Entries Tagged 'energy news' ↓

GM has taken a long time to bring a strong hybrid offering to market, and recently chairman Bob Lutz made it clear that the company’s decision to pursue hybrid cars is bittersweet. The 2010 Chevy Volt is a popular topic, made obvious by the amount of buzz streaming across the Internet and its already extensive waiting lists of orders.

With all of the positive publicity why then is Lutz down on hybrids? He says that GM loses money on many of its hybrids and will continue to do so in the intermediate future. Marring the future of hybrids further he also predicted that they will own a small piece of the overall car market, at 10% or less over the next 10 years!

That’s a cynical viewpoint, but perhaps based on some realistic experience. Lutz later said “for the next 10 years, that’s the way we see it! That would would be over 1.2 million units per year; at today’s price premium for plug-ins, that’s even an optimistic estimate, I think,” according to GM-Volt.

He also clarified later that he was referencing PHEV hybrids like the 2010 Chevy Volt and all electric vehicles like the Nissan LEAF. It seems that government requirements are driving a lot of GM’s research in hybrid vehicles, which wouldn’t be surprising considering how much money the company accepted in loans from the United States republic.

GM may also be benefiting from Toyota’s recent battle with defective gas petals which created mass recalls and destroyed part of its bubble of perfection. Where consumers once considered Toyota the only viable source of hybrid cars with its Prius model, they now may be considering competitors more seriously.

Exact pricing on the Chevy Volt isn’t available yet but it’s expected to be around $40,000 with about $7,000 in tax credits. They will likely be in production by the end of November 2010 but most of those will be snapped up quickly so realistically an average consumer may not have a chance to get one until 2012.

Source : taintedgreen.com

Thailand’s Energy Future Will Be Powered By Volvo FlexiFuel E85 In Surprise Announcement, Volvo Reveals First Locally Produced
E85 FlexiFuel Vehicle – Volvo S80 2.5FT
Volvo announces a double first for Thailand set to benefit the Thai economy and environment.
Not only does Volvo formally launch the import of the Volvo C30 1.8F at the upcoming Motor Expo 2008, but astonishes all with the launch of Thailand’s first and only locally produced E85 FlexiFuel vehicle with the reveal of the Volvo S80 2.5FT at Bangkok Racing Circuit today, attended by HE The Ambassador of Sweden, Lennart Linnér, Minister of Energy, Dr. Wannarat Charnnukul, and the CEO’s of PTT, BCP, Mitr Phol, PetroGreen and the Thai Ethanol Manufacturing Association amongst many other VIP guests.
This move is seen as another critically needed and key step in Thailand’s development towards a more secure energy future through the promotion and use of less polluting and more importantly renewable biofuels made from home-grown agricultural produce. Embraced by the people, businesses and the government, renewable local biofuels will save more money for Thai motorists and reduce the Kingdom’s economic burden from the need to buy foreign oil which last year accounted for some 9% of GDP.
This announcement comes in parallel with the efforts of Ministry of Energy, PTT Plc and Bangchak Petroleum to sell E85 gasohol commercially. And to excite Thai consumers even more, these two E85 FlexiFuel Vehicles. Volvo S80 2.5FT and Volvo C30 1.8F will make their public sales debut during “Motor Expo 2008” from November 28, onwards.
Mr. Paul Stokes, President of Volvo Car Thailand, said “For Volvo, environment has been a core value of our brand for decades and so we have always fully supported the efforts of the Royal Thai Government, and particularly the Ministry of Energy in advancing renewable biofuels with an aim of energy security for Thailand from the very beginning. Today, Volvo announces yet another milestone commitment in this journey as we will be the first car company to produce E85-compatible FlexiFuel Vehicles locally here in Thailand, starting with our globally successful and award winning large prestige sedan Volvo S80 2.5FT, and also to formally launch the Volvo C30 1.8F as an imported product.”
Dr.Wannarat Charnnukul, Minister of Energy, said “The government holds as a main policy to promote the use of alternative energy no matter what change happens to the oil price. The higher mixture of ethanol in gasoline would reduce the country’s reliance on crude oil imports and reduce the cost of living. It would also strengthen the country’s long-term energy security and economy. Over the past several months, we have deeply appreciated the friendly cooperation from Volvo in supporting the government’s energy policy. I think Volvo S80 2.5FT E85 will be another compelling choice for Thai motorists.”
Launched in September last year, in diesel and benzene variants, the all-new Volvo S80 is second generation of Volvo’s large prestige sedan sculpted with timeless Scandinavian design and brimming with world-class safety firsts that together form a cohesive network of exterior and interior systems working in a seamless concert which drew universal applause from world’s auto industry as one of the world’s safest cars. The Model Year 2009 is no exception, adding both Volvo’s Blindspot Information System (BLIS); Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Driver Alert technology to the locally made versions alongside the keyless entry/drive Personal Car Communicator (PCC) and much more already in place.
Adding the bioethanol 2.5FT E85 FlexiFuel engine to the line-up, Volvo S80 guarantees its responsible exclusiveness as an intelligent choice in a way that you simply cannot find in other cars.

