Filed under: Ethanol

There is plenty of opposition to the rapid growth of corn ethanol in the Midwest, but a lot of that opposition comes from people who look at the larger picture, and from proponents of ethanol alternatives. The communities where the plants are located are often happy to have the jobs and a place to sell corn. Not so in Shawnee County, Kansas.

In Shawnee County, a proposed $200 million, 100-million gallon ethanol plant was criticized heavily in a public hearing last week. The AP says that 150 people attended the meeting, and almost every one of the the 29 speakers voiced opposition to the plant. The locals are opposed to potential pollution from the plant, excess water use (see a similar story on the Ogalalla Aquifer) and odors. The plant is being considered by Emerald Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of Cargill. Representatives from ERE told the citizens that their worries were unwarranted.

Related:

• Kansas now has 21 E85 stations

[Source: AP]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Ethanol

We have covered a few times the potential of biobutanol as a biofuel: It seems to have better properties than ethanol and it can be used in cars without modifications. It also has almost the same energy content as gasoline, thus reducing fuel consumption in comparison to ethanol.

In a deep article about the use of butanol for ICE (internal combustion engines) published by Consumer, a magazine created by a chain of Spanish supermarkets, there is an interesting section about the origin of butanol.

Before World War I, several scientists worked on systems with bacteria that could result in industrial applications (hey, there isn't much new under the sun). One of this scientists was Chaim Weizmann (who would later become Israel's first president) who in 1916 used a bacteria called Clostridium actobutylicum to produce acetone, which was then used for the manufacturing of explosives. This process, called Acetobutilic Fermentation (ABE), gave two interesting byproducts: ethanol and butanol.

The process was used in several countries until the 1950s, when new systems to obtain acetone from oil were discovered. It's making a comeback.

Related:

• BP board member confirms company's interest in butanol and CO2 capture
• EnergyQuest to invest on butanol and hydrogen
• Interview with Philip New, president of BP Biofuels, regarding their focus on butanol

[Source: Consumer]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy

Ahhh, the hypocritical politician (or ex-politician). He certainly is not a dying breed, is he? The latest green-car hypocrite is former governor Jeb Bush. According to the AP, Bush recently said he drives a "a Chrysler 300 with a big Hemi in it." Of course, that 17-25 mpg car can't use ethanol. And, let's tie this all together with the facts: Jeb Bush passed pro-ethanol legislation while he was still governor, worked to start (and co-chairs) the Interamerican Ethanol Commission, and called ethanol "one was one of those light bulb deals for me." Light bulbs for other people, anyway.

How did Bush respond to a follow-up question from the AP about his car? Like his brother would: "Why would I have to defend it? It's a great car. I believe in freedom." Jeb, you should have said that corn ethanol is a terrible idea, and that you'll switch to E85 when it's made from switchgrass. Or orange peels.

[Source: AP]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Etc.

A few years ago, many cities throughout the world participated in the "Day Without Cars." That day, it was impossible for motorists to access city centers. It was an initiative set up to promote the use of mass transit systems and raise voices against pollution from private transit. In some cities, such as San Francisco, the Day Without Cars means free access to public transport.

However, recently these initiatives are losing momentum and some environmentalists are raising their voice against the "deccaffeination" of this day. Criticism against this was so strong in certain cities that cities are no longer banning traffic but only shutting down a few streets for pedestrians.

The fact is that despite all thees efforts, it's impossible for many citizens to depend on mass transit. Lack of subway, streetcars and bus lines are very common problems, not only in the US, but also in many European countries.

Nevertheless, setting a day aside to not use our cars is probably a good idea to raise awareness about the impact of private transport. Long-lasting measures such as improving the alternatives, though, will surely have a better impact.

[Source: Ecologistas en Acción]

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Ethanol

Wouldn't be great if you never had to pump up your tires again? Keeping your tires properly inflated improves your gas mileage; obviously a good thing for the environment. There are technological solutions to underinflated tires on the market: There's TMPS, and Onstar can alert you when your tire pressure is low. Devices that actually do the re-inflating for you do exist but mostly in the trucking industry. The systems cost too much to install in smaller cars, but companies are working on bringing those costs down.

This 2005 article from Sandia National Laboratories talks about Dale Petty's automatic tire inflating system. Dale's system uses wheel-mounted high pressure nitrogen bottles. The use of nitrogen bottles could really keep the costs low for an automatic system. BTW, the systems I mentioned don't re-inflate a punctured tire like the Bond movie below the fold. You may want to look into run-flat tires for a solution to that problem.

