Alt Fuels
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Car production isn't the greenest of processes, but in recent decades many automakers have at least made attempts to reduce environmental impact--and General Motors is the latest to take a step towards improving it. The automaker has announced a $24 million investment in the use of landfill gas at its Fort Wayne, Indiana and Orion, Michigan assembly plants. GM says the new equipment has the capacity to generate more than 14 megawatts of electricity from landfill gas--saving over 89,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. For some idea of the emissions savings, that equates to...
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2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell: Hydrogen Crossover First Drive
Hyundai is an aggressive company, and that applies to its green cars as much as the bread-and-butter sedans and crossovers it sells in growing numbers. So when the company approached Green Car Reports to ask if we'd like to drive its new, hydrogen-powered 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell vehicle, that...
John Voelcker -
EPA Proposal Would Cut 2014 Ethanol Mandate By 20 Percent
The EPA may cut the amount of ethanol required to be blended with gasoline from the amount originally specified in a 2007 law.
Stephen Edelstein -
Yet Another New Fuel: Will Dimethyl Ether Matter For Big Trucks?
It's frustrating driving a fuel-efficient vehicle sometimes. While you know you're just one small part of an effort to clean up transportation, seeing an 18-wheeler pumping clouds of black smoke into the air can make you feel like your efforts are going to waste. Cleaning up trucks should be a high...
Antony Ingram -
Finding Alternative Fueling Stations? DoE Has An App For That
The DOE has made its Alternative Fueling Station Locator into an app.
Stephen Edelstein -
Automaker Group Says E15 Ethanol Damages Cars, EPA Approval Was Rushed
Automakers have fired the latest salvo in the ongoing battle against ethanol blends in gasoline, saying it can damage engine components. That's despite several manufacturers approving it for use in their newest vehicles--adding to the confusion over ethanol in pump gasoline. According to The...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota is serious about hydrogen fuel cell cars, and to prove it the company will unveil a new fuel cell concept at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. Called the FCV, Toyota's new concept is the clearest hint at what its fuel cell production car--due in 2015--might look like. It's certainly less science-fiction than the FCV-R concept rolled out at numerous auto shows over the past few years. The midsize FCV-R was Toyota's first hint that it was working on a production hydrogen vehicle, and recent tweaks to the concept clarified Toyota's direction for the eventual road-going vehicle. The FCV...
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Yet Another Green Fuel: Landfill Methane On Sale In California
Methane may not come from the most glamorous places, but ti does offer many green benefits.
Stephen Edelstein -
Is A $500 Garage Fueling Appliance The Missing Link For Natural-Gas Cars?
Home refueling could help natural-gas cars gain mainstream appeal, but first the price will have to come down.
Stephen Edelstein -
Blood And Gore: Coal Is Becoming A Stranded Asset
In case you hadn't noticed, it's Halloween. So how could we not comment on an article whose byline reads Gore and Blood? Their topic may be slightly esoteric, but it has big implications for our energy future. It's all about stranded assets--those that lose economic value well ahead of their...
Antony Ingram -
When Will The Last Gasoline Car Be Built? 2070, Shell Oil Says
The disappearance of internal-combustion engines is far from inevitable today, but several groups and governments are now predicting when the last gasoline vehicles will be sold. The latest prediction comes from a particularly unlikely source: Shell Oil Company, one of the largest petroleum...
Antony Ingram -
Biodiesel Makers Beg EPA To Notice: We're Not Ethanol!
One way to make vehicle fuels greener is to grow them--and it appears that biodiesel may have plenty of potential. Like the feedstocks for ethanol, the plant oils refined into biodiesel are grown, rather than extracted from the ground. But being lumped into the same bucket as ethanol is worrying...
Antony Ingram -
Last Thursday, the governors of eight [blue] states pledged to cooperate toward a goal of putting 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on their roads by 2025. The cooperative programs are meant to make it easier for their citizens to buy and use zero-emission vehicles. While the steps cited so far in the memorandum of understanding are not binding, California governor Jerry Brown called it a "serious and profoundly important commitment" in a statement. Over the next six months, the states will develop an action plan to turn the pledge into concrete steps. Those will likely include many...
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New Models Of Mazda 3 Widen Green Options, But Not For U.S.
In the motor industry, as in investments: Never put all your eggs in one basket. Mazda certainly isn't, demonstrating both hybrid and compressed natural gas (CNG) versions of its recently-unveiled Mazda3 compact at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. Though the CNG version isn't likely to appear in the...
Antony Ingram -
Why North Dakota Is Like Iran, Iraq, Nigeria & Russia: Wasted Natural Gas
Natural gas flaring in North Dakota may be wasting revenue and harming the environment.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 Chevrolet Impala To Be Offered As Bi-Fuel Model With Natural-Gas Tank
Natural gas has so far made little impact in the automotive sector, at least when it comes to passenger vehicles. As new extraction techniques such as fracking increase domestic supply of the gas, that could change--and Chevrolet will become the second manufacturer to sell a production passenger...
Antony Ingram -
CA Will Work To Streamline Permit Process For Hydrogen Fueling Stations
The hydrogen ball rolled a little further in California last week. The Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development--GO-Biz for short--has now announced plans to streamline the permitting process for hydrogen and electric fueling stations. It's the latest move to prepare the state for...
Antony Ingram -
Tata Nano CNG Emax: India's Most Fuel-Efficient, Least-Polluting Car
The Tata Nano CNG emax can switch between gasoline and natural gas on the fly.
Stephen Edelstein -
Cruze buyers will soon be able to choose from three fuels, but one of them requires an aftermarket conversion.
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New Lure For Ethanol Blends: More Ethanol, But A Lower Price?
Could low prices be the key to making ethanol more popular? One Michigan filling station allows customers to change the ethanol-gasoline blend in their fuel. As customers "dial up" the amount of ethanol, the price goes down, WardsAuto reports. Other stations offer multiple blends, with varying...
Stephen Edelstein -
Is Brazilian Sugarcane The Answer To U.S. Biofuels Needs?
Is Brazilian sugarcane the perfect biofuel for American drivers? Brazil believes ethanol made from sugarcane can supplement corn-based ethanol produced in the United States, which would help meet U.S. government targets for increased biofuel consumption. Under the Energy Independence and Security...
Stephen Edelstein -
Americans Want More E15, Other Ethanol Blends, New Poll Says
A new poll claims 82 percent of Americans want to put E15, a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline, in their cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
New Gas Stations Must Have Quick Charging Or Other Alt Fuels, Canadian City Says
Where should you put public charging stations for electric cars? Local businesses and governments and urban planners all over the country are grappling with that question right now. But one Canadian city has passed a law that requires new or renovated gas stations to install electric-car charging...
John Voelcker -
California Gets Serious About Funding Hydrogen Fueling Stations
A bill passed by the California Legislature last week will provide funding for 100 hydrogen fueling stations in the state.
Stephen Edelstein