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

Toyota iQ-based Aston Martin Cygnet concept Even supercar and luxury GT makers are finally starting to think green. Bentley is trying out E85 and possibly working on a hybrid. Same goes for Ferrari . Lamborghini is even adopting solar power, at least for its factory. The latest premium brand to step to the plate is Aston Martin. Sure, the fine folk from Gaydon have already used E85 in some of their racecars, and Prince Charles is even driving a wine-powered Aston , but we just got news that the firm is taking a big step down in order to lower their carbon footprint. Aston Martin has announced the world’s first super luxury supermini. Having blown their development budget on the V12 Vantage RS , Rapide and One-77 hypercar, they turned to an unlikely partner for some help: Toyota. Aston Martin has taken the Toyota iQ 3+1 commuter and given it a tailored suit from Savile Row. The result is the new Aston Martin Cygnet you see above. In case you’re wondering, “cygnet” is a baby swan. Although technically just a concept, word has it that the vehicle will be put into limited production and sold exclusively to existing Aston Martin owners, at least initially. There’s a full press release after the jump , but the Cygnet should sell for around £20,000 when it goes on sale late next year. The car will retain the iQ’s unique 3+1 seating but will be tailored to the individual customer’s needs when it is assembled in Gaydon. We only have the one photo for now, but from what we can see it doesn’t look half bad with that distinctive Aston Martin grille, hood cutouts, side vents, and of course, the winged badge. Follow the jump for the presser. [Source: Toyota via Autocar ] Continue reading REPORT: Toyota iQ to underpin smartly dressed Aston Martin Cygnet Filed under: Etc. , Aston Martin , Toyota REPORT: Toyota iQ to underpin smartly dressed Aston Martin Cygnet originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Last December, Green Car Advisor’s Nick Kurczewski was able to snag a ride in MDI’s AIRPod . Now, the lucky punk journalist has taken a turn behind the wheel. The short version of his review: this could be the car of the future and it feels like an amusement park ride, but it’s no Millennium Falcon. Seriously. As we know, the Air Car uses compressed air to power a small two-cylinder engine. The 180cc poweplant produces 5.4 horsepower, but MDI is working on a upgraded AIRPod GT will have 8 hp. Kurczewski says the AIRPod’s joystick steering is modified from the original design, which would have seen the speed and deceleration controlled by the stick as well as direction. That complicated-sounding mess has been scrapped in favor of more traditional pedals + joystick. Check out all the details - including why driving a bubble car with no openable windows in June is not a good idea and how MDI plans to bring dozens of AIRPods to airports and universities and other locations around the world - over at Inside Line . Thanks to throwback for the tip! [Source: Inside Line ] Filed under: Emerging Technologies Driving the airless Air Car could be a better experience originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

