Archive for the ‘Autos & Transport’ Category
March 22nd, 2009
President Obama Announces $2.4 Billion in Funding for Electric Vehicles
Stumble it!
Written by Clayton B. Cornell, courtesy of Gas2.0
President Obama announced today that $2.4 billion will be made available for the US-based development of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.
The fund is intended to spur growth in research and manufacturing of next-generation plug-in hybrid vehicles and advanced battery componenents for electric cars, while creating tens of thousands of US jobs and reducing US petroleum dependence. It should also help meet the President’s goal of putting one million plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road by 2015.
The President made the announcement while visiting Southern California Edison’s Electric Vehicle Center. SCE is one of the largest electric utilities in the country and researches battery-powered and hybrid engines, along with potential impacts of having massive numbers of electric vehicles taking power from conventional utility networks.
This investment will not only reduce our dependence on foreign oil, it will put Americans back to work. It positions American manufacturers on the cutting edge of innovation and solving our energy challenges.
-President Obama
The plan was partially outlined on the Department of Energy’s website:
- The Department of Energy is offering up to $1.5 billion in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce these highly efficient batteries and their components.
- The Department of Energy is offering up to $500 million in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce other components needed for electric vehicles, such as electric motors and other components.
- The Department of Energy is offering up to $400 million to demonstrate and evaluate Plug-In Hybrids and other electric infrastructure concepts — like truck stop charging station, electric rail, and training for technicians to build and repair electric vehicles.
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March 4th, 2009
New Green Car Guide: Consumer Reports on Saving Money, Fuel
With the money Detroit got recently, will we finally be able to expect hot green cars from U.S. carmakers soon? Hopefully, but for now, the Toyota Prius is still king. In Consumer Report’s 2009 auto issue, the Prius got the green car top pick nod — for the 6th year in a row.
“The base model’s 44 overall mpg is the best we’ve measured in any five-passenger car,” opines Consumer Reports, which made its top picks based on 3 main criteria — road tests, reliability, and safety — as well as eco-reasons for the green car category.
But lest you lose interest, thinking nothing new’s happening in the green car world, rest assured that the Consumer Reports issue does offer other useful eco info. For one, the “Best in class: Fuel-efficient vehicles” guide highlights six vehicles — from budget cars to minivans — that offer the best miles per gallon value for your needs.
Plus, the New Car Preview gives us a look at some hybrid and electric models — including the Chevy Volt, which I feel I’ve been waiting for so long I’ll have a green heart attack if and when it actually hits showroom floors.
Last but not least is Consumer Report’s Green Car Guide, which goes beyond how you can save gas in your next car to focus on how you can save gas (and money) in the car you have now. You can also check out the handy spreadsheet that shows you fuel savings depending on your car’s MPG, an article on when best to downsize your car (presumably to a more eco-friendly model) to get the most bang out of your buck, and a video on money-saving hybrids.
After all, in this recession, going eco’s important, but saving money’s going to be at the forefront of people’s minds. This auto issue will help people address both to make the most eco-nomically sensible decisions.
For more on green cars, read our recent Green Auto News Roundup, our take on Green Cars and Mean Cars, and our coverage of the Detroit Auto Show.
Images via consumerreports.org
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February 23rd, 2009
Green Auto News Roundup
There are lots of exciting developments on the green auto scene…and here are some of the highlights.
San Francisco continues to be a leading green city and is installing electric vehicles in front of City Hall. Mayor Gavin Newsom did a guest blog post on Gas2.0 last week in which he describes the city’s commitment to making electric transportation a feasible reality. Let’s hope more American cities follow SF’s approach.
Speaking of electric cars, there is a new one on the market– the ZERO from Tazzari. This is a cute little city car worth checking out. According to the company ZERO’s electric motors deliver brisk acceleration to 35 mpg and a top speed just over 55 mph for a claimed 88 miles. Click here to watch a video of the ZERO in peppy action.
On the not-so-good-news front, one of our favorite green car companies has decided to delay the launch of their plug-in hybrid by a bit. The futuristic Aptera 2e was slated for release in late 2008, but is now aiming for late 2009/early 2010. This is a hotly awaited vehicle. The company says they just want to get it right and make sure that all customers are totally delighted with the vehicle. They did offer test drives at the recent TED conference, though.
