Episode 20 of the AutoblogGreen Podcast has us recapping Geneva mere days before we head to New York. There were lots of exciting things over in Switzerland, and we touch on a few of them. Th!nk's new Ox will be a Tesla-magnitude achievement if it hits the market doing what the company says it will. GM rolled out the new version of its mild hybrid system that will be propagating across virtually all models in all brands to help boost CAFE. Better efficiency for about half of what a sat nav option costs? We'll take it. Speaking of hybrids, there was a lot of talk from BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen ,and others about upcoming Euro-branded hybrids, and diesel hybrids at that. Mercedes will debut li-Ion batteries in a production hybrid, while Toyota has yet to see a compelling argument for diesel hybrids. Rest assured that if people want it, Toyota will build it, though. Before closing, we look forward to the couple of things we know about in New York, like the debut of the Acura TSX/Honda Euro Accord which will sport a 50-state legal diesel, and the Automotive X-Prize folks will be holding a press conference, as well. 32 minutes this time around. Stay tuned, we'll surely be abuzz when we return from New York.

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Turns out I was wrong when I said the new KITT from the Knight Rider movie coming February was not a hybrid. According to the show's executive producer, David Bartis, the new KITT is very efficient and a hybrid in "some ways." KITT will also have solar panels and other green technologies. Here is exactly what David said:

CS: Was there any attempt to make this a "green" car? Is the new KITT a hybrid?

Bartis: The new KITT is incredibly efficient. Yes, it is a hybrid in some new ways. You'll see it incorporate solar energy and technology that we could create because it is a TV show. There are some cool new technologies we have applied; it is a highly efficient vehicle.

Stay tuned for full review when Knight Rider airs February 17th.

Related:

• In the future, everyone will live in parking lots
• Video: wind turbines added to Speed Racer movie trailer (hybrid Mach 5 anyone?)
• It's Friday: Fahrenheit 451's vision of the future includes very green transport
• Al Gore drives hybrid Taxi in Futurama movie

[Source: Coming Soon]

For a long time now green has been the unofficial color of environmentalists. Anything environmentally friendly has been considered green. But that may be about to change. Advertising agency JWT (formerly known as J Walter Thompson) is predicting a shift from green to blue in 2008. If that happens they will be following the likes Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. Those two companies use the BlueTec and BlueMotion branding on their clean diesels and most efficient models, respectively. As VW spokesman Keith Price explained at the launch of the Dieselution tour earlier this year the Blue refers the earth and sky that make up this pale blue dot when seen from space. The big question will we have to rename this site AutoblogBlue?

[Source: GreenDaily]

We're back for AutoblogGreen Podcast #16. In this installment, Sebastian updates us on some of the really amazing things he saw while at EVS23 in Anaheim. Speaking of really cool stuff, our interview this time is with Beau Boeckmann of Galpin Autosports. Sebastian and Beau talk in depth about the crazyawesomelywild hybrid F450 that was done up for Pimp My Ride, while Sam got to see the Chevy Volt showing a little leg on a recent tour of the E-Flex design studio. We take some time to discuss the Volt and E-Flex in depth, touching on some of the discoveries that have been made as the platform gets developed, as well as how far along the E-Flex is, which is surprising. We're looking ahead to NAIAS in Detroit in a few weeks, for now, enjoy this installment, clocking in at 43 minutes.

UPDATE: Read the transcript and view a picture of Beau's truck here.

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As we head toward the Frankfurt Motor show, AutoblogGreen Podcast #11 is filled with talk about what we'll see at the show. There've been lots of developments from European manufacturers, and we're eager to see those cars up close. Sam also got the chance to attend a GM Powertrain event at their Milford proving grounds where he was able to drive some of the new engine technologies around, including HCCI. While there, he also snagged interviews with Paul Najt and Uwe Grebe talking about the work they've been doing developing new GM powertrains. It's 36 minutes this week, and we've fixed the RSS and audio issues from the last couple episodes. Thanks for listening!

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Biodiesel seems to be a very good idea but some voices have raised serious concerns about the source of oils used for production. The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), the largest association of European biodiesel producers have demanded a certification system (a sort of green label) that guarantees the sustainability and environment-friendliness of raw materials (mainly vegetable oil).

The EBB considers this measure as urgent, because the market is increasing exponentially, to cope with the biofuel blending requirements in the EU for 2020.

The target of this certification would be the screening out of products obtained from dubious procedures, such as deforestation. It would also be a measure that could help European vegetable oil producers, whose products are usually more traceable than imports. The European association of oilseed plants claims that they're up to the task, since they have increased production ten-fold, up to 5 millions of tons for this year.

Related:

• The EU to help developing countries with biofuels
• EU Trade minister says no funding farmers for biofuels
• FOEI puts the blame on Wilmar for rainforest destruction caused by biodiesel production

[Source: EEB via Energías Renovables]

In a lengthy, two-part editorial, David Roberts, a staff writer at Grist, presents his position on unifying the green lobby around the flag of URGE²: Use Renewably Generated Electricity, Efficiently. He is expecting bumper stickers and t-shirts - here's why.

