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French Government Declares Car Feebates System a Success
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| Basic parameters of France?s feebate system. Click to enlarge. |
French environment minister Jean-Louis Borloo declared a bonus/malus (?feebate?) system introduced to encourage car buyers to make greener purchase choices a success.
According to official figures, sales in France of vehicles...
Con Edison of New York Orders Three E450 Hybrids from Azure Dynamics
Con Edison of New York has placed an initial order with Azure Dynamics for three Balance Hybrid Electric vehicles, based on the Ford E450 chassis.
The Azure Balance Hybrid Electric system specified by Con Edison has attributes such as engine-off at idle and at below 20 miles per hour, while...
Toyota to Accelerate Development of HEVs, PHEVs and EVs; Downgrades Sales Target for FY2009
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| Watanabe characterized the rapid change is the US market toward more fuel-efficient vehicles as structural. Click to enlarge. |
Outlining Toyota?s response to rapidly changing global market conditions, growing environmental issues and increasing material costs, President Katsuaki Watanabe said...
Ricardo Ramps Up China Operations
Ricardo is undertaking a ?highly substantial?, two-phase development of its Shanghai-based operations is to take place in the remainder of 2008. The first phase?the move to a new technical center?includes a tripling of the existing working area, with space for a staff of approximately 100...
GM’s Opel Introduces New Corsa and Astra ecoFLEX Models
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| The Opel Astra 1.7 CDTI ecoFLEX. |
In Europe, GM Opel is introducing two new ecoFLEX (earlier post) diesel variants of the Corsa and Astra for model year 2009: the Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoFLEX and the Astra 1.7 CDTI ecoFLEX.
The Corsa 1.3 CDTI version has a fuel consumption rating of 4.1 L/100km (57.4...
Mazda Debuts Kazamai Direct-Injection Crossover Concept at Moscow Show
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| The Mazda Kazamai. |
Mazda Motor Corporation used the Moscow Motor Show (28 August-1 September) to debut its Mazda Kazamai concept car?an implementation of Mazda?s current ?Sustainable Zoom-Zoom? strategy. The Kazamai concept crossover showcases how Mazda could combine its aggressive design with...
California Toyota Dealer Taking Deposits for 2010 PHEV Prius
Felix Kramer of CalCars reports that Magnussen?s Toyota of Palo Alto (California), one of the US? top Prius dealers, has decided to begin taking $500 deposits for plug-in 2010 Priuses.
One Toyota dealer moving ahead of the pack will encourage others, and help speed the arrival of PHEVs into the...
MAN Introduces Euro 5 and EEV Diesels Without SCR, Hybrids
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| The MAN D08 CR engines meet Euro 5 and EEV limits without any SCR aftertreatment. Click to enlarge. |
At the 62nd IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hanover, Germany (25 September - 2 October), MAN Nutzfahrzeuge will premiere a range of new diesel engines with EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) that...
Ford Testing Shows Eco-Driving Improved Fuel Economy an Average 24%
Tests performed by Ford Motor Company and Pro Formance drivers found that 48 motorists coached by eco-driving experts saw results ranging from 6% fuel economy improvement to more than 50%, depending on their driving style and ability to master eco-driving behaviors. The average fuel economy...
Chrysler May Off-Load Viper Business
Chrysler LLC said that it may sell the Dodge Viper business, and has retained Lazard as its financial advisor in connection with a review of strategic options for the unit.
The Viper is a two-seat, high-performance sports car first introduced as a production model in 1992. Earlier this year, Dodge...
DNV Leading Project for CO2 Pipeline Standards
DNV, a Norway-based provider of global risk management services, together with major industry partners, is developing new standards for the transportation of CO2 in pipelines.
Current pipeline standards do not take into account considerations related to the pipeline transmission?both onshore and...
UNEP Report Urges Global Energy Subsidy Reform, Including Cutting Fossil Fuel Subsidies; Reductions in GHG Emissions and Increase in Global GDP
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| Economic value of energy subsidies in Non-OECD countries, 2005. Click to enlarge. Source: IEA World Energy Outlook 2006. |
Globally, approximately US$300 billion?0.7% of global GDP?is spent annually on energy subsidies. The bulk of this is being used to artificially lower or reduce the real price...
Lignol Confirms Site for its Cellulosic Ethanol Demo Plant
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| Lignol?s biorefinery technology. Click to enlarge. |
Lignol Innovations Inc., the US subsidiary of Canada-based Lignol Energy Corp., will build its cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant in Grand Junction, Colorado?an approved change from the originally proposed site adjacent to Suncor Energy...
Mitsubishi Motors to Make 2,000 i-MiEV EVs in 2009
Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMC) will produce 2,000 i-MiEV electric vehicles in 2009, the year the model will be launched in Japan, President Osamu Masuko said Tuesday.
The Japanese automaker will raise its annual output to 4,000 units in 2010 and then accelerate mass production, Masuko told Japanese...
Flint Approves Tax Breaks for GM Engine Plant for Volt and Cruze
Detroit News. The Flint, Michigan City Council approved GM?s request for tax incentives to support a $359 million investment in a 530,000-square-foot plant in Flint, where workers will build 1.4-liter engines for the Volt as well as its new compact car, the Chevrolet Cruze (Family 0 engine...
Mitsui Chemicals to Build Pilot Facility to Study Process for Methanol Synthesis from CO2
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| MCI?s methanol synthesis process. Click to enlarge. |
Mitsui Chemicals Inc. (MCI) will begin construction of a pilot facility which will be used to continue the company?s efforts to develop a process to synthesize methanol from CO2.
MCI has been pursuing the development of a process for the...
Shifts in Energy Supply/Demand and Biofuels Capacity Challenging Refining Industry; US Could Become a Net Exporter of Gasoline
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| Refiners face changes in regional supply/demand balances, affecting global trade flows and refining margins. North America will reduce its need for gasoline; Europe will get shorter in diesel;, and Asia will continue to be thirsty for fuels in general. Click to enlarge. |
The refining industry is...
Report: Costs for New ZAP EV Plant More Than 2x Initial Estimates
Greentechmedia reports that the currently projected cost for the plant for Integrity Automotive, a new joint venture to produce ZAP electric vehicles in the United States, is more than double the initial estimate.
The new plant is expected to begin rolling out vehicles in a year, said Randall...
ADM, Deere, Monsanto to Collaborate on Corn Stover Research
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| Current availability of biomass from croplands, under current crop yields, tillage practices and average 40% recovery potential. About one-fifth of this 194 million dry/tons per year is currently used. Click to enlarge. Source: DOE, USDA (2005) |
Archer Daniels Midland Company, Deere &Company...
Ford Invests $75M to Prepare Truck Plant for Small-Vehicle Production
Ford Motor Company will invest $75 million in Michigan Truck Plant?s body shop to prepare for small-vehicle production. The move paves the way for Michigan Truck to convert to a car plant that will begin producing global C-car based vehicles in 2010.
The plant will begin converting its body shop in...
Report: BMW Shows Most Improvement in European Fuel Efficiency; Auto Industry Will Fall Short of CO2 Targets
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| European automakers? average CO2 emissions for 2007, and the calculated targets for 2007. (See notes below.) Click to enlarge. |
BMW AG improved fuel efficiency in 2007 at four times the average rate of other major manufacturers, according to an analysis of European Union data commissioned by...
Oxygen Expands Lithium-ion Battery Orders from Valence for Electric Cargoscooter
Valence Technology, Inc. has expanded its relationship with Oxygen SpA, a company based in Padua, Italy, and a developer and distributor of light electric vehicles. (Earlier post.) As part of a recently signed $2 million purchase order, Valence will supply lithium phosphate battery systems over the...
SunEthanol Collaborates With MBI to Scale-Up Cellulose BioEthanol Process
SunEthanol, a biofuels company developing consolidated bio-processing (CBP) technology based on the ?Q Microbe? (Clostridium phytofermentans) (earlier post), is collaborating with MBI International to scale-up a fermentation method for producing ethanol from non-food agricultural feedstocks.
MBI is...
Coalition of 12 States Sues EPA Over GHG Emissions from Refineries
The state of New York is leading a group of twelve states, the District of Columbia, and the City of New York in a suit that challenges the EPAs refusal to require new or renovated oil refineries to install technologies that control greenhouse gas emissions.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo?s...
Mahindra & Mahindra Delays Entry of Diesel Pickup in US to 4Q 2009
LA Times. Mahindra & Mahindra has pushed back the launch date of its diesel compact pickup trucks (earlier post) for the US from next summer to the fourth quarter of 2009.
The reason? Execs at Global Vehicles, based in suburban Atlanta, say Mahindra ordered up more testing to make sure the...
Report: Toyota’s Limited Price Hikes Highlight Internal Differences in Strategy
The Nikkei reports that Toyota Motor Corporation’s (TMC) restriction of price increases in Japan to hybrids and commercial vehicles (earlier post) resulted from internal dissension in the company over whether to prioritize sales or profitability.
Focused on improving earnings, Toyota’s...
Argonne and KPM Developing New Efficient Process for Extracting Hydrogen from Hydrogen Sulfide in Unrefined Petroleum, Including Oil Sands
Researchers at the US Department of Energy?s Argonne National Laboratory and Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. (KPM) of Kingston, Ontario are developing a new process to extract and reuse pure hydrogen from the hydrogen sulfide that naturally contaminates unrefined oil, including oil sands. The...
Minnesota Gasoline Sales Drop 9% in July, E85 Sales Up 16%
Retail sales of gasoline in Minnesota in July 2008 declined 9% compared to sales in July 2007, according to figures from the Minnesota Department of Commerce. As gasoline sales declined, the amount of ethanol-based E85 sold during the same period increased by 16%.
Minnesota motorists bought...
Mitsubishi and Partners Launch R&D Project for EV Charging Infrastructure with Renewable Energy; Vehicle-to-Home Prominent
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| The EV recharging infrastructure designed by the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Click to enlarge. |
Mitsubishi Corporation recently launched a new R&D project in collaboration with Tokyo Institute of Technology (T. Tech), Tostem Housing Institute Co., Ltd., GS Yuasa Power Supply, Ltd....
Nissan Begins Producing Flex-Fuel Livina Models in Brazil
Nissan has begun producing its first passenger cars, the Livina and Grand Livina, in Brazil. In order to respond to local market needs, the Livina family will be offered for the first time with flex-fuel engines, allowing the use of gasoline, ethanol or any combination of both.
Prior to the...