-
1. Sorry, You Can't Drive That Canadian Car in Canada
-
2. Video: Indy racer says he gets better mileage on ethanol
-
3. If the Nissan Titan lives on, it might get a diesel
-
4. Will NYC get the congestion charge in early 2008?
Sorry, You Can't Drive That Canadian Car in Canada
Alistair Croll - Startups
Although there’s been a lot of coverage of Tesla and other high-profile electric vehicles, a different class of cars — dubbed low-speed vehicles (LSVs) – already popular in Europe, are gaining traction in the U.S. market as well. These cars, which are licensed in a manner similar to scooters, offer yet another viable option for urban commuters.
Despite their growing availability, electric cars face several important challenges:
- Many use nickel-metal-hydride batteries, which take a long time to charge. Others use lead-acid batteries, which are difficult to dispose of in any kind of sustainable way. And lithium ion batteries (the same ones used in many laptops) have a nasty habit of bursting into flames when pierced, as evidenced by recent laptop battery recalls.
- The power behind home-charged cars often comes from coal or other unsustainable sources, and the transmission of power over the grid to the home is extremely inefficient. This is one reason Chevrolet’s Volt concept car has an internal combustion engine that’s not attached to the drivetrain — it’s more efficient to produce power from gasoline within the car itself than it is to generate it in a power plant and send it over miles of wires.
- The replacement cost of all those batteries is prohibitively high. The Tesla Roadster is powered by 6,831 lithium-ion batteries, the total replacement cost of which is around $25,000. And the world’s supply of lithium is limited to the Andes and Tibet (with minor reserves in Nevada and Australia); Meridian International Research speculates that we may simply not have enough raw materials to satisfy an electric vehicle boom.
Despite this, demand for plug-in electric cars is growing.
Plug-ins offer reduced emissions, lower ownership costs and a smaller environmental footprint. Proponents of plug-in vehicles cite a Department of Energy study that estimates hybrid vehicles reduce greenhouse gases by 22 percent, and plug-in hybrids by 36 percent. And if they're recharged overnight (allowing energy providers to smooth out load) the efficiency of plug-in cars is even greater.
In the hydroelectric-rich Canadian province of Quebec, plug-in cars make even more sense. But until recently, a plug-in LSV made there had still not been approved for sale in the country.
Zenn — whose name is short for short for zero-emissions and no noise — makes an all-electric LSV that can charge from a normal 110V outlet. In recent months, a strong Canadian dollar has hurt exports, making domestic sales even more important. In fact, British Columbia’s Dynasty Electric Car Co, which makes a variety of electric vehicles under the brand name “It,” announced it was shutting down domestic operations.
Canada’s national news channel, the CBC, brought the story of the Zenn to light in an October report, noting that the vehicle is already on the road in the U.S. and Mexico and has even won awards in Europe. Finally, last month, the Canadian Minister of Transport pushed the federal certification through.
But you still can’t drive a Zenn in Canada – the vehicle has to be approved in each of the country's provinces.
Video: Indy racer says he gets better mileage on ethanol
Lascelles Linton - e85
Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, MPG
In the video above from the Sundance Channel show, Big Ideas for a Small Planet, an Indy race car driver says he gets better mileage on ethanol. First he says racing can be green, that the car gets more power on ethanol and then he says he gets a lot better mileage. So much better mileage, in fact, they had to shrink the size of the fuel tank. Here is the exact quote:
First thing that we've noticed with the transition, from the ten percent to hundred percent ethanol this year, is that we have a broader power band and more torque. So the car is pulling better and accelerating better out of the corner. We also have gotten a lot better mileage, so we are reducing the size of the fuel cell from 30 gallons down to 22 gallons. We are out there testing this under the toughest conditions that we can and that's going to make better-performing cars that can run ethanol more efficiently out on the road.
FYI, "fuel cell" in Indy race cars are just fuel tanks and have nothing to do with hydrogen fuel cells. Anyway, this is the tipping point for me. I think it's high time we get some serious money behind researching and getting to market technology that makes ethanol more efficient than gas. If half of what this Indy racer (and this study) says are true, ethanol engine technology should be the first and central focus ahead of hybrids or hydrogen.
Related:
- Study: non-flex fuel cars get better fuel economy on ethanol
- Video: Toyota racing series the first to use cars powered by E85
- Can any car use E85?
- Is Biowillie misleading customers?
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
If the Nissan Titan lives on, it might get a diesel
Sam Abuelsamid - nissan-diesel
At the introduction of the Nissan Forum concept, VP of Product Planning Larry Dominique talked about diesels beyond the 3.0L V-6 being developed for the Maxima. If the slow-selling Titan pickup truck survives into the next decade, Nissan wants a diesel engine to put in it. By that time, all of the domestic truck makers will have new clean diesel engines in their light-duty pickup trucks. Even Toyota has a new 4.5L diesel V-8 in foreign market versions of their new Land Cruiser that could be adapted to the Tundra. That leaves Nissan looking for a partner. They had been negotiating with International Truck, who currently supply diesels to Ford for their Super Duty pickups. However, those talks have apparently not panned out. According to Dominique, Nissan is still trying to find the right partner.
[Source: Nissan]
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
Will NYC get the congestion charge in early 2008?
Sebastian Blanco - bloomberg
Filed under: Legislation and Policy, Green Daily
At least as early at April 2007, public officials in New York City were publicly engaged in a discussion about instituting a congestion charge in the Big Apple. Heck, Mayor Bloomberg even had the daily dollar amount picked out: $8. But the plan faltered and we haven't heard much recently. Until now. According to the New York Sun, Bloomberg is "likely to win some sort of "congestion pricing" plan by the spring now that the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, is on board with developing a plan to reduce Manhattan traffic by charging a fee to drivers." So, what will happen?
The details remain unknown, and the Sun says we'll probably have to wait until we approach the March 31 deadline for final approval from the City Council and state Legislature to find out more. That $8 idea? "No chance," says the Sun. That plan was made ultra-confusing by including full rebates for drivers who paid tolls coming into Manhattan (in some cases already $8, in others, $5) and Council members are paying close attention to how the charges will affect their burroughs. This won't be an easy fight, but it smells like something's cooking and will be ready in the spring.
[Source: New York Sun via Winding Road]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment