MINI E - click above for high-res image gallery BMW has gotten a lot of press (some bad ) for their MINI E project. Even though the all-electric car comes with a plug, the plug-in advocacy group Plug In America (PIA) has a problem with the way that the Bavarians might be able to get a lot of legislative good will without really putting EVs on the road for good. PIA released a statement (read it after the jump) that criticizes CARB’s loophole that could allow BMW to get as many Zero Emission Vehicle credits for the one-year lease of the electric cars as it would for a standard vehicle production program. PIA’s legislative director, Jay Friedland, said that, “CARB is allowing BMW to game the system by accruing the maximum number of ZEV credits with the least amount of effort.” Friedland said that lease-only programs are what led to the EV crush-fest in the 1990s, something that long-time PIA members still remember as a real slap in the face. PIA wants BMW to only get the credits if the MINI Es are also offered for sale. Another criticism of the lease program is that, according to CARB, when the June 30 deadline got closer and closer, BMW began: dumping dozens of cars into municipal fleets to be leased for only $10 a month, most recently pulling some of those vehicles from retail consumers who had been willing to pay full price and complied with the nearly 8-month process required to get one of the cars . Not long ago, we heard that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department got a good deal on some MINI Es . CARB’s response was to say that it will look at its regulations next year and that “we’ve urged BMW to consider extending that one-year lease.” Undoubtedly, there will be more to come on this. Gallery: MINI E [Source: PIA, Reuters ] Continue reading Plug In America criticizes CARB loophole that could help BMW with its MINI E Filed under: EV/Plug-in , BMW , Legislation and Policy Plug In America criticizes CARB loophole that could help BMW with its MINI E originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Tomberlin Anvil NEV - Click above for image gallery Tomberlin, a manufacturing and distribution company based in Georgia, recently unveiled the Anvil, its latest low-speed electric vehicle, on the CBS News Early Show. As a neighborhood electric vehicle, the Anvil is capped at a top speed of 25 miles per hour and is legal on roads in the U.S. with a speed limit of 35 mph or less. Base price for the Anvil will be $16K. Tomberlin is claiming a 40-mile range from the aptly named 1,797-pound (with six 12-volt batteries installed) Anvil, which reportedly features a powerful 50-horsepower motor, front disc and rear drum brakes and an on-board charger that can plug into any standard wall outlet. What probably sets the Anvil apart from most other NEVs is its interesting appearance. Looking something like a mashup between a Jeep Wranger, a Hummer H2 and a golf cart, the Anvil doesn’t really look like any other low-speed electric vehicle in recent memory - for better or for worse. Click past the break for two short videos of the Tomberlin Anvil in action. Gallery: Tomberlin Anvil [Source: Tomberlin , Dealernews ] Continue reading Tomberlin releases Anvil NEV [w/VIDEO] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle) Tomberlin releases Anvil NEV [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Hybrid transit buses using the GM-Allison Two-mode hybrid system are becoming fairly common in North America with several thousand now on the road. In the UK however, the two-mode buses are brand new, with the first four recently going into service in London. The two-mode hybrid transmissions are installed in Optare Tempo bus chassis that are being used as part of a hybrid test program in the British capitol. Several different hybrid systems are being evaluated by Transport for London. The two-mode hybrid is the basis of the system being used by General Motors in its full-size SUV and pickup trucks. The only difference (other than size) is that the light duty versions have a clutch system that provides up to four fixed gear ratios and direct mechanical drive for better highway efficiency. Since the buses typically operate at lower speeds, this isn’t needed. The buses use a 340 hp diesel engine and a nickel metal hydride battery pack. Gallery: London two-mode hybrid buses [Source: Allison] Continue reading Two-mode hybrid buses debut in the UK Filed under: Hybrid , UK Two-mode hybrid buses debut in the UK originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Dean Kamen’s Stirling-powered hybrid scooter patents - Click above for image gallery We’ve known about Dean Kamen’s work on the Stirling engine for hybrid vehicle use since the inventor introduced the DEKA Revolt late last year. According to some recently-filed patent applications, though, it would seem that Kamen has lots more up his sleeve for the good ‘ol Stirling engine, including