Alt Fuels
-
Illegal delete kits and tampering with emissions equipment is so common that is creates more noncompliant vehicles than the VW diesel scandal, a new EPA report suggests.
-
California gives automakers until end of year to come clean on emissions cheatsCARB is offering carmakers a grace period on non-compliance or defeat devices—before higher fines and a new lab to sniff out cheats next year.
Bengt Halvorson -
Corn farmers concerned California EV push will sink ethanol salesConcern over an ethanol downturn, possibly exaggerated by EVs, has both campaigns—and Congress—pandering to the Corn Belt.
Bengt Halvorson -
Diesel Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee models recalled for stalling riskFCA is recalling Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 models with the EcoDiesel V-6 for an engine-stalling issue, fixed with a software update.
Bengt Halvorson -
2020 Jeep Wrangler diesel drive review: On its way to treading lightly, but not quite thereUntil the Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid arrives, the Wrangler EcoDiesel is the high-mileage off-road leader. Is it eco enough?
Bengt Halvorson -
Mercedes set to pay $2.2B in US diesel settlements, as it slowly pivots to EVsMercedes and parent company Daimler AG will pay $1.5 billion in penalties, as it continues to priorities Europe over the U.S. for cleaner EVs.
Stephen Edelstein -
Through BMW i Ventures, the automaker is putting its brand behind gasoline that might help lower emissions versus fossil-fuel sources.
-
EV charging, carbon reduction included in $500B transportation infrastructure billThe House version of the new transportation infrastructure bill incorporates some of the spirit of the Green New Deal.
Bengt Halvorson -
Will synthetic fuel be a viable alternative to battery-electric or fuel cells?McLaren is planning to give synthetic fuels another try, although it knows that they won't replace battery-electric technology at this point.
Stephen Edelstein -
Ethanol may be the loser amid cheap gas and an oil glutWill the corn ethanol industry survive a year when refiners are holding back and gasoline pump prices drop as low as $1 a gallon?
Bengt Halvorson -
2020 Jeep Wrangler diesel rated 25 MPG, plug-in hybrid on the wayWith the addition of an EcoDiesel V-6 engine achieving an EPA 29 mpg highway, the Jeep Wrangler is no longer a gas-guzzler.
Bengt Halvorson -
Costly retrofits, state rules keeping E15 gas from making it to many stationsDespite controversies over a formulation that adds to smog issues, a Trump push for more E15 gas has been stymied by state rules and costly station retrofits.
Byron Hurd -
In a process that's a bit like a flow battery, scientists have generated electricity by spraying salt water on a rusty film.
-
EU engine-tech project could help gas catch up with gasolineTech has lagged for light-duty engines designed to use gaseous fuels, like natural gas, propane, and biogas; an EU project has aimed to address that.
Bengt Halvorson -
Gasoline from solar and wind power: Zero-carbon doesn't assure clean or efficientAt least one startup may be getting close to scaling up fuel production with carbon captured from the air. But burning the fuel would still pollute.
Bengt Halvorson -
Trump expected to lift E15 ban limiting ethanol in summer gasolinePresident Donald Trump is expected Tuesday to direct the EPA to lift the seasonal ban on higher-ethanol E15 blends of pump gasoline linked to summer smog issues. The move has been anticipated for months. This timing for it, according to Reuters, is aimed at helping Republican candidates in...
Bengt Halvorson -
Algae blooms could be a boon for eco-diesel under DOE-funded projectAlgae-based biodiesel has been hyped in the past as a renewable fuel that can be produced here in the U.S., lowering greenhouse-gas emissions without displacing food crops or taxing water supplies. And yet it still hasn’t arrived in any significant way. There’s no single factor to blame...
Bengt Halvorson -
South Korean government trims orders for Hyundai Nexo hydrogen-fuel carsNine months after announcing its intention to buy 10,000 Hyundai Nexo hydrogen-fueled cars, the South Korean government has halved its order. That's according to Business Korea, which said Tuesday that a report published by the government earlier this month indicated that the government plans to...
Andrew Ganz -
Though the Environmental Protection Agency has already ruled on ethanol-blended gasoline mixtures for 2018, that hasn't stopped ethanol advocates from pushing for a higher 30-percent blend for non-flex-fuel vehicles. The latest call for ethanol comes from corn-state ethanol refiners, farmers, and an ethanol-producer trade association, all of whom want the EPA to take a good, long look at raising the approved blend for standard "gasoline" from E15 to E30. Meanwhile, on the other side of the debate, two bills making their way through Congressional committees would cap ethanol blends at E10 for...
-
What topic should we have covered less in 2017? Take our Twitter pollNo single definition exists for the idea of "green car," and very few shoppers set out to go buy a green car. Instead, car buyers look for vehicles that meet their needs—with fuel economy or energy efficiency somewhere in that list of needs, whether higher or lower. Certainly the definition...
John Voelcker -
Which alternative fuels will survive long-term? Twitter poll resultsBuilding a fueling network turns out to be more of a challenge than many advocates, regulators, and drivers may have anticipated. The attempt to boost passenger vehicles fueled by cheap, abundant U.S. natural gas is now essentially over, with a mere 942 public natural-gas fueling stations...
John Voelcker -
Renewable-fuel mandate ruling leaves no one happy: the best compromise?As they say, the best compromise is usually the one that leaves all parties equally dissatisfied. When it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency's renewable-fuel mandate, it seems regulators have reached equilibrium. The latest skirmish in the long-running battle over the U.S. renewable-fuel...
Mark Stevenson -
Which alternative fuels will survive long-term? Take our Twitter pollYou just don't hear the phrase "alternative fuels" as much as you did, say, 10 years ago. With a couple of million plug-in electric cars now on the world's roads, the idea of swapping in one hydrocarbon fuel for another may have passed its time. Admittedly biodiesel continues to make quiet inroads...
John Voelcker -
When fueling stations shut down for your natural-gas car: one reader's experienceLet's say you buy the greenest car you can, one that uses a different kind of fuel, and drive it happily for several years. What happens when the supply of your fuel suddenly ends, and you can no longer fill up your car? That's just what happened to Duncan Chalmers of Seattle, who can no longer...
John Voelcker