alternative fuel vehicles
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The latest episode in the long-running drama over whether U.S. drivers will be offered gasoline with more ethanol in it came very early Saturday morning. The House of Representatives adopted an amendment to a continuing resolution on Federal spending through September 30 that would bar the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from acting on its plan to permit distribution and sale of gasoline with up to 15 percent ethanol, known as E15. The measure now goes to the Senate, where ethanol enjoys more support. A compromise continuing resolution must be passed by March 4 to avoid a shutdown...
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Renewable Car: Wind-Powered Vehicle Crosses Australia
It may not be the most practical of designs, but a German duo recently succeeded in crossing much of Australia in a wind-powered car. They set records for longest distance traveled in such a vehicle, as well as a 36-hour distance record and others. Dirk Gion and Stefan Simmerer both developed and...
IEEE Spectrum -
Researchers: 100 Percent Green Energy Possible By 2050
We approach energy policy with care here, since GreenCarReports is largely about ... well, cars. But a recent article claims it could take just 40 years to convert the bulk of the world's global energy usage from fossil fuels to renewable energy, primarily wind and solar power. That's not only...
John Voelcker -
EPA To Approve E15 Gasoline Blend For 2001-2006 Vehicles Too
Following its October approval of E15 gasoline for 2007 or newer cars, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is to announce today that it will expand the approval to cars from the 2001 through 2006 model year as well. E15 contains 15 percent ethanol, half again as high as the legal maximum today...
John Voelcker -
Electric-Car Deliveries? Mercedes-Benz Says, Hey, Fuel Cells Too!
It's the week of green-car delivery publicity. Nissan delivered its first Leaf in San Francisco Saturday (and three more in San Diego, Portland, and Southern California this week), and not to be left out, Chevy delivered a Volt this morning in New Jersey. Well, damnit, says Mercedes-Benz, we...
John Voelcker -
Russian Billionaire's Natural-Gas Hybrid Electric Car, Yo
Never let it be said that Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov doesn't put his money where his mouth is. He plans to invest 150 million euros, or about $200 million, in a new company that will build the world's first production natural-gas series hybrid vehicle. The car will be called Yo, which is...
John Voelcker -
Last summer, when Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne lauded his company's line of European vehicles that run on compressed natural gas, it may have seemed like an off-the-cuff remark. But in fact, natural gas may be the only green or alternative fuel that Chrysler can feasibly adopt in any kind of reasonable time. Mainstream models first Newly managed and partially owned by Italian automaker Fiat, Chrysler's main task has been to modernize its archaic lineup of non-truck passenger vehicles. Almost every vehicle it sells has been upgraded for 2011. The restyled models, with all-new interiors...
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Want To Lease a Fuel-Cell Vehicle? That'll Be $850 A Month, Please
Finishing our last few stories from the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, we realized we forgot one piece of consumer news: Mercedes-Benz started taking orders for its 2011 B-Class F-Cell hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle last month, and now it has announced the price. So what does it cost to lease a compact...
John Voelcker -
Hydrogen Refueling Ramps Up In Norway
A new hydrogen refueling station supplied by the Danish company H2 Logic will be installed just outside Oslo, Norway in summer 2011 as part of Norway’s “hydrogen highway“. Together with another planned Oslo hydrogen station in 2011, this means Norway will have one of the...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Kia Teases 2012 Forte Hybrid Concept at SEMA Custom Show
One of the joys of the huge, splashy, raucous SEMA show in Las Vegas is seeing what manufacturers toss up in the air to show off. Kia brought several customized cars, one of which falls into the green category: a propane-fueled mild hybrid version of its new, and well-received, Forte compact sedan...
John Voelcker -
Why Buy Green Cars? For the Cost Savings, Not the Planet, Survey Says
If you're reading this site, there's a good chance that you're interested in driving green: saving fuel, perhaps reducing the overall impact of your transportation choices on the planet. Or maybe not. Maybe, like the vast majority of U.S. buyers, you're interested in better fuel economy not for...
John Voelcker -
EPA Certifies Fuel With Up To 35 Percent Renewable Diesel
While ethanol in gasoline remains a point of contention among automakers, ethanol producers, and the Congressman who love them, renewable diesel fuel seems to be moving quietly forward. Late last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency certified an ultra-low-sulfur diesel blend containing...
John Voelcker -
Russia. Onion domes, remnants of Communism, enormous natural-gas reserves, and a fierce love of Vodka. These elements have now somehow combined to convince Mikhail Prokhorov--reportedly Russia's wealthiest man, new owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team, newly-minted publisher of the New York-based Snob magazine, with rumored ties to the Russian Mafia--that he should start a new car company in Mother Russia. It plans to build natural-gas powered hybrid electric cars--distinguished by standard two-tone paint, no less--dubbed, for now, the City Car. The Prokhorov City Car isn't the...
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Bad News For Electric Cars: Consumers Don't Understand Them
Despite the hype and the near-ubiquity of the Toyota Prius (pictured), most Americans remain leery of buying alternative-fuel vehicles. That’s probably because they don’t have the basic knowledge to understand it, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive. The survey...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Venture Capitalist Khosla Sour on Electric Cars at Disrupt Green Panel
Vinod Khosla, dynamic founder of Khosla Ventures and Kevin Skillern, managing director of GE energy financial services, both just spoke on the “GreenTech Gurus” panel at TechCrunch Disrupt. Here are some highlights of the discussion. On investment in cleantech: Khosla (pictured, above)...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Range Fuels Opens Plant to Commercialize Methanol
Range Fuels, one of the more successful biofuel startups backed by Khosla Ventures, announced today that it has opened up its first commercial plant to make cellulosic methanol out of non-food feedstocks. Located in Georgia, the facility is expected to pump out 20 million gallons of ethanol and...
John Voelcker -
Who's Buying Green Cars? Not Only Consumers, But Big Fleets Too
Most of the focus on new green cars--like the 2011 Nissan Leaf, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and a slew of new and existing hybrids--has been on how consumers will adapt to them. But in fact, a portion of early years' production of any of those cars is likely to go into car fleets maintained by state...
John Voelcker