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Author |
Published |
Section |
Beep Beep, Beep Beep, Oui
French capital will implement electric-car-sharing program |
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23 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 4:16 PM on 23 Jun 2008 Having successfully implemented a bike-sharing program, Paris is revving up plans to provide electric cars that residents can pick up and drop off anywhere in the city. Mayor Bertrand Delanoë announced that 4,000 electric cars will be made available by the end of the next year at 700 pickup points. "There will be a computerized system which allows you as soon as you collect ... |
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| Topics: cars, electric vehicles, France, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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On Your Mark, Get Set ...
Preparing for Olympics, Beijing takes government cars off roads |
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23 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 2:14 PM on 23 Jun 2008 In preparation for hosting the Olympics and Paralympics from Aug. 8 to Sept. 17, Beijing has officially kicked off its plan to clear the air by keeping cars parked. Starting Monday, half of Beijing's 22,800 government vehicles will stay off the roads until July 19. From July 20 to Sept. 20, 70 percent of government vehicles will be idled, and non-governmental vehicle owners ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, cars, China, green living, news, Olympics, sports (all these topics) |
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I'd drive 245 billion miles (just not five billion more)
Americans drove less in April 2008 |
Joseph Romm |
21 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| April 2008 saw another sharp drop in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) according to the Federal Highway Administration's monthly report on 'Traffic Volume Trends' (PDF). This follows, 'the sharpest yearly drop for any month in FHWA history' in March (see here). I was compelled to blog on this because of the incredibly astute media coverage by AFP, 'worldwide news agency,' which wins the 'Duh!' award for the month: Observers surmise a possible link between the decl ... |
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| Topics: cars, climate, climate science, gas prices (all these topics) |
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Carmaker knows most efficient freight system: trains
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JMG |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Interesting presser from Honda this week: HONDA LAUNCHES AUTO-MAX RAILCAR FLEET: MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY - RESPONSIBLE PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION WITH INDUSTRY-FIRST FLEET TORRANCE, CA, June 19, 2008 -- Honda has fully deployed its fleet of Auto-Max® railcars, achieving a significant reduction in the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions associated with its automobile distribution activities in the United States. The 400-car fleet of more space-efficient Auto-Max; railcars is t ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, public transportation (all these topics) |
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The mpg illusion
Gallons per mile: A better way to express fuel efficiency |
Maywa Montenegro |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Let's say a pollster walks up to you and asks you the following question: 'A town maintains a fleet of vehicles for town employee use. It has two types of vehicles. Type A gets 15 miles per gallon. Type B gets 34 miles per gallon. The town has 100 Type A vehicles and 100 Type B vehicles. Each car in the fleet is driven 10,000 miles per year.' The town wants to replace these vehicles with corresponding hybrid models in order to to reduce gas consumption of th ... |
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| Topics: cars, energy, fuel efficiency, hybrids (all these topics) |
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Some clarity on the Clarity
Honda fuel-cell vehicle: Not marketable, practical, or environmental |
Joseph Romm |
20 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Technology Review asked me to comment about the hype over the new Honda fuel-cell car, which the company optimistically calls 'the world's first hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle intended for mass production.' The key word here is 'intended.' Here it is: ----- Would you buy a car that costs 10 times as much as a hybrid gasoline-electric, like the Prius? What if I told you it had half the range of the hybrid? What if I told you most cities didn't have a single ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, cars, energy, green living, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Pause for effect
Iconic Ford SUV plant to be idled for summer |
Sara Barz |
19 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Photo: Dean Souglass Ford will close its Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne for nine weeks -- four weeks longer than previously announced -- starting on June 23. Birthplace to Lincoln Navigators and Ford Expeditions, the MTP has come in for hard times due to the plummeting market for SUVs. Since January, Expedition sales are down 31 percent; Navigators, 22 percent. Once bread and butter for American automakers, SUVs have fallen victim to $4-a-gallon gasoline. To ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, fuel efficiency, gas prices (all these topics) |
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Clarity Begins at Home
Honda produces new fuel-cell car |
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16 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 10:47 AM on 16 Jun 2008 Honda Motor Co.'s hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity rolled off the line Monday and will be leased to high rollers in California. The Clarity -- an update of Honda's original FCX, a handful of which were leased in 2005 -- runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water, and is twice as fuel-efficient as a gas-electric hybrid. Actresses Laura Harris and Jamie Lee Curtis, filmmaker Christopher Guest, and Little ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, California, cars, celebrity, green living, hydrogen, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Google plugs in
Notes from a plug-in hybrid conference |
Michael Moynihan |
15 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Silicon Valley came to Washington this week to talk about plug-in hybrids at a great conference organized by Google.org with Brookings. The combination of tech visionaries, electric cars on display, Washington heavy hitters such as John Dingell, Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and even a couple of film stars, Peter Horton and Anne Sexton of Who Killed the Electric Car?, made for a great meeting. Here are my notes from the standing room o ... |
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| Topics: cars, climate, electric vehicles, hybrids, placemaking, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Notable quotable
Toyota and Honda could sure learn something from Chevy! |
David Roberts |
14 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| 'I don't have to tell you how sexy the [Chevy] Volt is. The Japanese and Chinese couldn't possibly put out something that appealing to middle America.' -- Andy Karsner, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy |
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| Topics: cars, Department of Energy, electric vehicles, energy, placemaking, quotables (all these topics) |
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Group Plug
Big Three automakers get plug-in funding from feds |
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13 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 1:37 PM on 13 Jun 2008 The U.S. Big Three automakers will get $30 million over three years for plug-in hybrid R&D, the Department of Energy announced Thursday. While less than automakers wanted -- last year they pushed for $500 million -- each welcomed some funding for various aspects of plug-in research. Chrysler plans to build a test fleet of 80 plug-ins, including 10 adapted Dodge Durangos and Chrysler Aspens; Genera ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, Department of Energy, electric vehicles, news (all these topics) |
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Converting a Yaris into a plug-in hybrid
Toyota may have something up its sleeve |
biodiversivist |
12 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The first car I ever owned didn't have power anything. Today you will be hard pressed to find a car without power brakes and steering. But those features also consume energy. This explains how the first wave of economy cars from Japan got such notoriously high mileage (they didn't have power anything either). One reason I chose a Yaris for my next car is that it has electric power steering and power brakes. In theory, you should be able to turn the engine off without ... |
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| Topics: cars, electric vehicles, green living, hybrids, placemaking, Prius (all these topics) |
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The Road to Recovery
Commuting can drive you crazy -- no, literally |
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09 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 3:04 PM on 09 Jun 2008 Think your commute drives you crazy? Well, you might be right. In a culture so accustomed to being on-the-go, sitting immobile in traffic for hours each day can take a toll on mental health, researchers say. "If you're stuck in traffic, there's a feeling of being out of control," says psychologist Laura Pinegar, who says she's hearing more and more complaints of traffic anxiety in her ... |
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| Topics: cars, green living, insanity, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Are You High?
High oil prices affecting consumer goods, nearly everything else too |
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09 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 7:50 AM on 09 Jun 2008 Oil prices surged $11 on Friday, hitting a new record high of $138.54 a barrel. Over the weekend the average price of regular unleaded gasoline around the U.S. also surged to new high of $4 a gallon. Unsurprisingly, folks in rural areas are taking the largest hit to their incomes from gas prices due to sparse or nonexistent public transit, longer distances to commute, and reliance ... |
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| Topics: cars, gas prices, news, oil, United States (all these topics) |
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Demand outstripping supply again
Buying a high-mileage car easier said than done |
biodiversivist |
07 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| My brother-in-law recently sent me a spreadsheet he'd built that compares a Prius and two similar-sized cars. He just wanted to know if 'doing the right thing was going to cost me.' The numbers said to buy a Prius. Ideally, going green should always be a win-win situation. Then, however, he found that the waiting list is 'baaaack!' So he'll have to put down a deposit just to get in line. He was quite disappointed and may now buy a different car. My car is also on t ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, cars, fuel efficiency, green living, Prius, shopping (all these topics) |
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Departed from gasoline
Oceans of love for the Tesla-driving Matt Damon |
Holly Richmond |
05 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Photo: PBS Not that I'm f*cking (in love with) Matt Damon and would use even vaguely green news as an excuse to write about him -- what would give you that idea? -- but the Bourne star was spotted earlier this week taking a Tesla prototype for a spin. Autofiends.com chatted him up about how fast it accelerates; it took the writer minutes to notice that the guy he was talking to was Damon (!). Ecorazzi reported in August that Damon added his name to a waitin ... |
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| Topics: cars, celebrity, electric vehicles, green living, hotties (all these topics) |
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Scrap Mettle
Canadian government offers $300, other incentives to scrap older cars |
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05 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 8:46 AM on 05 Jun 2008 If you live in Canada and high gasoline prices have you considering whether to ditch your car, consider this winning deal: Turn over your pre-1996 vehicle to be scrapped and you can choose from a variety of attractive offers courtesy of the Canadian government, including a new bike, bus passes, membership in a car-sharing program, a rebate toward buying a newer car, or $300 cash. ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, Canada, cars, news (all these topics) |
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Notable quotable
GM acknowledges that it lost the bet on big vehicles |
David Roberts |
04 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| 'At this point, we are considering all options for the Hummer brand. Everything from a complete revamp of the product lineup to partial or complete sale of the brand.' -- General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner, responding to the dismal numbers released by GM yesterday |
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| Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, quotables (all these topics) |
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Opening another door?