Mine negawatts: The cheapest source of new energy is not using it - increase efficiency and you can slash the growth in energy demand. See part two of the interview with Michael Brylawski of RMI for his related comments on how people don't want extra kilowatts, they want hot showers and cold beers.

A good example of where to find negawatts is right above you - replacing standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs as is being proposed here in Australia. Similarly, make a car lighter and you can make it more efficient, or faster, or both.

Electrify: It's easier to find clean, renewable sources of electricity than it is to find clean, renewable liquid fuels which leads to an obvious conclusion - shift almost all energy use to electricity. That's not to say that there isn't a lot of room for renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel in the mean time, but long term, the electricity grid is just more efficient.

Kill coal: "Coal is the enemy of the human race." Coal fired power stations are responsible for a huge percentage of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions. Coal also causes environmental damage where it is mined and air pollution where is burning. Cleaning up coal is likely to make it financially non-viable in comparison to green technologies such as wind.

Upgrade the grid: Focus on energy storage and decentralisation through renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal, hydrokinetic, cogeneration and biomethane. Developing good power storage technology is important to even out the supply intermittency of renewable energy sources. Examples of storage Roberts mentions include battery technology (both lithium and nano), hydrogen fuel cells, pumped storage, molten-salt storage and ultracapacitors.

Analysis: As Michael Brylawski said, "if the ultimate efficiency is, say, 10 percent of turning coal into refrigeration for your beer, every unit of energy saved at the fridge saves ten times that in coal." I especially like the concept of mining negawatts - you can start today by using compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Related:

• GridWise sets aside four days in April to work on U.S. smart grid
• Wind and solar powered streetlights... I hope there're no solar red-light-photo cameras!
• Interview with Michael Brylawski of RMI part two - Hypercars and cold beers

[Source: David Roberts / TomPaine.com]

DayStar LightFoil flexible solar cells

Stephan DeLuca, the former COO, and now CEO, of solar cell manufacturer DayStar Technologies Inc. has just received a healthy $50,000 pay rise, plus access to a healthy vehicle. DeLuca, who, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, is allowed to replace his vehicle every two years has been given some green ground rules to follow when he goes shopping. His new vehicle must be a gasoline-electric hybrid, a fuel-efficient, low-emission diesel engine, or equally "environmentally friendly" automobile in keeping with his company's green image.

DayStar manufactures a range of photovoltaic cell products including their flexible, high specific power LightFoil which is aimed at airborne craft and mobile terrestrial applications. LightFoil's design consists of high efficiency Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) solar cells deposited on thin titanium foil less than the thickness of common household aluminum foil. The resulting product is flexible enough to be moulded to curved surfaces or cut into complex geometric shapes. This is clear contrast with traditional solar cells which are brittle and require rigid, heavy module packaging to protect the cells.

Another significant difference between CIGS Photovoltaic Foil and silicon based products is the relative amount of raw materials needed to produce each solar cell. On average, a CIGS cell requires 1/50th to 1/100th of the total raw materials needed for a typical silicon solar cell.

Analysis: Its great to see business link employee benefits to green technology like low-emissions vehicles as we also saw recently with BP's paid parking program. LightFoil is a pretty interesting product too - imagine covering your car in it!

Related:

• Free parking at BP, but only if you're driving green
• Companies push for green transport in the UK

[Source: Times Union]

The Ways That Work blog have posted their Top 10 Green Corporate Initiatives of 2006 which highlights businesses which adopted green practices and technologies in 2006, designed to help not only the environment, but also their bottom line:

1. Yahoo! Autos and Environmental Defense create "Green Ratings" for cars.
2. Cisco Systems, Inc. pledges $20 million for technology that will cut company travel and carbon emissions.
3. Wal-Mart commits to sustainable fish for North American stores.
4. PHH Arval and Environmental Defense announce North America's first fleet management program designed to cut emissions and costs.
5. Entergy agrees to use offsets and reductions to keep emissions at 20 percent below 2000 levels.
6. Xcel Energy plans to build an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant in Colorado.
7. Supermarket chain Wegmans and food-services company Bon Appétit announced purchasing standards for farmed salmon.
8. Environmental Defense and the Ad Council create the first ever public advertising campaign addressing the threat of global warming.
9. Random House, Inc. announces new initiative to increase use of recycled fiber tenfold by 2010, from 3 to 30 percent of paper volume.
10. Hybrid trucks adopted by UPS, U.S. Postal Service, Purolator Courier, liquor distributor Charmer Sunbelt, Frito-Lay, and Florida Power & Light.

See the original post for expanded discussion of each of these.

I would add to this list the companies that have moved their transport fleets onto biodiesel and ethanol; Google and Patagonia amongst others that added solar capacity to their corporate campuses; all the car manufacturers that furthered development of petrol-electric and diesel-electric hybrid drive systems; and anyone else that brought us closer to driving safe, practical and fun cars that get incredible mileage using environmentally friendly, renewable energy sources.

