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Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Ford, Mercury
Yesterday President George Bush took some time away from his other problems and flew to the mid-west to visit two domestic brand assembly plants that are building hybrid vehicles. After stopping by the GM Fairfax, Kansas plant he went on the Ford Kansas City plant. The GM plant turns out the Saturn Aura hybrid and will build the Malibu hybrid this fall. Kansas City is home to the Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner hybrids and flex-fuel F-Series pick-up trucks.
CEO Alan Mullaly and the President toured the assembly line that turns out the hybrids and then got an up close look at the HySeries drive Ford Edge before he delivered a speech to a group of plant employees. The Edge was the plug-in series hybrid CUV with a fuel cell to provide extra range that AutoblogGreen drove in early February. In his speech Bush thanked the employees for helping to produce the technology that will help ensure the country's energy independance. The Ford press release is after the jump.
[Source: Ford]
PRESIDENT BUSH VISITS FORD'S KANSAS CITY PLANT: HOME OF FULL-HYBRID SUVS AND E85 TRUCKS
President Bush (R) toured Ford's Kansas City Assembly plant where America's first SUV hybrid electric vehicles and E85 F-150 trucks are built.
* President tours Kansas City Assembly Plant's hybrid assembly line to view production of Escape Hybrid and Mariner Hybrid.
* President thanks Kansas City Assembly Plant employees for helping to deliver energy security by building hybrids and E85 vehicles.
* KCAP employees hear President explain how American technology and innovation will lead to energy security.
KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 20, 2007 - Ford Motor Company today hosted President George W. Bush at the company's Kansas City Assembly Plant where the President thanked employees for being part of the solution to the country's energy issues by building hybrid and E85 vehicles.
The President toured the hybrid assembly line and addressed more than 300 employees about the role American technology and innovation will play in delivering energy security to the country.
"Technology changes the way we have lived our lives and technology is going to change the way we drive our cars," said the President. "You're making a new kind of automobile that is literally a part of changing America for the better."
Alan Mulally, president and CEO, Ford Motor Company, welcomed President Bush to the plant and thanked him for coming to see first-hand how Ford is delivering advanced technology vehicles to address climate change and energy security.
"Ford stands ready to work with the Administration and Congress to reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil," Mulally said. "At Kansas City Assembly, we are doing some exciting things. In addition to producing the nation's first hybrid electric SUV, we are also building the best-selling pickup truck in the world - the Ford F-150 - capable of running on E85 ethanol, gasoline or any combination of the two fuels."
"We are also developing a range of advanced technologies that improve fuel efficiency, such as clean diesel, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen internal combustion engines, hydrogen fuel cells and advanced gasoline engines," Mulally adds. "These advanced technologies will help reduce green house gas emissions and lessen our dependence on foreign petroleum."
Ford recently invested $100 million in its Kansas City plant to produce the new, 2008 model of both the conventional and hybrid Ford Escape. Escape was the world's first hybrid SUV.
In addition to the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrid vehicles and E85-capable F-150 pickup, Ford showed the President the Ford Edge with HySeries Drive[TM] - the world's first drivable fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle with plug-in capability.
"It is an extraordinary honor for us to welcome the President into our plant," said Ken Ward, plant manager, Kansas City Assembly. "Our employees had the opportunity to explain the hybrid production process and demonstrate their commitment to building the best hybrid and E85 vehicles in the world."
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With more than 280,000 employees and more than 100 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo, Aston Martin and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
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I'm sure that by now, all of us are familiar with Al Gore and his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth". You probably also know that automakers, scientists and politicians are busy in Washington making decisions on what steps, if any, to take to combat global warming and the greenhouse gases that are emitted from our exhaust pipes, factories and the like. While reading over some of the statements and testimony in the hearings, something really caught my eye. According to Ralph Hall, a Republican from Texas, the suggested cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases amount to an "all-out assault on all forms of fossil fuels" that could eliminate jobs and hurt the economy. That sounds pretty serious, and I was wondering if any of our readers would like to comment on that. I have some opinions of my own, and perhaps I will write an editorial about it in the next few days if you readers are interested. Let me know, and let us all know what you personally think.[Source: The New York Times]
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
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Filed under: Diesel, MPG, Audi
In big time motorsports, particularly sportscar racing, one pattern keeps repeating itself. There will be a period of several years after a new category or set of rules is established when several big teams or manufacturers jump in and there is intense competition. Then one team will come up with a breakthrough, and move out front and utterly dominate the series for a while. Other teams become disheartened and drop out leaving only the dominant team and a few stragglers before the category eventually collapses due to tack of interest. It happened to the original Can-Am series when the Porsche 917-30 rolled over everyone, Group C when the Porsche 956-962 dominated, IMSA GTP with Nissan and now ALMS with Audi and the R10 TDi.
There have been several keys to Audi's success in LMP1 over the past eight years. Sheer speed hasn't hurt, but there were times when other cars were as fast as the Germans. Efficiency and fuel economy have been among the biggest boons to the R8 and now the R10. Being able toe swap out the entire rear suspension and gearbox module in a matter of minutes was a huge boost to Audi at LeMans. The direct injection that Audi used on the gasoline powered R8 helped them get more power from the same amount of fuel and run farther. And the introduction of the diesel R10 last year allowed them to run an extra 3 laps per tank at the the 8 mile long LeMans track.
Now with essentially no competition in their class in the ALMS, it appears that they may be considering dropping out of that series. It would be nice if Peugeot would bring their new 908 HDi LeMans challenger over to take on the R10 in the American series. More likely, the series will go into another period of renewal, with a new set of rules being developed to attract new competitors. Hopefully the next generation rules will encourage more use of alternative fuels and provide more incentive for improved fuel efficiency.
[Source: GermanCarBlog]
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
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Filed under: Emerging Technologies, MPG, BMW
BMW has put up a video that does a decent job of explaining the technology that comprises their EfficientDynamics branding. The first model to get EfficientDynamics is the newly revised 120 model, which gets a start-stop system and some rudimentary regenerative braking capability. The host talks to BMW spokesman Chris Koenders at the recent Geneva Motor Show and they step through the different elements of the system.
[Source: BMW, thanks to Linton for the tip]
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
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Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Transportation Alternatives
We have shown you the air-car before, and you may have seen it on TV if you watched the Discovery Channel series, Future Car. If you did, you witnessed them erroneously refer to the possibility of perpetual motion in reference to the air-car. While there is no perpetual motion at work here, there may be production plans in the works. An agreement between Tata Motors and MDI, creators and patent-holders for the air-car and it's powertrain may just bring the air-car to market.
Details of the air-car peg the top-speed at 68 mph, and a range of 200-300 kilometers (up to 186 miles). The tanks containing the compressed air can be refilled at special stations, or using the on-board electric compressor in 3-4 hours. The vehicle is expected to see use primarily in urban environments. Will it ever hit U.S. shores? We'll see, right?
[Source: Business Week via Hugg]
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
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Ford Motor Company yesterday played host to President Bush at the automaker's Kansas City Assembly Plant, Missouri.
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The X Prize Foundation's contest will generate new ideas in the area of fuel efficiency as well as highlight already-established technology.
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JD Corporation's new innovation - TranzX Power Support Technology - consists of a pedal-activated drive system that propels bicycles by the latest in efficient and lightweight electric technology, delivering a smooth and unique riding experience.
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Fully 83 percent of Americans now say global warming is a 'serious' problem, up from 70 percent in 2004 and a greater threat than terrorism.
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