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Filed under: MPG, Legislation and Policy

European carmakers may not be universally happy about the proposed new European Union CO2 limits with some like Porsche threating to leave the EU market while others are moving forward. Analyst Jato Dynamics says that the 130g/km limit is driving the European carmakers to change the way they design cars and do business. The Jato analysis says that the auto industry has had to take on a disproportionate share of the burden of reducing CO2 and they've made a lot of progress already.

It's unlikely that all carmakers will be able to meet the limits. While last years fleet average was still above the previous voluntary targets set by the EU, emissions have fallen steadily every year since 2001. Carmakers have invested a lot of money in new technology like hybrids in the last few years, but they haven't really caught on Europe with the Prius only getting a 0.18% share of the market. On the other hand increasingly punitive taxes on vehicles that consume more fuel is likely to push consumers toward ever more efficient vehicles. Although few vehicles currently meet the new standards, Jato says carmakers are making progress and are committed to change.

[Source: Just-Auto - Sub. req'd]

 

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

Filed under: MPG, Honda

The recent Canadian budget introduced new incentives for people to buy more fuel efficient vehicles. Unfortunately for Honda whenever rules like this are imposed it usually involves some arbitrary threshold for qualification. In this case cars are required to consume no more than 6.3L/100km of gas to get a $1,000 rebate. The Honda Fit uses 6.5L/100km and doesn't make the cut, while the Toyota Yaris does. One of the options for Honda is to reduce the car's weight to improve the efficiency.

The quickest way for Honda to do this without redesigning the car is to remove equipment, including parts like anti-lock brakes, and extra airbags. Honda Canada VP Jim Miller told a University of Windsor marketing class that removing safety equipment was an undesirable outcome, but it may be necessary in order to meet the fuel consumption thresholds. This is an issue that many carmakers will be facing in coming years and suppliers are continuously working to redesign their hardware and shave ounces of mass wherever possible.

[Source: Ottawa Citizen]

 

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

Filed under: Green Culture, MPG

What would happen if everybody obeyed the speed limit? A group in the U.K. would like to find out, assuming that there is no speed limit higher than 70 miles per hour (which, of course there is. Another topic for another story). Their website claims, and has data to back it up, that deaths would drop, emissions would drop and gas mileage would increase. And, by substantial amounts, too. I am well aware that not everybody would be willing to abide by this particular speed. I have been known to break it from time to time myself (a gross understatement? Not that I am admitting to :-). But, what about you individually? Are you willing to commit to never breaking 70 miles per hour? If so, click here and check into joining. You'll get a very stylish sticker to proudly display your intentions.

[Source: Treehugger]

 

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

Filed under: Legislation and Policy

The International Panel on Climate Change has reached consensus on a report that gives a very dire warning on climate change. Over 2,500 scientists have converged for the conference to approve a report that will provide guidance to governments on how to deal with climate and greenhouse gas emissions. The report projects that poor people will be hit hardest by warming with rising sea levels absorbing coastal areas, and more of the rest being being short of rain and expanding deserts.

Chinese, Russian and Saudi representatives had the greatest objections to the report. They were opposed to mentions of the level of confidence that the climate was changing. The report projects that African countries could wind up spending five to ten percent of their GDP on dealing with the changes, because of problems like water shortages. Temperatures are predicted to rise by 1.8 to 4 degrees Celsius over the next century, and the melting of Himalayan glaciers could lead to water shortages in the rivers that it feeds. The bottom line of the report is that climate change is real and happening now and needs to be addressed.

[Source: Reuters]

 

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

Filed under: Etc.

On NPR's Morning Edition today, KQED's Rob Schmitz spent some time at Los Angeles' "green" gas station, the BP Helios fueling center. Schmitz's report gets people to talk about the weird feeling they get by getting gas at a "green" place; they sound like they're awfully perplexed by the juxtaposition of the two ideas. You can listen to the piece here.

The station collects rainwater for watering plants, contains lots of recycled materials in the structure, a sign made of cedar and LEDs. BP's page on the station says the unique store isn't a prototype for future BP expansions, but is instead a "'living laboratory' that uses green, eco-friendly innovations to give consumers a little better station experience."

You can see pictures of Helios taken by someone who visited the station here.

[Source: NPR, BP]

 

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

Wrightspeed is seeking investment for plans to morph its demo model into a superfast production hybrid.

Officials say 777 electric vehicles are registered in Nevada, including low-power golf cart-type cars that can only be driven on roads where speeds don't exceed 35 mph.

Ther are about 100 'mileage maniacs' or hybrid owners who compete against each other to squeeze as much as 115 miles per gallon out of their cars.

All three concepts were designed at GM's Design Studio in Inchon, South Korea; one of GM's 11 Global Design Studios. Photo: microcars L-to-R -- Groove, Beat, Trax.