AutoblogGreen

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Ford and Pro Performance Group took a group of volunteers from Phoenix, AZ and gave them some lessons on eco-driving. The results? Average fuel economy savings of 24 percent (ranging from 6 to 50 percent) simply by changing driving style. Volunteers learned specific driving behaviors such as keeping rpm constant, smooth braking, driving at constant speed at 55mph instead of 65mph and keeping tires properly inflated. Drivers used all types of vehicles: passenger cars, SUVs and trucks. The EPA estimates that if all Americans drove using these ecotips (yes, there's another list after the jump), the U. S. could save 22 billion gallons of fuel per year.

Ford's ecodriving program was born in Germany in the early '90s. Ford USA "imported" some of the master trainers to Dearborn to not only to teach a new batch of American instructors, but to set-up standards to certify eco-driving instructors. These instructors will train Ford's fleet customers to save fuel, but their lessons will be available for everybody.


[Source: Ford]

The London-based NICE (No Internal Combustion Engine) car company has issued a statement going full-throttle at the big automakers. The statement says that customers will have to "expect a long wait if they think that mainstream manufacturers" are going to start selling electric cars any soon. "It's easy to get caught up in talk of an electric car revolution," said NICE co-founder Evert Geurtsen. "However, we'd be very surprised if many of the all-electric sports cars, and other models that have been making headlines, hit showrooms within forecast time frames." Of course, once they got our attention, NICE then added that they have already a full range of electric cars and electric bikes which are already available, two NEVs, the Mega City and the MyCar, and a small minivan, called Ze-O. Find the full statement after the jump.

[Source: NICE]

The Insurance Research Council (IRC) has published a report that comes out against small cars. It shows that the average auto injury claim payment in accidents involving lighter-weight vehicles was 14.3 percent greater than the average payment in accidents involving heavy vehicles. What does this mean? That the quest to find lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles might result in more expensive insurance costs. So, when gas gets more expensive, we'll demand lighter cars that burn less fuel but they will be lighter and the insurance will cost more.

IRC's calculation method took into consideration 9,140 personal injury protection (PIP) claims closed in 2007. The cars in these incidents were divided into four weight groups. The IRC found that claims from the lightest group were 14.3 percent more expensive than from the heaviest vehicles. They also found that while 38 percent of the lightweight cars could resume commuting to work after the accident, 46 percent of the heavyweight vehicles were able to continue driving. Not only that, IRC's study says that driving a lighter vehicle made you 12 percent more likely to require hospitalization in case of an accident.

[Source: IRC]

Click for high-resolution pictures of the Astra ecoFlex

GM's brand in the United Kingdom, Vauxhall, has launched the Astra Ecoflex version. As with the array of green signatures created by all European automakers (see: Bluemotion, Ecomotive, Eco2, Airdream...), the Vaxuhall Ecoflex takes a standard Astra, and greens up the base diesel engine while adding tweaks to the car to lower CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption. The good news is that the engineers not only managed to get the 1.7 CDTi engine to produce only 119 g/km of CO₂ while keeping mileage at 62.8mpg Imperial (52.3mpg U.S. or 4.5 l/100 km) but they increased the engine's power from 100 to 110hp. Other improvements include a 30kg (66 pound) reduction in kerb weight, lowered suspension to improve aerodynamics, modification of the front air intakes and a drag-reducing lower engine compartment panel. Engineers also reduced the power steering pump's idle speed and fitted low rolling-resistance tires. Prices start at £16,340.

Vauxhall is preparing two additional ecoFlex models for 2009: a 109g/km Corsa 1.3 CDTi good for nearly 69mpg Imperial (57mpg U.S. or 4.1 l/100 km), and a low-emissions version of the new Insignia sedan. Full press release after the jump.



[Source: Vauxhall]

Nope, this isn't a map showing the temperature that gas flows out of the nozzle into our car's tank to boost the myth that it's better to fuel early in the morning. No, this is a U.S. map (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) that shows color-coded gasoline prices (by county): the redder the color, the more expensive the gallon of gas while the greener the color, the cheaper the gas is. If you go to the site and zoom in on the map, you can drill down to the municipality level. Zoom in again and you'll end up with color-coded gas stations. My search found gas over $4.20/gal for Regular gas in Washington state, and under $3.12 near Dallas. The interactive map lets you even choose four different fuel types: regular, medium, premium and diesel, although E85 and biodiesel additions would have been a nice touch. Thanks to John and Larry for the tip.

