The Truth About Cars » Alternative Energy

First Official Honda Insight Image

Justin Berkowitz — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:23:27 +0000

This is the first official shot of Honda’s upcoming Prius-fighter. And if anyone can take on the Prius (which despite being down 50% in November compared to November 2007, still sold 8600 units), it’s Honda with this car. I say that because (1) Honda has genuine hybrid building experience with the Insight, and (2) unlike [...]

China To Drop Hydrogen Bomb On LA

Bertel Schmitt — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:17:39 +0000

Guess who will be at the 2008 Los Angeles auto show, November 21-30? A Volkswagen Passat. But it won’t be just any Passat. It will be a Passat produced by Shanghai VW. As if this is not shocking enough: The thing will be powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell. Shanghai Security News humbly reports that this [...]

Fuel-Making Fungus. Ew.

William C Montgomery — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:03:41 +0000

Gentlemen, start your tractors. LiveScience reports that scientists have discovered a diesel fuel-making fungus that outperforms existing bio-fuel production methods. Current bio-fuel processes are dependent on enzymes to convert cellulose into sugar before microbes are used to ferment the sugar into ethanol. Gliocladium roseum, the newly-found hungry fungus, inhabits in certain Patagonia rainforest trees. It [...]

Volt Birth Watch 113: Inside The Volt Battery Development

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:13:16 +0000

Curious about how things are progressing on the Volt front? Want to know all about how the Volt team “weighed each metric by importance and factored in what Volt vehicle-line executive Tony Posawatz diplomatically calls “qualitative factors,” such as, Are we going to hate working with these guys?” when choosing a battery supplier? Popular Science [...]

E85 Boondoggle of the Day: Wherever The People Are As Green As The Money

Edward Niedermeyer — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:33:09 +0000

As bailout after bailout sucks the federal teat dry, the ethanol lobby is finally doing the patriotic thing by taking its insatiable greed for public money to China. Green Car Congress reports that General Motors and its cellulosic ethanol partner Coskata are making the pitch for US-style ethanol subsidies in the Happy Shiny Peoples Republic [...]

EV Rolls-Royce Phantom: Sacrilege, The Future, Or Bad Crazyness?

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:02:11 +0000

CAR Magazine reports that Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves thinks an EV Phantom is worth looking into. “Many of our customers do small mileages exclusively in the city,” says Purves. “For these customers, an electric Rolls-Royce would be ideal.” Where did Purves come up with this wacky scheme? From Rolls-Royce’s corporate overlords at BMW, of course. [...]

Materials Prices Dip

Edward Niedermeyer — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:49:46 +0000

Thanks to the global economy’s stomach-churning loop-the-loop, demand– and prices– for auto-related commodities like steel and oil are dropping. For the moment anyway. Automotive News [sub] reports that the downturn in commodity prices couldn’t come at a better time for profits-challenged automakers, who will finalize supplier contracts this December. By locking in a lower price [...]

Paris Auto Show: A Short Test Drive in the Electric Mitsubishi iMiEV

Martin Schwoerer — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:01:08 +0000

Take that, GM. Formerly-sick car company Mitsubishi Motors has a working electric car; they’re already testing a fleet of a few hundred units in Japan. The Mitsubishi innovative Vehicle promises a 75mph top speed and a 100 mile range. It’ll take seven hours to recharge the battery using a normal socket (220V). If you’ve got [...]

Electric Porsche Cayman to Take on Tesla

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:07:54 +0000

Our fearless leader has noted at least once that a RUF-fettled Porsche Boxster would always have a home in his heart. And though he’s never gone (quite) as far as calling global warming a crock of shit, we think that RUF’s latest eco-friendly offering might just be enough to make him stop worrying and love [...]

Lexus Busted For Greenwash Lies. Again.

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:00:21 +0000

For the second time in just over a year, Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority has busted Lexus for making unsupported “green” claims in an advertisement. The Guardian reports that a recent ad for the Lexus RX400h has been pulled for implying “that the car caused little or no harm to the environment and gave a misleading [...]

