AutoblogGreen

AutoblogGreen reader Michael recently sent in a question regarding the about-to-start "Cash for Clunkers" program. Officially known as the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), the program allows owners of some older and inefficient vehicles to trade them in and get a rebate check worth up to $4,500 from the government to buy a new car. The simple version of the rules are that the trade-in can't be more than 25 years old, needs to have an official combined highway/city fuel economy rating of less than 18 mpg (on the EPA's new mpg scale), be in drivable condition and you have to have owned and insured the car for at least the year prior to turning it in. Michael's question revolves around what happens when a car has two fuel economy ratings - one for gas and one for ethanol. Turns out, no one really knows yet. Find out more after the jump.

Photo by iboy_daniel. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

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Senator Robert Menendez (D - NJ) has introduced new legislation to promote natural gas for use in our automobiles. The NAT GAS Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D - NV) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R - UT), would extend and increase tax credits for vehicles powered by natural gas and the refueling stations needed to fill their tanks. Not surprisingly, T. Boone Pickens (he of the wind farm fail) is a big supporter of the proposal. Pickens said:

This bipartisan legislation does more to reduce our foreign oil dependency crisis than any other piece of legislation in the past 40 years. As I have said many times before and will continue to say, natural gas is cleaner, cheaper, it's abundant and it's American... For too long, our dependence on foreign oil has been one of the factors influencing our foreign policy and if we can eliminate that issue by using our own domestic natural gas resources I am confident that it will benefit our national security, our economy and the environment.

If the legislation is met favorably in the Senate, there is a possibility it could be attached to the much broader energy and climate change bill that's currently in the works. Click here to read more on the pros and cons of natural gas for use in our cars and trucks, and click past the break for the official press release.

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Countries all over the world have recently implemented schemes to get drivers to trade in their older vehicles in exchange for newer, cleaner models. There are obvious questions as to whether any of this is really a good idea, especially when the fuel mileage requirements to qualify for the program are as lax as those in the U.S. Cash-For-Clunkers legislation.

We've heard some support in the past for motorcycles to be added to these scrapping schemes and now it seems Spain has recently implemented just such a program. The actual incentive is based on the engine displacement of the machines being purchased and traded in. Full details have yet to be hashed out, but it's expected that larger motorcycles may get up to 750 Euros in rebates.

The supposed environmental benefits for this particular program may be real if a large number of two-stroke machines and older models without current emissions controls are scrapped in favor of modern cleaner-burning four-stroke motorcycles and scooters.

[Source: Bikes in the Fast Lane | Photo: DG Jones]

According to a report on French site ConsoGlobe, Peugeot is slated to put its HYmotion 3 leaning three-wheeler into production before the end of 2010. Thanks to its twin electric motors (one for each wheel up front) and diminutive 125cc single-cylinder four-stroke powerplant, the hybrid scooter is expected to score an impressive 117 mpg U.S. (141 mpg Imperial, or 2 liters per 100 kilometers) with carbon emissions of just 47 g/km.

Intriguingly, the HYmotion 3 should closely follow the Piaggio MP3 Hybrid to market. While both machines use a similar leaning three-wheeled design, the Italian machine differs in that only the rear wheel is powered by both the electric motor and gas-powered engine. Plus, the Peugeot features a partially enclosed design for superior weather protection. So far, we have no indication that the HYmotion 3 will make it Stateside or what it may cost in Europe.


[Source: ConsoGlobe via Bikes in the Fast Lane]

Nissan was one of the three recipients in the first round of low interest loans through the U.S. Department of Energy's ATVM program along with Ford and Tesla. Nissan will be getting $1.6 billion from the program that will be used to re-tool part of its Smyrna, Tennessee factory to build electric cars and lithium ion batteries. Out of that amount, apparently over $1 billion will be needed just for the battery production capacity. The battery plant will consist of three production modules each of which is capable of producing 54,000 batteries.

The U.S. battery plant joins a Japanese facility that is starting up in 2010. In addition to these facilities, Nissan and French partner Renault will be building electric cars in Europe beginning in 2011. Because battery packs are heavy, it makes sense to build the packs close to where they will be installed in vehicles. As Renault-Nissan expand production, the alliance is also considering adding as many as four battery plants on the continent. No specific commitments have yet been made for locations yet.


Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Reuters, Automotive News - sub. req'd]

With all the work being done to reduce the amount of petroleum products used on the nation's roadways, there's still an awful lot of gas being burned on every street, every day. The EPA is funding a $1.4 million joint study with the University of Michigan on the health effects of air pollution on children who live near busy roads. Learning more about how asthma and respiratory viral infections are affected by the pollution will be highlighted in the three-year study that started in September 2008.

Officially called the, "Childhood Health Effects from Roadway and Urban Pollutant Burden Study," the results of the study will be used by local governments to better plan where things like roads and schools should be built. The potential impact is large, since the EPA says that more than 45 million people in the U.S. currently live within 300 feet of a four-lane road, airport, or railroad.

[Source: EPA]
Photo by SideLong. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

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After receiving hundreds of complaints from Swedish drivers who have been left stranded by the side of the road, Volvo has recalled 8,500 of its V70 and S80 Flexifuel vehicles. Apparently the rigorous environmental testing the car maker employs does not extend to heatwaves like the one Sweden happens to be caught in the grips of...wait a sec. Heatwave? Sweden?

Anyway, seems the non-return valve and the pressure regulator (stick with me here) in the fuel pump of cars built between late November of 2007 and September of 2008 experience some loosening when the outside temperature gets too high. This results in the cessation of fuel flow which, of course, causes the engine to stop running. This also means the air conditioning stops and, since it's blazing like the dickens outside, causes drivers to lose their cool and call the car company to complain. The offending vehicles have for the most part been sold in Sweden, though there are a smattering within several countries of the European Union. The problem is not thought to be directly related to the burning of bio-fuels.

[Source: The Swedish Wire]

Thanks to a reader tip, we've been introduced to a new series of four-wheeled personal transportation vehicles from a company called JMC Motoronics. The oddly-named Tumtumcar comes in a few different flavors, from a fully human-powered model to a gas-powered machine with a small 33cc engine sending power to the rear wheels via a CVT transmission.

The machines we're most interested in, though, are the ones powered by electrons. The Tumtumcar Series E comes equipped with the buyers choice of a single 350 Watt motor, dual 350 Watt motors, dual 700 Watt motors or dual 1000 Watt motors. In each case, the vehicle is powered by a 7Ah battery pack putting out 36 volts. Pricing ranges from $2,750 on the low end to $3,650 for the highest performing model.

According to the official website, a hybrid Phoenix model is set to debut shortly featuring both a 6.5-horsepower gasoline engine and any of the available electric motor options. Depending on the laws in your part of the country, JMC Motoronics claims these machines may be classified as bicycles and therefore require no special licensing.

Practical for everyday use? Perhaps not, but they do look like fun. Thanks for the tip, Montenna!


[Source: Tumtumcar]

Car sales may be down, but people who are looking for a new ride would do well to consider diesel and hybrid vehicles if they want a lower cost of ownership in the long-term. IntelliChoice.com has released its fourth annual survey of eco-friendly vehicles and has found that standard gasoline cars, while often less expensive up front, just aren't a good deal when compared to clean diesels and hybrids.

IntelliChoice looked at 2009 model year diesels and hybrids and found that, after five years or 70,000 miles, these powerplants cost less than simple ICEs. The survey looked at overall maintenance costs and resale value in addition to fuel savings. Since hybrids and clean diesels are built and sold as top-of-the-line models, IntelliChoice says, they keep their resale value up. Of the 51 cars tested, 35 "deliver a cost-of-ownership that is somewhat or significantly lower than gasoline versions of the same vehicle," said IntelliChoice editor James Bell. Bell singled out the VW Jetta TDI and Mercedes Benz E320 as diesel vehicles that "perform even better than hybrids in saving thousands of dollars in costs and recouping their purchase premium."

CNBC pulls some numbers from the report that show that, for example, the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI may cost an extra $2,070 up front, but it will save the owner $6,210 over five years compared to the standard Jetta. A 2009 Prius costs $1,805 more than a new Camry, but the savings will be $4,930 during the half decade. You can download the study here (PDF).


[Source: IntelliChoice.com, CNBC]

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Green options for your last ride have traditionally included a horse-drawn hearse or something a tad less tasteful, like this Smaaart. Now, a vehicle we first heard about some time ago has become reality: an all-electric hearse called Ion (and totally unrelated to Saturn). The Ion is made by a Spanish company called Bergadana Solutions and is an all-electric car that has a maximum speed of 40 km/h (25 mph). On sale since December, at least seven Spanish cemeteries have ordered their units. The idea to create a vehicle like this came from Philippe Verhelle, Bergadana CEO: "I had always hated the sound regular hearses made when we walked behind," he said. In Spain, relatives and friends walking behind the hearse to the cemetery during funerals. Now, there will be no engine sound to drown out the tears.

[Source: El Periódico]