Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 18, 2009

US subsidies for fuels and renewable energy, 2002-2008. Nuclear was not included in the analysis. Source: Adeyeye et al. 2009. Click to enlarge. The vast majority of US federal subsidies for fossil fuels and renewable energy from 2002-2008 supported fossil energy sources that emit high levels of greenhouse gases when used as fuel, according to research released on Friday by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) in partnership with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

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Creative Greenius

SEPTEMBER 5, 2009

Here is why I spend all of my time working on climate change issues and why we are gathering on the beach here in Southern California on October 24 in Manhattan Beach for 350.org International Day of Climate Action to demonstrate what sea level rise will do to us here on the West Coast. Please watch this video and learn what’s going on right now in your own world.

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Electric Cars are for Girls

SEPTEMBER 10, 2009

This came from the GM-Volt website (thanks to Seth Leitman for tweeting it). Apparently Hyundai has abandoned their hydrogen delusions and decided that there might be a future in electric cars, after all. 99 mile range on lithium ion batteries, same supplier as the Volt, but 0-60 in 15 seconds? I had a pony when I was a kid that could move faster than that; ).

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Green Car Reports

SEPTEMBER 16, 2009

The Frankfurt Auto Show just wound up today, and most of the concept cars focus on lowering carbon dioxide emissions. Volkswagen , for instance, launched a two-seat "1-Liter" concept car that gets a remarkable 170 miles per gallon. But suppose all the money we're investing in better gas mileage and auto emission controls could be used.

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Green Cars News

SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

This is a temporary post that was not deleted. Please delete this manually. (e0481a5f-5d32-46b0-86a3-04258a408bb8 – 3bfe001a-32de-4114-a6b4-4005b770f6d7). Tags: Latest news.

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All Cars Electric

SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

Toyota has issued a safety advisory which will be followed by a recall regarding the all weather floors mats of many models dating back to 2004. The company will begin sending formal safety campaign notices next week and is working to solve the problem, but strongly urges driver's of all affected models to remove their driver's side floor.

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Creative Greenius

SEPTEMBER 12, 2009

My friend, attorney Leslie Williams, of Shaub and Williams , has been busy for the past few months putting together a big Renewable Energy Law Summit at the Southwestern Law School in L.A. and it takes place next week, on Sept 18. If it wasn’t my 52nd birthday and I wasn’t already volunteering for the South Bay Environmental Services Center that day in Lawndale, I’d be there – because the lineup Leslie’s put together is pretty terrific: Ted Flanigan, President of Ec

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Electric Cars are for Girls

SEPTEMBER 4, 2009

We EV grinners are not all hypermiling Prius owners, apparently. Here's a great interview on NPR with a couple of electric drag racers at the Wayland Invitational in Portland last month. My favorite quotes: Mike Willmon (to the reporter riding next to him in the electric Pinto): "You've got the EV grin." Or a grimace of terror.hard to tell. John Wayland: "I like trees, but I don't hug them.I like to have fun.

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Green Car Reports

SEPTEMBER 8, 2009

The 2010 Fisker Karma will be the world's first production series hybrid , or extended-range electric vehicle, when it comes off the line late this year. Customer deliveries will start next May. Just prior to the Karma's German debut at next week's Frankfurt Auto Show , the company released emissions figures for the car.

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Green Cars News

SEPTEMBER 21, 2009

All-electric cars with the range of modern day petrol or diesel-equipped engines are still 20 years away, says Mercedes-Benz research and development boss Thomas Weber. Electric cars for city driving are just around the corner and technology exists to run a car for up to 120 miles without a top up. Getting to twice or three times that is still some way off, and that’s why Mercedes-Benz intend to pursue the hybrid route in the meantime, he explains.