For all the family vacations, he drives to practice, the trips to the burger stand, letting us “help” when we weren’t really helping, and for not yelling at us too much when we shot cap guns at other cars out the open back window from our rear-facing seats in the family station wagon: Thanks, Dad. From all of us at Autoblog to all the dads out there, Happy Father’s Day! Got any fun dad/car stories? Share ‘em below. Happy Father’s Day from Autoblog originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Motorsports , Etc. , Lifestyle Former WRC driver Colin McRae died just before the game bearing his brand, DiRT, was released. That game didn’t get a chance to honor the 1995 WRC champion, but the game’s sequel, DiRT 2 , will make up for that. In addition to a host of off-road events that you can run in a variety of off-road vehicles, there will be a Colin McRae Memorial Cup that you can qualify for. Other drivers in the game will also be heard talking about McRae, and he is “the central figure in the narrative.” As a step to pay tribute it is commendable, and it’s good to see that Mr. McRae hasn’t been forgotten. [Source: Joystiq ] DiRT 2 will honor Colin McRae in-game originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Time Warp , Misc. Auto Shows 2009 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, Day 1 - Click above for a high-res gallery The web is all about immediacy, and by that token, you should have seen these Greenwich Concours d’Elegance photos right after the event happened. Your humble correspondent, however, was juggling the Concours with his own family vacation preparations, and couldn’t deliver in a timely fashion. However, like Dick Nixon , I’m now tanned, rested and ready, so follow the jump for several themed photo galleries and the annual rundown on what you missed if you weren’t able to make the stop in Greenwich, All photos Copyright (C)2008 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading 2009 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance 2009 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Spy Photos , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Aston Martin A Car magazine reader has photographed the Aston Martin Rapide looking like it could have come off a dealer lot. The snapper also peeped the inside, which he said has a full-length console a la the Mercedes CLS to create four distinct seating positions. Aston has, however, said that those rear seats are for “children or two adults on shorter journeys.” The slinky black number also sports a serious set of pipes out back that we expect to put out a beautiful soundtrack. And thank goodness the car has a hatch like the Vantage, which means — in a first for current Aston Martins — it could have a proper trunk. Like the kind you can actually put things in. [Source: Car ] Spy Shots: This is your Aston Martin Rapide originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Tuners , Hatchbacks , Honda Mugen Honda Civic Type-R hatch - Click above for high-res image gallery Honda’s Euro-market Civic Type R hatchback has been called out for being a successor that hasn’t exactly succeeded. Seems a bit of the thrill is gone from the new car compared to the old one. Enter tuning firm Mugen, whose modifications to the Type R hatch should make it even better than it once was. Not much is known about the changes in store. However, based on changes made for Mugen’s Japan-spec Civic Type RR 4-door sedan, these pictures, and the fact that this car might take on the Renault R26.R, you can expect much: upgraded suspension and 18-inch wheels, giant front splitter and rear wing, huge exhaust, and a powerplant putting out 237 bhp and 160 lb-ft. If the pictures don’t lie, however, it looks like the bigger Brembo brakes might not appear, and the back seats will remain in place. You can check out the details for yourself in the high-res gallery below. Gallery: Mugen Civic Type R Hatch [Source: 4 Wheels News ] Mugen Civic Type R hatchback restores former glory originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Time Warp , Dodge , Police/Emergency Over at Clunkbucket, Mike Bumbeck has an “odd rod” feature highlighting one of the more interesting law-enforcement vehicles we’ve ever come across. Back in the early 70s, the Bay Area Pollution Control District decided to form a Vehicle Patrol section to issue citations to emissions scofflaws. Officers used a chart that told them what color color smoke was “good” or “bad” to determine whether the exhaust spewing from cars’ tailpipes was in compliance. Nowadays, this sort of endeavor would likely be carried out by humorless glorified metermaids in politically-correct Toyota Priuses. Back then, however, jauntily-dressed pollution-enforcement agents cruised the streets of San Francisco in specially-liveried Dodge Polara pursuit specials. Because, you know, when you think “clean air” you think “Dodge Polara.” Head over to Clunkbucket for plenty more photos, some additional program history, and details on the excellent replica you see above. [Source: Clunkbucket | Photo: Mike Bumbeck] Irony Police: ‘73 Dodge Polara Air Pollution Control replica originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

Filed under: Lifestyle , UK , Celebrities World of Top Gear Exhibition opening day - Click above for high-res image gallery From the impossible-to-kill Toyota pickup truck, to the amphibious cars the three presenters created to cross the English Channel, to the Reliant Robbin Space Shuttle they tried to put into orbit, our fondest memories of Top Gear over the years almost always seem to center around the ridiculous vehicular challenges that the show’s producers provide for Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond. Soon, anyone wishing to catch a first-hand glimpse of these machines will get their chance as the U.K.’s National Motor Museum just opened the doors to its new World of Top Gear exhibition. Also on display will be a full-scale reproduction of the stage where Top Gear is filmed before a live studio audience, the infamous Cool Wall, and the Celebrity Lap Time board. Want to know more? Click here to visit the official website and hit the jump to read the press release. Gallery: World of Top Gear Exhibition [Source: National Motor Museum Beaulieu] Continue reading World of Top Gear exhibit opens in UK World of Top Gear exhibit opens in UK originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments