Good Green Cars » emissions

Toyota Engineers Carbon-Offset Flowers

kristen — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:44:24 +0000

I’m not sure if this is science at its best or a bit creepy: Toyota has created two new species of flower to offset the carbon emissions at its Prius factory in Japan. And that’s not even counting the grass. Or the fact that they planted the flowers in a sunset pattern.

According to Popular Science:

The Toyota version of cherry sage absorbs greenhouse gases through its leaves
The Toyota version of gardenia acts as a humidifier to cool the factory grounds and reduce the need for a/c
The Toyota grass, which used to need mowing three times a year, now only needs a trim once a year

Is Toyota harnessing the power of science for good or evil? Grow your opinions in the comments.

2010 Ford Flex to Use Straw-Based Plastic

kristen — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:04:07 +0000

Ford Motor Company announced that it will be using a wheat-straw-reinforced plastic in the interior storage bins of the 2010 Ford Flex. While this might seem like a baby step — and it is — Ford says the change to a 20% wheat-straw plastic will reduce petroleum use by 20,000 pounds per year and CO2 emissions by 30,000 pounds per year. The wheat straw itself is a byproduct of processing the grain.

These numbers are drops in the pollution bucket, but you have to start somewhere. Ford says it will be using the biomaterial in other places and other vehicles in the future. This is in addition to Ford’s soy-based polyurethane seat cushions and headliners, seat fabrics made from post-industrial recycled yarn, and post-consumer recycled resins for underbody covers.

A wee bit of wheat trivia, courtesy of the Ford press release: This isn’t the company’s first foray into the wheat world. In the 1920s, Henry Ford developed Fordite, a mixture of wheat straw from his farm, rubber, sulfer, silica, and more, that he used to make steering wheels.

X Prize Contenders at SEMA 2009

kristen — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:50:05 +0000

A dozen of the contenders for the Progressive Automotive X Prize were on hand in the “Making Green Cool Zone” at SEMA 2009 in Las Vegas. I’ll keep the text short — you know by now that this is a competition to create a buildable, drivable car that gets 100 MPGe with a $10 million purse — so you can peruse the cars below.

Team Hydrophi Ford 500 PHI Ride
Team Future Vehicle Technologies eVaro
Team Edison 2 Very Light Car
Team EVI Wave 2
Team Tango
Team Optamotive Surge
Team Aptera 2e

Do We Even Need Cars Anymore?

kristen — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:44:32 +0000

It’s no surprise to learn that people are buying fewer cars these days than they have in years. An article in the Sunday New York Times by Micheline Maynard explores why exactly that is, and it’s pretty encouraging. While the expected reasons rise to the top of the pile, like the awful economy and a turn toward the green side of transportation, there are more nuanced reasons in there.

What Ms. Maynard found, in a nutshell:

One woman would rather spend her limited funds on health insurance than a car, insurance, and parking
Empty-nesters are moving from suburbs to cities and shedding cars as they go
Personal transportation like the P.U.M.A. may gain traction among carless commuters
And, of course, people have switched to bikes and public transportation for environmental reasons

The article explores the major shift away from car purchases as an emotional, status-based purchase. Have you given up your car? Are you car sharing? Car pooling? Riding a bike, like 8% of Portland, Oregon, commuters? Do you feel like you have to have a car, given your commute or family situation? Tell us your experience in the comments.

Meet the Nissan Leaf Electric Car in Person

kristen — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:36:08 +0000

Nissan announced dates for its Nissan LEAF (did you know they capitalize that name? Me neither) Zero Emission Tour in the next few months. No test drives — the car on tour is a left-hand drive Japanese prototype — but if you’ve got questions about the car, or electric cars in general, I’m sure the Nissan reps would be happy to answer.

Most of the dates are on the alterna-fuel lovin’ West Coast, with stops in Detroit to rub it in and Tennessee, where Nissan has its U.S. headquarters.

The sked:

Southern California
Los Angeles: Nov. 13-17
Orange County: Nov. 18
San Diego: Nov. 19-21

Northern California
Berkeley/Walnut Creek: Nov. 23-24
San Francisco: Nov. 25-29
Santa Rosa: Dec. 1
Sacramento: Dec. 1
San Jose: Dec. 3-6

Pacific Northwest
Seattle: Dec. 8-12
Vancouver, Canada: Dec. 14-15
Portland, Ore.: Dec. 17-23

Southwest
Phoenix/Tucson: Dec. 30-Jan. 5
Las Vegas: Jan. 6

Midwest/East Coast
Detroit: Jan. 11-13
Knoxville/Chattanooga, Tenn.: Jan. 16
Middle Tennessee: Jan. 19-21
Washington, D.C.: Jan. 26-28
Raleigh, N.C.: Jan. 29
Orlando: Feb. 1-2

Texas
Houston: Feb. 5-6

New York
New York City: Feb. 9-14

Speed Bumps Generate Irritation, Electricity

kristen — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:13:25 +0000

It’s no secret that speed bumps are irritating, but it may help to know that driving over them will generate electricity — at least at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C. or a McDonalds in New Jersey.

The speed bumps, called MotionPower, are built by New Energy Technologies. According to a post on the New York Times’ Wheels blog, the action of a car driving over the bump sends the energy to a generator. A green light comes on to let you know it’s working.

No word on how much electricity the speed bumps actually generate, but it should be enough to power roadsigns or streetlights. It’ll be on the market sometime in the next couple of years, and cost about $2000. I know a street here in Portland that could power the nearby middle school if it replaced its seemingly dozens of speed bumps with these babies.

The French Get Smart – Electric Smart

kristen — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:58:15 +0000

Daimler says that the electric Smart Fortwo will go into large-scale production at a plant in Hambach, France, as early as next month.

The first run of 1000 electric Smarts will be built in November 2009 and delivered to customers by the end of the year (Merry Christmas!). The car will be at full production and in Smart car dealerships by 2012, said Daimler Chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche.

Specs for the new electric Smart Fortwo:

Lithium-ion battery housed between the axles
30 kW motor in the rear
88 lb-ft of torque from the get-go
80-mile range
0-62 mph in 6.5 seconds
Max speed limited to 100 km/h (62 mph)

What Should an EV MPG Rating Look Like?

kristen — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:03:03 +0000

The Environmental Protection Agency has been working diligently on a new system to rate the fuel efficiency of alternative-fuel vehicles. It’s turned out to be tricky, as the dust-up over GM’s claims of 230 mpg for the Chevy Volt and Nissan’s follow-up claims of 367 mpg for its electric leaf showed up this summer.

While the EPA is working this out, the New York Times “Wheels” blog asked a few folks in the know what they thought the fuel economy rating should look like on the window sticker. A few of their suggestions are below; what would you the potential alt-fuel buyer like to see? Tell us in the comments.

ETV Motors of Israel wants three pieces of information: the all-electric range, the electric efficiency in miles per 10 kW hours, and gasoline fuel efficiency for plug-in hybrids
Think! of Norway wants to measure energy usage during a standard driving cycle, maybe with a star rating
Coda Automotive prefers to see the battery range and a statement about the car’s emissions-free status

Mitsubishi to Bring Two New Electric Concepts to Tokyo Show

kristen — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:21:27 +0000

When the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show opens later this month, Mitsubishi will have 16 vehicles on display, including to new electric vehicle concepts. Of the remaining 14 Mitsubishis at the show, 10 are current production models that qualify for eco-tax deductions in Japan. That leaves four gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing vehicles.

But, to go back to the future, let’s take a look at the Mitsubishi PX-MiEV and i-MiEV Cargo:

Mitsubishi PX-MiEV

Plug-in hybrid system
115 mpg
Super All-Wheel Control and Electric-Powered Active Yaw Control for better performance
Two motors, one at each axle
Smart-grid ready

Mitsubishi i-MiEV Cargo

Adds rear space to the current i-MiEV microcar
Cube-shaped luggage space with a flat floor for maximum usable space
Overall height rises to just over 6 feet

Images courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors.

House of Representatives Gets a Hybrid

kristen — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:59:30 +0000

The U.S. House of Representatives took delivery of its first hybrid today, and what do you think it was? A Toyota Prius? A Honda Insight? A Ford Fusion? None of the above, it turns out. They got a Peterbilt Model 330 Hybrid Electric Truck.

The big, bad Peterbilt will be used to haul furniture and office supplies around the Washington, D.C., metro area with 30% better fuel efficiency and reduced tailpipe emissions. The truck is built in Texas, making it a home-grown green-power win. The plan, according to Daniel Beard, Chief Administrative Officer for the House, is to replace their aging fleet with newer, low-emissions vehicles.