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All Cars Electric

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

As part of his campaign to promote alternative fuels (and his movie Fuel which addresses the subject) documentary film maker Josh Ticknell has just finished a ten-day drive from L.A. to New York in the world's only algae fueled plug-in hybrid vehicle. This modified Toyota Prius , called the Algaeus mobile, was created with the help of.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 2, 2009

Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion, Polo BlueMotion and Golf BlueMotion. Click to enlarge. Volkswagen will introduce the new generation of the Polo BlueMotion, Golf BlueMotion and Passat BlueMotion at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt in two weeks. All three Volkswagens are the most fuel-efficient models in their respective size classes, according to VW; all three are celebrating world premieres as production versions at the IAA; and all three can be ordered later this fall.

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Creative Greenius

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

Tags: climate change World Wildlife Fund.

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Electric Cars are for Girls

SEPTEMBER 1, 2009

Here's a (pdf) link to a USPS report outlining a grand plan, released this week, to electrify a LOT of postal vans, all across the country. Looks like it's a fiscally smart move, too, which the Post Office dearly needs. BTW, it looks like Ford and Chrysler haven't actually forgotten how to build electric cars after all, because they've been quietly building a small fleet of electric postal vans for California since the beginning of 2009.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Volkswagen Brand Technical Development, in front of the Volkswagen Concept Car L1 in Frankfurt. Click to enlarge. Volkswagen unveiled the L1, its second-generation one-liter class concept car, at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The diesel-electric full-hybrid vehicle, weighing just 380 kilograms (838 lbs), offers an initial glimpse at how a future production version might appear.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 10, 2009

Daimler AG and leading energy companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Berlin, with the participation of the German Minister of Transport, Wolfgang Tiefensee, to evaluate and expand the setup of a hydrogen infrastructure in Germany to support the series production of fuel cell electric vehicles. In addition to Daimler, partners in the “H2 Mobility” initiative include EnBW, Linde, OMV, Shell, Total, Vattenfall and the NOW GmbH (National Organization Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technolog

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

Leading vehicle manufacturers in fuel cell technology—Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation/Opel, Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, the alliance Renault SA and Nissan Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation— issued a joint a Letter of Understanding (LoU) regarding the development and market introduction of fuel cell electric vehicles.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

GM’s second-generation fuel-cell system (engineer included for scale.) Click to enlarge. The second generation hydrogen fuel cell system under development by General Motors—which contains its fifth-generation fuel cell stack—is half the size, 220 pounds (100 kg) lighter and uses less than half the platinum (30 grams plus or minus vs. 80 grams) of the current generation in the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle ( earlier post ).

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

The U3-X. The two seat pads and the foot rests fold into the body of the device when not in use. Click to enlarge. Honda has unveiled the U3-X, a compact Li-ion-powered experimental personal mobility device that fits between the rider’s legs and provides free movement in all directions just as in human walking: forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Significant climate anomalies 2008/2009. Source: Climate Change Compendium. Click to enlarge. A UN review of some 400 major scientific contributions to Earth systems and climate science released through peer-reviewed literature or from research institutions over the last three years, has found that the pace and scale of climate change may now be outstripping even the worst case predictions of the last report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC). ( Earlier post.).

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 13, 2009

Drive Solar reports that Volkswagen will introduce the electric version of its up! concept city car ( earlier post )—called the e up!—at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week. In July, Volkswagen AG Chairman of the Board of Management Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn said that Volkswagen would introduce its first electric vehicles based on the up! New Small Family in 2013. ( Earlier post.).

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 5, 2009

(Left) Charge and heat flow in the STEP system. Colored arrows indicate the direction of heat flow (yellow arrows), electron flow (blue), and reagent flow (green). (Right) Auxiliary components to reach higher STEP temperatures and/or decrease the heat incident on the PV. Light harvesting can use various optical concentrators and beam splitters can redirect sub-bandgap radiation away from the PV onto the electrolyzer.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 19, 2009

US GHG emissions allocated to systems, and by materials and land management. The Land Sink, represented by the outer ring, offset the equivalent of 13% of total US anthropogenic emissions in 2006. The entire pie chart represents total US emissions in 2006; the inner portion of the pie chart represents net emissions. Greenfield development emissions are not included in the Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, and are therefore depicted outside of the pie chart.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 17, 2009

The US House yesterday passed by a vote of 312-114 a bill that would authorize additional appropriations totalling $2.85 billion over the 2010-2014 period for the US Department of Energy (DOE) to support a broad range of research activities for advanced technology vehicles. H.R. 3246 , the “Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2009” covers research on light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as infrastructure and pilot programs.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

The Audi e-tron concept. Click to enlarge. At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi unveiled the e-tron. a high-performance electric sports car featuring four drive motors—two each at the front and rear axles—making the concept car a true quattro. Producing 230 kW (313 hp) and 4,500 Nm (3,319 lb-ft) of torque, the two-seater accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds, and from 60 to 120 km/h (37 – 75 mph) in 4.1 seconds.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 22, 2009

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) is awarding $100 million in Economic Recovery Act funding to 43 transit agencies for projects to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from both vehicles and facilities. The 43 winning proposals were submitted by transit agencies from across the country as part of a nationwide competition for the $100 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Volkswagen and Varta Microbattery Ltd. will establish , subject to necessary regulatory approvals, a research collaboration to develop next-generation Li-ion systems for electric drive vehicles. The initial goal is the research and development of a Li-ion cell which is technically superior and price competitive. Research activities will be done at VARTA Microbattery’s head office in Ellwangen and initially the project will cover a four year period.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 10, 2009

Nitrate output within the MARB (colored bars, lefthand y-axis) and mean areal extent of hypoxia in the NGOM with “No Buffer” and “50% Buffer” (gray scale bars, righthand y-axis). Nitrate output columns represent mean values and the 80% credible intervals from modeling. Credit: ACS, Costello et. al. Click to enlarge. A study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh found that while moving from corn to cellulosics to meet the biofuel goals specified by the Ener

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 12, 2009

HHS upfit system. Click to enlarge. Hydraulic Hybrid Systems , LLC (HHS), a recently-formed subsidiary of Lightning Hybrids Inc. ( earlier post ), is partnering with Equipment Maintenance Innovators (EMI-Global) to distribute HHS hydraulic hybrid retrofit systems for light- and medium-duty commercial fleet vehicles. HHS’s upfit solution is a high-efficiency, light-weight parallel hydraulic hybrid propulsion system inserted within the driveline of a vehicle.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 11, 2009

A study by researchers at Harvard University and Tsinghua University shows that there is enough wind in China to generate electricity to supply the nation's entire projected demand for 2030 (about twice what is used now) at reasonable prices per kilowatt-hour. The paper was published in the 11 September issue of the journal Science. Assuming a guaranteed price of 0.516 RMB (7.6 US cents) per kilowatt-hour for delivery of electricity to the grid over an agreed initial average period of 10 years,

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009

Mascoma Corporation has entered into a feedstock processing and lignin supply agreement with Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV), a division of Chevron USA, Inc. Under terms of the agreement, CTV will provide various sources of lignocellulosic feedstock to Mascoma. Mascoma will then convert the feedstock to cellulosic ethanol through its proprietary process, which produces lignin as a by-product.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 21, 2009

Coulomb Technologies will demonstrate a Level 2 SAE J1772 fast charge of an electric Tesla Roadster on 23 September in Arizona, following a meeting of the Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition. The demonstration is sponsored by the Pima Association of Governments (PAG)’s Clean Cities Program, the City of Tucson, and Coulomb Technologies. The Tesla Roadster has a charge range of 244 miles and goes from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 16, 2009

Renault Dual Clutch Transmission. Click to enlarge. Renault has developed a new, six-speed, automatic dual-clutch transmission (DCT), which it is currently highlighting at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The DCT offers up to a 17% improvement in fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions performance compared with that of a conventional automatic transmission—i.e., performance comparable to that of a manual gearbox.

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Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

Gevo, Inc., a biobutanol and renewable hydrocarbons company, announced the start up of its first biobutanol demonstration plant designed from retrofitting an existing demonstration scale ethanol plant to produce biobutanol. ( Earlier post.) In successfully producing biobutanol at the 1 million gallon per year pilot plant in St. Joseph, Missouri, Gevo is demonstrating the viability of its technology for retrofitting existing ethanol plants to make biobutanol.

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