Related:

• The top 70 "in" products, services and trends that will help to define 2007
• alphaDictionary: "hybrid" is one of the top 10 words of the year

[Source: Ways that Work]

Trendspotters around the world, take note of the 70 "in" products, services and trends that will define 2007 according to JWT, the largest advertising agency in the U.S. and fourth largest in the world. Says Marian Salsman, ececutive vice president and chielf maketing officer for JWT, "Trends are illustrated by the products and services that exemplify them. By examining what resonates with consumers, we can identify the larger patterns that will shape our lives in the years to come."

Not all of the top trends identified here matter to our readers, but I have extrapolated the following from the list, just 'cause I'm cool like that.

1. Sustainable construction\green buildings
2. hydrogen fuel cells
3. veggie buses (school buses that run on biodesiel)
4. environmental causes
5. companies "going green"
6. microgeneration (generating one's own energy)
7. energy saving light bulbs
8. Al Gore, the environmentalist (as opposed to the politician, I surmise)
9. RSS Feeds -- not green, but appropriate to our readers nonetheless

So, there you go. Now I can tell everyone that I know that I am indeed "trendy", and so can you.

Related:

• Edmunds.com's green automotive trends and forecasts
• 15 events make Renewable Fuels Association notable in 2006 list
• alphaDictionary: "hybrid" is one of the top 10 words of the year

[Source: redorbit.com]

Honda Motor Company, ever the environmental trailblazer, has developed an earth-friendly fabric made from plants for its vehicle interiors. The fabric accomplishes two things that previously made such technologies flawed -- it's both durable and resistant to sunlight. The material is appropriate for seats, door coverings, headliners, floor mats and other fabric-covered surfaces.

The new fabric has the potential to cut energy consumption during production by 10 to 15 percent over processes for petroleum-based polyester fabrics, lessening CO2 emissions. It will first be used in Honda's fuel cell vehicles, set to go into production within the next three years or so.

[Source: peopleandplanet.net]

Ford Motor Company is mulling ways to move some of its Expedition metal -- which is a good thing considering the 82-day supply the automaker is currently hoarding. The Dearborn-based automaker is taking its big Expedition SUV, which gets 14 mpg in the city, and making a diesel or hybrid version of it. The diesel would be a V8 slated for Europe, while the hybrid version would compete with GM's big hybrid SUVs, the GMC Yukon and Chevy Tahoe. It might not move the cars off the lot now, but it is some foresight sorely needed for the vehicle if it is to survive.

The diesel engine won't be a big deal. Ford may decide to beef up the 3.6L diesel V8 currently found in many a Land Rover over in Europe, but a hybrid won't be so easy. If Ford decides to do the development of the hybrid itself, the vehicle would definitely arrive a little late to the party (the Expedition will probably go on sale in 2010, whereas we'll see GM's trucks in 2008); however, the company may decide to go another route to bring the vehicle to market faster -- buy the two-mode hybrid technology from GM. The issue at hand is that Ford currently does not have rear-wheel drive truck platforms capable of hosting hybrid technology.

[Source: Automotive News via AutoWeek and Hybrid Car News]

The British government delivered quite the smack down to Honda recently when it decided not to award potential buyers "carbon grants" as incentives to buy green. Despite Honda knowing that this predicament would not improve the bottom line, company spokespeople say Honda will contine to build green in the UK and hope that both car buyers and the government will do the right thing sooner or later. 

A survey Honda conducted to bolster its cause said that 35 percent of the British population think the government is most responsible for getting motorists to drive greener cars, and 70 percent of asthma sufferers believe that the government is not doing enough to reduce traffic fumes.

[Source: Askaprice.com]

Thanks for visiting AutoblogGreen on our opening day, which happens to be the 36th anniversary of the very first Earth Day. Twenty million Americans came together on this day back in 1970 to celebrate the possibility of a healthier planet, and while we, the citizens of Earth, still have a long way to go, we've traveled a great distance in 36 years.

The automotive industry and car culture in general has arguably played one of the largest parts in this planet's environmental decline. Whether you're a conflicted auto enthusiast or someone who begrudgingly accepts the automobile's role in your eco-friendly life, you'll find AutoblogGreen offers you an up-to-the-minute account of the auto industry's efforts to clean up its act.

Hybrids, diesels and vehicles running on ethanol, compressed natural gas and vegetable oil are all on our radar, as well as the promise of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles emitting nothing but that elixer of life - water. What's more, we'll cover the green car culture that has blossomed around the world's ever growing fleet of green vehicles.

So sit down, buckle up and get ready to accelerate gently and maximize your mileage with AutoblogGreen.

The National Parks System is protecting the environment in some farsighted ways. Turns out almost 700 pieces of equipment being used by our National Parks employ alternative fuels. The Green Energy Parks Program was started at Yellowstone in 1995 and currently is in effect at 23 parks, including Mammoth Cave. Mammoth Cave uses biofuels in all of its vehicles (everything from tour busses to lawn mowers!) and refuels on-site from two 3,000 gallon biofuel tanks. No word on where the parks get the fuel.

[Source: National Parks System]