Originally Syndicated via RSS from Green Car Congress

Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, Honda

Honda's India market strategy involves three things: more dealers, more small cars and selling more cars that don't use gasoline (or, at least, use less gas). Reuters is reporting today that Honda is considering "segments such as diesel and alternative fuels for a larger share of the market," according to Tatsuya Natsume, director - marketing, Honda Siel Cars India Ltd. Natsume said diesel vehicles are growing in India, and Honda wants to launch a hybrid in that market. As for Honda joining the inexpensive car market we've been looking at, it seems unlikely:

"We are not sure a $3,000 car will meet the Honda standards of quality, safety and performance, so we would rather focus on features like greater fuel efficiency," Natsume told Reuters.

[Source: Reuters]

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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

Originally Syndicated via RSS from hybrid car - Google News

Originally Syndicated via RSS from hybrid car - Google News

Originally Syndicated via RSS from hybrid car - Google News

Sample lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions relative to a gasoline baseline. Click to enlarge. Source: UCS

Heightened concern about oil dependence is generating growing support for alternative transportation fuels, but some would emit significantly more greenhouse gases on a full lifecycle basis than gasoline or diesel, according to a new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

Transportation is responsible for two-thirds of the nation’s oil consumption and nearly 40% of US greenhouse gas emissions on a life cycle basis. To dramatically cut emissions from this sector, a comprehensive solution must include improved vehicle fuel efficiency, smart growth policies that reduce vehicle miles traveled, and clean fuel alternatives, according to the report.

We need to wean ourselves off oil, but we should replace it with the cleanest alternatives possible. Let’s not trade one bad habit for another.

—Patrician Monahan, author of the report and deputy director of UCS’s Clean Vehicles Program

On a lifecycle basis, for example, liquid coal, can release about 80% more greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline, the report found. Corn ethanol, conversely, could be either more polluting or less than gasoline, depending on how the corn is grown and the ethanol is produced. On average, corn ethanol can reduce emissions about 20%, though there is uncertainty due to differing land use practices. The cleanest alternative, cellulosic ethanol from grasses or wood chips, could reduce emissions by more than 85%.

The report evaluated two scenarios for alternative fuels, one carbon-intensive—meaning that it would produce significantly more greenhouse gases than burning gasoline—and the other low-carbon—meaning that it would produce significantly less. The analysis assumed that alternative fuels will replace 37 billion gallons of gasoline, about 20% of the fuel UCS projects Americans will consume in 2030.

In both scenarios, conventional biofuels would meet 25% of the demand for alternative fuels. In the carbon-intensive scenario, the remaining demand would be met by liquid coal. The carbon-intensive scenario would increase emissions by 233 million metric tons—equivalent to adding about 34 million cars to the road, the number of new cars and light trucks currently sold nationally over a two-year period.

By contrast, the low-carbon scenario relies on advanced biofuels to meet 75% of the demand. That would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 244 million metric tons, akin to taking 35 million of today’s cars off the road.

The report calls for a national low-carbon fuel standard that accounts for alternative fuels’ global warming emissions over their entire life cycle and requires them to emit less pollution than today’s petroleum-based fuels.

Life cycle analysis for alternative fuels could help farmers and the biofuels industry, according to Gregg Heide of the Iowa Farmers Union.

Congress is now considering an energy bill that includes a renewable fuel standard giving the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to develop life cycle analysis guidelines. To date, the federal government has been promoting both cleaner and dirtier fuels. For instance, Congress has approved funding for research into next-generation ultra-clean biofuels, but it also is subsidizing research into liquid coal processing technology.

In January 2007, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an executive order calling for establishing a state low-carbon fuel standard. (Earlier post.) The California Air Resources Board is currently developing regulations that would require manufacturers of transportation fuel sold in the state to reduce per gallon emissions of global warming pollution by at least 10 percent. Arizona, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington State are considering similar policies.

Resources

• Biofuels: An Important Part of a Low-Carbon Diet

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Green Car Congress

Westport Innovations Inc. and OMVL SpA have formed an equity joint venture to design, produce and sell alternative fuel engines in the sub-5-liter class for global applications. The new, jointly controlled company will be headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and will exploit the global engineering, production and distribution strengths of OMVL and its parent company, SIT Group, to deliver engines worldwide.

Westport, with expertise in engines and fuel systems which use gaseous fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen, and hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas (HCNG), will support the new venture through supply of technology, design, testing and market development services.

With high oil prices and the growing concern about carbon emissions, we believe the market for engines operating on low carbon fuels such as natural gas, LPG and hydrogen will continue to grow rapidly. Our new partnership with OMVL will create a focused engine specialist to provide market-leading high performance alternative fuel solutions to customers around the world.

—David Demers, Westport CEO

OMVL, based in Pernumia, Italy, designs, manufactures and markets complete fueling systems for new vehicles and for the aftermarket conversion of engines from gasoline to CNG and LPG. OMVL has been part of the SIT Group, an Italian multinational founded in 1953 specializing in safety, monitoring and control systems for domestic gas heating appliances and for alternative fuel vehicles.

OMVL currently collaborates with the global manufacturers of motor vehicles, including Volkswagen, Peugeot, Citroen and Ford, with sales in Europe (33%), the Americas (14%) and Australasia (53%). OMVL and SIT have production and distribution facilities in Europe, North and South America, Australia, and China.

Cummins Westport Inc., Westport’s joint venture with Cummins Inc., manufactures and sells the world’s broadest range of low-emissions alternative fuel engines for commercial transportation applications such as trucks and buses. BTIC Westport Inc., Westport’s joint venture with Beijing Tianhai Industry Co. Ltd., manufactures and sells LNG fuel tanks for vehicles.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Green Car Congress

Filed under: Biodiesel, Ethanol

A poll conducted by the Clean Fuels Development Coalition over nearly 2,200 people says that 88 percent of adults are of the opinion that the U.S. should pursue alternative fuels to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. Really?? Amazing. More interestingly, 72 percent of adults blame the increase of food costs on the price of oil increasing. My favorite statistic is this: "Other results indicate that nearly eight in 10 adults (78 percent) believe usage of ethanol would lessen the country's dependence on foreign oil." Wow. Not only are we using a substantial survey to state the obvious, but astonishingly 22 percent of those surveyed don't think using ethanol reduces usage of foreign oil. They either don't know what ethanol is or they understand the complicated petro-heavy production process required to make today's corn ethanol.

Anyway, what is important about this survey is that it shows that the majority of Americans are behind the search for and advancement of alternative fuels. That, in turn, should tell our fearless leaders that they have our support to throw more funding at alternative fuel research and production, so we can kick our black gold guzzling addiction cold turkey. Oh, and deepen our national debt to do so.

Related:

• 3 out of 4 Americans say: let's go for renewable fuels

[Source: Clean Fuels Development Coalition]

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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: Diesel, Ethanol

The Detroit Grand Prix is taking place this weekend at a temporary course on Belle Isle in the Detroit River. While the diesel-powered Audi R10s are well known in these parts for their dominance, all the racers here this weekend are running alternatives. Aside from the Audis all the other non-diesel cars are running a spec fuel that is comprised of ten percent ethanol and the rest gasoline. In future years, the ALMS organizers are planning to increase the use of the biofuels.

For the Sunday racing action with the Indy Cars, all the racers are running one hundred percent ethanol this year. One interesting note this weekend has been the performance of the Audis. While the R10 has been dominant since its debut at the beginning of 2006, they only qualified seventh and eighth here. The huge torque output of the diesel V-12 has proved difficult to put down on the tight and bumpy 2.1 mile course on Belle Isle. It just goes to show you that even being the most fuel efficient car on the track doesn't mean you can't have too much power too. At the end of the day the Audis overcame their traction problems and finished second and third overall behind the Porsche RS spyder of Romain Dumas.

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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

Originally Syndicated via RSS from hybrid car - Google News