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Headline	Author	Published	Section
It's a Fiesta, But You're Not Invited Ford won't sell 65-mpg diesel car in U.S.		05 Sep 2008	News
Posted at 1:34 PM on 05 Sep 2008 The Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, a small, sporty five-seater that gets an impressive 65 miles per gallon, will the hit the road in November -- but only in Europe. "We just don't think North and South America would buy that many diesel cars," says Ford America President Mark Fields. The new generation of diesel cars, which are dramatically cleaner than old-school diesels and are at ...
Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, European Union, fuel efficiency, news, United States (all these topics)

Assault and Battery On hybrid myths	Umbra Fisk	27 Aug 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, Could you help me clear up a rumor about cars? I've heard that although hybrids reduce your carbon footprint because they use less gas, the process for mining the nickel in the hybrid batteries produces far more pollution than the process for regular car batteries. So are we really making a difference by buying hybrids? I personally decided to get a more fuel-efficient car and bought a used Honda Fit, which I love. Did I m ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, cars, fuel efficiency, green living, hybrids, Prius (all these topics)

Van Hailin' On buying big cars	Umbra Fisk	25 Aug 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I'm in need of a new car. I'd love to get a Prius, but I often need more passenger seats than the Prius has. What is the most environmentally friendly and responsible choice for a driver who needs a larger car? It seems like the bigger hybrids (i.e., the Toyota Highlander) are expensive and don't get very impressive gas mileage compared to the Prius. Are there any industry plans to make SUVs that get more miles per gallon? What ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, Big Auto, fuel efficiency, green living, hybrids, Prius (all these topics)

Tired of waiting for efficiency Our right to know about fuel-efficient tires	Eric de Place	22 Aug 2008	Gristmill
I'm always fascinated by the '1 percent solutions' to energy. It seems to me that in order to address both climate change and fossil fuel dependence, we'll need a few big structural changes, but we'll also need a lot of 1 percent solutions -- and maybe a bunch of quarter-percent solutions too. And the advantage of the 1 percent solutions is that they're often exceedingly easy; and so cheap that they actually put money in your pocket. So I enjoyed Cindy Skrzycki's co ...
Topics: Congress, energy, fuel efficiency, green living (all these topics)

Party of 55 Advocates push for return to 55-mph speed limit		18 Aug 2008	News
Posted at 11:18 AM on 18 Aug 2008 Platform shoes and high-waisted pants came back into fashion -- could the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit be the next '70s trend to reemerge? Advocates point to potential money and fuel savings, noting that fuel efficiency drops significantly above 60 mph. The Drive 55 campaign calculates that taking a daily 30-mile trip at 55 mph instead of 80 mph saves $1,100 per year; Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), who has c ...
Topics: cars, fuel efficiency, news, placemaking (all these topics)

Demergy Energy in the Democratic platform	David Roberts	18 Aug 2008	Gristmill
Here's a selection from the Democratic platform (PDF), final draft released Friday. What do you think? --- New American Energy In the local platform hearings, Americans talked about the importance of energy to the economy, to national security and to the health of our planet. Speaking loud and clear, they said that America needs a new bold and sustainable energy policy to meet the challenges of our time. In the past, America has been stirred to ...
Topics: Barack Obama, climate, energy, fuel efficiency, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics)

Notable quotable Annals of demand response	David Roberts	12 Aug 2008	Gristmill
'Fleet plans are made months and months in advance. We're going to work to get our fleet more in line with what consumers are demanding. But the shift is so quick and revolutionary that we weren't able to respond quickly.' -- Chris Payne, spokesman for rental agency Dollar Thrifty Automotive, commenting on the sudden surge in demand for fuel-efficient rentals
Topics: business, cars, fuel efficiency, quotables (all these topics)

Auto industry to McCain: Congress should inflate their tires, not their rhetoric	Guest author	05 Aug 2008	Gristmill
This is a guest post from Charles Territo, Director of Communications for the Auto Alliance (BMW, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Mazda, Mercedez Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen). It originally ran on the Wonk Room. For most of this year rising gas prices have been on everyone's mind. Believe me, the auto industry understands very well just how much of an impact $4/gallon gas has had on American consumers. As you may have seen, it's having an impact on us, a ...
Topics: cars, energy, fuel efficiency, John McCain, politics (all these topics)

Gauge Reaction Big Auto backs off support for tighter fuel-economy standards		05 Aug 2008	News
Posted at 10:47 AM on 05 Aug 2008 New fuel-economy rules coming down the pike are likely to displease pretty much everyone, if a public hearing held Monday is any indication. In the current proposal from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, auto manufacturers must achieve a fleet-wide average fuel economy of at least 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015 -- a jump from 25 mpg today, and a step toward Congress' ta ...
Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, economy, fuel efficiency, gas prices, news (all these topics)

How Do You Accelerate? New pedal from Nissan pushes back against excessive acceleration		04 Aug 2008	News
Posted at 1:41 PM on 04 Aug 2008 Want to be an eco-driver but can't seem to keep the pedal off the metal? Meet Nissan Motor Co.'s ECO pedal, which pushes back against excess foot pressure to encourage fuel-efficient driving. The ECO accelerator will be installed in some Nissan cars starting next year and be accompanied by a real-time dashboard display of fuel consumption. Nissan says the gadget could increas ...
Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, fuel efficiency, news (all these topics)

Crush into you Crusher credit: one of many savvy short-term solutions	David Roberts	04 Aug 2008	Gristmill
In case you missed it, noted economist Alan Blinder made the case for a crusher credit in the NYT last week. The idea is to pay fair market value to buy up old, polluting cars. (If you read Malcolm Gladwell's New Yorker piece from a while back, you'll remember that a fairly small core of very old cars produces most of the air pollution.) This would serve to stimulate the economy, redistribute wealth downward, and reduce air pollution, with a total social benefit that d ...
Topics: air pollution, cars, climate, economy, fuel efficiency (all these topics)

A revolt against ethanol? NYT: Consumers are complaining about ethanol-spiked gasoline	Tom Philpott	29 Jul 2008	Gristmill
As ethanol continues to insinuate itself into the fuel supply -- propelled by a slew of government goodies -- ordinary folks are getting fed up, The New York Times reports: Many consumers complain that ethanol, which constitutes as much as 10 percent of the fuel they buy in most states, hurts gas mileage and chokes the engines of their boats and motorcycles. In Oklahoma, some vendors are refusing to sell ethanol-spiked gasoline. And they're winning customers with ...
Topics: biofuels, energy, ethanol, fuel efficiency (all these topics)

Adjustable rate mileage	Sara Barz	25 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Your fuel mileage is lower than you think. Granted, that assumes you do not fastidiously monitor your own fuel mileage -- that instead you take the EPA's fuel mileage estimates at their word. Turns out, the EPA calculates fuel economy with 'straight' (100 percent) gasoline. However, in the consumer market a blend of 10 percent ethanol, E10, is nearly universal. Jonathan Welsh of The Wall Street Journal explains: Fuel economy decreases by about 2% for vehicle ...
Topics: cars, energy, fuel efficiency, US EPA (all these topics)

Civic Lesson Surprise first-quarter profit for Honda, unsurprising giant loss for Ford		25 Jul 2008	News
Posted at 11:59 AM on 25 Jul 2008 Despite an economy that has hit automakers hard, Honda Motor Co. on Friday reported an unexpected record profit for its fiscal first quarter, crediting demand for fuel-efficient Civics and Fits for the surprise boost. Honda was the only automaker to report better U.S. sales in June 2008 than in June 2007, though small-car specialists Kia and Fiat SpA also reported first-quarte ...
Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, economy, fuel efficiency, news (all these topics)

On a Wing and a Prayer Aviation industry is into greening, to an extent		16 Jul 2008	News
Posted at 10:25 AM on 16 Jul 2008 The aviation industry talked up greenness Wednesday at the world's biggest air show in Farnborough, England. At a sustainability summit, Giovanni Bisignani of the International Air Transport Association called climate change an "emergency situation" and said airlines are the best suited to address it: "No other industry is as responsible, united, and ambitious." Indeed, t ...
Topics: air travel, business, climate, climate change mitigation, fuel efficiency, news (all these topics)

Size Does Matter Rental-car companies struggling to meet demand for smaller cars		14 Jul 2008	News
Posted at 3:39 PM on 14 Jul 2008 Consumer demand for smaller cars is putting car-rental companies in a bit of a bind. Until recently, American automakers were glad to unload overstock to Hertz, Avis, and Thrifty at a discount, then guarantee a price to buy the cars back used. But with demand for hulking American cars dropping, Detroit has cut back production and is finding the arrangement with Big Rental less to it ...
Topics: business, cars, fuel efficiency, news (all these topics)

An electric plug Plug-in hybrid offers practical solution to peak oil	Joseph Romm	11 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Plug-in hybrids are the only alternative fuel vehicles that can provide genuine energy independence from steadily rising oil prices and brutal price spikes. I have agreed to participate as a guest blogger for ScienceBlogs in a three-month project on the next generation of energy ideas. My first post is 'Electric Vehicles: The Next Generation.' Longtime readers of this blog or my books know that I have been an advocate of plug-ins for a number of years. The key po ...
Topics: cars, electric vehicles, energy, fuel efficiency, hybrids (all these topics)

Mine's lighter than yours	David Roberts	09 Jul 2008	Gristmill
When society embraces vehicle fuel efficiency as a goal, hordes of smart people converge on it and try to outdo each other. The same thing will happen when we seriously go after electrical efficiency -- a wave of precocious, egotistical young people that haven't been told what can't be done will chase after it trying to make their mark. I bet we're going to proceed faster than people think.
Topics: cars, energy, energy efficiency, fuel efficiency (all these topics)

Drilling offshore vs. fuel efficiency	David Roberts	03 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Over at CEPR, Dean Baker makes a somewhat cutesy but still quite illustrative comparison: the barrels of oil per day we could get by 2027 through offshore drilling (when production rate will max out) vs. the oil savings we would have gotten per day if we'd continued ramping up the CAFE standard at roughly the 1980-1985 rate. Here's what he came up with: Hm, efficiency or a crack addict's desperate search for increased supply? Tough choice!
Topics: cutesy, energy, fuel efficiency, oil, oil and gas drilling (all these topics)

Driver down How to reduce California auto emissions faster than Pavley	Ken Johnson	03 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Last update: 7/22/2008 In my last post I touted the benefits of a fully refunded emissions tax. Let's take a look at how it could work in California. When it comes to a refunded tax, more money for industry doesn't mean less money for consumers. Case in point: Today's gasoline prices in California are averaging $4.58/gal, which equates1 to $536/MT-CO2e. That's how much California drivers are currently paying to emit CO2 -- and how much they could save from fue ...
Topics: California, carbon tax, cars, climate, fuel efficiency, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

Fuel me once Select Committee hears testimony on Bush administration's proposals for fuel economy standards	Kate Sheppard	26 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Amid a flurry of votes on energy issues in the House today, the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming held a hearing on the role of automobile fuel economy as gas prices continue to increase. 'Because 70 percent of oil goes into transportation, any solutions to the oil crisis must focus on the transportation sector,' said Select Committee Chair Ed Markey (D-Mass.). Tyler Duvall, the assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Transp ...
Topics: Congress, Department of Transportation, fuel efficiency, Muckraker, news, politics (all these topics)

Return to sender White House refuses to open email about regulating greenhouse gases	Kate Sheppard	25 Jun 2008	Gristmill
The White House has refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency's conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, and has told EPA officials that the email they sent containing the document of their findings would not be opened, reports The New York Times. Apparently the email in question has been hanging in limbo since December 2007, according to EPA officials. The document details the EPA's proposed response to the Supreme Cour ...
Topics: Ed Markey, fuel efficiency, Muckraker, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics)

'Bipartisan leadership for energy independence' Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith touts work with Obama in new campaign ad	Kate Sheppard	25 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Republican Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon is touting his work with Barack Obama to improve automobile fuel efficiency and his 'bipartisan leadership for energy independence' in a new television ad. Smith, the sole GOP senator on the West Coast, is fighting to maintain his seat this year in what's expected to be a tightly contested race against Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley. Watch it: The Obama campaign issued a statement yesterday on their candidate's appear ...
Topics: Barack Obama, energy, fuel efficiency, Oregon, politics, presidential race 08 (all these topics)

House rules Select Committee acquires documents related to EPA's proposals for rulemaking on auto emissions	Kate Sheppard	24 Jun 2008	Gristmill
We reported a few weeks ago that the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming had reached a deal with the White House to secure documents from the Environmental Protection Agency on its work in response to the Supreme Court's decision in the case Massachusetts v. EPA. We also reported that The Wall Street Journal had gotten ahold of an advance draft of the EPA's regulatory proposals for automobile fuel efficiency resulting from the Massachuse ...
Topics: Congress, fuel efficiency, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, US EPA (all these topics)

Big Three on credit watch S&P cites automakers' cashflow concerns	Michael Moynihan	23 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Originally posted at the NDN Blog. While news about high fuel prices this past week centered on disingenuous calls by President Bush and others to drill our way out of the crisis, perhaps the most significant -- and ominous event -- was the barely publicized action by S&P Friday to place the Big Three U.S. automakers on a credit watch. In taking the action, S&P cited 'renewed concerns about the three car makers' future cash flows.' Given Ford's ...
Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, economy, electric vehicles, fuel efficiency (all these topics)

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