A bit of great news is how amazing the mileage is for the new Honda Insight. HybridCars.com reports that the 2010 Insight is routinely getting over 60 MPG in road tests. Originally Honda had announced that the new 2010 Honda Insight would “only” average about 41 or 42 mpg — but it seems they have outdone themselves. (Hey that even puts my Prius to shame.) And what’s even better is the price point Honda is aiming for: somewhere around $19,000. (There is no official exact price yet.) If they can deliver a sub-$20K car that gets 60 MPG, this car will seriously be a green dream.
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February 4th, 2009
Green Cars and Mean Cars: ACEEE Report
Each year the ACEEE (American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy) produces their Green Book, in which they rate the greenest and meanest cars for the year. They have just released their 2009 Green Book and there’s lot of great information on green cars and really mean cars.
They give each car a “green score” and not surprisingly the Toyota Prius is at the top of the Greenest Cars list. The Prius gets the highest score, with 53 points. Right on the Prius’ heels is the Honda Civic Hybrid with 51 points. Interestingly two non-hybrids come in 3rd and 4th position– they Toyota Yaris and the Honda Fit, respectively.
How many American auto makers’ models score in the top twelve greenest cars? Oh only three, sadly. The Ford Escape Hybrid is #5, the Ford Ranger is #10 and the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid is #12. (Do the American car companies really deserve a bailout? I guess that’s a different topic.)
Now on to the Meanest Cars. How many American cars are in this top twelve? Oh that would be EIGHT. The Hummer is still the reigning champ of all things disgusting. The GMC Yukon is the 3rd worst. The GMC Sierra and the Jeep Grand Cherokee are also shining examples of environmental destruction. The American Worst of the Worst are joined by some ridiculous European cars as well– including the Lamborghini Murcielago, the Mercedes-Benz G55, and the Maybach 57S. I like to call the Maybach the “May-blech.”
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January 14th, 2009
Detroit Auto Show: Green Cars Galore
The 2009 Detroit Auto Show is this week, and there is plenty of exciting green automotive action going down! The auto companies exhibiting seem to be working to “out-green” each other…. which is fine by us.
Toyota unveiled its new 2010 Prius to great excitement. This new model will offer 50 MPG, up from 46 MPG for the current model. The new model also featured solar panels on the roof which power the car’s cooling system. The new Prius is also faster, accelerating from 0 to 60 MPH in 9.5 seconds. (Although how many Prius drivers are really into gunning it?) They have not yet announced the price (current models start at ~$22K), but the new Prius will be on sale in the US this Spring.
Another green car leader, Honda, unveiled its new Insight hybrid model for 2010. According to MSNBC, the Insight’s hybrid design is quite different from Toyota’s, functioning as a primarily gas-powered vehicle with an electric assist motor, a decision that produces better highway fuel economy than city mileage. The Insight will get 40 in the city and 43 on the highway, according to Honda. The Insight will also likely cost less than the Prius as it has a smaller battery and electric motor. Honda has not announced the price of its new Insight, but said that it will be below that of its Civic hybrid. Likely it will go for around $20,000.
The American companies were also trying to seem like they were on the green super-highway to the future. Chrysler showed off the 200C EV with an electric power train. This is still a concept car, based on the existing Chrysler 300C model. This new hybrid car will go 40 miles on electricity, with an engine generating more energy for additional range when needed. Let’s hope they stay in business long enough to bring this car to market!
One of the sexiest cars on the floor was the Karma from Fisker Automotive. The car is simply gorgeous. While the Karma debuted as a concept car at last year’s show, this year it was back as a production-ready vehicle. They also showed off a new concept– the Karma S, which is a two-door with a retractable roof. (The S stands for Sunset.) Fisker will start delivering the four-door Karma sedan this year and it already has over 1000 pre-orders. The Karma is a plug-in hybrid that, when fully-charged, burns no fuel for the first 50 miles. According to CNET, Fisker says the Karma will go to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds–which is fast, but not outstanding. Still, you’d look so cool in it, who would care? But not many of can afford this height of eco-cool: the starting price for the production Karma is $87,900.
Images: Prius from Jalopnik.com; Insight from Honda; Karma from Fisker Automotive.
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