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McCain will discuss environmental policy specifics today {Autoblog Green}
May 12th 2008 6:21PM Mike: the auto manufacturers make what people will buy. The sad thing is that just the other day I saw a brand new extended-length Cadillac Escalade parked down the street as the record-high price of gasoline makes headlines.
Anyway, back to the post at-hand. Here's a recap from the Associate Press of what McCain had to say in his global warming speech today:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g1lnDN47XfRwq7TtD30hwUCcb6JgD90K6AGO0
In summary he's for expanded nuclear power (no word on his stance on reprocessing of spent fuel rods, which I would hope he'd be FOR) and a carbon cap-and-trade system being set-up. He proposed the goals of returning to 2005 carbon emission levels by 2012, 1990 levels by 2020, and a carbon emission level 60% lower than 1990 levels by 2050.
McCain also vowed to "return to the negotiating table" on the Kyoto protocols which Bush refused to ratify.
McCain will discuss environmental policy specifics today {Autoblog Green}
May 12th 2008 4:44PM Luckily it seems as no matter whether Clinton, Obama, or McCain becomes president the environment should be better for it. Each candidates' plans vary a bit, but they're all on the same page. They all agree global climate change is a threat and concrete plans need to be enacted NOW in order to address it. That's a welcome change from the last presidential administration.
However, I do worry that all three major-party presidential candidates (sorry but I'm discounting both Nader and Barr for now unless they can make a major showing anytime soon, which I doubt) have been United States Senators and have gotten NOTHING done about climate change. It'd be one thing if they drew-up a bill and had it vetoed by the president, but they've not even been able to get legislation through both the House and Senate to the president's desk. If they can't do that when Democrats control Congress, what's going to change even with a Democrat in the White House?
McCain will discuss environmental policy specifics today {Autoblog Green}
May 12th 2008 4:10PM Wow, I didn't see this small tidbit of news (thanks, Sebastian) causing a Congressional law debate in comments. Talk about going off-topic! :-)
Anyway, like I mentioned before I like that McCain is the ONLY presidential candidate talking about the environment right now at any length.
As is mentioned in the Wired snippet global warming doesn't even register as a major concern in most voters' minds.
Here's a quote from Wired: "...polls consistently show that the environment ranks near the bottom of voters' list of concerns generally, trailing their worries about the economy, the war in Iraq, terrorism, health care, education and illegal immigration."
While the environment is VERY important to ABG regulars the truth is to the presidential candidates it's not a issue you pander with. I think McCain is genuinely concerned about global warming if he's bringing this up rather than screaming about building walls to keep out illegal aliens, which is a much more popular idea amongst Republican voters.
AutoblogGreen pays a visit to the new Tesla Motors store {Autoblog Green}
May 12th 2008 12:51AM Sorry this isn't related to this post but none of the ABG bloggers' e-mail addresses are available. This is meant for Sebastian:
In the interest of "fair and balanced" (and not in the Fox News meaning of the term) reporting, Wired News is reporting that John McCain will outline some of his environmental plans tomorrow, despite the environment not being on the majority of voters' minds.
Even if you disagree with McCain you have to like that at least he sees global climate change and the environment as important enough issues to dedicate focus to them even though most voters don't seem to care. That's taking a political chance with very little likely pay-back.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/05/mccain-surrogat.html
LA traffic lighter thanks to high gas prices, Americans driving less {Autoblog Green}
May 9th 2008 6:09PM I just read that the price of gasoline in Hawaii is now $3.88/gal. The average price in California is $3.92. Is this the first time ever that Hawaii hasn't led the nation in gasoline prices (the highest average price is currently in Alaska)? People in Hawaii don't drive as far on average as Californians, either.
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/05/05/daily59.html
LA traffic lighter thanks to high gas prices, Americans driving less {Autoblog Green}
May 9th 2008 6:05PM I remember reading a couple years ago an economist state that $4 a gallon gas is the "tipping point" where drivers start conserving more, therefore lowering demand, which leads to lower prices. The price won't rise much more than $4 a gallon.
California, which leads most of the rest of the country in fuel prices and miles-driven per-day is already seeing close to $4 a gallon gas. It's about that much up in the Bay Area (San Francisco) and close to it here in L.A.
So first you're going to notice a decrease in traffic congestion in San Francisco (which has previously been noted, with BART ridership up 7% so far this year and hybrid sales up 40%) then L.A., and then everywhere else as the price rises to $4 a gallon. The national average today according to AAA is $3.67/gal. I don't think the price will rise much more than $4 on average.
I've even noted that several of the gas stations around my house have been selling regular unleaded for $3.999 per-gallon for a couple of weeks now. It has never teetered-over the psychologically-important $4 a gallon. One ARCO station with the lowest price in my neighborhood is selling regular for $3.81, plus for $3.91 and premium for... $3.99. They won't cross that important $4 mark.
