February 2008
Ford Flex Pricing to Start at Nearly $29,000
By Michelle Krebs February 29, 2008By Dale Buss Ford is promoting its new 2009 Flex as a “white-space vehicle†that will be delightfully difficult to categorize. For the privilege of purchasing the flat-topped, three-row vehicle, consumers will have to pay a suggested starting price of $28,995, including shipping charges — a beginning price point that will put Flex atop the automaker’s growing lineup of crossovers. When it is introduced this summer, the Flex will be offered in three trim series, and in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions. Flex SE is the base model, a front-wheel-drive version. Prices for the all-wheel-drive Flex Limited will start at more
Daimler Claims Lithium Ion Battery Breakthrough
By John O'Dell February 29, 2008German automaker Daimler said Friday it has become the first car company to adapt lithium-ion battery technology for a production car and will use the new batteries in the upcoming S400 BlueHybrid in 2009.Keeping things cool for reliability has been an ongoing concern with developers of lightweight, high-energy lithium ion batteries for hybrid cars. Daimler says its engineers have integrated the battery into the car's climate control system to ensure that its is always operating at 60-95 degrees Fahrenheit (15-35 degrees Celsius) "to provide long life and maximum performance.'The company said it has obtained 25 patents on its battery technology.And more
Mercedes Jumps Into Diesel-Hybrid Market with GLK
By John O'Dell February 29, 2008Vision GLK Bluetec Hybrid foreshadows production model diesel-hybrid. Mercedes-Benz will join VW in sharing the oohs and aahs of fuel-efficiency fans at the Geneva Motor Show next week when it unveils it 40-miles-per-gallon diesel-hybrid GLK crossover featuring a new lithium-ion battery pack. The German luxury-car maker took the wraps off today, releasing a photo and a little bit of info about what it is calling the "Vision GLK Bluetec Hybrid." Volkswagen recently confirmed that it will show a concept diesel-hybrid Golf capable of achieving 69.9 miles per gallon fuel economy. Mercedes' entry in the field combines a 2.2-liter Bluetec more
Bush Admits Food Vs Fuel Issue, Boosts Cellulosic
By John O'Dell February 29, 2008By Dale Buss, ContributorPresident Bush added to the chorus of support for cellulosic ethanol at his White House news conference Thursday, emphasizing it as a crucial part of the short-term answer to problems of fuel pricing and availability, as well as a long-term solution to food-versus-fuel problems.Answering a reporter’s question about tax breaks for renewable forms of energy, Bush referred to the growing pressure under worldwide food prices that is being created by a rise in competing demand for U.S. corn stocks by ethanol producers.“If you look at what’s happened with corn out there, you’re beginning to see the food more
Japanese Hydrogenated Fuel Test Cuts CO2 by 30%
By John O'Dell February 29, 2008Adding hydrogen to a hydrocarbon fuel such as gasoline or diesel can dramatically reduce emissions and boost fuel economy – the problem is how to produce, store and use the hydrogen.A Japanese company, Hrein Energy, has been working on a solution and this week announced it has tested "the world's first organic hydride hydrogen vehicle."The chemistry in the translated-from-Japanese release is hard to wade through, but essentially, Hrein is developing a system that uses a catalyst and heat from the vehicle's exhaust to separate hydrogen from an organic liquid and then feed it into the vehicle's fuel stream.Hrein, based in more
Bush Comments Lend Another Boost to Cellulosic Ethanol
By Michelle Krebs February 29, 2008By Dale Buss The politicians in Washington aren’t on the same page on every issue with the U.S. auto industry. But it’s increasingly clear the most important of them see eye to eye with some major automakers when it comes to cellulosic ethanol. Remaining presidential candidates have made a point of touting cellulosic ethanol — which can be made from a number of sources other than corn — as an important alternative fuel. On Thursday morning President Bush added to the chorus of support at his White House news conference. He emphasized cellulosic ethanol as a crucial part of the more
Strike 2: Strike at Supplier TRW Halts Chrysler Minivan Production
By Michelle Krebs February 29, 2008By Joseph Szczesny WINDSOR, Ontario — Strike fever is spreading in the auto industry. On Thursday, 175 members of Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Local 444 employed at a TRW Automotive plant in Windsor, Ont., went on strike after contract negotiations reached an impasse. The TRW plant supplies suspension frames used on the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. Chrysler’s Windsor assembly plant, which produces the minivans, was forced to shut only hours after the CAW strike began. more
Mazda: U.S. Market Looking More European, Canadian
By Michelle Krebs February 29, 2008By Joseph Szczesny DETROIT — After starting the year with a 10 percent sales increase in January, Jim O'Sullivan, president of Mazda North America, said the automaker is holding its own during what has been a difficult February.“We’re still seeing some strength in Mazda3 and Mazda5,†said O’Sullivan, who was in Detroit to promote the redesigned 2008 Mazda5. “The 10-days sales numbers I saw were a mixed bag.†more
Fuel-Cell Experiment Misses the Bus
By Michelle Krebs February 28, 2008By Bill Visnic Some cost and durability figures for operating hydrogen fuel-cell powered buses have leaked out, and from them it appears the best thing that can be said is it’s a good thing it’s a demonstration program. To fulfill a California Air Resources Board requirement that operators of large bus fleets participate in a Zero-Emission Bus demonstration program, in 2005 the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority purchased three buses powered by early versions of fuel cells developed by Ballard Power Systems Inc. of Vancouver, Canada. Green Car Journal reports a memo directed to the Santa Clara VTA’s board of more
EPA Chief's Rationale For GHG Decision Upsets Foes; 'Illogical' Says California's Top Air Quality Official
By John O'Dell February 29, 2008By Scott Doggett, ContributorEPA Administrator Stephen Johnson signed off on a notice Friday finalizing his rejection of California's request for a waiver to the Clean Air Act that would have allowed it and other states to impose their own automotive greenhouse-gas emissions regulations. The formal decision, which reiterates positions Johnson has taken since Dec. 19, when he initially announced his refusal to grant the waiver, was immediately denounced by environmental groups, state officials and Sen. Barbara Boxer, a Johnson foe and chairwoman of the Senate committee that oversees the EPA.The issue is important far beyond California's borders because 18 other states more