June, 2011

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Ricardo study finds electric and hybrid cars have a higher carbon footprint during production than conventional vehicles, but still offer a lower footprint over the full life cycle

Green Car Congress

Electric and hybrid cars generate more carbon emissions during their production than current conventional vehicles, but still have a lower carbon footprint overall, according to a new report prepared by Ricardo for, and in collaboration with, the expert membership of the UK’s Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership that includes major vehicle manufacturers and oil companies.

Carbon 399
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The Tesla Roadster is NOT Dead. Right??

Electric Cars are for Girls

Tesla is "discontinuing" the Roadster we've all come to love, and they're concentrating their attention on the new Model S. "Click for more info" below to see photos of the Model S at Mashable. Don't worry, Roadster fans! It seems the Tesla Roadster is being revamped and a new 2.0 version will be coming out. Eventually. Quote: "In the next several years.

Tesla 229
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Nissan Doubles Leaf Sales, Volt Stays Steady: Some Perspective, Please

Green Car Reports

Sigh. Here we go again. It's the first of the month, which means that auto journalists are scrambling to put together their monthly sales reports. Sales in May weren't great, for a variety of reasons: higher prices and shortages of some Japanese models, among others. Unusual scrutiny But the most dismal part of the monthly process is watching the.

Sale 155
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Tesla Electric Car Plus Solar Power Equals Zero-Cost Driving (Video)

All Cars Electric

Almost every Tesla Roadster owner is probably a car enthusiast, but Mike Koenigs is also a true clean-power activist. First, he set up a “Life with Tesla” website when he got his car. Now he's doing the final editing of an extended video meant to spread the word about the fun and freedom that comes with owning an all-electric car, in.

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How serious is Norway about climate change? So much that its streetlights self-dim

emissions global warming Norway climate change carbon dioxide youtube lighting

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Brammo, Mission, and Zero go head-head at REFUEL in preview of TTXGP next month

National Green Transportation

Among the action at Sunday's REFUEL race was a match between Brammo and Mission Motors. (see REFUEL brings Tesla's and more to Laguna Seca for 3rd year of electric racing) The race was significant in.

Motors 94
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Electric cars: The key questions, answered. The Green Piece.

Green Cars News

June 28, 2011. The Green Piece Column. For every blog and article written hyping the virtues of electric cars as the transportation method of the future, there are just as many belittling their credentials – and with Tesla announcing the end of production for its Roadster (see article) last week and electric car maker Think [.].

Green 64

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AAA Mobile Charging Stations!

Electric Cars are for Girls

New treatment for range anxiety: AAA. Triple A is planning to add mobile charging units in California, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington.including some with 500V charging capability.

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Why Buy Electric Cars? Iraq Vet Says: For National Security

Green Car Reports

Most Nissan Leaf owners are passionate about their electric cars, especially the earliest ones who've already taken delivery. But not all of them have served three tours of military duty, including service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tim Goodrich was posted to Afghanistan as an avionics technician, supporting the AWACS planes that feed aerial.

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780 Miles in a 2011 Nissan Leaf in One Day? Yes, But. (Video)

All Cars Electric

We love hearing about the weird and whacky things some electric vehicle enthusiasts and early adopters are doing with their cars, but the latest in a long-line of Nissan Leaf-based tests has left us feeling a little perplexed. 24 hours, one car In a recent YouTube video, a team of intrepid Dutch electric vehicle enthusiasts set themselves the task.

Nissan 107
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GM planning to boost Volt plug-in hybrid production in 2012, and reduce price

National Green Transportation

GM made a pair of announcements today that they will begin taking orders for the 2012 Volt today, that they will expand production of the 2012 Volt, and they will lower the price. Taken together these changes suggest they.

Volt 94
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Faurecia and Accenture partner on products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles

Brief

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Brussels named most congested city in Europe

Green Cars News

Congested road conditions are a bane in the lives of any of us concerned about saving fuel and money. With that in mind then Brussels will be the city to avoid, according to a new study from the sat nav peps at TomTom. The Belgian capital topped the traffic study as the most congested city [.].

Europe 64
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President Obama launches $500M Advanced Manufacturing Partnership; Ford involved as an initial partner

Green Car Congress

US President Barack Obama today launched the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), a national effort bringing together industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in emerging technologies such as information technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. The President’s plan, which leverages existing programs and proposals, will invest more than $500 million to jumpstart this effort.

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Traveling Through Time, Exploring the String Theory and Hugging the Giant Sequoias

Creative Greenius

I took an unexpected trip in the Wayback Machine last week while I was on vacation with the lovely and talented Debra just outside Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park here in America’s most beautiful state, California. We like to rent a house in the town of Three Rivers when we go up there and we’ve always found different, very cool places to stay on Vacation Rental By Owner (vrbo.com).

Al Gore 277
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Who Actually Buys 2011 Chevy Volt Electric Cars, And Why?

Green Car Reports

Despite media attempts to conjure a "sales battle" between the 2011 Chevy Volt and the 2011 Nissan Leaf, both companies are selling every car they can manage to get into the showrooms. Now Chevrolet has released its first look at who is actually buying its Volt range-extended electric cars. The $41,000 four-seat compact hatchback plug-in hybrid is.

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ExxonMobil announces 6th oil discovery offshore Guyana with Ranger-1; Guyana may move from non-producer to regional powerhouse

Oil

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Ford To Facebook Fans: ?How Should The 2012 Focus Electric Sound??

All Cars Electric

The days of the almost silent electric car are gone. Motivated by a severe case of liticaphobia - or the fear of lawsuits - the auto industry has already agreed that electric cars should have some form of audible warning system fitted as standard to alert pedestrians of their approach. But while noise generators are now an accepted part of any.

2012 105
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REFUEL brings Tesla's and more to Laguna Seca for 3rd year of electric racing

National Green Transportation

The REFUEL race returned Sunday to Laguna Seca Raceway for it's third year. This race, organized by Speed Ventures, features electric cars and motorcycles at one of the most famous race tracks in the world. Attending.

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‘One Tonne’ family prove low carbon lifestyle is possible

Green Cars News

The ground-breaking One Tonne Life project has successfully proved that a climate change-busting lifestyle is possible through a combination of altered human behaviour and innovative technology. For the past six months, the project, which saw one ordinary Swedish family relocated to a new climate smart house, sought to drive down the average carbon emissions from [.].

Carbon 62
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Audi takes plug-in diesel hybrid e-tron Spyder concept, Q5 hybrid to Le Mans

Green Car Congress

Former Le Mans Winner Frank Biela driving the Audi e-tron Spyder. Click to enlarge. Audi is presenting the Audi e-tron Spyder concept plug-in diesel hybrid car ( earlier post ) against the backdrop of “Le Mans vers le futur,” an event held in Le Mans as a venue for manufacturers to showcase innovative drivetrain technologies. Along with the e-tron Spyder, Audi sent an Audi Q5 hybrid quattro ( earlier post , earlier post ).

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Nevada enacts law authorizing autonomous (driverless) vehicles

Green Car Congress

The Nevada legislature passed AB 511 , authorizing the use of autonomous (i.e., driverless) vehicles; the bill was approved by the Governor on 16 June and it enters into law. Ryan Calo, Director of the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School observes that this appears to be the first law officially to sanction the technology. The new law charges the Nevada Department of Transportation (DOT) with setting safety and performance standards and requires it to designate areas where driv

Nevada 304
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Rasmussen survey finds 45% of Americans likely yo purchase alternative fuel car during next decade

Green Car Congress

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% of American Adults think it is at least somewhat likely they will purchase a car that runs on something other than gasoline in the next 10 years. Forty-eight percent (48%) say they are not likely to do so. These findings include 21% who are Very Likely to purchase an alternative fuel car during the next decade and 18% who are Not At All Likely to do so.

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FedEx Express doubles and diversifies all-electric fleet with 24 new units; adding more than 4,000 new, fuel-efficient vehicles in total

Green Car Congress

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. is adding more than 4,000 new, fuel efficient vehicle. As part of that, within the next two months FedEx Express will place 24 new all-electric vehicles into service, expanding to three new cities and more than doubling its fleet to 43 all-electric vehicles while growing the diversity of suppliers it uses for electric vehicles.

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MIT and IEA reports take different views of the future of natural gas in transportation

Green Car Congress

MIT and the IEA both have newly released reports exploring the potential for and impact of a major expansion in global usage of natural gas, given the current re-evaluation of global supplies. ( Earlier post.) Although the reports both focus strongly on the increased use of natural gas in power generation, they also explore the likely impact of increased natural gas use on transportation.

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AC Propulsion powers Yokohama-sponsored EV to new Pikes Peak record

Green Car Congress

Exposed chassis of the winner. The gold box with the AC Propulsion logo is the AC Propulsion Power Electronics Unit (PEU), which contains power electronics and integrated charger, which supports charging at up to 18 kW. Click to enlarge. The Yokohama Tire -sponsored electric race car using AC Propulsion’s proprietary electric drive system broke its own 2010 record at the 89 th annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Power 287
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Gevo to proceed to jet engine testing of its renewable jet fuel from isobutanol with approval of ASTM alcohol-to-jet task force

Green Car Congress

Gevo, a renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company, recently announced that it had presented positive test results from fit-for-purpose testing of its renewable kerosene produced from isobutanol to ASTM’s alcohol to jet (ATJ) task force (D02J006 Alcohol to Jet TF). The ATJ task force consists of technical experts from a wide stakeholder group including jet engine manufacturers, governmental bodies, fuel manufacturers, third-party testing laboratories, academics and airframe manufacturers

Renewable 285
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California ARB to hold community meetings on coming LEV III combined tailpipe and GHG regulations

Green Car Congress

The staff of California Air Resources Board (ARB) is in the process of developing a proposal for Board’s consideration later this year to amend California’s Low-Emission Vehicle (LEV) regulations. The proposed amendments, known as LEV III, ask for more stringent tailpipe and greenhouse gas emission standards for new passenger vehicles sold between 2018 and 2025. ( Earlier post.

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Ricardo and Univ. of Brighton working on advanced combustion system for heavy-duty vehicles; CoolR features recuperated split-cycle with isothermal compression using cryogenic injection

Green Car Congress

The concept of the Ricardo Split-Cycle engine. The recuperated engine uses isothermal compression via cryogenic injection to enable significant exhaust to compressed gas heat transfer. Source: Neville Jackson. Click to enlarge. Ricardo and the University of Brighton will model and evaluate an advanced split-cycle combustion system aimed at substantially reducing the carbon emissions of heavy-duty vehicles.

Exhaust 285
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Virent produces biogasoline reformate from cellulosics, with molecular composition similar to petroleum reformate stream

Green Car Congress

Gas chromatography (samples stacked for clarity) shows the similarity between Virent’s BioFormate gasoline and a typical petroleum reformate used at a refinery. Source: Virent. Click to enlarge. Virent Energy Systems, a recipient of the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) February 2010 grant to the National Advanced Biofuels Consortium (NABC) ( earlier post ), and its feedstock supply and upstream conditioning partners have successfully converted corn stover and loblolly pine materials into a. renew

Gasoline 285
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Siemens and partners build first aircraft with series hybrid electric drive

Green Car Congress

Siemens Drive Technologies Division supplied the integrated drive train for the first series-hybrid electric aircraft. Source: Siemens. Click to enlarge. Siemens, Diamond Aircraft and EADS have built an aircraft equipped with a series hybrid electric drive system. The partners are presenting the two-seater motor glider DA36 E-Star at the Paris Air Show Le Bourget 2011 (until 26 June) in daily flight shows.

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Honda announces global CO2 emissions reduction targets including 30% reduction for products

Green Car Congress

In 2006, Honda set a goal to reduce global CO 2 emissions from use of its motorcycles, automobiles and power products by 10% by the end of 2010 compared to year 2000 levels. In 2010, the goal was attained by all products. Honda has now set a goal to reduce CO 2 emissions from its global products by 30% by the end of 2020 compared to year 2000 levels.

Honda 277
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Honda begins European demonstration program of EV-neo electric scooter

Green Car Congress

The EV-neo. Click to enlarge. Honda will begin a European demonstration program of the battery-electric EV-neo scooter in conjunction with Barcelona City Council (Spain) beginning in July 2011. Honda will provide Barcelona City Council with 18 EV-neos for the period of one year. Montesa Honda, Barcelona City Council and RACC, Spain’s leading Automobile Club will work together to carry out daily research and monitoring activities on the EV-neo’s usage in Barcelona.

Honda 277
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DOE seeks to cut cost of Level 2 EV charging equipment in half in 3 years; $12M FOA

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) has issued a funding opportunity announcement (DE-FOA-0000554) for up to $12 million in cost-shared projects to develop and make available to the market in three years smart-grid capable Level 2 electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) at half of the current costs of commercially available EVSE with comparable functionalities.

Cost Of 274
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U. of Minnesota researchers demonstrate new method for direct conversion of heat to electricity

Green Car Congress

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have demonstrated a new method for the direct conversion of heat to electricity using a multiferroic alloy, Ni 45 Co 5 Mn 40 Sn 10 , which they had discovered earlier (Srivastava 2010). An open access paper on the work appears in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. The researchers say the material could use waste heat from a car’s exhaust to produce electricity for charging the battery.

Minnesota 268
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Study finds resource constraints should not be a limiting factor for large-scale EV battery production

Green Car Congress

(A) Energy storage potential (ESP) based on annual production of the elements. The elements in brackets at the right side of the labels are the limiting elements in each couple. (B) ESP based on the reserve base of the elements. *ESP well beyond the limit of the figure. (C) Extraction costs of the elements in the couples, calculated from the USGS prices of the elements.

Ni-Li 268
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Virginia Tech team wins EcoCAR Competition

Green Car Congress

The team from Virginia Tech University received top honors as overall winners of EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge after designing and building an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) using E85 (ethanol). Virginia Tech competed against 15 other universities to take home the top prize of the three-year competition sponsored by the Department of Energy and General Motors.

Virginia 262