GM Unveils GMC Canyon Midsize Truck
General Motors Co.has unveiled the second part of the one-two punch it plans to throw at Toyota Motor Corp. >Click here to view full article at online.wsj.com
Ford to Show Solar-Powered Hybrid at CES
Ford Motor plans to roll out a solar-powered version of its C-Max hybrid compact car during next week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The car uses technology that might remind some people of childhood experiments with a magnifying glass on sunny days. The C-Max concept car uses solar cells on its roof to charge a range-extending battery instead of plugging into the electrical grid. It also uses specially designed lenses that concentrate the sun’s energy on the solar cells like a magnifying glass. As a result, the roof panel gathers much more power than solar panels mounted on some previous cars. Ford said the concept has the potential to deliver the performance of a plug-in hybrid even when no traditional electrical outlets are available. Because the show car is based on the C-Max that is already on the market, it seems more likely Ford will eventually offer […]
China's Tianjin to start car plate auction, lottery in 2014
China’s northern municipality of Tianjin will start a bidding and lottery system for car license plates on Jan. 1, 2014, a move targeted at restricting the increase of cars, said government authorities on Tuesday. Sixty percent of the quota of 100,000 new car license plates will be issued via lottery, including 10,000 and 50,000 for fuel-efficient cars and conventional cars respectively, said a management plan approved by the Tianjin municipal government. The remaining 40,000 plates for conventional cars will be auctioned. The opening bid will be 10,000 yuan (about 1,652 U.S. dollars). A total of 88 percent of the plates will go to individual car owners, while non-individual applicants, such as companies, will compete for the other 12 percent. Government organizations and institutions in Tianjin will not be permitted to apply for new official cars, and all auction incomes from car plates will be […]
China’s Tianjin to start car plate auction, lottery in 2014
China’s northern municipality of Tianjin will start a bidding and lottery system for car license plates on Jan. 1, 2014, a move targeted at restricting the increase of cars, said government authorities on Tuesday. Sixty percent of the quota of 100,000 new car license plates will be issued via lottery, including 10,000 and 50,000 for fuel-efficient cars and conventional cars respectively, said a management plan approved by the Tianjin municipal government. The remaining 40,000 plates for conventional cars will be auctioned. The opening bid will be 10,000 yuan (about 1,652 U.S. dollars). A total of 88 percent of the plates will go to individual car owners, while non-individual applicants, such as companies, will compete for the other 12 percent. Government organizations and institutions in Tianjin will not be permitted to apply for new official cars, and all auction incomes from car plates will be […]
NASA Glenn develops automated flywheel pulse-and-glide system; improving fuel economy up to 40-100%
26 December 2013 Schematic drawing showing the experimental setup of the existing open-cell approach using (a) ionic liquid as electrolyte and (b) using Li metal as lithium source and Li 2 O as solid electrolyte; (c) schematic drawing showing the setup of the new liquid cell battery. Credit: ACS, Gu et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have led a multi-institutional effort to develop a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique that can provide insights into the structural and chemical evolution of electrode materials of real batteries in real time. In a paper published in the ACS journal Nano Letters , the authors note that TEM studies of lithium-ion batteries over the past few years have used an open-cell configuration in which the electrolyte is either solid lithium oxide or an ionic liquid, which is point-contacted with the electrode. This cell design is inherently different […]
Airbus signs MoU with EGTS for electric taxiing solution for A320 family; projected fuel saving up to 4% per trip
AAirbus_signs_MoU_with_Honeywell_and_Safran_to_develop_electric_taxiing_solution_for_the_A320_Family_2 Using the aircraft’s Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) to power electric motors on its main landing gear, the “eTaxi” solution is projected to save fuel and reduce CO 2 emissions during an A320 Family jetliner’s ground operations by up to 4% per trip. Click to enlarge. As part of on-going research and development into future technology options, Airbus has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with EGTS International (Electric Green Taxiing System), a joint venture company between Safran and Honeywell Aerospace formed in 2011, further to develop and to evaluate an autonomous electric pushback and taxiing solution for the A320 Family. ( Earlier post .) The agreement marks the selection of EGTS International’s Electric Green Taxiing System to be evaluated as a new option on the A320 Family—referred to […]
Two case studies outline how Houston and Loveland are saving money with EVs in their fleets
Two case studies outline how Houston and Loveland are saving money with EVs in their fleets The Electrification Coalition released two case studies outlining how two cities— Houston, Texas and Loveland, Colorado —are saving money by using electric vehicles (EVs) in their vehicle fleets. The Electrification Coalition, launched in November 2009, is committed to promoting policies and actions that facilitate the deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale in order to combat the economic, environmental, and national security threats posed by US dependence on petroleum. ( Earlier post .) City officials in Houston estimate that the city’s 27 Nissan LEAF electric vehicles will save the city $110,000 annually compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. A similar study examining Loveland, Colo. found that the city’s LEAFs will cost 41% less to own and operate than gasoline-powered vehicles. Houston first began using electric vehicles for the environmental benefits they offer, […]
Energy Efficiency Is Long Overdue
On a global scale, we humans are becoming more energy efficient with each passing year. Even so, we’re exploiting only a fraction of the technological opportunities to use energy more cost-effectively. There’s a lot governments can do to put this right. Worldwide, the amount of energy employed to produce a unit of gross domestic product fell by 0.4 percent a year from 2000 to 2010, according to the International Energy Agency . Last year and the year before, the annual decline accelerated to 1.5 percent. Looking ahead 20 years, though, the IEA (in effect, a club of energy ministers) estimates that two-thirds of the potential for energy efficiency will remain unexploited. Capturing a good part of this potential wouldn’t be technically difficult. Proven cost-effective technologies, and others in the pipeline (if you’ll forgive the expression), could reduce the expected growth in energy demand by as much as 50 percent […]
EIA: light duty vehicle energy consumption to drop 25% by 2040; increased oil production, vehicle efficiency reduce US oil and liquid imports
EIA: light duty vehicle energy consumption to drop 25% by 2040; increased oil production, vehicle efficiency reduce US oil and liquid imports Energy consumption by light-duty vehicles in the United States, AEO2013 and AEO2014, 1995-2040 (quadrillion Btu). LDV energy consumption declines in AEO2014 Reference case from 16.0 quadrillion Btu in 2012 to 12.1 quadrillion Btu in 2040, compared with 13.0 quadrillion Btu in 2040 in the AEO2013 Reference case. Source: EIA. Click to enlarge. Reflecting slow growth in travel and accelerated vehicle efficiency improvements, US light-duty vehicle (LDV, cars and light trucks) energy use will decline sharply between 2012 and 2040, according to the US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA’s) Annual Energy […]
EU passenger car registrations up 1.2 percent
PARIS (AP) — The European car market is slowly mounting a rebound, with new car registrations up for the third month in a row. The European carmakers’ association reported Tuesday that EU passenger car sales were up 1.2 percent in November. But car sales for the year to the end of November are still below the same period last year. Amid Europe’s recession, car registrations fell nearly uninterrupted for about two years until September, when they began to rise again. Growth is now slowly coming back, so the car industry may have hit bottom. But some significant markets are still losing ground. Registrations in France fell 4 percent in November, while they dropped 2 percent in Germany. © 2013 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . ©2013 The […]
New Mercedes-Benz C-Class drops weight, adds new engines, diesel hybrid, w/ plug-in to come; up to 20% cut in fuel consumption
EIA: light duty vehicle energy consumption to drop 25% by 2040; increased oil production, vehicle efficiency reduce US oil and liquid imports | Main | GM investing nearly $1.3B in 5 US plants; supporting new V6, 10-speed transmission » Print this post New Mercedes-Benz C-Class drops weight, adds new engines, diesel hybrid, w/ plug-in to come; up to 20% cut in fuel consumption 13C1007_002 The new C-Class. Click to enlarge. Mercedes-Benz has launched its new C-Class, featuring a lightweight design concept with weight savings of up to 100 kg (220 lbs); excellent aerodynamics; and new, economical engines along with a hybrid model. The C-Class is the top-selling model series from Mercedes-Benz; sales of the preceding model, which was launched in 2007, total more than 2.4 million. Ordering for the C-Class sedan have begun in Europe, with the model range initially comprising the C180, the C200; and the diesel […]
US PIRG report finds reduced driving and rates of car commuting in most populous US urbanized areas
t US PIRG report finds reduced driving and rates of car commuting in most populous US urbanized areas VMT per capita has declined across the US (2006 to 2011). States with shading are missing reliable data for all or part of an urbanized area, and ‘X’s denote the location of excluded urbanized areas. Source: US PIRG. Click to enlarge. A new report by the US PIRG Education Fund and the Frontier Group details reduced driving miles and rates of car commuting in the US’ most populous urbanized areas, as well as greater use of public transit and biking in most cities. The average American drives 7.6% fewer miles today than when per-capita driving peaked in 2004. The report, […]
Vehicle innovators face fight to win hearts and minds
Ahead of the game: the BMW i3 electric vehicle, made from carbon fibre, is unveiled in London When the most sought-after $1m supercars are hybrids, when hatchbacks are being made from carbon fibre and when manufacturers are promising volume vehicles that can drive themselves, it is clear the world’s car factories and showrooms are geared up for change. Driven by regulations and shifting customer demands, carmakers are pushing the boundaries of how we drive, fuel and interact with cars. Tomorrow’s vehicles will be less polluting, lighter and safer. They will be more intelligent and better connected – less of a petrolhead’s toy and more of an extension of the office or living room. Vehicle sales When this summer BMW launched its i3 model – an electric car made from carbon fibre in a factory powered by wind turbines – Ian Robertson, the carmaker’s head […]
China’s World: Why the Electric-Car Market Is Low Wattage
Even for a foreign visitor to Shanghai, renting an electric car is easy. All that’s required is a valid driver’s license and a passport. And it’s surprisingly cheap: eHi Car Service Ltd. charges the equivalent of just $25 a day for a Chinese-built Roewe with a range of about 90 kilometers. But having completed the paperwork, picked up the keys and eased silently into Shanghai’s chaotic traffic, the first-time electric car driver in the city quickly notices that nobody else appears to be driving one. In fact, there are at most 500 electric cars in Shanghai out of a total of about one million passenger vehicles, according to Zhang Dawei, the founder of EV Buy, a Shanghai company that sources and services electric cars for individuals and corporate users. In fairness, electric cars have met consumer resistance everywhere, not just in China. Carmakers around the world have struggled to […]
China's World: Why the Electric-Car Market Is Low Wattage
Even for a foreign visitor to Shanghai, renting an electric car is easy. All that’s required is a valid driver’s license and a passport. And it’s surprisingly cheap: eHi Car Service Ltd. charges the equivalent of just $25 a day for a Chinese-built Roewe with a range of about 90 kilometers. But having completed the paperwork, picked up the keys and eased silently into Shanghai’s chaotic traffic, the first-time electric car driver in the city quickly notices that nobody else appears to be driving one. In fact, there are at most 500 electric cars in Shanghai out of a total of about one million passenger vehicles, according to Zhang Dawei, the founder of EV Buy, a Shanghai company that sources and services electric cars for individuals and corporate users. In fairness, electric cars have met consumer resistance everywhere, not just in China. Carmakers around the world have struggled to […]
