Friday, July 31, 2009

Don't buy the hype, says GM; Volt's aerodynamics "superior to most, if not all our competition"

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, GM


2011 Chevy Volt - Click above for high-res image gallery



Back in the 1960s and early '70s, when musclecars ruled America roads, manufacturers were known to either purposely understate (for insurance purposes) or, more likely, overstate horsepower levels in the race to woo buyers to their massively powerful vehicles. Might something similar be happening in today's eco-friendly wars?



According to Chevy Volt Design Director Bob Boniface, yes. In a recent webchat, Lyle Dennis from GM-Volt.com asked how the Volt's aerodynamic properties will compare with other electric vehicles, in particular with the claimed .27 coefficient of drag of Tesla's Model S. Here's what Boniface had to say:

People may think we are skirting the aero issue by not quoting our tunnel figures... If I quote an actual GM-derived tunnel figure, it may not look impressive to you when, in fact, it is superior to most, if not all our competition. It is very much like the horsepower race back in the '60s. The Volt aero performance is second only to the EV1 in GM history.

We should have a bit more to go on soon regarding the Volt's aero properties. Boniface also said that GM would soon be testing a new 2010 Prius in its own wind tunnel and expects the Volt to compare favorably with Toyota's hybrid hatchback.







[Source: Inside Line]

Don't buy the hype, says GM; Volt's aerodynamics "superior to most, if not all our competition" originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hybrid Kinetic Automotive lawsuit settled (somewhat); will unveil 4 prototypes next month

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Filed under: Hybrid, MPG



Hybrid Kinetic Automotive Corp. rendering - click above to enlarge



Remember the lawsuit over the planned Mississippi factory that is supposed to build a "full family" of "affordable green cars" for Hybrid Kinetic Automotive Corp. starting in 2011 and ramping up to full production by 2015? The lawsuit was between Xiaolin "Charles" Wang and Rong "Benjamin" Yeung, the chairman and the founder of the venture, respectively, over who was working for whom. According to a local news report, the Chinese businessmen have settled their differences. The good news? Four prototype vehicles will be unveiled in August and a groundbreaking for the plant is scheduled for later in the fall. The bad - or at least confusing - news? Both men say they have their own plan to move the project forward. To add to the confusion, Wang's company is called Hybrid Kinetic Automotive Corp. while Yeung's is called Hybrid Kinetic Automotive Holdings. The Hybrid Kinetic Automotive website will be shut down in August. Yeah, this is going to go smoothly.



[Source: Sun Herald]


Hybrid Kinetic Automotive lawsuit settled (somewhat); will unveil 4 prototypes next month originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Chevy Silverado XFE updated to achieve best-in-class 22 mpg highway

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Filed under: MPG, Chevrolet, GM, GMC





A couple years ago, the battle of the pickup trucks was all about power and towing capabilities. Now, with volatile fuel prices and an increased focus on the environment, fuel efficiency is the new battleground. For the 2009 model year, the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado XFE took fuel economy up a notch by hitting 21 mpg in highway driving. Ford's new SFE F-150 matched the Silverado's 15/21 numbers. The Blue Oval dropped the SFE for 2010, but kept the improved fuel economy.



General Motors is firing the latest salvo in the new fuel economy war by upping the EPA numbers on the XFE Silverado and Sierra to 22 mpg in highway driving. The move also improves the combined fuel economy of the GMT900 trucks from 17 to 18 mpg. That number now matches the highway fuel economy of the Silverado hybrid, but without the really expensive battery pack.



Chevrolet spokesperson Brian Goebel told Pickuptrucks that the increased fuel economy is due several engineering improvements. The XFE's 5.3L V8 now has variable valve timing, optimized shift pattens in its 6-speed transmission, and Active Fuel Management, which enables the truck to run on four cylinders at cruising speeds.



[Source: Pickuptrucks]

2010 Chevy Silverado XFE updated to achieve best-in-class 22 mpg highway originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: House approves $2 billion more for Cash for Clunkers, Senate votes next week

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Filed under: MPG, Legislation and Policy, USA



The U.S. House of Representatives voted 316 to 109 today in favor of H.R. 3435, a bill that will infuse the Car Allowance Rebate System, or Cash for Clunkers program, with an extra $2 billion. Word came late Thursday evening that the program, which offers consumers a rebate of $3,500 - $4,500 for trading in a "clunker," might be suspended after blowing through its initial funding of $1 billion in less than a week. Lawmakers managed to find the extra money in unused loans for renewable energy systems and pass it through the House today before the body breaks for a five-week-long vacation.

The Cash for Clunkers program will reportedly continue through the weekend and into next week when the funding bill arrives in the Senate where swift passage might not be guaranteed. The original bill that launched the program had many detractors in the Senate, some of who may see this as a second opportunity to either end the program or makes its fuel efficiency requirements even stricter. Even the amount of $2 billion could change - for better or worse - before the bill is approved by the Senate.

What should be obvious to everyone, however, is that if the original funding of $1 billion lasted less than a week, can we expect another $2 billion to extend the program more than another two weeks? The original program was slated to receive $4 billion in funding, but it's now clear that even full funding would've been exhausted far short of C4C's original end date in November. Meanwhile, despite reports from dealers that the program's reimbursement process is a mess, at least we know consumers are out there taking advantage of it.

[Source: CNN Money Autos | Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty]

REPORT: House approves $2 billion more for Cash for Clunkers, Senate votes next week originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jesse James: loves H2, says all electric car fans "are Dungeons and Dragons freaks"

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hydrogen, Green Daily




Last month, adrenaline junkie Jesse James attempted to set a new land speed record in his hydrogen-powered vehicle, sort of a purpose-built H2-rocket. Things didn't go as smooth as James hoped, but he's still a huge fan of hydrogen cars. As part of the promotion for his show Jesse James is a Dead Man - which will air the attempt August 9 - James gave an interview with the LA Times' Brand X blog in which he gave his "not a scientist" viewpoints on the difference between hydrogen and battery-powered cars. In case you're curious, James really, really doesn't like EVs. Instead, he's a fan of his fast hydrogen car because everyone said he couldn't/shouldn't do it. His reasons?
  • I don't want a bunch of people with ... Birkenstocks to show up to the shop now from Oregon. [...] I wanted to prove I can make a car go 200 on water.
  • I like pistons and a crank shaft and putting fuel in something that you know there's a flame and explosion going on there. That's what I like. That's what I've based my whole life on. I think the internal combustion engine will live forever. We just have to figure out a way to make it environmentally friendly and not belch carbon monoxide and hazardous emissions
  • [Electric vehicles are] for dorks. [...] All the people involved with that technology are Dungeons and Dragons freaks. I'm just not that into it. No one's passionate about a golf cart.


For a man like James, converting cars to battery power is "too easy." Oh, and he also calls Tesla "lame." For some insight into how feasible James things hydrogen vehicles are, he told the LA Times that a car that "you can dump water right in. It will have a battery storage system like a hybrid and that will be used with electrolysis to convert water to hydrogen right on-site and you'll be able to run it with water and it'll be fully self-contained, self-sufficient," is one year away.



Gallery: Jesse James



[Source: Brand X]

Jesse James: loves H2, says all electric car fans "are Dungeons and Dragons freaks" originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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German luxury car makers could get partial exemption from CO2 rules

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Filed under: MPG, Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Legislation and Policy


2008 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG - Click above for high-res gallery



It looks like some carmakers could be awarded a partial "get out of jail free" card for the new national greenhouse gas rules announced by the Obama administration in May. The EPA and NHTSA won't issue final rules until later in the fall, but it looks like carmakers that sell less than 400,000 cars a year could catch a break this time around. Apparently, up to one-quarter of the company's fleets would get a four-year exemption. That would allow companies like BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz to sell high-powered M, RS and AMG models without it affecting their fleet CO2 emissions numbers.



The proposed rules would give the automakers less of a break than the California rules, which would have exempted their entire fleets for seven years. Nonetheless, these automakers would still have an advantage over a company like General Motors which competes with some of these cars with the likes of the Corvette ZR1 and Cadillac CTS-V.




Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.



[Source: Wall Street Journal]

German luxury car makers could get partial exemption from CO2 rules originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cash For Clunkers good through today, at least; White House looking for $2b more for CARS

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Filed under: MPG, Legislation and Policy, Green Daily, USA





For vehicles with their engines disabled, the clunkers sure are moving fast.



