven science of catching the additional CO2 caused by its carbon intensive production.


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AMPLE, Zero ink deal to sell electric motorcycles in Asia

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AMPLE, Zero ink deal to sell electric motorcycles in Asia

2009 Zero S electric motorcycle - Click above for high-res image gallery

The slightly beleaguered Zero Motorcycle (see here and here) has some good news to share: a new partnership with AMPLE to distribute their all-electric two-wheelers in Asian markets. The Singapore-based AMPLE will represent Zero in Asia and will sell the Zero X and MX off road motorcycles starting … now. AMPLE will also sell the 2010 Zero S street bike and DS dual sport motorcycles when they become available there. The deal was announced leading up to the AMPLE-sponsored 2009 APEC Summit in Singapore.

While good news for Zero, we wonder why AMPLE has stopped talking about their own line-up of plug-in vehicles that we heard so much about last year. Instead of news about the E600, E300 and R300 models, AMPLE now bills itself as “a global marketing and distribution leader in providing a full suite of products and services geared towards the electric vehicle market.” Are the PHEVs DOA?

[Source: AMPLE]

Continue reading AMPLE, Zero ink deal to sell electric motorcycles in Asia

AMPLE, Zero ink deal to sell electric motorcycles in Asia originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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