Who Killed the Hybrid Minivan?

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:35:07 +0000

Where would we be without Digg? Thanks to the collective hysteria of a thousand Diggers, we learn that the Gas 2.0 blog is baffled by the fact that Toyota builds an AWD hybrid minivan that gets 40 mpg and doesn’t sell it stateside. Gas 2.0’s Nick Chambers has fond memories for Toyota’s old Previa, and [...]

Chrysler Reveals Details of Lotus-Based Electric Sports Car

Justin Berkowitz — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:07:47 +0000

Chrysler dropped the other shoe, pre-bailout PR-wise. It’s officially official: ChryCo’s ironically named ENVI group is creating three new electric vehicles: a Dodge sports car (based on the Lotus Europa), a Chrysler minivan and a Jeep. Chrysler claims the plug-in models will go into production as a “fleet” of 100 vehicles next year. They’ll go [...]

GM Begins Construction of $250m Tech Center in Shanghai

Justin Berkowitz — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:12:55 +0000

GM’s burning its way through a reported $1b per month. So shelling-out $250m on a new research and development campus in Shanghai is no biggie. And here’s some PC for your PC: a significant part of the new research facility will focus on developing new green and alternative energy technology (whatever green means). When fully [...]

TTAC Photochop: Hypothetical Audi Electric Car

Andrei Avarvarii — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:16:07 +0000

Audi’s dabbled in small cars for some time. Not all of their attempts have been successful. Despite all-aluminum construction and clever packaging, the A2 was a flop. Audi is back at it, though, unveiling their A1 city car at the Paris show. Considering Audi’s proclivity for up-to-the-second trendiness, it can’t be long before they announce– [...]

Volt Birth Watch 96: Energy Independence

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:26:35 +0000

GM has a long history of offering second rate products that are “nearly as good” as the industry standard, and then telling people to buy them because they’re made in America. The CTS may not be the best RWD sedan on the market, but it’s made in America. The Aveo falls flat compared to say, [...]

Report: Hybrid Taxis Save Gas, Unsafe For Occupants

Justin Berkowitz — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:43:14 +0000

It was only a matter of time until someone had something negative to say about the ever-expanding fleet of hybrid taxis in New York City. While I’m not in the hybrid car fan camp generally, they make perfect sense for a place like Manhattan. Driving takes place nearly exclusively short of 30 mph (except for [...]

Berlin Hearts Electric Smarts

Martin Schwoerer — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:24:50 +0000

Londoners know (because a fleet of almost 100 is already running): the electric Smart fortwo is an big improvement on the original. It’s economical and smooth, without the wheezy engine and the miserable, jerky transmission of the gas-powered (or God forbid, Diesel) version. Greeny Berliners think: electric cars would be the zero-emission way to go, [...]

Fuel-Efficient Cars Won’t Save [The World] California

Edward Niedermeyer — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:13:02 +0000

Automakers should start taking a page from the survival strategies of other easily-maligned industries, starting with the slogan “fuel-efficient cars don’t save the world, people save the world.” This blame-deflecting maxim encapsulates the lessons learned by researchers at UC Davis’s Institute For Transportation Studies while studying options to reduce California’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by [...]

Solar-Power Still Trailing ICE

David Holzman — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:38:06 +0000

The “Solar Taxi” has arrived in Philadelphia a year, two months and 27k miles after it left Switzerland. A substitute high school teacher from Lucerne named Louis Palmer built the contraption, with help from four universities. The three-wheeled cluchtless, gearless gizmo weighs 1,000 lbs, including 500 lbs of sodium-nickel-ceramic Zebra batteries, manufactured by MES DEA [...]

