Hybrid News

Filed under: Diesel, Porsche, India

Porsche just launched its first modern diesel engine in the Cayenne sport utility vehicle, and the German automaker said when it was first introduced that it was planning on bringing the model to other markets. Considering that the Cayenne is Porsche’s best-selling vehicle in India, it’s not all that surprising that the oil-burner is slated for an Indian introduction in short order. Even better, according to Car Trade India, “a diesel version of this popular SUV is expected to sell like a hot cake.” That sounds good, right?

Currently, Cayenne diesels are produced at Porsche’s Leipzig factory, and this is where the Indian Cayenne’s will be exported from. Europeans are the first to get the diesel, and they’ll officially get the option beginning in February for a base price of €47,250. The 3.0L ͢ engine comes from Audi and offers up 240-horsepower and a useful 405 lb-ft of torque.

[Source: Car Trade India]

India getting Porsche Cayenne Diesel originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Diesel, Mercedes Benz

Those of you planning to buy the new Bluetec diesel SUVs from Mercedes Benz will want to make sure you don’t miss your regular service intervals or ignore warning lights. If you do, you might find yourself stranded at the mall. In order to meet new NOx emissions standards these vehicles and others from Volkswagen/Audi (not including the Jetta) and BMW use a urea injection system to eliminate almost all the NOx. The urea is stored in liquid form a tank on board the vehicle and slowly injected into the exhaust stream where it forms ammonia that reacts with the NOx and converts it to water and nitrogen. The tank is sized so that the vehicle should be able to go close to 15,000 miles without replenishment. The 7-gallon tank will be topped up at the regular 10,000 mile service interval. However, as with fuel, urea consumption is in part a function of driving conditions. If a service is missed or extra urea is consumed, a warning light and counter will appear in the gauge cluster. When the urea level gets critically low, the counter will give you 20 re-starts, after that the car will not start until at least two gallons of urea are added to the tank. Mercedes will be selling spill proof bottles of urea at dealerships that drivers can use to top up their tank, however this will automatically be part of the regular service along with oil and filter changes. Mercedes roadside assistance will also be able to top up the urea tank for stranded motorists. The urea solution, or AdBlue as it’s called, will initially cost about the same as diesel fuel or about $4 a gallon, so filling at the 10,000 mile interval should cost less than $30. Check out our first drive impression of the Mercedes BlueTec diesels here.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req’d]

Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Green Daily, USA

We′ve heard of roads being built from pollution-eating concrete before. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, though, it’s the roadside sculptures being made from the eco-friendly new concrete from Cemstone. Apparently, the unique mixture used for the wave-like sculptures is photocatalytic, meaning that it uses light to remove carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and sulfur dioxide from the atmosphere. The outside skin of the sculptures will always be oxidized, which then oxidizes the pollution-causing gases as they come into contact with its white outer layer in much the same way that the catalytic converter in all modern cars works.

The sculptures are designed to look like the international cartographic symbol for water, fitting as the 35W bridge holding them spans the Mississippi River. This bridge was recently rebuilt after it suffered a catastrophic structural failure late last year. LEDs were chosen to provide light to both the scultpures, lit blue at night, and the entire span of the bridge.

[Source: KTSP / Photo: David Joles, Star Tribune]

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Hybrid, Toyota

The last announcement we have from Toyota this morning is a price reduction on replacement Prius batteries. Both first-gen and second-gen NiMH packs will now be at least ten percent cheaper to replace than before. The new prices for the packs are $2,299 for the 2000-2003 model years and $2,588 for the 2004-2008 model years. This is down from a previous price of $2,985 for either model. Toyota said that “technology and volume related advancements” were responsible for the price decrease.

While current Prius owners who need a fresh power set should be pleased with this news, a more important tidbit for everyone is the news that Toyota is considering - “studying the business case for,” as the release puts it - remanufacturing Prius batteries right here in North America as as way to make them even cheaper in the future. If Toyota does want to build and sell those million hybrids a year, having more ways to make batteries is a good thing.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Buying Prius replacement batteries just got cheaper

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: MPG, Legislation and Policy, USA

In some ways, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t have it easy. But there is one thing that the agency can point to and say, once again, we′re moving forward: mpg averages. The EPA issued a statement today (available after the jump) that said that the average mpg rating for all new cars and light duty trucks sold in the U.S. will increase in 2008. This year’s increase should be up 0.2 mpg from last year, to a solid but uninspiring 20.8 mpg. I say “should be″ because the final tally won’t be known until early 2009. This will be the fourth annual increase in a row and the highest since 1993, and the agency is pushing further.

The main reason for the increase, the EPA said, is not just more efficient vehicles (esp. light trucks) but also that fewer light truck are being sold. The more fuel efficient small cars are sold, the better the nation’s average gets.

[Source: EPA]

Continue reading EPA: Average fuel economy goes up in U.S.

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Volvo

Click to view a hi-res gallery of the Volvo ᩊ Green Racer

In the campaign to make racing greener, the World Touring Car Championship has been a leader. Following the example set by its sister company Audi at Le Mans, Volkswagen’s Spanish subsidiary Seat began taking race wins in the WTCC in diesel-powered Leons. But the series has announced it is beginning to phase in ethanol, and of all the carmakers in the world, Volvo has stepped up to the plate.

We brought you initial news of the C30 Flexifuel Green Racer when it was unveiled for the local Swedish Touring Car Championship, in which it has already been winning races against fossil-fuel regulars. Volvo has now revealed, however, that the Green Racer is heading to the top-tier World Touring Car Championship. The event will be a one-off demonstration for the time being, as the Volvo won’t be eligible for points and will only compete in the one race, next weekend at Brands Hatch. For both Volvo and the WTCC, however, it should be an interesting exercise. Check out the press release after the jump and the images in the gallery below.

[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Volvo Green Racer takes on the World

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Original post by Noah Joseph

Filed under: Ethanol

Now that the seemingly immortal Fidel Castro has finally stepped aside in Cuba, a whole new set of questions arises. At some point, the U.S. trade embargo my finally be lifted after more than four decades, opening the possibility of trade with the island nation. In the years B.C. (before Castro) Cuba was the world’s sugar producer but the intervening years have not been kind to the industry. Cane production is one tenth of what it once was. The development of a whole new market beyond crystallized sucrose and Bacardi may well play a part in revitalizing the Cuban economy in future years. Land use studies of the island have concluded that Cuba could produce 2-3 billion gallons of cane ethanol annually. The relatively small local demand means that most of the biofuel could be exported, earning the country a lot of hard currency. It’s only a small fraction of what the U.S. needs, but it’s a start. If cellulosic processes that could utilize more of the biomass are developed, the export amount could potentially be a lot more. We’ll just have to wait and see.

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

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

Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Green Culture, SMART, USA

Click image for photo gallery

Nonni’s Pizza of Revere, MA has a new delivery vehicle that’s bound to save the business money at the pump while generating all kinds of buzz on the street. The restaurant is the proud new owner of one of the first U.S.-market smarts, and it has put its fortwo right to work in full Nonni’s regalia, including nose graphics that give the microcar a big happy grin. Despite its tiny footprint, the Nonni’s fortwo shouldn′t have any difficulty feeding the masses it can haul 20 pies in back and another 10 in the passenger seat. Looks like Zap’s got competition. Thanks for the tip, Ryan!

[Source: Nonni’s via Smart Car of America]

 

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

Original post by Alex Nunez