Oil companies know what the point of diminishing returns is. They don't sell gasoline for the cheapest they can get away with selling it for, they sell it for the most they can get away with selling it for. They know more people will buy it at $3.999 a gallon than will buy it for $4.00.
I have come to believe that if the state and federal gas taxes are increased the governments would get more money for road construction/maintenance but it really wouldn't affect fuel prices. The oil companies still sell fuel for the most they can get for it regardless of how much tax there is. A greater tax would simply eat more into their sizable profits, not be able to be passed-onto the consumer as they're already charging the consumer as much as they can without customer conserving and demand dropping.
The 18.4 cent federal gas tax (and equivalent California state gas tax) was enacted when gasoline cost A LOT less than it does now. The percentage of tax goes down as the price of gas, cost of labor & materials, and inflation goes up. How stupid is that? Who wrote those laws?
I just saw some clown down the street got a new extended-length Cadillac Escalade. Some people will be stupid no matter what the price of fuel is.
New emissions rules may force next gen Saab 9-3 to grow smaller {Autoblog Green}
May 9th 2008 5:19PM Saab has for long erred on the side of economy and "smaller is better". Rather than go to a six-cylinder normally-aspirated higher-displacement engine like its competition Saab chose to stick with a 4-cylinder and turbocharge it to get six-cylinder-equivalent power.
This has worked against them in the case of the 9-5 sedan as none of the 9-5's competitors have less than a six-cylinder and at $40K+ buyers of a near-luxury car in the class of the 9-5 demand more than a four-cylinder.
Like it or not auto manufacturers make what people will buy. Saab 9-5 sales have been abysmal yet Saab hasn't given-in and installed a gas-guzzling six cylinder into it. They stuck with their principles.
They did give-in with the 9-3, on the other hand, which is available with a Holden-sourced 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 engine in Aero guise. These are selling like hotcakes. The new special-edition Turbo-X model features this engine.
However, I do believe the 4-cylinder turbocharged 2.0-liter models outsell the V6 still.
I believe GM is trying to position Saab long-term to stay under the new U.S. fleet average fuel economy requirements limit (35 mpg by 2015, is it?).
Mascoma scores another $10m, this time from Marathon Oil {Autoblog Green}
May 7th 2008 6:38PM When is cheap cellulosic ethanol set to hit the commodities market? I would expect to see the price of E85 drop at that point and be more price-competitive with gasoline.
If a gallon of gasoline is around $4 on average in the U.S. in a couple years (I just don't buy the $7 to $8 scares) and the a gallon of E85 can be priced more than 30% less than regular unleaded I can see adoption of E85 booming.
If you own a flex-fuel car and drive to the pump and see regular unleaded for $4 a gallon and E85 for $2.80 or less it'd make fiscal sense to buy the E85, even with its 30% worse fuel economy.
Right now with E85 priced less than 30% cheaper than gasoline it's nuts to buy E85 from a fiscal standpoint. You'd end up paying more per-mile to run E85.
Pininfarina to unveil its electric car this Autumn {Autoblog Green}
May 7th 2008 1:37PM Thanks for the heads-up, Dominick. But why do all EVs have to look like nerd-mobiles? I mean, hopefully the Pininfarina one looks more... Italian. I doubt it though seeing their prior "city car" collection. Instead of a "bubble car" it'd be nice to see a more conventional styling or even wedge-shape. Pininfarina USED to make beautiful cars.
The GM EV-1 looks a bit dated now but looked pretty sweet at the time.
If you can't imagine a big Hollywood sex symbol pulling-up to a group of paparazzi in one, then I don't want to see it. And I'm not counting Cameron Diaz in her Prius or George Clooney in that little clown car thing he was hawking. :-)
Now, a Tesla looks sexy. Make something like that with FOUR seats (like the WhiteStar or BlueStar). These little "city cars" are fine for enviro-nerds or the Japanese market, but as a self-respecting American I want my cake AND eat it too. I want a car that's environmentally sensitive but looks sweet as well. Something that would fit-in just fine between Iron Man Tony Stark's Tesla Roadster and Audi A8. ;-P
Pininfarina to unveil its electric car this Autumn {Autoblog Green}
May 7th 2008 12:49PM Maybe it's a "four-seater" like my old Pininfarina-designed '76 FIAT Sport Spider was. Meaning... NOT! In the Spider there was a little bench seat in the back for storing things and it even had lap belts, but there was no way a human being could fit their legs in the space between the edge of the bench seat and the front seats. Like much in Italian cars I think it was mainly for looks. :-)
I think the EV market truly does need a four-seater. There are plenty of tiny little two-seater design ideas out there but other than Tesla's BlueStar and WhiteStar there are no EVs for anyone with a family out there. Hopefully Pininfarina's car turns out to be it, though I have my doubts.