At 10 a.m. yesterday, a gauge on the CARS website declared that there was estimated $779 million left in the $1 billion fund that is being used to take low-mpg vehicles off the road in exchange for new, more efficient vehicles. Late last night came news that the government was worried that a backlog of unprocessed purchases might mean that the fund was actually almost tapped out and that CARS (cash for clunkers) could be suspended.



So, what's the news today? Well, it looks like people can still trade their clunkers in for now. Michigan Senator Carl Levin told the AP that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood confirmed that CARS deals will be honored at least for today and that some Congresspeople and White House are trying to find money to keep the program alive beyond today. The Detroit News reports that the goal is to find another $2 billion in emergency funding for CARS. The money could come from the $787 billion stimulus bill that was passed in February. Currently, the official CARS site has the following emblazoned at the top: "Qualified consumers may participate in the CARS Program between July 1, 2009 and November 1, 2009 or when authorized funds are no longer available." Not a lot of detail there.



If you're now stuck with a clunker you wish you'd traded in last week, perhaps you'll enjoy the Cash For Clunkers Blues video by 12-year-old Connor James Pasch that you can find after the break. Also on the other side are two clips of just what it means when the clunkers get their engines deactivated. It's not pretty.



[Source: Detroit News, AP]

Photo by dno1967. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.


Continue reading Cash For Clunkers good through today, at least; White House looking for $2b more for CARS

Cash For Clunkers good through today, at least; White House looking for $2b more for CARS originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota expected to lose less money this year thanks to strong hybrid sales

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Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota



2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery



Toyota shocked the auto industry last spring when it announced a nearly $8 billion loss for its most recent fiscal year. All of a sudden, Toyota proved to be just as vulnerable as every other automaker. Today, however, it looks like the combination of strong sales of the all-new Prius and hefty incentives for more efficient vehicles in Japan is helping to bring the company a lot closer to break-even. The company had previously projected an $8.9 billion loss for the current fiscal year; Japanese analysts at NHK think that it could be almost half of that at about $5 billion.



When Toyota NA president Yoshi Inaba was in Detroit recently, he said Toyota was unlikely to return to profitability before 2011 and it would not happen before the North American market recovers.




Photos copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.



[Source: Reuters]

Toyota expected to lose less money this year thanks to strong hybrid sales originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Renault releases ECO2 version of the Renault Kangoo

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Filed under: MPG, Renault, Germany





A panel van able to carry an euro-sized pallet a distance of 100 kilometers while burning less than 5 liters of diesel has arrived: the Renault Kangoo Rapid ECO2. The model, the larger sibling of the Kangoo Express Compact (the model that the all-electric Z.E. is based on), received the standard "green label" treatment that many other models go through in Europe: low-rolling resistance tires, aerodynamic improvements and low-friction engine oil. All this works together to create a van that is able to carry about a half-ton payload at a fuel economy rate of 4.9 l/100 km (48 mpg U.S.). Renault designed this model to get as many tax reductions in Europe as possible; it also saves between €400 and €1,000 per year in fuel, according to Renault Germany.



[Source: Renault Germany via Auto News]

Renault releases ECO2 version of the Renault Kangoo originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota expected to lose less money this year thanks to strong hybrid sales

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Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota



2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery



Toyota shocked the auto industry last spring when it announced a nearly $8 billion loss for its most recent fiscal year. All of a sudden, Toyota proved to be just as vulnerable as every other automaker. Today, however, it looks like the combination of strong sales of the all-new Prius and hefty incentives for more efficient vehicles in Japan is helping to bring the company a lot closer to break-even. The company had previously projected an $8.9 billion loss for the current fiscal year; Japanese analysts at NHK think that it could be almost half of that at about $5 billion.



When Toyota NA president Yoshi Inaba was in Detroit recently, he said Toyota was unlikely to return to profitability before 2011 and it would not happen before the North American market recovers.




Photos copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.



[Source: Reuters]

Toyota expected to lose less money this year thanks to strong hybrid sales originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Renault releases ECO2 version of the Renault Kangoo

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Filed under: MPG, Renault, Germany





A panel van able to carry an euro-sized pallet a distance of 100 kilometers while burning less than 5 liters of diesel has arrived: the Renault Kangoo Rapid ECO2. The model, the larger sibling of the Kangoo Express Compact (the model that the all-electric Z.E. is based on), received the standard "green label" treatment that many other models go through in Europe: low-rolling resistance tires, aerodynamic improvements and low-friction engine oil. All this works together to create a van that is able to carry about a half-ton payload at a fuel economy rate of 4.9 l/100 km (48 mpg U.S.). Renault designed this model to get as many tax reductions in Europe as possible; it also saves between €400 and €1,000 per year in fuel, according to Renault Germany.



[Source: Renault Germany via Auto News]

Renault releases ECO2 version of the Renault Kangoo originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Peugeots are coming to Petit Le Mans! now about those Audis...

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Filed under: Diesel, Audi, Peugeot, Racing





Peugeot has confirmed that for the second year in a row it will be sending its 908 HDi prototypes to Atlanta in September for the Petit Le Mans. Peugeot will be looking to follow up their victory at Le Mans last June with their first win at the ALMS flagship race. In France, Peugeot had a resounding victory over Audi's new R15 TDIs but, so far, the biggest competition in Atlanta will be the LMP1 Acuras. Peugeot will be bringing two of the 908s to Georgia for the race that, along with Sebring, is increasingly becoming known as a warm-up for the 24-hour race in France.



There have been repeated rumors that the R15s would return to the U.S. for the final two races at Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca for several months. We checked with Audi Motorsports spokeswoman Eva-Maria Veith and she told us, "There is no decision made about any more races with the Audi R15 TDI this year. I hope that we will know more in the near future." Hopefully an official commitment from Peugeot will prompt Audi to try and avenge their loss in France.



[Source: American Le Mans Series]

The Peugeots are coming to Petit Le Mans! now about those Audis... originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ratan Tata: All future Jaguars and Land Rovers to feature aluminum construction

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Filed under: Hybrid, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lightweight



2010 Jaguar XJ - Click above for high-res image gallery



Jaguar has been touting the aluminum-intensive construction of its XJ sedan since the previous-generation model was introduced back in 2003. According to the automaker, the use of aluminum in lieu of steel can lead to an impressive 40 percent reduction in weight. That's bound to have positive effects on driving dynamics, performance and efficiency.



With its latest redesign, Jaguar claims to have improved its aluminum architecture even further, so it's not surprising that the company has plans to extend the technology to the rest of its line. According to Ratan Tata, chairman of the company that now owns Jaguar Land Rover, "JLR is planning to have all its future cars constructed with light weight aluminum bodies resulting in considerable savings in weight, and reduction in CO2 emissions."



To go along with the newfound reduction in weight, Jaguar Land Rover is known to be experimenting with hybrid powertrains. A kinetic energy recovery system may be in the cards for the XJ line in 2011 while Land Rover has been working on an Electric Rear Axle Drive that could debut in the upcoming LRX compact Range Rover.







[Source: Motor E Magazine]

Ratan Tata: All future Jaguars and Land Rovers to feature aluminum construction originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, July 30, 2009

REPORT: Cash for Clunkers could be dead

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Filed under: MPG, Legislation and Policy, Green Daily



Congress allocated close to $1 billion for the Cash for Clunkers program. That's billion with nine zeros. And all that money might be gone by midnight tonight. This, according to reports by both the Detroit Free Press and Edmunds AutoObserver. We learned earlier that the C4C program has proved to be much more successful than initially thought, with 22,782 consumers taking advantage of between $3,500 to $4,500 federal duckets for their old "clunkers" during the programs first five days. In fact, so many people are taking the feds up on the deal that dealers are worried they are going to lose track of all the trade-ins. The Department of Transportation (DOT) could announce the suspension of the program as soon as tonight. In fact, they could announce that all the money is gone and the program is over. We gotta wonder what John Maynard Keynes would make of all this.

UPDATE: As of 9:41PM EST Friday, the Detroit Free Press is reporting that White House administration officials alerted Congress this evening that the Cash for Clunkers would be suspended, though White House officials have denied the report. Confusion is running rampant at this point, but it seems that the $950 million allocated for reimbursement of passenger car and light truck rebates is all but gone and government officials will spend Friday figuring out how to find more money for the program and untangle the reimbursement process for dealers.

[Sources: FREEP, AutoObserver | Image Source: Theo Heimann/Getty]

REPORT: Cash for Clunkers could be dead originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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