Green Car Congress

APRIL 20, 2010

A new survey by Capital One Auto Finance found that more than half of respondents (53%) say that their next car will be more fuel efficient than their current vehicle and 55% would be very likely or somewhat likely to give up a larger vehicle for a more fuel-efficient model when they buy their next car. While the overwhelming majority of those surveyed (96%) do not currently own an alternative motor vehicle and two-thirds (76%) have never driven or test-driven one of these types of cars, nearly

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Creative Greenius

APRIL 3, 2010

It’s perfectly obvious that President Obama is attempting to reach out to the right and members of Congress who are owned by the oil industry with his move this week to make offshore drilling part of his energy mix. The Greenius understands full well this “ Let’s Keep Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman Aboard the Climate Bill Bandwagon &# approach, just as I can grok how ineffective and nonproductive that approach is.

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Climate Change Waste Obama Timor 305

Revenge of the Electric Car

APRIL 6, 2010

This Tesla is one of a number of electric cars coming on the market. Will Electric Cars Give New York a Charge? by Lars Vercelli for the Gotham Gazette. From the article: ‘The New York study anticipates that by 2015, electric vehicle prices should decline because of reduced battery costs, that there will be a sufficient supply of electric vehicles to purchase, and that consumers will take advantage of the existing federal tax credit of $7,500 for new electric cars.

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Green Car Reports

APRIL 21, 2010

A concern raised over upcoming electric-drive cars--the all-electric 2011 Nissan Leaf, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid--is what happens to their lithium-ion battery packs once the car's life ends. Images of those battery packs tossed over cliffs or littering roadsides are a little overblown. Even after its.

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Lithium Ion Battery Batteries Prius 155

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Green Cars News

APRIL 6, 2010

Tuesday 6 April 2010. The Green Piece Column. It appears that the motoring industry is about to receive yet another shake-up with German giant Daimler, the company behind brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Smart, set to combine its might with French manufacturer Renault and Japan’s third largest carmaker Nissan (see article). The deal is expected to be [.].

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All Cars Electric

APRIL 26, 2010

Everyone pretty much knows what to look for when buying a gasoline vehicle. But what about an all-electric vehicle, of the sort that will go on sale at the end of the year? Here's some background information on the technologies used, and the few differences in the instrument panel you'll see. First, there are two motor types used in electric.

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Creative Greenius

APRIL 25, 2010

Renown environmental author and activist, Bill McKibben , is in Los Angeles today where we met him at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Bill is the founder of 350.org and we’ve only previously talked together on the radio, so it was a great joy for me to meet Bill in person and exchange hugs and fist bumps. Bill’s newest book, Eaarth was the topic of of his wide ranging discussion with L.A.

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Los Angeles Carbon Climate Change Solar 302

Revenge of the Electric Car

APRIL 20, 2010

Nissan's new electronic vehicle, the Leaf. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye, File). Nissan began accepting reservations for its eagerly anticipated Nissan Leaf today. After a federal tax credit and state rebate, the price of these cars will come out at around a cool 20k. Funny that this article cites “a shortage of public charging stations&# as the sole reason for auto makers scrapping electric vehicles in the 1990s.

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Green Car Reports

APRIL 28, 2010

As New York City works aggressively to reduce its carbon footprint and cut exhaust emissions, it has encouraged large fleets to switch to hybrids. From utility ConEd to the fleets of yellow cabs, more and more hybrids are showing up on city streets. The latest large fleet to go greener is the New York Police Department, which will add 200 Ford.

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New York City New York Ford Hybrid 113

Green Cars News

APRIL 16, 2010

Ever wondered just how effective biofuels truly are in the battle to reduce emissions? Take a look at these new figures from Israel-based Evogene Ltd. Its life cycle assessment of biodiesel produced from castor bean varieties has found that this particular biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by a stunning 90 per cent compared to petroleum diesel.

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Emissions Israel Green Cars Diesel 57

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All Cars Electric

APRIL 26, 2010

Last Thursday was the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and the CEO of one electric-car maker took the occasion to speak out on some of the popular myths around the manufacturing and use of electric vehicles. Richard Canny, who runs the recently refinanced Think, published a list of "top 10 EV myths busted" to provide some rational counterpoints to a.

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Electric Cars Cars Electric Electrical 68

Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2010

EU countries with CO 2 -based taxation policies by year since 2006. Data: ACEA. Click to enlarge. At present, 17 of the 27 EU Member States levy CO 2 -related taxes on passenger cars, and 15 governments provide tax incentives for electrically chargeable vehicles, according to the newly published European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) Tax Guide 2010.

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Creative Greenius

APRIL 9, 2010

Kudos for the brilliant work on this new Greenpeace production to my good friend, Jenny Binstock, and the great cast and crew of volunteers from Greenpeace Southern California. This would be even funnier if it weren’t so truly sad and sadly true. Too bad Meg Whitman wasn’t available because she would have been a contender! Tags: campaign carbon producers citizen volunteer climate change environment greenwashing Greenpeace Jenny Binstock.

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Climate Climate Change Environment Carbon 246

Revenge of the Electric Car

APRIL 12, 2010

2009 BMW Concept ActiveE. BMW MegaCity Urban Electric Car To Be Built of Carbon Fiber. By John Voelcker, Senior Editor for GreenCarReports.com. First, the raw feedstock to make carbon fibers–just call it a “polacrylonitrile-based precursor&# –is made in Japan by a joint venture between SGL and Mitsubishi Rayon and flown to the U.S.

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Carbon Fiber BMW Carbon Mitsubishi 133

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Green Car Reports

APRIL 23, 2010

Just a month after being turned down for low-interest loans by the U.S. Department of Energy, the reclusive V-Vehicle Co. has shown a drivable prototype of its affordable, green V-Car to Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and members of the press in Baton Rouge. While no photos were allowed, many more details have emerged of the car and its.

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Green Cars News

APRIL 22, 2010

Plug-in hybrids which can run on electric power only as well as using petrol engine power for longer journeys offer the best solution for 21st century motoring, Graham Smith, managing director of Toyota Motor Europe told delegates at the International Automotive Conference in Sunderland yesterday. "But it will take time for consumers to adapt to the [.].

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All Cars Electric

APRIL 29, 2010

Tesla's first all-original car, the upcoming Model S sedan, is already on pre-order sale and should be launched by late 2011 if there aren't any major development stumbles. In the lead up to its showroom appearance, Tesla has revealed an expected price tag for the Model S of $49,900 and confirmed that it will announce a production site to start.

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2012 Production Tesla 2011 64

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2010

In a paper to be presented at next week’s 2010 SAE World Congress in Detroit, LiquidPiston, Inc. will publicly reveal the architecture of its High Efficiency Hybrid Cycle (HEHC) engine. ( Earlier post.) The paper describes LiquidPiston’s third-generation engine prototype, which was first test-fired in January 2010. It provides an air-standard analysis of efficiency, including a comparison to conventional engine technologies.

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Creative Greenius

APRIL 25, 2010

Bill McKibben signs his new book "Eaarth" at the L.A. Times Book Festival (photo by Debra Bushweit Galliani). I really enjoyed getting to table for 350.org at the same table author, Bill McKibben , was signing copies of his new book “Eaarth.&# What I dug most was the way Bill personally connected with each person who had a book for him to sign.

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Climate Change Personal Climate Environment 207

Green Car Congress

APRIL 30, 2010

Deepwater Horizon trajectory map 30 April. Click to enlarge. The Obama Administration has declared the Deepwater Horizon incident a Spill of National Significance (SONS). A SONS is defined as “ a spill that, due to its severity, size, location, actual or potential impact on the public health and welfare or the environment, or the necessary response effort, is so complex that it requires extraordinary coordination of federal, state, local, and responsible party resources to contain and clean up t

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Oil Louisiana Obama Mexico 262

Green Car Congress

APRIL 26, 2010

Electric taxi driving through Ginza in Tokyo. Source: Better Place. Click to enlarge. Better Place launched a 90-day switchable-battery electric taxi in Tokyo in partnership with the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, and Nihon Kotsu, Tokyo’s largest taxi operator. The project marks the next major milestone leading up to a complete system test of all components of the company’s electric vehicle solution in Israel before year-end.

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Taxi Convert Israel Batteries 262

Green Car Congress

APRIL 11, 2010

A rendering of the HB-SIA prototype above a commercial A340 to show comparison of wingspan and scale. Click to enlarge. The Solar Impulse HB-SIA prototype electric aircraft made its first flight on 7 April. The goal of the Solar Impulse Project is to develop a solar airplane that can take off and fly, day and night, powered by solar energy alone around the world.

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Solar Power Powered Polymer 259

Green Car Congress

APRIL 8, 2010

Researchers from BASF, Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW), Heidelberg University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are seeking to develop a process for the photocatalytic conversion of CO 2 into methanol for use in fuel cells or internal combustion engines. The Verbund project “ Solar2fuel ” belongs to the “Forum Organic Electronics” excellence cluster and is being sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with more than €1 million (US$1.3 million) over

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Conversion Engine Germany CO2 259

Green Car Congress

APRIL 26, 2010

GE and Nissan have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore new technologies that are needed to build a reliable, dynamic smart-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. GE and Nissan have outlined two key areas for potential collaborations. The first relates to the integration of electric vehicles with homes and buildings.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 30, 2010

The US Department of Energy is awarding $106 million in funding for 37 research projects selected in the second round by the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). ( Earlier post.). ARPA-E’s first solicitation awarded $151 million to 37 projects aimed at transformational innovations in energy storage, biofuels, carbon capture, renewable power, building efficiency, vehicles, and other areas. ( Earlier post.

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Carbon Li-ion Batteries Battery 249

Green Car Congress

APRIL 8, 2010

The Audi Q7. Click to enlarge. Audi has revised the engine lineup for the Q7 full-size SUV, offering two new gasoline engines and the second-generation 3.0L V6 TDI diesel. V8 and V12 diesels completes the range. All the engines for the Q7 combine forced induction and direct fuel injection. A high-performance recuperation system that recovers energy during braking is also a standard item with all six- and eight-cylinder engines.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 28, 2010

GM is hosting a webchat with Chelsea Sexton tomorrow, 29 April, at 2 p.m. EDT to discuss the Chevy Volt, Who Killed the Electric Car? and what she thinks has been learned from the whole GM EV1 experience. Sexton is the Founder of the non-profit Lightning Rod Foundation, and a former General Motors EV1 Specialist. She is one of the key individuals featured in the 2006 film, “ Who Killed the Electric Car?

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 16, 2010

The Nikkei reports that Toyota Motor Corp. will introduce a new Prius minivan equipped with Li-ion batteries early next year—the first of a coming rollout of hybrids equipped with Li-ion packs. The new Prius minivan, slated for release in early 2011, will offer a spacious interior and improved fuel economy by taking advantage of the lithium ion battery’s compact size and light weight.

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Lithium Ion Minivan Nickel Metal Hydride Prius 239

Green Car Congress

APRIL 3, 2010

Researchers in Spain have demonstrated the direct transformation of biomass consisting of the fungus M. circinelloides into biodiesel compliant with ASTM D6751 and EN14213 and 14214 standards. A paper on their work was published online 2 April in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels. Oils from oleaginous microorganisms, such as yeasts, fungi, bacteria, and microalgae, are under investigation as alternatives to plant—and especially food crop—oils as feedstocks for renewable fuels and chemicals.

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Engine Production Energy Storage Spain 239

Green Car Congress

APRIL 30, 2010

[(PY5Me 2 )Mo(CF 3 SO 3 )] 1+ reacts with water to form. [(PY5Me 2 )MoO] 2+ and H 2. Credit: Nature, Karunadasa et al. Click to enlarge. A team of researchers with the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California, Berkeley has discovered an inexpensive metal catalyst that can effectively generate hydrogen gas from water at neutral pH or from sea water.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 26, 2010

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the University of Houston have tuned the catalytic activity of dealloyed bimetallic nanoparticles to produce a more reactive form of platinum that could be used to make less expensive, more efficient fuel cells. Their work is described in a paper published online 25 April in the journal Nature Chemistry.

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Fuel Houston Universal 2005 236

Green Car Congress

APRIL 5, 2010

The Nikkei reports that the Japanese government is planning to offer comprehensive economic aid to countries that produce rare-earth metals or lithium in exchange for supplies of the resources to be used in hybrid and electric vehicles. In what would be the first such deal, the government is considering extending tens of billions of yen in loans by May or June to help build a 100-megawatt geothermal power plant planned by Bolivia, which in turn would allow Japan to secure supplies of lithium.Jap

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 2, 2010

The footprint-based standard CO 2 curves for cars (left) and trucks (right). Source: EPA. Click to enlarge. Yesterday, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National High Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) jointly established increasingly stringent greenhouse gas emission standards under the Clean Air Act for 2012 through 2016 model-year vehicles and fuel economy standards under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy program, respectively.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 25, 2010

Alternative Fuel Technologies, Inc. has built and delivered 12 dimethyl ether (DME) feed pumps to Shanghai Diesel Engine Company. These pumps will be used on DME fueled buses that will operate in Shanghai. The value of this order is confidential. The company developed this first generation feed pump several years ago and has sold units into Korea, to the Korean Institute for Energy Research, and to a European engine manufacturer.

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