[Source: Gasbuddy]

Here's something that could be useful for car makers: a system that calculates a target CO₂ figure based on vehicle weight and the European Commission's so-called 'slope of the line' parameter linking weight to target CO₂ as well as the variance from the target figure and any resulting financial penalties.

That may sound confusing, but carmakers could use this information to avoid the European Commission's upcoming penalties for automakers that pollute over the stipulated level of 130 g/km of CO₂ in 2012. The fine will be €95 for each gram of CO₂ a car emits over the new targets. Before you take out your wallet, remember that this figure is calculated as an average of the complete lineup - so if you're, say, VW, you can average the Bentley Continental with the Seat Ecomotive, Skoda Greenline and the VW Polo BlueMotion. If you're Ferrari, the Fiat 500 will also enter in the figure. In any case, the CO₂ calculator software is available at Spyder Automotive. Read the full press release after the jump.

Picture source: Vintagecalculators.com

[Source: Spyder Automotive]

According to a Financial Times online article, the answer to the question in the headline is yes. The EV revolution will require a lot of participants, and editor J. Soble summarizes the recent efforts from four Japanese automakers, the postal service, a utility company and the Japanese government, which are all working towards a future with a lot of electric cars on the road.

First, we have the expectations that Mitsubishi MiEV, Subaru R1e, Nissan-Renault will continue their EV projects in Japan (not just in Europe and Israel). Of course, we also await the plug-in version of the Toyota Prius. As for Japan's postal service, the company announced it will convert its 21,000 vehicle fleet to run on electrons. Utility Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) has announced the development of new electric stations that could charge an EV enough to run for 40 km (26 miles) in five minutes, or up to 60 km (40 miles) in ten minutes. The company sees them in, for instance, supermarkets. The government is helping build the infrastructure as well: The Kanagawa prefecture, the region adjoining Tokyo, is providing 150 recharging stations in an effor to fulfil the Japanese Government's announcement that half of the new cars sold in 2020 will be electric. Thanks to Mark for the tip.


[Source: FT]

There's a new video from Good Magazine that explains the viewpoint of those who believe that using crops for biofuels isn't good for the environment with simple and clear language. The short clip references articles from newspapers such as the LA Times and the NY Times, as well as official agencies like the DOE. The video outlines the reasons as follows: if high demand and fear of the short of supply make oil prices rise, then biofuel producers use feedstock to make their biofuels. Then, the high oil prices and the shortage of feedstocks make food more expensive, giving us the global crisis we've seen recently. If you think that the light relief from recent cuts in oil prices is enough to keep us saved, keep this video in mind. Watch it after the jump.

Mercedes not only builds cars, but it's one of the most important freight truck manufacturers. Next month, there's a road transport Exhibition in Hannover, Germany, and the Stuttgart-based company is introducing a new concept hybrid truck: the Mercedes Econic NGT Hybrid (non-hybrid standard version pictured above). The hybrid truck uses natural gas (CNG) as fuel as well as an electric engine. According to Mercedes, the estimated savings in fuel costs are estimated at 60 percent, both for the lower cost of natural gas and for the improvements in fuel consumption (undetailed). With this hybrid, Mercedes is certainly solidifying its moves into the CNG fuel segment. Mercedes will also show off a new version of the CNG-powered Sprinter van with Stop/Start function, as well as a new 4WD version.

[Source NGV Global]

We're no strangers to Chinese automaker BYD and its upcoming models of electric and hybrid cars. What's new is the claim that BYD is going to start selling the world's cheapest hybrid, with prices starting at just ¥100,000 (RNB) which is around $14,000 U.S. The model will be called BYD F3DM, with DB standing for Dual Mode, once it reaches the showrooms. BYD also announced a potential full EV version of the F3. The all-electric F6 is, however, still set to production. Specifications for this model haven't been released, although it's known that the car will be available with a different array of powertrains. We're still waiting for information on when the car will be actually on sale.

[Source: China Car Times via Autoblog en Español]