Aptera [Electric] Motors Gives CEO The Eberhard Treatment

Edward Niedermeyer — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:17:57 +0000

The LA Times blog reports that Aptera Motors, makers of press releases and $500 deposit waiting lists, have hired a new CEO. With its $30k EV still in development, Aptera has tipped to former Ford, Chrysler and Saleen man Paul Wilbur for the top spot. In a move that echoes Martin Eberhard’s ouster from Tesla, [...]

Mazda’s Rotary EREV

Justin Berkowitz — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:47:39 +0000

Recent shit-talking about all-electric range by GM's Bob Lutz highlights a crucial benefit of the Volt's Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV- nee "serial hybrid") concept. Though an EREV may be less cost-effective than a plug-in parallel hybrid over the long haul (or not), its initial EV-only range is better. Which means EREV marketers can claim "zero fuel use" for many standard commutes. Autocar reports that Mazda has fallen under the EREV spell, and is hard at work on its own system using a rotary engine as a battery generator. According to "senior sources," testing is "sufficiently advanced that Mazda has a working prototype in a Mazda 5 MPV bodyshell." Unlike GM though, Mazda isn't relying on its EREV to fly it to the moon by late 2010. Start-stop is the first step on Mazda's voyage of eco-discovery, set to deploy in Japan next year and around the world thereafter. There are currently no plans to bring an EREV to market. Still, using a small rotary engine as an electricity generator has lots of potential upside. It eliminates the engine's thirstiness by running constantly at lower rpms, and could actually be more efficient at battery-charging than a standard ICE. Hopefully the system won't be entirely dependent on rotary engines though, as Mazda's sister company Ford will doubtless be interested in appropriating the technology.

E85 Boondoggle of the Day: Or Not?

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:46:29 +0000

As much as we criticize ethanol around these parts, we all use it. E10 is a fact of life, thanks to ethanol’s anti-knock properties and lack of groundwater contamination lawsuits. So what if ethanol were used more intelligently as an additive, instead of being hawked as an alt-fuel? PickupTrucks.com has news that Ford’s second-generation EcoBoost [...]

Tan Drives Detroit Electric’s Kuala Lumpur EV Elise

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:27:20 +0000

Detroit Electric was the company that proved way back in 1911 that an American automaker can make an 80 mile-range EV (albeit with a top speed of 20 mph). When you consider that a brand spankety-new Chinese Zap Xebra gets about a quarter of that range with only a 40 mph top speed, the march of technology doesn't seem too inspiring, does it? Anyway, DE is a Dutch company nowadays, zombified to provide a palatable brand name for Zap's spurious Alias and buses built by China Youngman Group. But neither Zap nor Youngman made with the $100m joint investment they promised, nor the $5m consoloation investment they offered later, according to Earth2Tech. "Most of it had to do with they wanted to do buses first and we wanted to do cars first," says Zap CEO Steve Schneider, invoking long-cliched "creative differences." So Owner/CEO and former CEO of Lotus Engineering Dan Lam shook off the losers (who thought a Chinese bus company and Silicone vaporware hawkers would make bad partners?) and has found new investors for his firm. And this time they have real money and everything: $300m over five years. Though none of the "Dutch, American and Malaysian" investors were named, it's obvious that Malaysian automaker Proton is in on the deal. Paul Tan got to check out DE's three new whips at the irony-free Detroit Electric launch in Kuala Lumpur, and they're all based on Proton models. The good news is that means DE gives the (Proton-owned) Lotus Elise the EV treatment. The bad news is that the Savvy and Persona are along for the ride. The Elise's 4.3 second 0-60 time, 6.5 hour charge time and 200-mile range prove that Tesla didn't exactly reinvent the wheel with the idea of an EV Elise. Especially considering DE have somehow managed to get a manual transmission to work in theirs. DE wants to get cars on the road within 18 months, and the Malaysian government is reportedly rolling out the pork carpet. We shall see.

Toyota Kills PHEV Deposit Scheme

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:10:48 +0000

Most hybrid/EV companies run on deposits. With most "game-changing" products still deep in development, firms often squeeze deposits out of prospective customers to keep cashflow coming before their cars come to market. Not so with Toyota. The LA Times blog notes that Toyota has asked its Palo Alto, CA dealer to stop taking $500 deposits on plug-in Prius models that are still several years from launch. "We asked the folks at Magnussen (Toyota of Palo Alto) to back off a little bit," Toyota spokesman Irv Miller said. "Let us get our product to market and figure out where we're going with it before we start putting the cart in front of the horse." Magnussen has refunded all 25 cash deposits it received, and has created a free waiting list that has already grown to 44. But Toyota's warning to Magnussen isn't stopping other Toyota dealers from collecting cash deposits. "I've got a few people in town who wanted to come in and leave deposits" on a plug-in hybrid, says Matt Meyer, Sales director of Toyota San Louis Obispo. "I'm not going to tell them 'No,' because I don't tell my customers 'No.'" Both dealerships say the deposits are fully refundable, but Toyota could still go after San Louis Obispo with a cease-and-desist. That Toyota is trying to reign in hype rather than spur it on is telling. Not only does it show that its future products will face astronomical demand, it also proves that short-term cash is not worth even a few possibly disastisfied customers. Contrast this approach with Chrysler's un-product EV hype for a quick lesson in how white-hot demand for next-gen powertrains should and should not be exploited.

CNG Boondoggle of the Day: Utah is a Gas (OK?)

Richard Chen — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:38:21 +0000

Yes, it's true: a new series on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE– inspired by T. Boon Pickens' nationally advertised plan to run the whole damn country's auto fleet on CNG. Moron that later. For now, The International Herald Tribune reports that Utah's CNG scene in heating up. And why not? [...]

All Aboard For The Magical Mystery Hydrogen Tour

Edward Niedermeyer — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:53:02 +0000

If business and government both agree that hydrogen is the future, they must be right, right? Well, the "Hydrogen Road Tour 08" has just completed the first hydrogen-powered, cross-country road trip despite the fact that there are only 60 hydrogen stations in he country. So how did the public-private publicity tour [...]

How to Run an Autocross Using Fuel You Made in Your Apartment for Less Than $100

Mike Solowiow — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:49:48 +0000

Wesson veggie oil, lye, high quality methanol, an old margarita mixer, and some patience; thats all you need to create your own batch of pure biodiesel, suitable for use in your average two-year old, raceworthy Jetta TDI. Sure, it looked more like something you would dip your bread in at Olive Garden, but I was [...]

U.S. Car Market: All Hybrids All The Time By 2020?

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:26:05 +0000

The IBM Institute for Business Value polled some 125 automotive executives and "thought leaders." Their final report [via Green Car Congress] concludes that "sustainability concerns" will rule the industry's future. In fact, by 2020, they figure all new cars will incorporate some form of hybridization. Respondents were less bullish on [...]

Tesla Death Watch 16: Number Five is Alive!

Justin Berkowitz — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:13:19 +0000

Actually, we're not sure what number Tesla Roadster is chronicled here. But a private and likely very well off citizen in California has procured one and put a video of himself driving it on Ye Olde YouTube. What we can see from the video is: (1) The carbon fiber hood is very light and (2) [...]

CBS Picks Pickens’ Plan to Pieces

Robert Farago — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:19:44 +0000

The ironically named Kevin Drum takes on once and former oil man T. Boone Pickens' plan for American energy independence. After CBS' Drum has his wicked way with Pickens' not-so-well publicized personal financial interests in the matter, there's hardly a shred of credibility left upon which the Texan can wipe his ass. So to [...]

GM’s ADD is A Gas

Robert Farago — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:13:43 +0000

Even Autoblog knows something's not right when GM announces a $15.5b second quarter hit. ("We're no industry analysts and we don't have any insights into the General's balance sheet, but a $15.5B Q2 loss and four strait [sic] quarters of red ink doesn't sound good at all.") Well, you don't have to be an industry [...]

E85 Boondoggle of the Day: 59% of U.S. Voters Favor Ethanol. Allegedly.

Robert Farago — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:55:31 +0000

Survey takers Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research recently quizzed 800 registered voters about corn juice. They discovered the majority either favored or strongly favored "continuing to increase the use of ethanol, a renewable source of energy, in our nation's fuel supply." Hold on there, what's with the little caveat about "a renewable source of energy?" What [...]

$3,200,000,000,000 for an Oil-Free Future

Robert Farago — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:24:47 +0000

Well, you can't accuse either side of the political spectrum of hanging around while gas prices have opened-up the debate on America's energy policy, or lack thereof. While President Bush has removed the executive order against off-shore drilling (over to you congress), former Vice President Al Gore has asked Americans to help foot the bill [...]

Nissan Unveils Fuel Cell 4×4

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:00:05 +0000

With the traditional SUV well and truly toasted, automakers are going back to the drawing board to tempt consumers back into their AWD profitmobiles. Sales numbers indicate that two-mode hybrid SUVs do not return sufficient mileage to justify their high prices. Resurrecting the segment will require even more sophisticated technology. At [...]

Tesla Death Watch 10: Ride a Painted Pony

Justin Berkowitz — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:38:45 +0000

Tesla Prez and CEO Ze'ev Drori has e-mailed customers with important news! "In large measure we deliberately limit the production until we install our own born and bred final transmission by mid-September, at which time production will start to ramp up leading toward a monthly rate of over 100 cars in December." Translation: Tesla owners [...]

Autoblog Disses ToMoCo for Suggesting Driving Less

Robert Farago — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:17:00 +0000

As Autoblog (AB) didn't see fit to pick-up the gauntlet thrown down by TTAC on the Top Gear drink driving story, we'll blog one of theirs. And hey, wouldn't you know it? AB finally finds their inner snark and wastes it on an entirely sensible post on Toyota's Open Road blog. ToMoCo offers the above advise, including get on your bike (mate) and skip the drive-thru (unless you have a Toyota hybrid, of course). To which AB scribe Chris Shunk replies: "Automakers understand that the buying public is struggling with high gas prices, and the entire industry is working on new technologies to ease our financial burden. Unfortunately, new fuel efficient products are going to take a while to develop on a large scale, so for now we're just going to have to grin and bear it. That is unless you want to follow the wisdom of Toyota, which has dug deep into its core of corporate genius to give the car-driving public this little tidbit of advice: drive less. Wow, the solution was right under our noses the whole time, and we just didn't figure it out." Silly you.

Shai Agassi Wants $100b of Your Taxes for EV Recharge Stations

Robert Farago — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:16:00 +0000

Hey, why not create a national network of electric vehicle [EV] re-charge stations? OK, this video kinda exaggerates the all-important re-charge time. And if those mats recharge your EV in ten seconds, why do you need a car wash-style battery swap stations? These are not churlish questions (which is why we continue to ask Tesla about their Roadster's range and recharge times). They speak to the commercial viability of the entire project. Anyway, go for it Shai! What's that? You want MY tax dollars to pay for all this? AutoblogGreen tells the tale. "Speaking to the House of Representatives Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming (we have one of those?), Agassi said, 'For the price of two months worth of oil, some $100 billion, we can put in place the infrastructure needed to power the nation's cars and end this oil dependence.' Ambitious, no? He then threw in the 'American jobs' angle with, 'Of that $100 billion, moreover, some $80 billion will go into jobs that, by their nature, can only be performed in the US - the construction of the infrastructure itself.'" Other than remarking on Agassi's chutzpah. AutoblogGreen lets the wisdom of federal tit-sucking go unchallenged. We call boondoggle. If it's such a good idea, let the electric companies pay for it.

LA Gets Commercial H2 Station

Frank Williams — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:34:49 +0000

The Detroit News reports Los Angeles has a new hydrogen fuel pump. A commercial hydrogen pump, rather than a fenced-off hydrogen-only fueling station. LA City Councilman Bill Rosendahl showed up in a GM-furnished Equinox Fuel Cell and announced it was "the most joyous moment I've had since being elected to office." Of course, even though it's a commercial fuel station, drivers of the approximate 100 fuel-cell vehicles won't have to pay for the hydrogen they pump. They're all part of "demonstration programs by the motor companies." So what happens when the owners start having to put their debit card in the pump to pay for their fuel like the rest of us? Good question. So far no one's saying how much it costs to produce or dispense the stuff. And apparantly no one cares. The California Air Resources Board is spending $7.7m of the taxpayers' money to open three more fueling stations so they can give away more free fuel to people driving cars they don't have to pay to operate so the anti-ICE crowd can get more ~~propaganda~~ free publicity.

Wild-Ass Rumor Of the Day: Mercedes To Ditch Gasoline By 2015

Justin Berkowitz — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:12:58 +0000

Whenever we talk about alternative powertrains in development, some people (this writer included) inevitably say: gasoline and to a lesser extent diesel are past, present, and medium-term future. But a number of sources claim Mercedes Benz is thinking otherwise; they're dumping the need for petroleum-based fuels in their future products in favor of electric, fuel cell, and (yuck) biofuels. Apparently Benz has spent billions of Euros on a "sustainable mobility" plan. According to the UK's Sun, Mercedes plans to spend another $14b or so in the next seven years to further develop the petroleum-free lineup. Will Mercedes give up sales in all the parts of the world in which there is no infrastructure for electric or fuel cell cars? The hedging response: their cars would still be capable of running on gasoline or diesel-- meaning that biofuel flex fuel cars would satisfy this wild claim from the British tabloid. Even still, huh?

25 X 25. What’s in YOUR Wallet?

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:05:56 +0000

A widely touted goal of the environmental movement: increasing American's percentage of renewable energy use to 25 percent by 2025. According to a report by the RAND corporation, meeting the so-called "25 by 25" goal without significant consumer cost will require "major technological developments." Green Car Congress reports that 9.5 percent of electricity and 1.6 percent of motor vehicle fuel currently comes from renewable energy sources. The RAND report identifies biomass and wind energy as the two greatest opportunities for meeting the 25 by 25 goal. But it also points out that both require significant improvement to make a low-cost impact on renewable energy usage. For motor vehicles in particular, biomass-based (non-foodstock) "second-gen" biofuels must become significantly cheaper and more prevalent. Reducing renewable fuel goals to 10 or 15 percent by 2025 would also disproportionately reduce consumer expenses. Then again, the higher the cost to consumers, the more competitive renewable fuels become. The preceeding was brought to you by the Energy Future Coalition of UAW Boss Ron Gettelfinger's "Marshall Plan" fame. Over to you, taxpayers.

Mazda Testing Hydrogen-Hybrid Premacy

Edward Niedermeyer — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:55:11 +0000

Toyota's dominance in hybrid technology has other OEM's straining to leapfrog on to The Next Big Thing. While GM tries to beat ToMoCo to the PHEV punch, Mazda decided to combine three imperfect technologies into one over-the-top rolling lab. By modifying a Wankel rotary engine to run on hydrogen, and then adding a hybrid system, Mazda's Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid wins the prize for the most complicated possible approach to high-efficiency motoring. But let's not condemn this franken-hybrid to the scrap heap of engineering excess just yet. Wards Auto has learned that the Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport has given the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid permission to undergo testing on Japanese roads. Of the three systems, hybrid technology is clearly the most promising. But Mazda's blind technophilia has mated it to an immature fuel source and an inherently inefficient ICE. Who cares that it gets 124 miles from a tank of hydrogen and boosts power 40 percent over a "standard" hydrogen Wankel. Mazda plans on leasing these people-movers in Japan later this year. Here's hoping that the lease comes with an uncompromising warranty.