Filed under: Diesel, BMW, Scion, SMART, Lightweight

People are already comparing the new Smart with old microcars like the Iso (and BMW) Isetta, so it makes sense that BMW would consider producing a challenger using the old, but not forgotten, marque. Reports indicate that this is a distinct possibility. In an ironic twist, BMW may consider producing the microcar to offset their large luxury-performance cars to comply with upcoming European CO₂ regulations. Back when the Isetta was initially launched, the profits from that model are what allowed BMW to branch into the large car market in the first place. How the times have changed!

Although the Smart is a thoroughly modern version of the microcar concept, the Isetta would draw a more retro profile. Hey, it's worked for BMW before - their Mini brand sets a fine pattern but is a tough act to follow. BMW has a great deal of experience making small and reliable motors for their line of motorcycles, so creating a suitable powerplant might not be a problem. Diesel engines would be a near lock for the European market, but no hybrid is planned for the States. Instead, a small turbocharged gasoline engine would likely be on the menu. If these reports prove accurate, retro and modern will go head-to-head once again in the microcar market, leading to more choices for the consumer.

[Source: Auto Express]

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

Originally Syndicated via RSS from AutoblogGreen

Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, USA

The Bush Administration will release its 2009 budget to Congress Monday and one of the expected changes will be to the ethanol tariff, currently set at 54 cents for each imported gallon. The groundwork for this change was set by Energy Secretary Sam Bodman. According to Domestic Fuel, Bodman said, "I would just say I think that there are advantages to having had the kind of both subsidies and tariffs that have helped protect this industry. I believe that, the best I can tell, this industry is pretty close to being able to stand on its own."

Not everyone is in favor of that kind of change. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said that:

By lifting the ethanol tariff, we'd end up subsidizing Brazilian ethanol. I can't figure out why Secretary Bodman would want the United States to risk becoming dependent on Brazilian ethanol when we're already dependent on Middle East oil. His comments really do a disservice to President Bush who has been the most pro-ethanol president we've ever had. In addition, the United States already provides duty-free treatment for Brazilian ethanol that is merely dehydrated in the Caribbean Basin Initiative countries. Brazil has yet to make full use of this program. I don't see why we should bend over backwards to provide yet more duty-free treatment for Brazil's ethanol producers.

We'll know more tomorrow, but this could be decent-sized news.

[Source: Domestic Fuel, Senator Chuck Grassley]

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

Originally Syndicated via RSS from AutoblogGreen

Nissan is updating its Navara D22 compact pickup with a new inter-cooled turbo diesel engine and revised model line-up. The company is introducing the new Navara at the Brisbane (Australia) International Motor Show, 2-11 February.

The new line-up includes both dual cab and single cab variants, all powered by a new 2.5-liter turbo-diesel engine matched to a five-speed manual transmission. The inter-cooled YD25 turbo diesel engine produces a maximum power output of 98kW (131 hp) at 3600 rpm and 304 Nm (224 lb-ft) of torque from 2000 rpm.

The 16-valve, double overhead cam YD diesel features second-generation common rail technology, a variable nozzle turbocharger which delivers lower emissions as well as more power, and a new balancer system for greater refinement.

The 4×2 single cab consumes 7.3 L/100km (32 mpg US), while the 4×4 single cab achieves a combined cycle of 9.1 L/100km (25.8 mpg US) and the 4×4 dual cab ST-R 9.2 L/100km (25.6 mpg US). The 4×2 Navara can tow up to 1,500 kg (3,306 lbs) braked, while the 4×4 variants are rated to 2,800 kg (6,173 lbs) braked.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Green Car Congress

Filed under: Etc., Ford

We can't claim to know all that much about circle track racing, but if a car racing team claims to be green, we're interested in knowing why. Quite a few racing organizations have decided to try and clean up their act by using more environmentally friendly fuels, usually ethanol. That's not what this story is about, though. It seems that Baker Curb Racing (formerly Brewco Motorsports) has joined up with EnvirOx, LLC, in some sort of sponsorship deal for the team's Ford racing car. EnvirOx has apparently invented "stabilized hydrogen peroxide cleaning technology." In what sounds like a perfect name for racing, their "Greasinator 500" has been sent to all Daytona International Speedway garages to be used as an "environmentally preferred" way of cleaning up. As far as the green-angle is concerned, that's about it. We are all for cleaning solutions that are better for the environment, but does it really make sense for them to be sponsoring a sport that's all about burning gas and going nowhere fast? Not that we don't enjoy racing or anything, 'cause we do … but it still strikes us as a bit oxy-moronic. As a way for EnvirOx to get their name out, though, racing is a good way to do it, and if the crews use their greener product for cleaning up after themselves, that's a step in the right direction.