a possible hybrid scooter. According to Gizmag , Kamen is thought to be using a prototype scooter featuring the Stirling hybrid powertrain at his personal residence on an island a mile off the coast of Connecticut . From the patent drawings, we can see a that the Stirling engine is mounted at the rear of the bike while a rechargeable battery pack for the electric motor sits under the scooter’s floor. According to the report, Kamen has invested some $50 million into the development of the Stirling engine, though it’s unclear whether there are any possible production plans for this particular hybrid scooter. Gallery: Stirling-powered hybrid scooter patents [Source: Gizmag ] Filed under: Emerging Technologies , Hybrid , On Two Wheels , Green Daily Dean Kamen working on hybrid scooter with Stirling engine originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Honda and everyone else may not think there is much of a market for mainstream diesel vehicles in the United States, but Volkswagen would beg to differ. Since it launched its new generation diesels last fall in the Jetta and earlier this year in the Touareg, they have been selling like hotcakes with June being its best month yet. Last month was the best sales month to date for the Sportwagen with 1,982 sales, a whopping 81 percent of those were equipped with the 2.0-liter TDI four cylinder. Among the 8,431 Jetta sedans sold in June, 40 percent were also diesel powered. And while the Touareg followed most other SUVs with a 41 percent overall decline to only 330 units in June, 29 percent of those had the 3.0-liter V6 TDI engine. Rabbit sales were down 69 percent in June, but a redesigned Golf is arriving in September including a TDI and, if fuel prices keep climbing through the summer, it could get a huge sales spike as well. Gallery: In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI [Source: Volkswagen] Continue reading Diesels grab 81% of Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen sales in June Filed under: Diesel , Volkswagen Diesels grab 81% of Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen sales in June originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Iceland is a gorgeous place. Just take a look at these Flickr submissions from the island. The country’s finances aren’t quite so pretty these days, and the reality of the financial crisis is dramatically slowing down the country’s attempted shift to a hydrogen economy . Iceland has been testing hydrogen-powered vehicles for years, and the first hydrogen fueling station opened there in late 2007. One reason for the move to hydrogen is that the island country can fairly easily use geothermal energy to make hydrogen from water. The New York Times says that the shift to get all ground transportation vehicles and some boats to hydrogen power “have been set back at least 10 years and may have to be altered to allow for electric cars.” The problem? The cost of fuel cells and the down world economy. A professor of chemistry at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik told the Times : In the past years, teams from all the big car manufacturing companies visited us and said they intended to market fuel cell-powered hydrogen cars shortly after 2010. Of course, because of the current world crisis, there will be a delay . Those of you rooting for electric vehicles to win out over H 2 , don’t forget that the Mitsubishi iMiEV is currently undergoing testing in Iceland . Of course, a busted economy can sink all ships, so don’t enjoy the schadenfreude too much. [Source: New York Times ] Photo by Neate Photos . Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0 . Filed under: Hydrogen , Europe/EU Financial crisis delays Iceland’s hydrogen transportation project originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Diesel’s near-term prospects in America took a huge hit with the revelation that nine diesel-powered 2010 models are on hold. Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have put the kibosh on rolling out more oil burners due to cost and perception issues. Toyota’s obviously on a hybrid run and doesn’t want to expelnd the effort or expense of investing in diesel for the American market - and having to overcome America’s dirty diesel perceptions. The others, as mass market manufacturers, simply need more justification for the cost and complexity of oil burners in order to make the case for consumers to spend more. Additionally, diesel’s benefits are weighted differently according to EPA or CAFE standards. The EPA mileage numbers present diesels well, but CAFE’s differing fuel mileage equation makes gas-hybrids look better than diesels, and CAFE is something all automakers are looking at. However, you’ll notice that German brands aren’t mentioned - their price premium and European diesel volumes make a worthwhile case for diesels, so those diesel Jetta Sportwagons won’t be going away any time soon. Gallery: 2008 VW Jetta CleanTDI [Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.] Filed under: Diesel , MPG Dead Diesels: Six automakers reportedly kill plans for oil burners originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