As GM announces plant closings, Obama touts green jobs |
Kate Sheppard |
03 Jun 2008 |
Gristmill |
| General Motors Corp. announced this morning that it is closing its Janesville, Wis., assembly plant, which produces SUVs and pickup trucks, along with three other North American plants that churn out gas-guzzlers. CEO Rick Wagoner says it's because the company is moving toward more fuel-efficient vehicles, as fewer Americans are buying big automobiles these days. The Janesville plant will be ending production of medium-duty trucks by the end of 2009, and bigger truc ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, cars, Muckraker, news, Barack Obama, politics, business (all these topics) |
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Heave Ho, Hummer
GM considers selling Hummer brand |
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03 Jun 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 11:04 AM on 03 Jun 2008 General Motors is "undertaking a strategic review" of its iconic Hummer brand, CEO Rick Wagoner said Tuesday, and is "considering all options ... from a complete revamp of the product lineup to partial or complete sale of the brand." As tempting as the sale of a widely vilified symbol of gas-guzzling excess sounds, analysts are skeptical of whether buyers will want to Hummer along. But GM's c ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, greening biz operations, news, progress (all these topics) |
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Miles Outlandish
How to green your commute |
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27 May 2008 |
From A to Green |
| With a greener commute, you might even look forward to Mondays. Greening your life in lots of areas is a relatively simple affair, involving you, your conscience, and your wallet. Greening your commute is a tad bit more complicated, involving you, your conscience, and your job -- that annoyingly mandatory life entity that puts scratch in the aforementioned wallet. Complicating matters further, the eco-level of your commute depends to a gr ... |
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| Topics: advice, cars, climate, From A to Green, green living (all these topics) |
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Notable quotable
Direct and indirect ways of killing people |
David Roberts |
25 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| 'We're just damn glad to live in a free country where you can have a gun if you want to.' -- Mark Muller, owner of Max Motors in Butler, Missouri, which is giving away a free handgun with each purchase of a vehicle |
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| Topics: cars, insanity, quotables (all these topics) |
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Gas at $12-15? Not so fast
But soon we will be mad for $6-7 gas |
Joseph Romm |
23 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| Normally, I would listen to Robert Hirsch and the legendary Charlie Maxwell, over CNBC's 'Mad' Jim Cramer. But Hirsch and Maxwell are making headlines for saying $12-15 gasoline is around the corner, based on Maxwell's projection of oil 'reaching $180 a barrel in 2015 and $300 a barrel in 2020.' Sorry, guys -- every extra $40 barrel is another dollar a gallon or so at the pump. Don't quite know how they did the math, but they did it wrong.When Mad Money's Jim Cramer ... |
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| Topics: business, cars, energy, fuel efficiency, gas prices, oil (all these topics) |
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Passing Lane
Consumers shunning hefty hybrids |
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21 May 2008 |
News |
| Posted at 12:21 PM on 21 May 2008 Automakers may have assumed that hybrid SUVs would be a hit with the eco-minded-soccer-mom market, but drivers aren't buying it -- literally. Analysts are seeing a tepid reaction to SUVs like the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid and hybrid GMC Yukon, both launched in fall 2007. Concern about climate change and fuel prices has attached a stigma to large cars that isn't much lessened by the word "hybrid" plastered all over ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, hybrids, news (all these topics) |
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Consumers in the driver's seat
It's shifting consumer demand that will drive increases in vehicle fuel efficiency |
Guest author |
20 May 2008 |
Gristmill |
| The following is a guest post from Charley Territo, spokesperson for the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers. ----- I frequently read about perceived (or alleged) disagreements between the environmental community and the auto industry. A few of them are real disagreements over policy, many are practical disagreements over how best to achieve common goals, but many perceived disagreements are not, in fact, disagreements at all. For instance, some people believe the a ... |
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| Topics: business, cars, consumerism, energy, gas prices, hybrids (all these topics) |
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