May 2009

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Daimler Takes a Stake in Tesla

May 28, 2009 in Biz News, EVs, Future Cars, small cars by kristen | 1 comment

Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler has acquired a 10% stake in California EV upstart Tesla Motors. The two companies have been working together to develop a battery pack for Daimler’s future electrified Smart car, as Tesla chair Elon Musk announced in Detroit earlier this year.

While Daimler is learning from Tesla’s lithium-ion know-how, including the development of battery packs and recharging systems, Tesla is taking advantage of the bigger, older company’s experience and supply chain to develop its own, supposedly less expensive Tesla Model S electric vehicle.

There are already 100 electric Smart cars testing in London. The results of this partnership with Tesla will produce 1,000 second-generation Smart EVs, which will be built at Smart HQ in France and used in pilot European programs.

And Mercedes fans, start saving up now. The company promises to introduce an electric M-B in 2010.

Image courtesy of Daimler AG.

Ford EcoBoost: Power and Fuel Economy

May 27, 2009 in Consumer News, New Tech by kristen | No comments

Ford couldn’t have picked a better day to throw a party for its fuel-efficient, turbocharged, direct-inject EcoBoost engine — the same day President Obama announced his new fuel economy standards.

The 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine will go on sale this summer in the Ford Flex, Ford Taurus SHO, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT. According to Ford, the V6 is able to deliver V8 performance in a smaller, more fuel-efficient package.

For 2010, though, Ford will introduce an inline-four EcoBoost engine with even more emphasis on mpg over hp. No models have officially been named for the smaller EcoBoost engine, though the Ford Fusion sedan may be a candidate, according to Automotive News.

Image of drag racing Fords with EcoBoost engines courtesy of Ford Motor Company.

CAFE Standards: What You Need to Know

May 26, 2009 in Biodiesel, Bioethanol, Consumer News, EVs, Hybrids, Hydrogen, MPG, PHEVs, diesel, small cars by kristen | 2 comments

Last week, President Barack Obama announced new CAFE standards. While these new numbers seem like a big leap to require auto manufacturers to make, they were a long time in coming. Fuel economy standards hadn’t been significantly revised in nearly a decade. The new standards have the benefit of being constructed with input from auto makers and states who wanted higher standards, so a bunch of potentially expensive and contentious lawsuits were dropped as a result. Whew.

Here’s how it all breaks down:

  • The average fuel economy of the manufacturers’ car and light truck fleets will increase by 5% every year beginning in 2012 and ending in 2016
  • Cars must average 39 mpg; light trucks and SUVs must average 30 mpg by 2016
  • Overall average will be 35.5; current overall average is 25 mpg
  • Will go hand-in-hand with EPA initiative to reduce tailpipe CO2 emissions by 40%

What’s not known is how extended-range electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt or hydrogen cars like the Honda Clarity will figure into the calculations. The feds say they’re working on it.

If you’d like this information in a live, five-minute video starring yours truly, check out Portland’s KGW NewsChannel 8.

Ford Fusion Hybrid Email Hoax – and a Quick Car Review

May 21, 2009 in Consumer News, Hybrids by kristen | No comments

If you get an email offering a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid to a lucky few buyers for $15,500, don’t bite. It’s a hoax. The Ford Fusion Hybrid MSRP starts at $27,270, if you’d like to get yourself one for real.

I was at a press event for the Ford Fusion Hybrid in April, and I got to test drive the car for a few minutes on busy city streets. My quick-take review is that it is a solid-feeling full hybrid that can run on electric power only for quite some time. When the gasoline engine does engage, it’s barely noticable. The LCD dashboard gives the driver as much or as little information about power and fuel economy as she wants, and it looks cool while it does it. Those animated leaves you see in the commercials? They’re for real.

As soon as I can get my hands on a Ford Fusion hybrid for a full review, I’ll post it here. But my first impressions were favorable, if it’s on your short list for a new car.

Mercedes to Produce Hydrogen-Powered Cars, Smart EVs

May 20, 2009 in Biz News, EVs, Hydrogen, small cars by kristen | No comments

Mercedes announced that it will produce a small number of hydrogen-fuel call cars for real-world testing in Europe by the end of the year. The cars will be small, but not micro-sized like the company’s teeny Smart car.

Speaking of which, the electric-powered Smart cars that Mercedes promised will be in production by the end of 2009, too. Berlin will get to test them first, so hold on a little longer, EV enthusiasts, while the Germans work out the kinks.

Image of the Smart EV at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show by Kristen Hall-Geisler.

Bentley Goes Greener, Gets Recycleable

May 19, 2009 in Biodiesel, Biz News, Future Cars by kristen | No comments

Bentley, maker of high-end British cars, announced that all of its Continental models will be 85% recycleable (or 95% recoverable). This in addition to its promise to make its entire lineup FlexFuel compatible by 2012.

The company pointed out that it has also reduced gas, water, and electricity consumption by 25% over the past nine years while the number of cars that roll of the assembly line has grown by ten times in the same period.

It may be a moot point, though, this recyclability, as the company also pointed out that 70% of all Bentleys ever built are still on the road. Longevity and the low miles these cars usually rack up may be the greenest things about any large luxury car. That and the green it takes to buy one in the first place.

Photo by theignitionpoint.co.uk.

Green Power for International Engine of the Year

May 18, 2009 in Hybrids, MPG, diesel by kristen | 3 comments

More than 60 new engines have entered the race for 2009 International Engine of the Year, a title which has gone to BMW for the past four years running. Hybrid engines from the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight have won in the past, and with new incarnations on the market this year, one of them may win again. Diesel engines from Mercedes-Benz and Renault are on the slate, along with non-green engines like BMW’s V8 in the 750i and Jaguar’s 5-liter V8.

The overall winner will be chosen by an international panel of 65 auto journalists (alas, I was not invited). There are also categories divided up by engine size, along with Best New Engine, Green Engine, and Performance Engine. Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive engine has taken the Green Car (formerly Fuel Economy) prize every year since 2004, when it wrested the title away from Honda.

This year’s winners will be announced in Stuttgart, Germany, at the Engine Expo, held June 16-18.

Photo by Kristen Hall-Geisler.

Best Buy Gets into the Electric Bike Biz

May 14, 2009 in Consumer News, EVs, Two Wheels by kristen | 1 comment

West Coast Best Buy stores will get a charge out of the electronics giant’s latest offering: electric-powered bicycles. Best Buy will sell six EV bikes and two scooters built by Izip, as well as the A2B electric bike by Ultra Motor. Prices range from $300 to $2,000, according to Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.

Electric bikes allow the rider to choose pedal power or battery power. They don’t go very fast — usually 15-20 mph max — nor do they go very far without some work on the rider’s part, maybe as much as 30 miles. But for longer bike commutes, or to arrive at work without having to shower and get in a workout on the way home, a battery-powered bike may do the trick.

Image of the Izip Urban Cruiser Enlightened courtesy of Izip.

Interstate 5 Gets Closer to Green Goal

May 13, 2009 in EVs, Future Cars, PHEVs by kristen | No comments

Several California counties, the state of Oregon, and now Seattle have hopped on the electric interstate idea by signing EV-charging infrastructure deals with Nissan. The car company plans to introduce its EV in limited numbers next year, and it wants to have recharging stations in place.

With San Diego and Seattle on board, the ends of Interstate 5 are pinned in place with EV charging agreements. Coverage along I-5’s length is spotty so far, though, so don’t plan a road trip in your Tesla just yet. Also, as John O’Dell reported on the Green Car Advisor blog, Seattle’s hydroelectric power source makes it the first utility in the world to be able to lay claim to the carbon-neutral crown.

Nissan’s EV has been making the rounds on the West Coast lately, with the technology tucked inside a Nissan Cube. The company won’t confirm that the final vehicle design will be based on the Cube, nor will it let journalists take a peek inside the battery pack. I assume details will be coming this fall as the first versions, suitable for real-world testing, become available.

VW Launches Diesel Tutorial Site for Americans

May 12, 2009 in Biodiesel, Consumer News, MPG, diesel by kristen | No comments

Well, anyone can visit the site to learn about Volkswagen’s TDI clean-diesel engines, but it’s aimed at U.S. car buyers, who are still a bit leery of the technology.

The first hurdle in America is cost. In Europe, gasoline carries a heavy tax, making diesel vehicles the cheaper choice in the long run, despite higher initial cost. VW wants to convince us here in the U.S. of the value of fewer fill-ups and great gas mileage — like the nearly 40 mpg I got in the Jetta TDI Sportwagen.

Second is the lingering perception that diesel is stinky and gross. Thanks to strict emissions standards in the U.S. — and stricter standards on the way — diesel is no longer the sooty, smelly mess of a fuel that it used to be. Clean diesel pretty much lives up to its name, and VW rival Mercedes has a tail-pipe treatment in the BlueTec system that cleans the emissions further.

Don’t forget the benefits of biodiesel, especially when it can be made from post-consumer oils. VW has long been on the biodiesel wagon, even allowing customers to use it without violating the warranties on their new diesels.

I was at a meeting with Stefan Jacoby, CEO of VW North America, last week. He said VW is leaning heavily on its clean-diesel and improved gasoline technologies to improve fuel efficiency by as much as 50% in the next few years rather than investing heavily in hybrids and EVs. We’ll find out in the next decade how that strategy plays out for VW, versus the likes of GM’s Chevy Volt extended-range EV or Mitsubishi’s i MiEV.

Image by Kristen Hall-Geisler.

Tata Nano: Small Car, Big Hit

May 11, 2009 in Biz News, Future Cars, MPG, small cars by kristen | No comments

The much-anticipated Tata Nano, the world’s least-expensive new car, has already made a splash in its native India, where 203,000 orders have already been placed.

According to the New York Times’ “Wheels” blog, the company is only capable of building 100,000 units in the first run of the Nano. Tata will draw the names of those lucky first hundred thou from the pool of applicants. Surprisingly, only 20% of the orders placed were for the least-expensive model. Half of the orders were for the Nano LX, which for $3,300 adds power front windows, a heater, fog lamps, and exclusive Sunshine Yellow paint.

Image courtesy of Tata.

Piaggio’s Plug-In Hybrid Scooter Coming to America

May 7, 2009 in Consumer News, Hybrids, PHEVs, Two Wheels by kristen | No comments

Italian scooter builder Piaggio is bringing a plug-in hybrid version of its Piaggio MP3 three-wheeled scooter to the U.S. by 2010. The model is burlier than a traditional two-wheeled scooter, thanks to the stability of two closely spaced front wheels, but otherwise it fits the profile of scooter commuter fun.

The New York Times Wheels blog gave the PHEV MP3’s specs:

  • 125-cc gasoline engine
  • lithium-ion batteries
  • 140 mpg estimate
  • $10,000 or so
  • available Q1 2010

Ford Fusion Gets 81.5 MPG

May 6, 2009 in Hybrids, MPG by kristen | 3 comments

Last week, a team of Ford engineers, hypermiler Wayne Gerdes, and NASCAR driver Carl Edwards pushed a new 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid to its fuel economy limit, racking up 81.5 mpg–and $8000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The foursome traveled over 1400 miles of highway and city streets in the greater (much greater) Washington, DC, area in about 48 hours. The Ford Fusion, a full hybrid, is rated at 41 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and can get 700 miles on a tank of gas. This team, with careful driving but no modifications, doubled that.

I’ve been in the new Fusion hybrid for a short jaunt, and I was impressed with its capabilities as a gas-sipper and a comfortable sedan in the little time I had with the car. With the right drivers and a good-gas goal, it seems to be capable of more than I suspected, though real-life numbers are likely to be closer to the EPA estimates.

Image of the team breaking the seal on the gas tank at the end of their 1447-mile run on a single tank courtesy of Ford.

Row, Row, Row Your Car: The HumanCar

May 5, 2009 in Consumer News, EVs, Future Cars, MPG, New Tech, small cars by kristen | No comments

Oregon-based HumanCar Inc. made some big announcements recently — including the fact that the company plans to build its HumanCar neighborhood electric vehicle and sell it to the public. The open-topped car may not seem too practical in rainy Oregon, but its lead-acid batteries can store energy to be used at home, should you need a little extra juice.

Where, you might ask, does the human come into play in the HumanCar? While the batteries can be charged at any standard 110-volt outlet, they can also be topped off by people power. The car seats up to four humans, and each seat has an oar-like handle. The occupants can “row” the car for a bit to generate energy that can be stored in the cells and used later.

The HumanCar NEV is limited to 35 mph, but the FM-4 is limited only by your good health. It’s powered solely by people.

No More Gasoline in Norway?

May 4, 2009 in Biodiesel, Bioethanol, EVs, Hybrids, Hydrogen, New Tech, PHEVs by kristen | 1 comment

Norwegian Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen has proposed to ban all gasoline-powered cars from Norway by 2015. Hybrid gasoline-electric cars would still be allowed, as would extended-range electric vehicles like the Opel Ampera (that’s Chevy Volt to us Americans). Biofuels would make the cut, too.

Halvorsen has no intention of busting down garage doors in the middle of the night to take away gasoline cars. The new rules, if enacted, would apply only to new cars sold in 2015 or after. Her idea is to push car companies to make cleaner-running cars, not to wreck the Norwegian economy–even though Norway is the sixth largest oil exporter in the world, according to Reuters. On the other hand, Norway is home to electric-car upstart Think.