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A green car doesn’t have to be a hybrid.

The Green Car of the Year will be announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and there is a three-in-five chance that the winner won’t be powered by a gas-electric system.

Only two of the five finalists are hybrids — the Saturn Vue two-mode hybrid and the Ford Fusion hybrid.

Two are diesels — the BMW 335d and Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The tiny gas-powered Smart ForTwo rounds out the nominees.

“This year’s selection of nominees was more challenging than in years past because of the auto industry’s greater emphasis on greener vehicles and the number of potential vehicles to consider. For the first time, we’ve also seen a pair of clean diesels and a small gasoline model giving hybrids serious competition,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com.

The 2009 Green Car of the Year is to be announced Nov. 20 at the LA show. Judges include Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club; Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council; Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of the Ocean Futures Society; auto enthusiast and “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, and automotive icon Carroll Shelby. Four Green Car Journal editors round out the jury.

TOKYO — Honda’s chief executive welcomed the U.S. government’s decision to extend loans to American automakers today, but said their problems highlighted their slow response to soaring gas prices.

“It is totally proper for the U.S. government to help out U.S. automakers,” Takeo Fukui told reporters in Tokyo, adding that Honda also relies on the same parts makers in the United States.

Last month, President George W. Bush signed a sprawling, stopgap spending bill, including $25 billion in taxpayer-subsidized loans to the troubled U.S. automakers.

General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler had lobbied for the government loans, which will help them develop a broader lineup of fuel-efficient models.

Honda Motor Co., whose models are reputed for good mileage, has avoided some of the major sales battering that U.S. rivals have taken as gasoline prices soared.

“Times have changed,” Fukui said. “Their response was too slow.”

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With Honda and General Motors having sent out their fuel-cell test vehicles to consumers for limited testing, Toyota has also stepped up to the plate with its Fuel Cell Highlander. The FCHV, as it is called, is based on the original Highlander, and the name stands for Fuel-Cell Hybrid Vehicle.

The latest version of the FCHV uses 10,000 psi hydrogen storage tanks that hold 6 kilograms of hydrogen. According to Toyota, that gives it a range of 432 miles at the equivalent of about 72 miles per gallon. It makes 122 horsepower, which doesn’t sound like much, but felt like plenty around town. Like other fuel-cell vehicles today, the FCHV also uses a battery to provide short bursts of added power. (Thus the Fuel-Cell Hybrid Vehicle moniker.) The FCHV uses nickel-metal hydride batteries.
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Both Nissan and Toyota have been working hard to come up with eco-friendly car programmes in a bid to become the ‘green’ brand of choice for modern consumers.

The companies are working on battery electric, hybrid and fuel-cell programmes, but the rivals are taking a different approach to one another.

Toyota, for example, sees hybrids are the future, building on the success of the Prius. Nissan, on the other hand, is concentrating on battery technology, working closely with NEC to achieve its goal.

Miguel Fonseca, managing director of Toyota UK, said future hybrids would continue to use petrol rather than diesel for the internal combustion element of the drivetrain.

“Petrol has better efficiency at high RPM than diesel, while electric motors are better at low revs,” he said, offering a different view to Volkswagen and Peugeot, who are both going for diesel hybrids instead of petrol.

Toyota is still working on a miniaturised hybrid drivetrain for its new iQ city car, which will go on sale before the end of the year with conventional petrol or diesel engines.

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Local automobile industry executives say the government should delay the launch of E85 fuel, a mixture of 85% ethanol with petrol, until it can identify specific alternative fuels to be promoted alongside vehicles that can use them.

It is still too early to introduce E85 given that there are almost no cars available to use the fuel mix, said Suparat Sirisuwangura, the president of the Thai Automotive Industry Association (TAIA).

The commercial launch of E85 would also affect the eco-car project, which is being promoted by the government as a means to make Thailand a regional leader in small, fuel-efficient vehicles, said Mr Suparat during a meeting with Industry Minister Mingkwan Sangsuwan.

The eco-car project was announced last year and local automakers are only beginning to create production lines for the new vehicles, Mr Suparat noted.

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