 
August 31, 2010 - WHY NO ‘F’ FOR GAS GUZZLERS?: We like the U.S. government's new idea to include a grade from A to D for the fuel economy and emissions on the window label of a car. Our only question is - where's the F? Not surprisingly, the automakers weren't happy about the idea but we think it would be helpful for comparison purposes between different vehicles. We all know an A is better than a D, right? The proposed labels include a great amount of information. What do you think about the proposal? The Detroit News lays it out: "Vehicles would get an 'A+' to 'D grade, and the median grade would be a 'B-.' No vehicle would get a failing grade. To get an 'A,' a vehicle would have to average at least 59 miles per gallon; to avoid a 'D' a vehicle would have to average at least 14 mpg." The UK currently has a similar grading system, where vehicles are graded "A" through "F." Under the new system, electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf would qualify for an "A+" rating and a plug-in hybrid would get an "A." If the "F" grade is good enough for Brits, we say do the same thing here ... It may not sound sexy but the "variable displacement oil pump" is one of the new ways automakers are quietly improving fuel economy. This piece of technology is what helps the Chevrolet Cruze meet the 40 MPG threshold. It includes electronic controls that only send out the amount of oil the engine needs, as opposed to the traditional oil pump, which pushes more oil than the engine needs and excess is dumped back to the oil pan through a bypass ...
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August 25, 2010 - BURNING HUMAN FAT … FOR HIGHER MPG?!: Don't get freaked out. We're not talking Zombieland or that creepy Twilight Zone episode. And we don't expect to see Soylent Green at a gas pump near you soon. No, we talking about losing that spare tire you're carrying around your waist. We've mentioned before how automakers are using newer, lighter materials to reduce the weight of vehicles to improve fuel economy. But have you ever considered how our weight as a society has affected fuel economy? A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows how the increase of obesity rates in America has put a real dent in fuel economy. AutoGuide.com reports: "The rise in obesity has forced these people, out of necessity, to buy larger vehicles, which increases gasoline consumption in the U.S. and fuel consumption increases with more weight in cars. In 2006, a study done by Entrepreneur.com analyzed the amount of additional fuel consumed due to heavier drivers. They found that almost 1 billion gallons of gasoline per year can be attributed to passenger weight gain in non-commercial vehicles between 1960 and 2002." ... Will compact pickup truck manufacturers in the U.S. soon get a run for their money? If Indian-company Mahindra succeeds in bringing their compact to the U.S. by December, companies like Ford, GM, Toyota and Nissan need to be on alert. The Environmental Protection Agency has cleared the company to sell compact pickup trucks in the U.S. Mahindra plans to start selling a 2.2-liter, four-cylinder engine compact pickup truck and it would be the only small pickup available in the U.S. with a diesel engine. Mahindra claims it would get 30 MPG, which is 50 percent better than some of the trucks on the market. Would the emergence of Mahindra push U.S. light truck makers in a greener direction? Hard to see how a little positive pressure could hurt ...
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Automakers need to understand that Americans want the most
fuel-efficient possible cars using the best available technology. Here is
where you can get involved to make that happen ...
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40 miles per gallon is not a dream. The technology exists today! You could be driving a vehicle that would save you money, make America safer and cut down on pollution ...
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Pam Solo, the president of the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute, which created the 40mpg.org campaign, welcomes you! ...
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If you already are doing 40 mpg or better, we
want to hear your story...
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Save
money ... use less gasoline from Middle Eastern oil ... cut tailpipe fumes ... NOW!