Auto sales boom spawns a used car market in China
As car enthusiasts converge on the annual Guangzhou auto show, few have anything except a shiny new set of wheels in mind. But explosive growth that transformed China into the world’s largest auto market is also giving life to a new industry here: used cars. Chinese started buying new cars in huge numbers about four years ago, about the average length of time analysts say drivers will stick with a vehicle before trading it in for a fresh model. The secondhand market is already taking off, with sales growth last year outpacing that for new vehicles. By volume it is still dwarfed by new cars, which outsold used vehicles three to one. In countries such as the U.S., that ratio is reversed, highlighting the secondhand market’s vast potential to make car ownership affordable for millions more Chinese. The challenge in China is to […]
Euro Parliament Transport Committee backs draft directive mandating expansion of alternative fuel stations
Euro Parliament Transport Committee backs draft directive mandating expansion of alternative fuel stations; grandfathering CHAdeMO Altfuelstations Minimum number of publicly-accessible recharging points for electric vehicles in each member state. Click to enlarge. EU member states would have to ensure that specified numbers of publicly-available electric vehicle recharging points and hydrogen and natural gas stations are built by 2020, under a draft directive endorsed by the Transport and Tourism Committee of the European Parliament on Tuesday. The draft rules aim to reduce dependence on oil and boost take-up of alternative fuels, so as to help achieve a 60% cut in greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 2050. Private sector players should play a leading role in developing this infrastructure, but member states should provide tax and public procurement incentives for them to do so, say the members of Parliament (MEPs). The directive specifies that: A minimum number of recharging points […]
Volkswagen combines XL1 powertrain with up! for the twin up! concept plug-in diesel hybrid; 214 mpg
Volkswagen combines XL1 powertrain with up! for the twin up! concept plug-in diesel hybrid; 214 mpg DB2013AL12826_small Introducing the twin up! Click to enlarge. Volkswagen presented the twin up! concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show. Equipped with a plug-in hybrid system from the super-efficient XL1 ( earlier post ), the four-seater based on the up! city car achieves combined fuel consumption of 1.1 liters per 100 km (214 mpg US ) (NEDC), with corresponding CO 2 emissions of 27 g/km. All new Volkswagen vehicles are configured to accept alternative drive systems as well as conventional ones, making installation of the compact XL1 plug-in hybrid system in the twin up! relatively easy. The only modification made in the production version was to lengthen the up!’s extremely short front overhang by 30 mm. The drive unit of the twin up! (system power: 55 kW) is mounted at the front of […]
CMU study finds limited dedicated residential parking and charging a significant barrier to mainstream EV adoption
CMU study finds limited dedicated residential parking and charging a significant barrier to mainstream EV adoption Selected forecasts of US PEV sales with barriers to fleet penetration from limited residential Continue Reading
NASA, Boeing finish tests of 757 vertical tail with active flow control technology
« Coca-Cola Company and Ford unveil Ford Fusion Energi with PlantBottle Technology interior | Main Print this post NASA, Boeing finish tests of 757 vertical tail with active flow control technology Aircraft_tail_600 The full-sized test tail modified and equipped with sweeping jet actuators. (Image credit: NASA Ames Research Center) Click to enlarge. NASA’s Ames Research Center and NASA’s Langley Research Center, in partnership with The Boeing Co., have completed wind tunnel testing of a full-scale Boeing 757 vertical tail model equipped with active flow control (AFC) technology. The project is one of eight large-scale integrated technology demonstrations that are part of NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) Project. ( Earlier post .) Active flow control involves the manipulation of a flow field—through the addition of energy—to improve the aerodynamic performance of an aircraft structure. Active flow control can enable the design of simpler, smaller and more aerodynamically efficient structures that […]
Why the Government Now Cares What You Spend on Gas
Why the Government Now Cares What You Spend on Gas Page added on November 13, 2013 locationaffordability.info The housing crisis was, of course, primarily about housing: housing that people couldn’t afford, housing that banks helped them finance anyway, housing that too many treated as a sure-fire investment . But in a less noticed way, the housing crisis was also very much about transportation. The money we spend getting around is largely dictated by the choices we make in where to live. Buy a house 20 miles down the highway from your job, and your costs of getting around on $4-a-gallon gas are much steeper than they would be if you lived a short walk from the office (or the bus stop). Those costs – half a tank of gas here, a bus ticket there – are much harder to track than a single monthly housing payment. They’re practically invisible. […]
Field test shows Volvo Buses’ plug-in hybrid reduces fuel consumption by 81% and energy consumption by 61%; 21 mpg
Field test shows Volvo Buses’ plug-in hybrid reduces fuel consumption by 81% and energy consumption by 61%; 21 mpg Volvo Plug-in hybrid_EN_2013 Volvo Bus’ plug-in hybrid. The pantograph for rapid charging can be seen on the roof. Click to enlarge. Field tests being conducted in Gothenburg show that Volvo Buses’ plug-in hybrid reduces fuel consumption by 81% and total energy consumption (diesel plus electricity) by 61% compared to a comparable Euro 5 diesel bus. ( Earlier post .) The field test in Gothenburg began in June 2013 and includes three plug-in hybrid buses, the batteries of which are rapidly recharged at the terminals. This makes it possible for the buses to run on electric power for most of the route. The plug-in hybrids are based on the Volvo 7900 Hybrid, Volvo Buses’ second series-produced hybrid bus model. The plug-in hybrids have been further developed, and enable rapid recharging from […]
The Future Requires (Better) Batteries
George Crabtree has a familiar problem. His phone is charged in the morning, but by 4 p.m. it’s out of juice. “I find it really annoying to see that it’s off and wonder how many calls I’ve missed,” he says. Unlike most of us, though, Mr. Crabtree might be able to do something about it. He directs the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research at Argonne National Laboratory. Argonne is part of a group of labs, universities and companies tasked by a Department of Energy program to design a battery that lasts five times as long and costs one-fifth as much as current batteries—in five years or less. In truth, few people give the Argonne program—or similar quests by other researchers and startups around the world—much chance of succeeding within a few years. Electric-car makers, to cite one example, take four or five years just to evaluate a new […]
LA 2013: Volkswagen Announces 256 MPG Diesel Hybrid
Hybrid Cars VW Diesel Hybrid Gets 260 MPG Published on November 9th, 2013 | by Jo Borrás 7 VW Diesel Hybrid Gets 260 MPG Volkswagen knocked one out of the park with its genre-defying, extreme MGP XL1 supercar- with orders exceeding the company’s XL1 production plans for the slinky exotic car , despite its six-figure price tag. Don’t think that the XL1 is done because VW doesn’t plan on building more XL1s, though. Meet the Volkswagen’s XL1 follow-up act: the 250+ MPG Volkswagen Twin Up! diesel hybrid set to debut later this month at the LA Auto Show . The Twin Up! uses a modified version of the XL1′s 47 hp, 800 cc diesel engine and electric hybrid drivetrain to return a claimed fuel consumption of more than 256 MPG and CO2 emissions of just 27 g/km on the European cycles (if that g/km measurement didn’t give it away). […]
GFEI report suggests $2T savings from fuel economy improvements in ICE vehicles through 2025 can help fund long-term transition to plug-ins
« DOE Inspector General criticizes agency’s handling of disclosures over Ecotality awards | Main | U-Mich Mobility Transformation Center targeting full autonomous vehicle deployment in Ann Arbor by 2021 » Print this post GFEI report suggests $2T savings from fuel economy improvements in ICE vehicles through 2025 can help fund long-term transition to plug-ins Fuel economy improvements from conventional internal combustion engine cars can save an estimated $2 trillion in fuel costs through 2025—and more in years after— according to a new working paper published by the Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI) prepared by Dr. Lew Fulton, Co-Director, NextSTEPS Program at the Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California at Davis. The GFEI, a partnership of international agencies and top energy policy experts, suggests that these cost savings could in part be used to help offset the costs of developing a global market for electric vehicles over this time […]
South Stream gas pipeline construction begins in Bulgaria
SOFIA, Bulgaria, Nov. 1 (UPI) — The start of construction of the South Stream gas pipeline in Bulgaria marks the launch of one of Europe’s largest energy projects, Gazprom’s chief said. “A landmark event has taken place today: Construction started on the Bulgarian section of the South Stream gas pipeline, the most large-scale and important project in Europe,” Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller said in a statement Thursday. “This project is a key element of energy security of the whole European continent.” South Stream is meant to add diversity to Russia’s export routes through Europe. A contractual dispute between Gazprom and its counterparts in Ukraine, which hosts most of Russia’s gas for Europe, adds a layer of risk to conventional routes, officials say. Miller said the direct connection to Bulgaria, a member of the European Union, means geopolitical risks associated with transit countries are eliminated “forever.” Bulgarian consumers will receive […]
Green Car Congress: UPS begins operational rollout of ORION advanced route optimization software
« Argentina’s largest ethanol plant begins operations; Vogelbusch technology | Main | Petrobras says it will increase production capacity by 1M barrels per day in 2013 » Print this post UPS begins operational rollout of ORION advanced route optimization software ORION infographic ORION infographic. Click to enlarge. UPS has launched its ORION (On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation) advanced route optimization software. The rollout of ORION is intended to optimize 10,000 delivery routes by the end of the year, reduce miles driven and reinforce UPS’ sustainability efforts. US deployment to nearly all 55,000 routes is planned to be completed in 2017 and global deployments are planned for the future. ORION contains more than 250 million address data points. The software combines customers’ shipping requirements with customized map data the company has compiled to provide UPS drivers with optimized routing instructions that meet service-level requirements, while reducing miles driven. Most routes […]
Green Car Congress: Volvo Drive-E engines delivering NEDC fuel consumption in S60 sedan as low as 62 mpg US for diesel, 40 mpg for gasoline
« Audi pricing 2015 A3 sedan starting at $29,900 in US; diesel, PHEV coming | Main | Center for Automotive Research awarded Federal grant to study automotive bio-based materials cluster » Print this post Volvo Drive-E engines delivering NEDC fuel consumption in S60 sedan as low as 62 mpg US for diesel, 40 mpg for gasoline 124741_1_5 The new Drive-E diesel engine. Click to enlarge. Volvo is introducing the first engines—two gasoline and 1 diesel—in its new 2.0-liter, four-cylinder Drive-E powertrain family ( earlier post ) and has received official European NEDC certification on fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions when applied in the S60 sedan. Leading with the lowest fuel consumption is the Volvo S60 D4 diesel with 181 hp (135 kW) and manual gearbox, delivering class-leading CO 2 emissions at 99 g/km, which translates into fuel consumption of 3.8 l/100 km (62 mpg US ). A Volvo […]
Green Car Congress: BMW introduces the 2 Series; power up, fuel consumption down by up to 21% over 1 Series, depending upon model
« Volkswagen opens new plant in Ningbo; 16th in China, with annual capacity of 300,000 units | Main | Audi pricing 2015 A3 sedan starting at $29,900 in US; diesel, PHEV coming » Print this post BMW introduces the 2 Series; power up, fuel consumption down by up to 21% over 1 Series, depending upon model P90133915 New BMW 2 Series Coupe. Click to enlarge. BMW has introduced an entirely new model series in the form of the BMW 2 Series Coupe. Offering both gasoline and diesel engines at launch (depending upon market), output is up by as much as 10 kW over the new car’s 1 Series predecessor, yet average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle has dropped by up to 21%, depending on the model. One four-cylinder gasoline engine and one four-cylinder diesel unit are available from launch, putting 135 kW/184 hp at the disposal of […]