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Citroën says its cheaper to drive in the UK today than it was in 2000 Posted May 1st 2008 8:08PM byJeremy Korzeniewski Filed under:Etc.,Citroen,UK Click on the image to enlarge We're driving, driving, driving like it's nineteen-ninety-nine. Well, not exactly, but Citroën says that owners of its cars in the UK may actually be driving for less money per mile on average than they did eight years ago. Here in the states, gas was über-cheap in the year 2K, but in the UK, where both petrol and diesel has always been more expensive, the price was quite a bit steeper due to fuel protests in September of that year. In fact, Citroën claims that the increased efficiency of its models more than makes up for the increase in the price of gas that took place between the year 2000 and today, even when adjusted for inflation. It's not all good news, though, as the price of oil continues to rise. "Whilst improved fuel efficiency and advances in vehicle design have reduced the cost of filling up, in real terms, the economic benefits of improved efficiency could soon be canceled out altogether if prices continue to rise at their current rate, although our commitment to reducing CO2and harmful emissions will not be lessened," according to Marc Raven, spokesman for Citroën. Continue readingCitroën says its cheaper to drive in the UK today than it was in 2000 Permalink Email this Comments[0] Hybrid vehicle designers might want to check out Michigan short course Posted May 1st 2008 7:34PM bySebastian Blanco Filed under:Etc.,Hybrid Need to know more about how to design hybrid vehicles? The University of Michigan has an offer for you. The U of M will host an intensive course on the "Design and Control of Hybrid Vehicles" at the end of May to teach participants how to "dynamically analyze, simulate, and design for hybrid vehicles." This dynamic method can be applied to maximize a hybrid vehicle's fuel economy, and U of M states the course will cover powertrain and systems implementation. The dynamic model method has been used on six concept vehicles in the last eight years and there was one example of the process being used to design a hybrid that had an increased fuel efficiency of 46 percent compared to the standard version of the vehicle. Sound interesting? Sign uphere. The three-day course will set you back $1,895. More details after the jump. Continue readingHybrid vehicle designers might want to check out Michigan short course Read Permalink Email this Comments[0] Toyota to make a bigger iQ, no hybrid model Posted May 1st 2008 6:58PM byJeremy Korzeniewski Filed under:Hybrid,Toyota,Lightweight click the Toyota iQ for high res gallery We got to see Toyota's iQ inproduction format the last Geneva Motor Show, and so far, we like what we see. We're still waiting for specific details regarding what will power the "small yet premium " 3+1 and whether or not it'll make it over to the states. Already, though, we are hearing that there could be alarger versionof the vehicle built on the same platform. Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose? Maybe, but it could also help Toyota to defray the cost of the vehicle, which shares no major components with other Toyota models. The larger model could allow Toyota to compete with both the smart fortwo and the Mini, not to mentionVW's upcoming up!. In other iQ news, Toyota is reportedly not planning on adding a hybrid option to the iQ, instead relying on a choice of two gas and one diesel-powered engine options. The reasoning behind not offering a hybrid relates again to the size of the vehicle. There's just no room to store a battery. Plus, the battery would add too much weight to the little car. Stop/start, though, is expected to make an appearance here. [Source:Autocar] Read Permalink Email this Comments[2] In Seattle, a drive to get folks to ditch driving Posted May 1st 2008 6:19PM byAlex Nunez Filed under:Green Culture Photo Credit:Chethan Shankar|Creative Commons 2.0 The Seattle city government is looking for residents to part ways with their cars via theOne Less Car Challenge. The idea's pretty straightforward: interested parties must register (spots are limited) and agree to give up their car for either one month (the "trial separation") or one year (the "break-up"). To soften the blow, this cold-turkey car sacrifice might deal to program participants, the city will provide incentives in the form of Commuter Vouchers that can be used towards public transit or goods and services that dovetail with a car-free lifestyle (like walking gear from REI, etc.). Additionally, One Less Car participants are enrolled in a bicycle club and get access to a variety of resources designed to help ease the transition to carless living. If you live in Seattle (residency in the city is a requirement) and think you can handle your daily routine without a car, you might want to look into the program. Worst case: you try it for a month, miss your car terribly and realize this won't work on a long-term basis. At least the city picks up part of the tab for your commute, and you save a month's worth of gas expenses for your trouble. Not a bad deal. Full details on the programhere. [Source:Seattle.govviaBus Chick] Read Permalink Email this Comments[2] Innovations into lead-acid battery technology Posted May 1st 2008 5:44PM byJeremy Korzeniewski Filed under:Etc.,BMW,Green Daily It's likely that at some distant point in the future, lead-acid starter batteries will go the way of the dodo, at least in green cars. The fact is that newer technologies like nickel metal hydride and lithium ion are much lighter than the lead-acids currently underhood of nearly every car in the world. Still,advancementsin lead-acid technology are being made, and as more and more vehicles begin demanding more from their batteries, the humble lead-acid battery is changing with the times. For instance, BMW's new efficient dynamics technology required a new battery capable of supporting high loads.Banner Batteriesstepped up to the plate by offering a 90Ah AGM battery, which is capable of offering the necessary power for the stop/start micro-hybrid BMW. Fortunately, nearly everything that goes into the lead-acid battery is recyclable. Over 95 percent of the lead-acids currently underhood will end up recycled, most likely into another battery. Europe takes up the slack for some other countries by recycling nearly 100 percent of their starter batteries. New sensors are also being added to lead-acid batteries in order to make them last longer. It's good to know that old dogs like lead-acid batteries are still learning new tricks. [Source:Just-Auto- sub. req'd] Read Permalink Email this Comments[6] For now, these are the Top Ten Automotive X entrants Posted May 1st 2008 5:10PM bySebastian Blanco Filed under:MPG,Green Daily,Automotive X-Prize New York's mayor Bloomberg standing by the Hybrid X. We're a long way from determining the winner - if there ever is one - in theProgressive Automotive X Prize. I mean, the race only got started (officially) at this year's New York Auto Show. Still, there are 64 teams that have signed a "letter of intent" to participate in the contest and Popular Mechanics thought it was time torankthe top ten teams, the ones that PM thinks have the best chance to win. So, who does PM name as the ten best teams? Well, thePhilly high school teamis on the list (their Hybrid X is pictured above), as are Aptera and Loremo and Tesla Motors and six other teams that will be very familiar to regular AutoblogGreen readers. For now, these nine teams are all solid choices. Wait, nine? Yeah, I'm not convinced that PM is right to add Hybrid Technologies to the Top Ten. Hybrid Technologies ishaving troubles selling the vehiclesthey have now (even withreduced prices). PM says that Hybrid Technologies "has already made the 100-mile-per-charge dream a reality" and has "real-world experience in development, marketing and manufacturing." Well, sure, but thatdidn't make the PT Cruiser taxi a success. Check outPM's listfor yourself. Gallery: Automotive X-Prize entrants See more images after the jump. Continue readingFor now, these are the Top Ten Automotive X entrants Read Permalink Email this Comments[2] More on the GM-Mascoma cellulosic ethanol partnership Posted May 1st 2008 4:41PM bySam Abuelsamid Filed under:Ethanol,GM Followingthis morning's announcementthat GM was taking an equity stake in cellulosic ethanol developer Mascoma, the two companies held a conference call. Like the earlier Coskata investment, GM researchers will be working with scientists at Mascoma to refine the process that they have developed for converting many kinds of biomass that might otherwise be considered waste. Mascoma's Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP) system is different than more traditional cellulosic production methods in that when fully developed, no additional enzymes will need to be added. Enzymes are currently the most costly part of the production process. Mascoma has developed microbes that can consume the pre-processed material and produce their own enzymes for breaking down the cellulose into sugars and then fermenting it. The pre-processing consists of chopping the raw materials and mixing it with water in the presence of some heat. This results in a spongy peat moss-like material that is fed to the microbes. The output of the microbes is ethanol that only needs distillation. Mascoma is still refining the microbes which currently don't produce as much enzyme as needed to complete the process. For the pilot plant that is currently under construction, Mascoma will have to add some enzymes to the process although the amount is much smaller than normally required. By the time a commercial scale plant is ready in about 2010, Jamerson expects that no additional enzymes will be required. The CBP system also doesn't require any of the acids or other chemicals normally required for pre-treating biomass. Mascoma CEO Bruce Jamerson explained that the process requires about 2-3 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol produced which is more than the Coskata's process but it requires less energy input. The cost of fuel from the process is similar to Coskata's at about $1-1.50 a gallon. Mascoma's agreement with GM is not exclusive and in the future they expect to license the process to other fuel producers. When questioned about why they were investing in multiple processes, GM's Candace Wheeler explained that they were potentially complementary. The lignin left over from the Mascoma process could be fed into the syngas process