Related:

• Daytime running lights might not only be a waste of energy but also unsafe

[Source: Sandia National Laboratories]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Etc., Green Culture

The details, of course, are still unknown. But that Pope Benedict XVI will turn his first address to the United Nations next April into a chance to espouse on the moral side of living a greener life has been confirmed by Vatican spokesmen.

Readers who have been with us for a while will remember that the Vatican was became the first country to fully offset CO2 emissions earlier this summer, so it's not like the Pope is all hat and no cattle here (and those Pope hats are something else).

So, just what will - or can, I'm quite unfamiliar with Catholic rulemaking - the ex-Mr. Ratzinger say makes up a moral and green life? The Independent says that the Pope "is expected to use his first address to the United Nations to deliver a powerful warning over climate change in a move to adopt protection of the environment as a 'moral' cause for the Catholic Church and its billion-strong following." Do we have any Catholic readers who can maybe shed a bit of light on this question? Anyone else want to chime in with what you hope the Pope says? On the one hand, I think it's the right move to tie living with a smaller impact on the environment to a moral code. On the other hand, its' not like the Vatican's moral rules are exactly always-honored now, are they?

[Source: The Independent / James Macintyre via Ecorazzi]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Legislation and Policy

No, Hot Lanes are not roads that have caught fire. Hot Lanes or High Occupancy Toll lanes are a lot like HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes, which you are probably familiar with. The difference with HOT lanes compared with HOV lanes is that cars with low occupancy, i.e., just the driver, can travel in Hot Lanes too, they just have to pay a toll. There are many models for tolls but one of the cooler ones is MnPASS.

MnPass is an electronic tolling device that works with a transponder that snaps on to your windshield, which means no stops at toll booths. Sensors built into the lane work with MnPass and pricing varies for the Hot Lane. In many cases, MnPass has no physical barriers, so it's a cost effective system. Critics call Hot Lanes Lexus Lanes because it lets drivers pay for faster transport without car pooling.

The Hot Lanes' Wiki page has a list of the roads that use the system. Turing HOV lanes in HOT lanes is silencing many critics that say HOV lanes are under used. HOT lanes are also a good source of revenue for governments. The Hot Lane concept is very new but I can really see it taking off. No one likes tolls, but traffic certainly is not getting any better. Moving some of those cars along quicker might even please people who are concerned about the environment, as the cars spend less time idling or moving slowly down on the road.

[Source: DOT, YouTube]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Etc., GM

We'd be remiss to miss posting about the biggest automobile news of the day, even though it doesn't directly tie in to green vehicles: 73,000 UAW members at 59 GM plants walked off the job today at 11 am. The strike is due to failed contract negotiations.

For now, GM will be OK. The company has a 67-day supply of most of its cars (at the current sales rate), although some of the more popular vehicles will only be available for the next 26 days if everything continues as it is now.

You can see a gallery of strike photos here. Autoblog is totally on top of the developments. Keep checking AB for the latest, we just didn't want to leave ABG readers out of the loop.

[Source: Autoblog]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Ford

You'd think a story like this would be all over the place, but as of right now, only Next Energy News is onto the announcement of a 100 mpge (mpg equivalent) plug-in Ford Escort hybrid due in 2010.

According to NEN, the new Escort PHEV will use nanotech lithium-ion batteries from A123 Systems (NEN calls them "Super Batteries", which is a terrible name). The batteries are said to last for 10 years/150,000 miles. Nice as that sounds, as with all li-ion hybrid/EV battery announcements, we'll have to wait to see just how realistic these numbers are when the cars are actually released. NEN says that the Escort PHEV will be available for the 2011 model year (fall of 2010).

By combining the Escort brand with a new-from-the-ground-up PHEV model, Ford hopes to take some sales away from the Prius and other cars with strong green identities. Man, what a week this is already turning out to be. First the VW announcement and now this. What's next?

Related:

• Could the Escort be reborn as the new small Ford?

[Source: Next Energy News, h/t to Jason S.]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, Audi, Detroit Auto Show

Back in January when Audi showed us Q7 TDi at the Detroit Auto Show, they said it would go on sale in mid-2008 and only a few weeks ago they gave indications that the hybrid version would also be available in the third quarter of 2008. Now, however, it appears that both of these vehicles - along with the expected new Q5 - will not bow until the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The Q5 is a smaller CUV based on the VW Tiguan platform.

Apparently Audi didn't want their new models arriving just as the 2008 model year was drawing to a close and instead chose to hold them until January 2009 when they could be labeled as early 2010 models. By stretching out the '10 model year, they hope to improve residual values and avoid the inevitable conclusion of end of model year deals.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

---

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.