Read the press release after the break.

[Source: EnvirOx]

Racing's first "Green Team" car, owned by Baker Curb Racing and sponsored by EnvirOx, LLC, will debut on the Ford Fusion at the ARCA 200 Race on February 9, 2008 at the Daytona International Speedway. Baker Curb Racing's Green Team was formed for the purpose of raising awareness about the importance of our health, protecting the environment we live in, and the role environmentally preferred products play in keeping our world healthy.

The owners, Gary Baker and Mike Curb, have chosen to partner with EnvirOx, LLC, a sustainability driven company that is a leader in environmentally preferred cleaning technology and products. "We couldn't think of a more appropriate partnership to unveil our Green Team car," states Gary Baker, co-owner of Baker Curb Racing. "EnvirOx transformed the professional cleaning industry with its revolutionary hydrogen peroxide technology and continues to create innovative cleaning solutions that are healthier for humans and the environment."
EnvirOx is hoping to transform the way professional race teams clean and degrease their garages and cars. The company is supplying its environmentally preferred degreaser, Greasinator 500, to all Daytona International Speedway garages (as allowed by individual team sponsorships) to replace existing hazardous degreasers and brake cleaners.

The Green Team car is ARCA team number 47, driven by Brad Baker, who captured Rookie of the Year honors at the Nashville Speedway his first year of professional racing. Baker has competed in 37 NASCAR Nationwide Series events from 1999 through 2007. "Our partnership with the Baker Curb Racing Green Team gives us the opportunity to inform the general public about the leadership role the professional cleaning industry is taking with issues of health and our environment, and how they also can 'green clean' their own homes," states Taylor Stewart, president of EnvirOx, LLC. "The same hydrogen peroxide cleaning technology that changed the professional cleaning industry is now available to consumers through OurHouse cleaning products. Our sponsorship of the Green Team provides a great opportunity to raise awareness of these environmentally preferred cleaning alternatives."

EnvirOx, LLC is a company founded on, and committed to, sustainability — from production line to pallet to company culture. It is a leader in the manufacturing and marketing of environmentally preferred cleaning technology and is known for the invention of stabilized hydrogen peroxide cleaning technology. The company takes a leading role in introducing healthier cleaning and personal care products with its professional line under the EnvirOx name and its new OurHouse consumer line.

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

Originally Syndicated via RSS from AutoblogGreen

Nikkei. Japan autoparts developer Chunichi Seiko Co. plans to commercialize a process for fabricating gears and bolts from scrap wood. The autoparts maker, along with development partners Aichi Industrial Institute and Yoji Kikata, received a Global 100 Eco-Tech Award in 2005 for the work.

Chunichi Seiko will hurry to develop a practical version of the technology to make gears and bolts for applications in cars and consumer electronics, playing up the green aspects of the process, since use of wood-derived parts helps economize on oil and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.

Parts made from 100% wood are difficult to machine into complicated shapes, but Chunichi Seiko first treats the scrap with hot steam in a pressurized chamber to break down cellulose and fragment the constituents of the wood. Several kinds of synthetic resins are then added to adjust strength and water absorbency, and additives are mixed in to prevent the gears and bolts from losing strength during the machining process.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Green Car Congress

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DailyTech

GM to Showcase Flex-fuel, Car-based Hybrid Pickup Concept in Chicago >DailyTech, IL - 4 hours ago >In addition, the Denali XT concept features GM's two-mode hybrid system which can also be found on the 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid, 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid and …

Originally Syndicated via RSS from hybrid car - Google News

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DailyTech

GM to Showcase Flex-fuel, Car-based Hybrid Pickup Concept in Chicago >DailyTech, IL - 49 minutes ago >In addition, the Denali XT concept features GM's two-mode hybrid system which can also be found on the 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid, 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid and …

Originally Syndicated via RSS from hybrid car - Google News

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2008 shaping up to be the year of the plug-in at auto shows Chicago Tribune, United States - 5 hours ago >Estimated cost is $8700 for the Extreme Hybrid system — based on an automaker producing 10000 or more cars per year (production costs go down as volume …

Originally Syndicated via RSS from hybrid car - Google News

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Jalopnik

2008 shaping up to be the year of the plug-in at auto shows >Chicago Tribune, United States - 1 hour ago >Estimated cost is $8700 for the Extreme Hybrid system — based on an automaker producing 10000 or more cars per year (production costs go down as volume … >Benz to use new battery: Johnson Controls' lithium-ion cells to … Trading Markets (press release) >all 14 news articles

Originally Syndicated via RSS from hybrid car - Google News

The Denali XT.

GMC will introduce a new hybrid sport-utility truck concept—the Denali XT—at the upcoming 2008 Chicago Auto Show, 6-17 February 2008. GM will also announce the 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid, another application of the two-mode hybrid system.

The Denali XT is based on a unibody architecture rather than body-on-frame construction and combines GM’s rear wheel drive two-mode hybrid transmission with a downsized E85-capable version of GM’s small block V-8.

The new direct-injection 4.9L V-8 engine in the Denali XT also features Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation), and delivers an estimated 326 hp (243 kW). This is GM’s first pairing of the rear-wheel drive two-mode hybrid transmission with a smaller-displacement version of the small-block, and also the first pairing of the transmission with an E85-capable engine.

GM estimates that the Denali XT offers a 50% increase in combined fuel economy over comparable small pickup trucks when running on gasoline.

Design and construction of the Denali XT were spearheaded by Holden Design, within the Australian arm of GM’s global design and engineering network.

In city driving, all-electric propulsion is used at low speeds; on the highway, fixed-gear operation enables efficient performance even when towing a trailer. The Denali XT has an estimated payload capacity of 1,100 pounds (499 kg) and a towing capacity of an estimated 3,500 pounds (1,587 kg).

GM says that it also used the work on the Denali XT to evolve the combination of the small-block V-8 and two-mode hybrid powertrain beyond the current production models. During this optimization process, GM says, additional powertrain technologies have been integrated, including Active Thermal Management, which transfers thermal energy from one driveline component to another to improve efficiency; and a high-efficiency axle configuration, which fundamentally reduces the losses normally associated with conventional axle configurations.

The 2002 Terra4.

GMC’s last hybrid concept pickup truck was the 2002 Terra4, introduced in 2001. The Terra4 provides an interesting historical contrast. Larger than the Denali XT (the Terra4 had a wheelbase of 136 inches, compared to the Denali’s 123.4 inches), the concept vehicle combined a 285 hp, 5.3-liter VORTEC V-8 gasoline engine and 4.8kW motor/generator integrated between the gasoline engine and the transmission. The Terra4 offered microhybrid functionality (start/stop, regenerative braking), and an approximate 15% increase in fuel economy.

(This was the concept debut of the start/stop hybrid system that would later briefly appear in production GM pickups in 2004.)

The 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid.

The 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid. The new 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid, another application of the two-mode hybrid system, achieves 40% greater city fuel economy and a 25% improvement in overall fuel economy while supporting a 6,100-pound (2,767 kg) towing capacity, including in all-electric drive mode.

GM also offers a two-mode hybrid version of its Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

The two-mode hybrid system is paired with a 6.0L gasoline V-8 and 300V NiMH battery pack, and offers all-electric driving up to 30 mph (48 km/h). The engine features Active Fuel Management (AFM) and late intake valve closing (LIVC) technology. GM’s hybrid technology system not only enables the Sierra to launch and drive up to 30 mph on electricity alone, it also allows the Vortec 6.0L V-8 engine to operate in its more economical V-4 mode for longer periods.

An electrically driven 300-volt air conditioning compressor reduces vibration and allows the standard, tri-zone HVAC system to cool the passenger compartment even when the gasoline engine is shut off.

Electrically driven 42-volt variable-assist power steering reduces vibration and provides up to a 0.5-mpg fuel economy improvement by reducing parasitic losses common in belt-driven hydraulic systems.

The internal cooling fan for the Energy Storage System (ESS) is tuned to be quiet at low vehicle speeds when the fan could more easily be heard by the occupants.

The Sierra Hybrid goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2008 and is based on the Sierra platform that was introduced for the 2007 model year. It will be offered in the Crew Cab body style on both 2WD and 4WD models.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Green Car Congress