developed by Coskata, increasing the ultimate yield. [Sources: General Motors, Mascoma] Read Permalink Email this Comments[0] New 4-cylinder, 6-speed Malibu scores 30mpg in real world test Posted May 1st 2008 4:07PM bySam Abuelsamid Filed under:MPG,Chevrolet Chevrolet recently launched a four cylinder version of their mid-sized Malibu sedan which is combined with a six speed automatic transmission. The six speed unit is only offered in the top LTZ model for now and replaces the four speed that's offered in the LT and LS versions. GM is still ramping up production of the six speed and will expand availability as volumes go up. In the meantime, Jim McCraw had a chance to take a road trip in the new 6 speed LTZ model which performed quite well. McCraw went 500 miles from Detroit to Gary Indiana and back along US 12 which is a mix of cruising and stop and go and managed nearly 30mpg. The LTZ comes equipped with a wide array of standard equipment like heated leather seats, steering wheel mounted audio controls, and pretty much everything else available. It's not a bad deal at $26,545. The four banger's 169hp isn't going to excite enthusiasts but it's enough to haul a mid-size car around without straining. Interestingly that 30mpg on the road is better than the 26.5mpg I managed with theSaturn Aura Hybridlast year which is built on the same platform. [Source:Popular Mechanics] Read Permalink Email this Comments[7] Toyota Prius convertible: Don't see that every day! Posted May 1st 2008 3:36PM byJeremy Korzeniewski Filed under:Hybrid,Toyota,Green Daily,USA Click on the image for more shots of this custom Prius convertible We would surely welcome a convertible Prius to Toyota's official list of offerings, but we doubt it would end up looking much likethis one. Custom ordered by someone who goes by the handle 'exproducer' on Prius Chat, the Waveline Blue sedan has had its roof professionally removed, raising the cost of the Prius from about $28 grand to $46 grand. That's a lot of dough, to be sure. Four-door convertibles are quite rare, and they rarely look as good as their sportier two-door cousins. In this case, beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. The owner loves their car, which is, of course, all that really matters. Still, the general consensus, even among Prius owners, seems to be that this particular Prius lost more than just its roof in this conversion. Whatever your opinions on the looks (we would prefer the window-frames removed), the work that went into this particular custom was very well done. On an efficiency note, the owner claims that their Prius convertible managed to pick up four miles per gallon while driving with the top up, and a loss of just two miles per gallon with it down. Gallery: Toyota Prius Converible [Source:Prius Chat] Read Permalink Email this Comments[3] ZF modifies 8-speed tranny, now stop/start approved Posted May 1st 2008 2:58PM byJeremy Korzeniewski Filed under:Emerging Technologies,BMW,Lexus,Mercedes Benz,Germany In the name of increased efficiency, and quite possibly playing the game of automotive one-upmanship, luxury automakers such as Mercedes Benz, BMW and Lexus have been adding more and more gear ratios to their automatic transmissions. By allowing a computer to choose the most appropriate ratio for any given scenario, the vehicle's engine is required to only make as much power as absolutely necessary, potentially saving fuel in the process. ZF, one of the largest transmission makers in the world, claims that their new 8-speed unit boasts an efficiency increase of eleven percent over its older 6-speed unit. The transmission giant has just developed anew modification, though, which could increase the overall vehicle efficiency even further. By adding a hydraulic impulse storage unit, the new ZF unit can support stop/start functionality, which they claim can result in an additional five percent reduction in fuel consumption. [Source:Just-Auto- sub. req'd.] Read Permalink Email this Comments[0] "Dumb on all counts" - the experts chime in on the gas tax holiday idea Posted May 1st 2008 2:22PM bySebastian Blanco Filed under:Etc.,Green Daily,USA Photo byEwen and Donabel. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0. First, Republican presidential candidate John McCain had the brilliant idea toprove his ignoranceof the economy bycalling for a gas tax holiday. Basically, he proposed, the federal gas tax (currently set at 18.4 cents a gallon) and the diesel tax (24.4 cents) should be suspended between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Not much later, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton made the wrong move and backed the plan. Thus far, Democratic challenger Barack Obama is keeping his wits about him and is denouncing the plan. But what do people who aren't running for president think? It's impossible for us to keep tabs on everyone who discusses the energy issue, becauseeverybody'stalking about it. Still, I wanted to point out one bit of media that covers the issue better than any other I've read/seen/heard. Earlier today on theDiane Rhem Show, three guests - Neil King, Jr., The Wall Street Journal's international energy reporter, Roger Diwan, partner, head of financial advisory PFC Energy, Mark Cooper, director of research for the Consumer Federation of America - discussed the gas tax holiday and rising oil prices. I'm not sure which one of the three said it, but one of them called the idea "dumb on all counts." He is not the only critic of the idea (Tom Friedman recentlylambasted it); in fact, it seems like just abouteveryone says it's a bad idea. Diane told her listeners that the show's producer looked long and hard for someone to defend the idea, but couldn't find anyone who was willing. And, while we can't possibly point you to everyone's thoughts on this issue, this morning's Diane Rhem show (listenhere) presents a good, hour-long discussion on why McCain and Clinton has grabbed the wrong end of this political stick. Your thoughts? Permalink Email this Comments[29] A123 Systems IPO a go! Posted May 1st 2008 1:38PM byDomenick Yoney Filed under:Etc.,USA A123 Systemsis pretty hot right now. How hot? It's got more sizzle than the A123-powered Killacycle (pictured above). It's been on the receiving end of $100 million investment dollars in a little over a year. That's definitely hot. And it's not all about "what ifs" and "could bes", these guys are making all kinds of batteries for companies like Black & Decker andHymotion. They are testing withGM's Voltand stand a good chance of becoming the main supplier (or at least one of the main suppliers) for that model. So it seems A123, as they say, will strike while the iron is hot and issue an IPO. According to Scott Kirsner over atInnovation Economy, the deal could put the company's worth up around $1 billion. If you want to get in on the action you should have the whole summer to save up. Kirsner predicts September will be the magic month. [Source:Innovation EconomyviaGM-Volt] Read Permalink Email this Comments[2] Auto Europe tries to sell 45-day leases of the Peugeot 308 as "fuel saving" Posted May 1st 2008 1:06PM bySebastian Blanco Filed under:Etc.,MPG,Green Daily,European Union Generally, a car produced in 2008 will be cleaner than a similar car produced in 2000. This is due to advances in all sorts of areas (exhaust emissions control, weight savings, powertrains, etc.). A car rental company calledAuto Europeis really stretching the environmental value of a new car with its latest campaign to rent Peugeot 308s for 45 days. I mean, the announcement is titled, "Go Green and Save on Fuel and Rental Costs with Auto Europe's Peugeot Open Europe Lease Program." Sure, the technology in a new 308 means it's cleaner than older Peugeots, but renting a car for a month and a half - in Europe where it's often not hard to find good public transportation - doesn't seem like the best way to "Go Green and Save on Fuel." Especially not for $39 a day ($1,755 over the 45 days), plus ~$7 a gallon fuel costs. You can ride a lot of buses and trains for that kind of dough. Continue readingAuto Europe tries to sell 45-day leases of the Peugeot 308 as "fuel saving" Read Permalink Email this Comments[4] Register your interest for Mitsubishi's i-MiEV in the UK Posted May 1st 2008 12:29PM byDomenick Yoney Filed under:EV/Plug-in,Mitsubishi,UK If you live in the UK and have been pining for a chance to buy thei-MiEV all-electric city carwhen it appears on your shores, now is the time to register your interest with Mitsubishi. According to poster Nikki on the Electric Vehicle Discussion List (EVDL) Mitsubishi has told her (I'm assuming it's a "her") the cars may arrive as early as Q1 next year. Quantities will be extremely limited at first so if you are sure you want one you should take immediate action byclicking hereand give them all your contact info. Curiously, Misubishi refers to the car as the "i-EV" on this site. If you live in the U.S., there isn't anywhere to officially declare our purchasing intentions though unofficially you can always signthis petitionto Mitsubishi and hope that gets their attention. We'll let you know if it does. Gallery: Mitsubishi i MiEV - LIVE Gallery: Mitsubishi i MiEV - Press Kit [Source:EVDLviaG-Wiz Owners Club] Permalink Email this Comments[3] GM to invest in Mascoma cellulosic ethanol project Posted May 1st 2008 11:56AM bySam Abuelsamid Filed under:Ethanol,GM General Motors today announced their second equity investment in a developer of cellulosic ethanol technology in recent months. The automaker is buying intoMascoma Corp. Mascoma has developed a single-step cellulose to ethanol process that apparently requires fewer enzymes and other additives. Mascoma has proprietary microbes that are used in its Consolidated Bioprocessing (CBP) technology. The CBP process can convert most forms of biomass such as straw, wood, paper pulp, and agricultural waste into liquid fuel. So far, Mascoma has received more than$60 million in federal and state grants for their work. To date Mascoma has been testing their technology in the lab with a demonstration plant due to come on line later this year in Rome, NY. GM President Fritz Henderson is not disclosing how much the automaker is investing. Earlier this year GMinvested in Illinois-based Coskata. GM is holding a conference call later this afternoon where we will hopefully get more details. We do know that Mascoma has been trying for a while to have the firstcellulosic ethanol plantup and running, with projects announced inTennessee,New York stateandMichigan. [Source: General Motors]