And the battle goes on . Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and his company are fighting back in court against ex-CEO Martin Eberhard. Tesla spokeswoman Rachel Konrad sent us copies of two motions filed on June 29 in California Superior Court in San Mateo. In short, the defendants are claiming that Eberhard’s claims are utterly baseless . Tesla is proclaiming that Eberhard’s action is a SLAPP suit (SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) and is an attempt to intimidate and silence a critic by burdening him with a costly, time-consuming legal defense. Konrad goes on to explain: “Please note that this isn’t a “counter claim.” Rather, Tesla is seeking an “anti-SLAPP motion” to get Eberhard’s meritless lawsuit dismissed because: Eberhard’s lawsuit is a personal attack full of false statements, and it paints a fictitious picture of Tesla’s history that is sharply at odds with the truth. Eberhard’s lawsuit seeks to stifle robust debate and create a “chilling effect” on the right to free speech. As the filing states, “His lawsuit is nothing more than an attempt to curb open discourse on matters of importance to the public and to extract money from Tesla in the bargain. He also takes the extraordinary (and hypocritical) step of seeking an injunction that would prevent Musk from exercising his free speech rights in public or private.” Interestingly, the motions were filed and copies were sent to ABG before Eberhard had received them or they had been posted on the court web-site . You can read the two Tesla motions here and here . [Source: Tesla Motors] Filed under: Tesla Motors Tesla files motion for dismissal of Eberhard lawsuit originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Coda sedan - Click above for high-res image gallery Is the Detroit News becoming a home for anti-electric vehicle advocates? Last week, the News published a mostly confusing article by Manny Lopez that criticized the DOE loan that Tesla received . Another column, this one by Neil Winton, is titled, ” Electric cars attract hype, but reality is less exciting ” and gives Winton’s European perspective on the EV market. Winton makes more coherent points than Lopez, but he still comes down pretty hard on EVs, citing range issues and price as the two big hurdles. This is certainly something we’ve heard before, and Winton isn’t convinced by EV supporters who say things will work out just fine if governments give the cars one more push (tax break, R&D funding, etc.). As a warning, Winton points to the Wankel rotary engine and its rise and fall in the 1960s. Winton relied on a market forecast by CSM Worldwide for some of his predictions. CSM found that ” enthusiasm for electrification has lost all contact with reality,” according to Winton. CSM’s numbers predict that, globally, there will be just 132,000 plug-in vehicles (pure EVs and hybrids) from major automakers in 2015. Previously, CSM has declared that microcars won’t play a big (pardon the pun) role in the U.S. market . Gallery: Coda EV live Coda sedan photos Copyright (C)2009 Mike Levine [Source: Detroit News ] Filed under: EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Green Daily Columnist: electric vehicle hype needs to be tempered originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

When the subject of algae comes up in relation to biofuels, it’s usually concerning biodiesel. That’s because algae are very high in oil content. However, one of the main reasons for interest in algae is that it grows fast and consumes a significant amount of carbon dioxide. With that in mind, there is no reason algae couldn’t also be used to produce ethanol. A company called Algenol has refined strains of algae specifically for ethanol production in salt water. Algenol has submitted a grant application to the Department of Energy to build a pilot plant in cooperation with Dow. The plant, located next to a Dow facility in Freeport, Texas, will consume carbon dioxide produced by Dow’s operations to grow the algae in bio reactors. Dow intends to use ethanol primarily in the production of plastics to replace petroleum. However, the ethanol could be used as a fuel as well. Algenol hopes to get the production price of its algae ethanol down to $1 per gallon. Not only does the process consume carbon dioxide at the net rate of 1.5 million tons of CO 2 per 100 million gallons of ethanol, it also transforms salt water into fresh water. [Source: Algenol, Dow ] Continue reading Dow and Algenol producing ethanol from algae and saltwater Filed under: Ethanol Dow and Algenol producing ethanol from algae and saltwater originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments