40MPG.org Weekly Update     

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WIN FOR CALI: GOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERS, INDUSTRY
July 2, 2009: The Environmental Protection Agency's decision to grant California, along with more than another dozen states, the right to enforce its greenhouse gas standards is another victory for the environment and U.S. energy security. A major reversal of a 2008 ruling by the Bush Administration, the state limits will form the basis of new nationwide rules in 2012. The decision brings a welcome end to years of automakers fighting the state requirements in court while also lobbying the federal government in Washington for more money. And, as we reported last week, the new federal regulations that are partly a result of California's battle for the environment will likely result in higher profits for automakers and will make U.S. automakers more competitive in the global economy  ...  Although the cash for clunkers program we reported on a few weeks ago has just started, buyers might want to wait to take advantage of it as the final details have yet to be worked out.  The legislation was signed last week but legislators still have until July 24 to work out the fine print  ...  And a feature that appears to be borrowed from the hybrid stable and increases fuel economy is showing up non-hybrids and improving their gas mileage.  The new Mazda3 2.0 Sport comes with a feature they call iStop, which pauses the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop, increasing fuel economy and decreasing CO2 emissions ...
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HIGHER MPG = HIGHER PROFITS
June 25, 2009: It may come as news to some U.S. automakers but a new study from the University of Michigan reinforces what we've been saying for years:  Automakers can increase their profits by focusing on fuel economy.  The study - "Fixing Detroit: How Far, How Fast, How Fuel Efficient?" - points out that the new fuel economy standards will be key to making U.S. automakers more competitive in the marketplace, particularly against Japanese rivals, since "existing culture within the domestic auto companies systematically underestimates the value consumers place on fuel economy."  We had recently observed the same thing, specifically with regards to General Motors.  We can only hope that the new federal fuel rules will force domestic automakers to pay more attention to the value of fuel economy.  If they don't, they do so at the risk of their own peril  ...  Although Ford did not take the bailout money that Chrysler and General Motors did, it looks like they, along with Nissan, will be taking advantage of a government program to help automakers meet new fuel efficiency standards. Ford will receive $5.9 billion and Nissan $1.6 billion out of the $25 billion  program and are among the first to be awarded the loans.  Ford may use some of the funds to convert a Michigan SUV factory to instead produce the compact Focus, to which we say "hurrah!".  Nissan plans to use its money to cut costs on its batteries and ramp up production of electric vehicles.  Electric carmaker Tesla will get $465 million to build an electric sedan and battery packs to power it ...
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FACEBOOK FOR FUEL ECONOMY
June 19, 2009: Are you a fan of social networking?  Do you like to keep track of your vehicle's fuel economy? A new social networking site called Moblu helps you track your vehicle's fuel economy and a whole lot more using your cell phone.  With gas prices continuing to rise across the country, as we reported last week, and stories this week are reporting that prices at the pump have risen for more than 50 days in a row and are at least $2.50 a gallon in 49 states. And CA drivers are seeing $3 gas and the LA Times reports it is changing buying habits: "Kelley, the Irvine-based auto information firm, surveyed new car shoppers last month about gas prices and found that more than 60% have changed their buying approach because of rising pump prices, with many saying they would make compromises in their choice of a new vehicle in order to save money on gas. The No. 1 compromise was moving to a smaller engine (a four-cylinder, say, instead of a V6 or V8). That was followed closely by vehicle size (moving down to a mid-sized sedan from a larger model, for instance)." Sound familiar? ... And it seems like concern about gas prices has also raised the number of fuel saving recommendations being made.  Having good tires seems to be a very popular one now.  There is even a new tire on the market that claims to improve fuel economy by 8 percent on your vehicle and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.  Sounds promising  ... Looks like Ford is taking steps in the right direction to being a greener company.  The company's Sustainability Report shows that in addition to gains in fleet fuel economy and reduction in CO2 emissions, the company has also reduced global water use ...  
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GAS PRICES: UP 60 PERCENT SO FAR THIS YEAR
June 9, 2009: Not looking at a gas-sipping car?  Looks like you may want to do that when the economy gets out of the current slump.  Gas prices shot up 12 cents in the last week and are up 60 percent since January.  We have seen stories where it's as bad or even worse, including Massachusetts, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, Colorado, Texas, and Ohio, among others. Of course, many families are hard-pressed to find extra dollars in their budgets to fill their gas tanks - much less buy a new car!  ABC News offers some tips, such as choose the right octane, stay away from gas-savings gadgets, stay within the speed limit, and avoid unnecessary idling, among others ... A new analysis from the University of New Hampshire shows that Obama's new fuel rules will provide a new economic benefit to the New England economy.  The region will get a $10 billion boost over the next 15 years ... Following on the heels of China's decision to toughen fuel economy standards that we reported on last week, South Korea and India have now announced that they also plan to tighten their fuel economy standards.  Per CanadianDriver.com: "The Korean government will increase fuel efficiency standards by 16.5 per cent from the current level in 2012, and to as high as advanced countries by 2015 and 2020, as announced by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy." And India will implement newly-established fuel economy standards, once they are formulated by that nation's Bureau of Energy Efficiency ... 
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WILL GM SURVIVE?
June 2, 2009: We've said before that innovative thinking is necessary to get us where we need to be on fuel economy. Is the government's bailout of General Motors structured in a way that will foster that innovation in fuel economy but keep the company economically viable?  Poor decisions made in the past are part of what has landed the company in hot water now, as we've pointed out with regards to fuel economy. Some people like the Obama plan for GM, but others - including New York Times columnist David Brooks -- say it may cause the company to repeat history and prevent it from changing in a way that will result in success.  Only one thing is clear:  The future is uncertain for the company. Some plans within the company will proceed, namely the 2010 launch of the Volt,  but only time will tell if GM will survive ...  We've been saying it for years: A senior engineer at the EPA, Jeff Alson, admits that the new fuel economy goals set forth by the White House two weeks ago could have been achieved more than a decade ago. "Alson is a senior engineer at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's transportation and climate division. He's in charge of a study the agency does annually on light-duty automotive technology and fuel economy trends. The latest edition, published last fall, shows the auto industry had the technology to boost fuel economy significantly in the 1990s" reports The Canadian Press.  ...  And China has apparently drafted fuel economy standard tougher than those set forth by Obama for the U.S. due to worries about dependence on foreign oil. The New York Times states: "The new plan would require automakers in China to improve fuel economy by an additional 18 percent by 2015, said An Feng, a leading architect of China's existing fuel economy regulations ..."  We hate to keep saying that we told you so  - but we did!
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SCRAP “CASH FOR CLUNKERS”?
May 27, 2009: The "cash for clunkers" legislation being considered as part of the energy bill making its way to the House floor is getting panned ... and for good reason.  The plan would give up to a $4,500 subsidy to potential car and truck buyers who trade in their old vehicles and buy new wheels. As a Watertown Daily Times editorial points out:  "A car owner only has to purchase a new car that gets at least 4 mpg more than their old car or as little as 22 MPG to receive $3,500. For large trucks, the new truck only has to exceed the fuel efficiency of the trade-in by 1 MPG to qualify for a $3,500 voucher. Trade-ins would have to be scrapped to make sure they did not find their way back onto the highway. The mileage goals fall short of current fuel-economy standards. Vehicle owners who could afford to will be able to trade in their car or truck for a new one that does not get much better mileage with the help of taxpayers." The weak plan would also use U.S. taxpayer dollars to subsidize the auto industry when the national debt is already $11 trillion ... In the wake of the new fuel economy standards, GM announced the development of a new and more-efficient engine that will provide up to a 15 percent fuel economy boost and will help hybrid and plug-in technologies get even better fuel economy in the future. CNET reports:  "In the homogenous charge compression ignition engine (HCCI), the air and fuel mixture is compressed to ignite rather than using a spark...Its fuel savings are achieved from reduced pumping losses, burning fuel faster at lower temperatures and reducing the heat energy lost during the combustion process," These are the type of advances we hope to see more and more in the future as the new fuel economy standard deadline approaches ... 
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WHITE HOUSE MPG DEAL IS “HISTORIC”
May 19, 2009: The new White House-brokered agreement on increased auto fuel efficiency averaging 35.5 miles per gallon (MPG) for new cars and light trucks sold in 2016 is "historic and a great beginning for recovering America's position in the global auto market," according to 40MPG.org and TheCLEAN.org.  40MPG.org Founder and Civil Society Institute President and Founder Pam Solo said: "We need to continue fostering innovations that can make U.S. cars even more fuel efficient. We applaud California and the other states that applied sufficient pressure on greenhouse gas controls to bring reluctant automakers to the bargaining table. The Obama White House also deserves credit for finding a way to get these parties to agree on a timetable that actually accelerates progress in the United States to achieving greater energy efficiency. This is a historic and a great beginning for recovering America's position in the global auto marketplace."  In a June 2007 report, the nonprofit 40MPG.org project of the Civil Society Institute noted that Japan is moving to the equivalent of 48 MPG by 2010, the European Union is shooting for about 44 MPG currently and China is requiring the equivalent today of 37 MPG. Automotive News reported nearly two years ago that Japan already has in place fleet economy rules equal to more than 45 MPG. In February 2007, 40MPG.org issued a report showing that there are more than 100 vehicle makes for sale around the world - but not in the United States -- that get combined gas mileage of 40MPG or better. This figure, which included a number of clean diesels, appears to have changed very little in recent years ...  
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CHRYSLER: HOW MUCH MPG FROM FIAT?
April 7, 2009: Small car fans are wondering what will happen if Chrysler brings Fiat back to America's shores. U.S. News and World Report asks: "What kind of cars could American consumers expect from Fiat if the merger goes through? One that many small car fans are waiting for is the Fiat 500. The cutely styled micro car slots right between the MINI Cooper and Smart Fortwo, and could steal sales from both. The Fiat Panda is another small city car with SUV styling, but urban size. It's also available as the Panda Cross, which, according to Fiat's UK site, adds four-wheel drive and makes the small car off-road ready. Both cars have been named European car of the year." ... While some experts wonder how big the appetite for "mini cars" is in the U.S., there is no doubt that they are red hot in Europe: "While overall sales of new cars (in the UK) fell by 30.5 per cent last month, sales of city cars - also known as minis - almost doubled, rising by 84 per cent on March 2008. On current trends, sales will rise from 28,000 last year to more than 50,000 this year. The cars have engines no bigger than 1000cc, only two doors and are typically less than 3m (10ft) long. Passengers may have to squeeze into the rear seat but drivers will be able to squeeze into many more parking spaces." ... Check out "Lessons on How to Guzzle Less Gas, From Europe and Japan" from the Saturday New York Times: "Governments (in Europe and Japan) were able to steer drivers to diesel by taxing it at a lower rate than gasoline. But both fuels are taxed much more heavily in Europe than they are in the United States, which points to another lesson: higher fuel taxes reduce consumption. The bottom line has been this: Oil use in the United States rose by over 20 percent between 1973 and 2007. Germany and France both cut their oil demand by 25 percent over the past 25 years. Japanese demand has not risen." That about says it all! ...
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THE RETURN OF $4.50 A GALLON GAS
March 24, 2009: Get ready for more pain at the gas pump. The New York Times has the bad news: "In a report issued on Tuesday, the McKinsey Global Institute, the economics research arm of McKinsey & Company, warned that unless robust efficiency measures are undertaken, global markets face the 'risk of a second oil-price shock' once the economy recovers and demand for liquid fuels surges. Members of the group's global energy and materials practice said that while global energy demand is expected to stagnate or even contract in the short term because of the downturn, growth in developing countries could mean that demand outpaces supply, risking a new spike in oil prices reminiscent of the $150-a-barrel prices seen last summer. Such a spike could come as soon as 2010 to 2013, depending on the depth of the economic downturn, the report suggested." So, er, enjoy those recession-depressed gas prices while you still can?! ... How about a "cash for clunkers" program to get gas-hog cars off the road sooner? That's the gist of the bills from Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH). "Under Sen. Feinsten's bill, S. 247, old cars that qualify for the program must be drivable, registered in the United States and have a 'when-new' fuel economy rating of less than 18 miles per gallon. New vehicles must have a fuel economy rating that exceeds federal targets for that class of vehicle by at least 25 percent and a manufacturer-suggested retail price of less than $45,000 and be a model year 2004 or later." ... Did Obama get it right last week when he compared the fuel efficiency of the Model T to the modern SUV? AP reported it this way: "Obama, touring a California electric car plant on Thursday, said, 'The Model T - think about this - the 1908 Model T earned better gas mileage than the typical SUV in 2008. Think about that: 100 years later, and we're getting worse gas mileage, not better, on SUVs,' Obama said. Ford's own Web site says the Model T's mileage ranged from 13 to 21 miles per gallon. Some Tin Lizzie enthusiasts who still drive the vehicles report numbers closer to the bottom end of that range. A typical SUV sold in 2008 gets 18.7 miles per gallon." Some in Detroit say the comparison is unfair because SUVs are heavier and loaded with more fuel-wasting options and power. To that lame defense, we say: Isn't that exactly the problem? ...
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ENJOY YOUR $2 GAS WHILE YOU STILL CAN!
March 10, 2009: Thanks to the recession, gasoline prices are still hovering around the $2 a gallon price for regular, down more than $1 from a year ago.  But just as no one expects the recession to go onforever, there are precious few experts who see a prolonged scenario for cheap gas.   USA Today points out that oil companies are setting the stage for prices to zoom up again when recession-battered demand recovers:  "Americans battered by the recession have found modest consolation in low gasoline prices, a salve that's likely to last as long as the economic downturn. But the oil industry is quietly sowing the seeds for a sharp run-up in gas prices once demand recovers.  Oil companies are slashing new investment and production far more sharply than analysts projected just a couple of months ago, a strategy analysts say could lead to shortages and higher gas prices when consumption rebounds. And, analysts say, a standoff between the oil giants and their suppliers over the cost of rigs, labor and other expenses could prolong the investment slowdown."  ... The imminent return of higher gas prices is why car companies remain intently focused on fuel efficiency.  As Time explains:  "... motorists now live in a world where high gasoline prices are the norm and downward spikes in price, such as the one caused by the recession this winter, are likely the exception. Even General Motors believes fuel prices will go up,' says [Jim Kliesch, senior engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists]." ...  We enjoyed a recent San Francisco Chronicle article about how car company bailouts may lead to the return of the "NFL" (No Fun League) in auto dealership showrooms.  But higher fuel efficiency need not mean zero sex appeal, according to the Chronicle:  The Volkswagen Jetta TDI's 140-horsepower turbodiesel engine propels the car to 60 in 8.5 seconds, while returning 41 mpg in EPA highway driving. That score brings the Jetta TDI close to the mileage needed to meet the highest levels of fuel efficiency the government might require. Meanwhile, the car serves as the foundation of the racecars used in the TDI Cup racing series, a program VW launched to demonstrate the viability of diesel power in sporty, fun cars." ...  
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VMT TAX ON LONG-DISTANCE DRIVERS DOA?
February 25, 2009: Long-distance drivers can breathe a collective sigh of relief.   All that talk about a "vehicle miles traveled" (VMT) tax is now pretty much dead.   As the National Journal reports:  "Last week, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood promoted the idea of taxing drivers based on vehicle miles traveled as a way to add revenue for the Highway Trust Fund, which nearly ran dry last year. Concerned LaHood was getting ahead of the president, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Friday said a VMT tax 'is not and will not be the policy of the Obama administration.'" ...  These are interesting times for diesel autos.   One big plus for diesel:  Average diesel prices have now dropped to the point that they are less expensive than premium unleaded gasoline.    And a fair amount of attention is being paid to diesels, including the well reviewed Volkswagen Jetta diesel.   Nonetheless, it remains a fact that selling diesel is an uphill battle in the auto marketplace.   But diesel remains the kind in the commercial vehicle space.  As one trade publication puts it:  "Despite consumer enthusiasm for hybrid vehicles, manufacturers have been slow to integrate hybrid technologies into trucks and buses. Some manufacturers consider the efficiency of diesel engines too hard to beat, while others await fuel-cell technologies that can be integrated with commercial drivetrains; still others are producing and testing concept vehicles they hope will be the cornerstones of commercial hybrid fleet ..."  
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“BANKRUPTCY ON THE CHEAP” FOR GM, CHRYSLER?
February 18, 2009: Two out of three U.S. automakers have now submitted their restructuring plans to the Obama Administration. GM and Chrysler say they will collapse without $7 billion in federal aid in the next six weeks, part of a larger plea for up to $39 billion they are making. As we've reported before in this bailout process, mistakes have been made by the automakers in recent weeks. The new plans include cutting even more jobs, factories and dealerships than they outlined in initial plans two months ago and the cost of those plans will already end up in taxpayers' laps. Most Americans are not in favor of giving the automakers more loans. Some think the loans are "bankruptcy on the cheap" for the automakers or that this additional request, at least from GM, takes nerve since the company's own executives are the ones who ran them into the ground. Whether they get the loans or not, it's clear GM and Chrysler will have to adjust to a new reality in which they are significantly smaller players in the global market. And it seems they still don't get it when it comes to the environment. As a Los Angeles Times oped states: " ... GM even had the chutzpah to cut its projected fuel economy by 10% from what it promised in the survival plan it submitted to Congress in December." It goes on to say: "What the automakers don't get is this: What's good for America is good for GM (and Chrysler), and not the other way around ... Americans need cars that go farther on a gallon of gasoline, pollute less and save money at the pump." It's clear that to relevant in this global economy and fit it with the new President's stated environmental goals, these automakers need to focus on adding more green technology into their lineups. If they need our money to stay viable, they need to make sure not to drag their feet ... Besides purchasing fuel efficient vehicles, what else can we as individuals with our autos do to reduce pollution and our country's dependence on foreign oil? Try "eco-driving". The ideas may seem simple but things like taking your golf clubs out of your trunk, keeping your tires inflated and performing regularly schedule maintenance on your vehicle can make a difference, both to global warming and your pocketbook. Check out www.EcoDrivingUSA.com to estimate how much you could save ... As part of a report we did almost 2 years ago, we pointed out that the technology already existed to get more than 35 miles per gallon for passenger vehicles and it looks like these ideas are finally catching on. Lighter materials, direct fuel injection, turbocharging - these technologies have been around for years. But it looks like the pressure from Washington to make more fuel efficient autos is finally getting carmakers to put these existing technologies into their cars instead of letting them sit on the shelf ...
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OBAMA EPA MOVES AHEAD ON CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS WAIVER
February 11, 2009: Under orders by the new Obama Administration, it looks like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is actually trying to move swiftly to resolve the California emissions waiver issue.   They have set a date of March 5^th for a public hearing on the issue and will take public comments through April 6.   According to The Detroit News:  "The Environmental Protection Agency plans to move quickly to consider a request by California and 13 states to impose a 30 percent reduction in tailpipe emissions by 2016 -- a measure that would require automakers to dramatically boost the efficiency of light trucks and passenger cars ... California had been granted more than 50 waivers over the past 30 years and never received a complete denial. California's waiver would require automakers to boost fuel economy to a fleetwide 35.7 miles per gallon by 2016 and 42.5 mpg by 2020." We look forward to a quick resolution resulting in the waivers being granted  ...  Some domestic vehicles from Chevrolet and the new Volkswagen clean diesels made it into the ACEEE's annual environmental auto ratings, the Green Book Online.  The big winner, as in past years, was the Honda Civic GX, a compressed natural gas vehicle that earned the greenest car of the year award.  Per HybridCars.com: "This is the twelfth year that ACEEE produced the Green Book Online, which assigns vehicles a single 'green' score based on tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, greenhouse-gas emissions, and a cradle-to-grave lifecycle analysis."   The small, fuel-efficient  Chevy Aveo and Pontiac G5 were the domestics that made it on the list, and this was also the first year for the Volkswagen Jetta clean diesels  ...  Provisions in the stimulus bill should help the U.S. auto industry retool to focus on more fuel efficient vehicles, such as plug-in hybrids, in order to better compete with foreign carmakers.  As the Detroit Free Press reports: "The stimulus compromise in the Senate bill includes $2 billion in direct grants for battery development and manufacturing, as well as expanded tax credits for buyers and manufacturers of plug-in hybrid vehicles. It also includes a tax break for new-car buyers and money for the federal government to buy plug-in hybrids and flex-fuel vehicles." ...
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HIGHER GAS TAX THE REAL SOLUTION?
February 3, 2009: President Obama's stance on improving fuel economy and reducing auto emissions has elicited many positive responses, as we reported last week. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune calls the Obama action a "needed push for the car industry."  The Vacaville Reporter says, "President Barack Obama, in a quick reversal of Bush administration policy, sent a much-needed signal last week that the polluting ways of the U.S. automobile industry cannot continue ..." Some people are pushing other interesting ideas about how to  encourage U.S. consumers to change their buying habits when it comes to driving more fuel efficient vehicles.  Advocates of an increased gas tax say it the only way to force Americans to drive and buy high fuel efficiency vehicles, as evidenced by what happened when gas prices were up at $4 a gallon. As Business Week explains: "Bottom line: Americans need a reason to go small or green. And only a gasoline tax will do it."   We don't buy the notion that most Americans have to be forced to go green, though it is undeniable that there are those who will be more likely to act now when they have inducements to do so  ...  It looks like Chrysler's road to survival may result in an alliance with Italian car company Fiat.  If the deal goes through, the Detroit Free Press reports it could be good for the manufacturing of fuel-efficient minicars, compacts and subcompacts from Chrysler in the U.S.  ...  Although manual transmissions have traditionally been recognized as better when it comes to fuel efficiency, the automatic transmission has come a long way in recent years.  New technologies like the continuously variable transmission (CVT), additional gears and other new developments have narrowed the gap in fuel efficiency between manual and automatic transmissions.   But can someone please explain to us what a "clutchless" manual is?  Just kidding ... though it does sound to us like one of those "squared circle" conundrums ...
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OBAMA PUTS GREENER AUTOS IN EXPRESS LANE
January 27, 2009: President Barack Obama is wasting no time in sending signals that he is serious about making the U.S. greener when it comes to automobiles.  In a news conference yesterday, President Obama announced major steps towards reducing our dependence on foreign oil and lowering greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles.  He first ordered the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish rules by 2011 to raise fuel economy standards to 35 mpg by 2020, accelerating the standards signed in 2007.  He also ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to review the denial of a waiver for California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards.  The California emissions battle, in particular, has been a long one but will have significant and lasting effects.  As NPR points out: "California's proposed restrictions would force automakers to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in new cars and light trucks by 2016.At least 13 other states - Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington - have already adopted California's standards, and they have been under consideration elsewhere, too."   TheCLEAN.org and Civil Society Institute (the parent organization of 40MPG.org) have been leaders in calling for Washington to get out of the way and let the states regulate auto emissions.  So, we are delighted to see progress on greener autos being made to quickly into a new Administration's term and it appear many others are as well ...
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NEW PRESIDENT = NEW HOPE ON FUEL EFFICIENCY?
January 20, 2009: The Bush legacy of failure in achieving meaningful improvements in fuel economy is clear. So, what happens now under President Barack Obama? Obama offers hope in the form of granting California emissions waivers. In addition to California, 17 states have adopted the stricter emissions standards, which go a long way towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Obama pledged to grant the waiver if he was elected and we look forward to the EPA under the new President following through. The waiver was sidetracked by the Bush Administration for more than a year ... It seems that U.S. automakers are finally getting it when it comes to the need for green vehicles. Or is it all just PR posturing? A Michigan reporter points out: "Detroit Three executives, repeatedly pelted with questions about their future, said their restructuring initiatives and high-tech products would keep the companies alive. Their product unveilings, generally meant to be the focus of the show, fought for attention at press conferences. Still, a heavy emphasis on fuel-efficient technology and a focus on expanding the nation's lithium-ion battery production capacity pointed to an accelerated transition to market-friendly green vehicles. GM, Ford and Chrysler, facing major image problems exacerbated by the saga surrounding their negotiations with the federal government, leveraged the platform of the show to counteract the perception about their products." ... Those gas prices increases we've reported in past weeks are not a fluke. Reports continue to stream in that gas prices are continuing their uphill swing, with reports of a national increase from AAA, and similiar stories coming in from across the country in states such as Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Arizona, and others ...
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IT’S OFFICIAL: HIGHER GAS PRICES ARE BACK
January 13, 2009: Don't hold your breath waiting for gas prices to go even lower.  In fact, the nationwide Lundberg survey of 5,000 gas stations released Sunday shows that gas prices bottomed out a few weeks ago and are now back on the upswing.  Reuters reported: "The national average for self-serve, regular unleaded gasoline rose to $1.7793 on January 9, up some 11.71 cents from the survey conducted three weeks earlier by the nationwide Lundberg poll ..."  ...  Just prior to the start of a much scaled-down North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Dave Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research, made an astute observation: "Once the auto industry's attention shifts from short-term survival, the priority will be fuel-economy regulations, energy policy and advanced powertrain technologies ..."  We tend to agree.  He went on to point out that the auto industry is on the verge of a technological revolution that will create vehicles that blend fun performance and green technologies, commenting that they are not mutually exclusive.  All automakers, particularly the U.S. ones, are touting their "green genes" at the Detroit Auto Show, particularly focusing on electric vehicles developments  ...  If demand from recession-pinched consumers and the need to curb global warming aren't enough motivation for car companies to build "greener" vehicles, there are other ways to get the point across.  For not adhering to CAFE standards, Mercedes-Benz U.S division was recently fined the second-largest ever assessment by NHTSA for violations - a whopping $28.9 million.  A total of six automakers were assessed $37 million in fines in 2008 for violating federal fuel efficiency requirements ...
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CHRYSLER BUNGLES THE BAILOUT
January 6, 2009: We're beginning to wonder if Chrysler is serious about surviving.  Fox News reports: "Chrysler is facing a backlash from taxpayers and conservative groups after the ailing auto company took out a series of full-page newspaper ads last week to thank Americans for 'investing' in the company through the government's $17.4 billion auto industry bailout plan. Critics say the company, which is expected to receive about $4 billion of that bailout money in the near term, should not be spending its already limited resources on pricey advertisements. ... The ads ran last week in several major daily newspapers, including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since USA Today and The Wall Street Journal are two of the highest-circulation newspapers in the country, full-page ad rates are steep. A full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal runs between $206,000 and $264,000, and a full-page ad in USA Today runs between $112,000 and $217,000."  Sounds like the bailout is really being put to good use, doesn't it?  ...  Although gas prices may still be low relative to what they were just a few months ago, it appears they have been on the upswing in the last week.  As with many others, we did not expect gas prices to remain low.  CNN reports that prices have risen for the sixth straight day, according to a nationwide survey of credit card swipes. The Detroit Free Press reports that prices are up 26 cents in Michigan. And there are reports from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Dayton, Rhode Island, and others that prices are on the rise ...  
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AD PARODY: BAILOUTS ARE FOR SUCKERS
December 24, 2008: Our favorite ad parody of the week reads as follows: "You wouldn't buy our sh---- cars . So we'll be taking your money anyway. The Bailout. Coming this January."  Although it is done tongue in cheek, there's more a grain of truth here.  This painfully on-target ad continues: " You probably thought it was smart to buy a foreign import of superior quality, with better mileage and resale value.  Maybe you even thought that years of market share loss might prod us into rethinking our process and redesigning our products with better quality in mind.  But you forgot one thing: We spend a sh-load of money on lobbyists.  So now you're out $25 billion, plus the cost of your Subaru.  Maybe next time you'll buy American like a real man.  Either way, we're cool."  Ouch!  ...  A recent article from Business Week  makes some interesting points on "what the taxpayer should know about the U.S. auto industry now that they own it."  One in particular we agree with is that Detroit may have "created many of their own problems through short-sighted management, but they had plenty of help from Congress."  We've pointed out before that CAFE standards were rigged to favor SUVs and Congress could have taken steps long ago to rectify this.  And we will recognize that Ford took steps to not have to dip into bailout funds yet - they seem to be making a valiant attempt to commit themselves to a greener future. For now, GM and Chrysler are the ones who will be relying on taxpayer loans to keep afloat.  Maybe the taxpayers who now have such a vested interest in U.S. car companies will have a better year in 2009.  One can only hope! ....
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U.S. PAYS THE PRICE FOR LAGGING BEHIND WORLD ON FUEL ECONOMY GOALS
December 19, 2008: Although the news that U.S. automakers are idling their factories comes at an already tough financial time, is this outcome really such a big surprise?  American automakers have continued to make cars "that are increasingly irrelevant to the needs of the rest of the world," as EcoWordly recently put it.  And the U.S. fuel economy target announced last year of 35 mpg by 2020 (12 years in the future) is about where Europe already was - 34.4 mpg - last year in 2007. We've said it before and we'll say it again:  If both the U.S. government and industry had been more forward thinking years ago, the current dire straits in Detroit probably would not exist  ...  If direct fuel injection has been around for several years and was known to have significant fuel economy benefits, we wonder why it is only now starting to come into mainstream use.  We've been asking for a while why existing fuel economy technologies haven't been put into to use more widely but still haven't had a good answer.  In any case, it looks like GM will be reaping some benefits of the technology with some 2010 models, as will Ford  ...  And from the annals of "we couldn't have said it better ourselves" - although we actually have made similar statements before - a St. Petersburg Times correspondent notes: "Detroit helped dig its own hole by failing to listen to the rising tide of voices warning that dependence on oil was bad for the economy, bad for the planet and bad for our lungs. Just as with cigarettes, oil became an addiction we just couldn't seem to shake off, despite all the mounting science out there. Now reality bites. After their first dismal visit to Congress was lampooned on Saturday Night Live, the Big Three experienced a collective epiphany. When they returned this month they were suddenly talking about a major overhaul of their business plans. In a double irony, the car companies went begging for a bailout. But it was too late."  ...
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JINXING CHRYSLER BAILOUT?: WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE …
December 9, 2008: It seems hard to believe that at this moment in the history of the U.S. auto industry - with carmakers begging Congress and the White House for a loan rescue and facing unprecedented pressure to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles, that a vehicle like the 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 would be getting a big sales push.  Not only is this unrepentant SUV gas hog, which gets a pathetic 11 MPG city and 14 MPG highway, still being manufactured by Chrysler, but certain journalists are actually celebrating its existence as some kind "middle finger" to critics of climate change.  As Detroit News reporter Scott Burgess writes:  "If you're going to guzzle gas, the 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of the best ways to do it. This is not just a dreaded SUV, a dinosaur in the making, it's one of the fastest ones ever built, a velociraptor in sheet metal. Gloriously fast, this SUV sucks down more gas than even the EPA thinks: 11 miles per gallon city and 14 mpg highway. Those are under the best conditions. During my test drive of this SRT8, I probably used a gallon just to start it and listen to the specially tuned 6.1-liter Hemi roar at the touch of my toe."  Uh, with "friends" like that, Chrysler doesn't need any enemies.  ...  With the race for fuel efficiency heating up, many scientists are coming up with innovative devices that could pack a lot of fuel economy in a new tech wrinkles.  From "... a thermoelectric material that increases fuel efficiency by 10 percent or more" to " ... a simple electrically charged tube attached to the fuel injector (that) could boost mileage by up to 20 percent", we continue to see advances being made that have the potential to change the landscape by adding up a number of small changes that can have a major impact in fuel economy  ...  Hyundai is upping the ante in the fuel economy race.  They want to be the leader in fuel economy and are taking steps to reach that goal by 2015.  Interim CEO John Krafcik says the brand will reach a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2015 through use of a variety of new technologies ...
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TIME TO STOP RIGGING THE MPG GAME FOR SUVs
December 2, 2008: It is often said by us and others that a big part of the reason the Detroit automakers find themselves needing a bailout is because of their love affair with gas-guzzling SUVs.  This ill-considered (fatal?) focus continued even when other automakers realized that consumers wanted more fuel-efficient and lower emission options.  The automakers made things even worse in the way the federal CAFE standards were set up - at the behest of the Big Three -  to favor SUVs.   We say:  Enough is enough!   If there is going to be a bailout, it's time for the monkey business to end.   You can let your member of Congress and President-Elect Obama's team know that you agree by sending them this letter  ...  Following last week's decision by a federal judge in Rhode Island to dismiss an industry suit that sought to stop the state from imposing limits on tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide and other climate-impacting exhaust gases, the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission will decide today whether the state will joint California and 14 other states in imposing the tighter emissions standards set for California vehicles.  Florida Gov. Charlie Crist endorsed the regulations last year and several newspaper editorial pages are showing their agreement --- including newspapers in Tampa, Miami,  Ocala, and Ft. Lauderdale. Let's hope the Commission does what makes sense and agrees to institute the tougher standards  ...  A step in the right direction ... or too little, too late?  Chrysler is promising its new 2011 Charger and 300 will surpass CAFÉ standards.  ...    
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DETROIT’S “STRIKE THREE” IN COURTS SHOULD SHAPE AUTO BAILOUT
November 26, 2008: Chalk up another bad week for the U.S. auto industry.   As Edmunds' Green Car Advisor puts it:  "In yet another defeat for carmakers attempting to block state-by-state implementation of greenhouse gas regulations, a federal judge today (Tuesday) dismissed an industry suit that sought to stop Rhode Island from imposing limits on tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide and other climate-impacting exhaust gases.  It was the third defeat for auto manufacturers, who have lost similar clean car suits in California and Vermont."   (You can read more about the litigation here.)  To our way of thinking here at 40MPG.org, TheCLEAN.org and the Civil Society Institute, this makes it official:  If the auto bailout does move forward after Thanksgiving, Congress needs to require the Big Three to end their lawsuits against global warming emissions laws in California and three other states and also target any loan guarantees to the development and delivery of hybrids, clean-diesels and other highly fuel-efficient vehicles. Why should we subsidize any industry that needs to get greener and turn a blind eye to the fact that the industry in question is fighting a battle in the courts in order to avoid getting greener? As one keen observer of this legal process has noted:  "If you think it is hard to ask for money on Capitol Hill when you've arrived on one of the company jets, try begging for it from ... Senators from states that have adopted the Pavley (state auto emission) standards, and almost all of them enthusiastic supporters of these regulations.  And don't forget to tell them that you need the money to pay the lawyers to try and overturn those standards [in court]."  Exactly!   If you have not done so, please join the 40MPG.org/TheClean.org campaign to send that message to Congress and President-Elect Barack Obama  ...   
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GREEN AUTO BAILOUT GAINS GROUND
November 19, 2008: The call from 40MPG.org/TheCLEAN.org for conditions to be placed on the bailout for carmakers is getting a lot of attention. As a San Francisco Chronicle op-ed article by Pam Solo, founder of 40mpg.org and president of the Civil Society Institute, argues: " ... if taxpayers are going to be put at risk by guaranteeing new loans, then any such new help should be conditioned on the U.S. car companies ending their campaign to frustrate state-level efforts to clean up car and light-truck emissions that cause global warming." You can join the 40MPG.org/TheCLEAN.org call for a green auto bailout here ... Need more evidence that automakers should be required to drop their lawsuits against global warming emissions laws in California and three other states as part of any additional bailout package they may be granted by Congress? A new study shows that vehicle-related air pollution in California costs the state more than $28 billion a year, even more than the automakers are currently requesting for their second round of bailouts ... Talk about fuzzy math! We all know that the EPA revised its test for fuel economy over a year ago, resulting in fuel economy rating for vehicles that reflect more of the real world driving experience than the tests done previously. You would assume that the government had also adjusted the tests used to determine Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) ratings - the industry-wide minimum standards that the government uses to push automakers to improve gas mileage - right? Wrong. The current measured standard is 27.5 m.p.g. for cars and 22.2 MPG for light trucks but "... John DeCicco, the automotive expert for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), estimates that in actual driving, the current measured CAFE standard, for cars, is closer to 22 MPG, and, for trucks, closer to 18 m.p.g." And although the new CAFÉ standards enacted by Congress in 2007 require an increase to at least 35 MPG by 2020, the law did not require National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) to change their tests, meaning that the actual fuel economy of the fleet would be much less than that. The NHTSA has been using the same tests since CAFE was established in 1975. It's time that the federal government got with the times and revised the CAFE tests to fit real-world driving circumstances, as was done with the EPA ...
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TELL CONGRESS, OBAMA: PUT LIMITS ON DETROIT BAILOUT
November 11, 2008: Your elected officials need to hear from you now:   If Washington is going to give yet another loan-guarantee bailout to Detroit automakers, the price tag for doing so should include requiring the car manufacturers to end their four-year-long legal assault against global warming laws in California and three other states (Vermont, Rhode Island and New Mexico).  That's the message today from 40MPG.org and TheCLEAN.org, which are projects of the Civil Society Institute. The groups also called on Congress and the White House to narrowly target any additional loan guarantees for U.S. car makers to the development and delivery of hybrids, clean diesels and other highly fuel-efficient vehicles.  Want to get involved?   Concerned Americans are being urged to go to http://www.40mpg.org/bailout to send an email urging that the bailout restrictions be supported by their members of Congress and the transition team of President-Elect Barack Obama.  You can read the full 40MPG.org/TheCLEAN.org news release here ...  And please take the time now to go to http://www.TheCLEAN.org. Sign the "Call to Action" to help our nation end its reliance on the fossil fuels that endanger our health, safety, environment, and economic prosperity. A new energy policy is necessary. A new energy future is possible.  Please join the Americans who are working to make it happen! ...
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U.S. TO GM: LOAN DENIED
November 5, 2008: It appears the U.S. Treasury Department has nixed the request from General Motors for an additional loan to go towards a merger with Chrysler.  Instead, the Bush Administration will focus on speeding up the $25 billion bailout - excuse us! "loan program" - that was approved by Congress in September.   Perhaps they paid some attention to the E.U.'s rejection of a loan request from its automakers, which we previously reported on  ...  Looks like Ford is unveiling a new fuel-gauge technology that will provide real-time fuel economy information and allow the driver to choose the level of detail they wish to see displayed.  The Prius-mimicking tech will appear on the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids coming in 2010, which will make their debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in December.  We say:  Why not expand the use of this technology not just to hybrids but to all cars?    It would help drivers determine the most fuel efficient manner to drive, enabling them to maximize fuel economy and reduce emissions  ...  It looks like Nissan has been taking the hint from consumers and not only providing smaller vehicles in the U.S. market but also adding a smaller engine option.  Its subcompact Versa will get a new 1.6 liter engine version, which will not only be a lower-cost option for cash-strapped Americans but also offer increased fuel economy.  Although it is odd the 1.6 and 1.8 liter engines both get the same city MPG rating of 26, the highway rating is 34 MPG for the 1.6L versus, 31 for the 1.8L  ...  A note from the music world:   Veteran rocker Neil Young  is branching out into the green auto tech business.  He has founded a company dedicated to finding alternative to gasoline and converted his own 1959 Lincoln Continental to run on a combination of electricity and compressed natural gas.  Neil's former gas guzzler now gets about 100 MPG.  Long may you run, Neil! ...
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ANOTHER DETROIT BAILOUT … ALREADY?
October 29, 2008: We always expected U.S. automakers would go back to Congress hat in hand to plead for even more socialism, er, "federal support."  We just didn't expect it to happen this fast.  General Motors is now reportedly asking for $10 billion in taxpayer dollars to help grease the skids of a potential merger with Chrysler.   As the Wall Street Journal Mean Street blog so aptly puts it: "Detroit's decline has been a slow-motion car wreck spanning four decades. GM, Ford and Chrysler have been losing domestic market share for years to Toyota Motors, Honda Motors and BMW. Who actually admires Detroit for its car-making prowess? So, bail out Wall Street and save the global economy. Bail out Detroit and save-well, Detroit. But a bailout won't even accomplish that. It will only further delay Detroit's day of reckoning-and make it more expensive."  ...  We will stick with what we said on October 1st:  "Why should taxpayers have to make risky, dead-end 'subprime' investments in low-MPG vehicles?  And why should Congress help to indirectly underwrite the cost of the lawsuits by automakers challenging fuel-efficiency rules in California and other states?   Here's our idea:  If the auto industry is going to get any more welfare checks from Washington, the money should (1) go only for development of conventional hybrids, plug-in hybrids and other high-MPG vehicles and technology and (2) be conditioned on automakers dropping their lawsuits against the states."  ... We reported before that, as part of NYC Mayor Bloomberg's effort to green the city, taxis would be going hybrid in the city.  Under the next stage of the effort to reduce CO2 emissions that contribute to pollution in the Big Apple, Bloomberg introduced a plan that would require new black cars (i.e. Lincoln Town Car's) entering service beginning Jan. 1 to carry a fuel economy rating of at least 25 miles a gallon. The New York Times reports: "According to the city, the black cars, taxis and an additional 25,000 local car service vehicles produce 1 percent of the city's total carbon dioxide emissions, and 4 percent of its transportation emissions. Doubling the mileage of that entire fleet, the goal by 2017, would cut the emissions by half." ...  
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THE “KNOCK” ON ETHANOL: LOWER MPG
October 22, 2008: It's bad enough that ethanol is a disaster in terms of global warming emissions.   But the fact that it also reduces mileage performance really adds insult to injury.   Based on our experience with the conversion from old-style unleaded gas to the 10% ethanol blend currently in use nationwide, there's been a noticeable decline in gas mileage.  Now, the Bush Administration Department of Energy is pushing for even higher level blends of ethanol in gasoline on standard cars, reporting that E15 and E20 - blends of gasoline with 15% or 20 % ethanol - do not impact emissions or performance.  The ethanol people manage to keep a straight face in denying that they are putting the brakes on MPG.   But Consumer Reports and the New York Times -- as well as studies from the likes of the University of California-Berkeley - have all debunked that myth.  Given that cellulosic ethanol has yet to be mass-produced on a wide enough scale to make an impact, increasing levels of ethanol in our gasoline hardly seems to make sense  ...  Looking for a new car and want to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to the gas pump?  The new 2009 Fuel Economy Guide from the U.S. EPA has just been released and it features the best and worst vehicles for fuel economy.  The Prius remains at the top but some new entries have joined the list, including the 50-state-compliant Volkswagen Jetta clean diesels  ...  J.D. Power is out with some new data backing up what we already knew - consumers want more choices when it comes to alternative fuel technologies in new cars: "The study finds that more than 80 percent of consumers believe that the United States is currently faced with an energy crisis. ... Nearly 70 percent said they want automakers to invest more in existing and emerging alternative power train technologies. ... An additional 39 percent believe manufacturers should focus on developing emerging technologies not widely available in the market, such as fuel cell and electric vehicles." ...
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AS AUTO STOCKS BURN, DETROIT IDLES
October 14, 2008: Although U.S. stocks rallied Monday, in part, on rumors of merger talks between General Motors and Chrysler, the CEO at Chrysler says there is no deal to announce - at least not yet.   Hard to believe that these auto companies are still dragging their feet in the face of the growing demand for fuel efficiency.  How bad do things have to get before they get on the high-MPG bandwagon?  ...  The road has been paved  for the mid-November unveiling of final fuel efficiency standards through 2015, the first stage of the regulations required to get U.S. vehicles to meet the 35 MPG by 2020 standard set forth by Congress and the President last year. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released their 1,000-page environmental impact study looking at the impact of fuel economy increases from the 2011 model year  through 2015 model year.  As the Detroit News reports:   "To get there, in April NHTSA proposed increasing fuel efficiency requirements by 4.5 percent a year over that five-year span, which would bring the fleetwide average to 31.6 mpg. NHTSA's statement released late Friday said the agency assumes it will continue to require 4.5 percent increases through 2020, pushing the fleetwide average to 39.4 mpg, higher than Congress' original mandate. NHTSA is debating whether to raise the fuel efficiency standards beyond what they proposed in April."  Predictably, U.S. automakers are whining about both the environmental impact study and the statement on hiking fuel economy standards.  We - like most Americans -- feel the MPG standard set out by Congress and the President last year was not aggressive enough.  We recommend that Detroit suck it up and get to work on delivering higher MPG - while there are still U.S. automakers in existence!  ...  Although there are no official plans yet to bring the new 57 MPG diesel/55 MPG gas Toyota iQ now seen in Europe to U.S shores, the buzz on the street is that it may appear here by late fall of 2009. We know we'll be on the lookout for this vehicle, which, from a design standpoint, owes a lot to the increasingly popular Smart car ...  
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EU SAYS “NO WAY” TO U.S.-STYLE AUTOMAKER BAILOUT
October 7, 2008: On the heels of Congress and the President bailing out the U.S. automakers to the tune of $25 billion, European Union automakers called on their government for 40 billion euros in loans ($54.4 billion dollars) to help develop greener cars. Turns out that the EU's openly socialist legislators are less likely to go along with such a bailout than are " capitalist" lawmakers here in the U.S.: "... the European Commission rejected the demand for a loan that would equate to over one third of the annual EU budget." The EU requirements are slightly different from the U.S., with targets set to curb carbon dioxide emissions from cars by 18 percent by 2012.   The U.S. is requiring an increase in fuel economy to 35 MPG by 2020  ...  Not surprisingly, small cars are the talk of the town at the Paris auto show, which starts this week. GM and Ford unveiled some of the more modestly scaled cars making up their future stable.  Ford will launch the Ka in Europe, and has not said whether it will make it to the U.S., but plans to launch the subcompact Fiesta and next generation Focus in 2010.  Chevy will launch the Cruze in 2010 in Europe, but again has not stated plans yet for the U.S.  We hope to see both cars stateside ASAP  ...  Hyundai says it can improve the fuel economy of its fleet with lighter vehicles, gasoline direct injection, and six- and eight-speed automatic transmissions.  The company hopes to make its fleet 5 percent lighter by 2010, as compared with 2007. Some of these technologies will start showing up in two years on the Genesis and Equus sedans ...    
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CONGRESS: ENOUGH WITH THE “SUBPRIME” AUTO INVESTMENTS!
October 1, 2008: You may not have heard much about it, but the auto industry got a big fat bailout of its own this week.  But it probably shouldn't count on making a habit of it. A new survey from TheClean.org and Civil Society Institute shows that most Americans want the next President and Congress to achieve energy independence by relying on clean energy sources, rather than coal, oil and nuclear power plants. When asked what the next President and Congress should make "their number one energy-related priority for the nation" in 2009, about three out of five (59 percent) favor "promoting energy sources such as wind or solar, more conservation of energy, and hybrid or other highly fuel-efficient cars," compared to only about one in four (26 percent) who want a focus on "promoting energy sources such as more coal-fired power plants, oil from offshore drilling and nuclear power."  (emphasis added)  These survey findings are bad news in the long run for the auto industry, even though it has finagled a $25 billion "bailout" from Congress and the White House. Americans have it right on the auto bailout issue.  Why should taxpayers have to make risky, dead-end "subprime" investments in low-MPG vehicles?  And why should Congress help to indirectly underwrite the cost of the lawsuits by automakers challenging fuel-efficiency rules in California and other states?   Here's our idea:  If the auto industry is going to get any more welfare checks from Washington, the money should (1) go only for development of conventional hybrids, plug-in hybrids and other high-MPG vehicles and technology and (2) be conditioned on automakers dropping their lawsuits against the states. We say:  No more "subprime" investments of tax dollars in the auto industry! (Full disclosure:  CSI is the parent organization of 40MPG.org)  ...  Although it looks like our national fuel economy for 2008 will be the best since 1993, the projected average US fuel economy from the EPA for 2008 is still only at 20.8 MPG.  Just how much time does the auto industry think it has to get its act together  ...  A new study from J.D. Power and Associates supports what we already knew - fuel economy plays a huge role in car purchasing decisions. One in five buyers cite gas mileage as a reason for rejecting a car, an increase of 3 percentage points from last year and one of the largest jumps in the study's history ...
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IMPORT MORE MPG NOW!
September 19, 2008: How about a little free trade for U.S. auto owners when it comes to high-MPG vehicles not available in the U.S.?  We've been saying for years now that more high-MPG vehicles available only outside of the U.S. need to be brought here. The International Motor Press Association brought several such vehicles to the U.S. for test drives, even though they aren't sold here. The Mini Cooper D is rated 60 mpg combined on the European fuel economy test cycle, the BMW 123d hatchback is rated at 45 MPG overall, and the Audi A4 3.0 TDI gets combined 36 MPG on the European fuel economy test cycle.  Even the offering from domestic automaker Chrysler got decent numbers - the 300D got combined 35 mpg.  Yet none of these vehicles are sold in the U.S., even though it would be a snap to do so.  As Consumer Reports points out: "Bosch supplies some of the fuel injection and emissions control equipment for these cars that allow them to meet stringent air quality standards in Europe. They say the cars could also be made 50-state compliant in the U.S." Although some slow progress has been made on bringing various high-MPG vehicles over from Europe, we're still waiting for more  ...  Looks like the Detroit automakers are getting an icy reception to their request for multi-billion-dollar bailout. They've decided to cut their handout request in half - from $50 billion to $25 billion.  With all the trouble on Wall Street, it's hard to believe that Congress is going to give Detroit a $25 billion reward for years of foot dragging on fuel efficiency  ...  The American Trucking Association (ATA) has been working on strategies to reduce the industry's carbon footprint and released its plan this week. The ATA has rolled out a six-step plan it says will reduce the diesel and gasoline fuel consumption by 86 billion gallons over the next 10 years." These include items like reducing the national speed limit to 65 miles per hour and reducing congestion ...
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58.78 MPG – SOUNDS GOOD TO US!
September 12, 2008: An enterprising couple is driving cross country in an effort to beat the Guinness World Record for lowest fuel consumption on a drive across the 48 contiguous U.S. states.   Which car did they choose, you might ask?  Well, they are driving the new clean diesel Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which recently appeared on the market and has been finding some kind words here and there.  In case you are curious: The current cross-nation MPG record is 51.8 mpg.  So far, the intrepid motoring duo, John and Helen Taylor, have made it through more than 24 states and are averaging 58.78 mpg  ...  Another set of European car's we'd like to see in the U.S.?  Volvo will debut its eco-friendly DRIVe models at the Paris Motor Show.  Volvo is unveiling a set of diesels that supposedly get about 52 to 53 mpg, depending on the model.  Let's hope Volvo can make versions that are complaint for U.S. roads  ...  More good news:  Mazda has come up with three new technologies ways to boost fuel economy of is vehicles and reduce emissions, two of which are available in the U.S.  Mazda has developed an engine shutoff system, known as Smart Idle Stop System (SISS), that boosts in town fuel economy by 10 percent. Not yet ready prime-time in the U.S. is a high-torque, high-efficiency diesel.  But we'll be looking for that here in the near future ...
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BOB LUTZ: CHAMPION OF THE CRASH TEST DUMMY
September 4, 2008: Not only is GM's Bob Lutz saying the federal government needs to suspend crash test requirements to allow companies to bring in several smaller, high fuel economy vehicles from overseas to help them meet new CAFÉ requirements, he's also pushing Washington to approve $50 billion in loans for domestic automakers to help finance fuel economy efforts. But wouldn't that just be rewarding failure?  If domestic automakers had invested more in small fuel efficient vehicles several years ago instead of pouring money into gas-hog SUVS, they would not be in the position they are now.  Our sister site, HybridOwnersofAmerica.org, has reported that Hyundai plans to join the ranks of automakers adding hybrid cars to their lineup in the next few years, but now Hyundai is promising to meet CAFÉ standards of 35 mpg for their fleet in 2015, five years before the requirement from the U.S. government. So why does GM need a government check to do the same thing?  ...  Americans are still paying the price for SUVs - even when they don't buy them!  As USA Today points out, automakers are already raising prices of all their vehicles, specifically on smaller vehicles, to make up for the losses they've suffered as the SUV and truck market has gone kaput.  ...  It's not all rocket science. Business Week is showcasing several lower tech solutions being used now or soon to be used to obtain fuel savings in vehicles  ...
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$2.02 AT THE PUMP? TRY NATURAL GAS
August 28, 2008: High gas prices have been a real friend to hybrid sales.  Could they now cause sales of natural gas-powered vehicles to take off, too?  One of the key appeals of natural gas as an alternative to oil is the price:  When gas prices were averaging $3.53 in April, natural gas was just $2.02. As the Washington Post reports:  "They (natural gas powered cars) also emit 20 percent less greenhouse gas and less than a third the amount of smog than petroleum-powered cars." Honda is the only company selling a compressed natural gas (CNG) model in the U.S. now, with most of the available vehicles being bigger and pretty much limited to fleets, such as city buses.   Here's hoping the smaller vehicles catch on - and more fueling stations get built, which is another issue for the CNG crowd  ...  A Japanese start-up company is saying they have come up with a system that could retrofit vehicles to achieve 30 percent fuel economy improvement and 30 percent C02 emissions improvement by adding tiny hydrogen generators that work off the car exhaust and supplement existing combustion. So far, their plans are to distribute in the UK, but it's hard to believe that the U.S. would be very far behind. Sounds like a technogeek's dream, so naturally we're stoked about it!  ...  Nice guys can finish first after all! Honda's stepped-up commitment to fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly cars is paying dividends.  Honda car sales are on the rise in 2008. Other automakers - including Toyota - are down this year. Of course, part of the Toyota woes have to do with keeping up with demand, which could also end up bedeviling Honda's increasingly popular subcompact line up, such as the Honda Fit.   Of course, runaway demand outstripping available inventory is one "problem" that other automakers would kill to have!  ...  
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OIL DEMAND CUT IN HALF BY 2035?
August 21, 2008: A new MIT report finds that the U.S. could cut its fuel consumption by half if the country switched to hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2035.  The authors of the study spent five years studying ways to cut fuel economy and emissions. "They suggest reducing vehicle weights as much as 20 percent weight and size of new cars and work to improve light duty vehicle engines and transmissions with an eye toward fuel efficiency. From then through the next 30 years, the authors recommend increasing work on advanced technologies, such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cells. Advanced powertrains must move to take the majority of the market." Sound familiar. It should! With so many scientists reaching the same conclusions, can they be ignored?  ...  Although it's not in the U.S. yet, another small car with great potential is the new Mini Cooper Diesel. A reviewer at Automotive News said he was getting 74 miles per gallon on a recent test drive on the highway. BMW says it hopes to start selling the car in the U.S. as soon as they can make it 50-state compliant on emissions  ...  All of the recent hullabaloo about offshore drilling is distracting the news media and general public from the fact that focusing on achieving higher MPG for vehicles is a much smarter move for our nation. While offshore drilling would have a negligible impact on fuel supplies and prices, a big hike in fuel economy would cut demand for fuel, reduce our dependency on foreign oil and save consumers money.   In short - the agenda of 40MPG.org! ...
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3 MILLION SMALL CARS TO BE SOLD IN ‘08
August 14, 2008: If your Hummer or Expedition seems even more ridiculously out of scale on the road today, there's a reason.   High gas prices are making 2008 a banner year for small car sales, according to USA Today.  Sales of small cars this year may hit a level not seen since the 1980s. Ford and GM are saying small car sales may reach 3 million this year, a strong increase of more than 10 percent from last year. We look forward to the trend continuing, which will ease our dependence on oil and help decrease emissions which contribute to global warming ... Diesel fuel from "e. coli poop"?  In the annals of unusual sources for alternative fuels, this is one for the records.  Scientists are using a genetically-altered form of the e. coli to create diesel fuel from the bacteria's waste. The re-engineered bacteria are fed plant material and their poo yields diesel fuel. Although it may be a while before it can be produced in a large enough quantities to make a dent in our demand, it's promising to see a focus on plant material that is not going to drive up the cost of an edible food stuff, such as corn ... And if you are looking to buy a new vehicle and are interested in small cars and hybrids that get you the most bang for your buck, check out this list from Cars.com.  It zeroes in on the top-10 gas-only vehicles and the top five hybrids for penny pinchers ...
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OIL PRICES DOWN ... FOR HOW LONG?
August 7, 2008: You can forgive American motorists for being skeptical that the recent dip in oil prices will last for very long.   Even with the national average for unleaded regular down to $3.87 -- the lowest price in 11 weeks -- gas prices are still at extremely high levels.  Oil may down about 30 bucks a barrel from the record of $147.27 on July 11th, but all bets are off if another major event, such as attack by Israel on Iran, shakes up world markets again.  Translation:  $4 gasoline will be back soon enough, with a $5-a-gallon average price not far behind it ...  The folks at Sloan Auto Lab are now on the same page  as 40MPG.org!  "We have concluded that a 30ᇆ% reduction in fuel consumption is feasible over the next 30 years. In the short-term, this will come as a result of improved gasoline and diesel engines and transmissions, gasoline hybrids, and reductions in vehicle weight and drag." ... We are intrigued by reports of the new "ECO Pedal" from Nissan that will calculate the most efficient rate of acceleration and then push back as lead-foot drivers try to waste gasoline.  Savings of 5-10 percent in fuel efficiency are claimed for this technological advance ... Looking for 40 mpg and planning to spend on the low side of $10,000 to get it?  It's not impossible, according to Consumer Reports, which reports that you can snap up a used 2000 Honda Insight (51 mpg) or a 2001-2002 Toyota Prius (42 mpg) for $10,000 or less ...
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WHY LOW-MPG DETROIT WON’T GET A BAILOUT
July 31, 2008: With GM, Ford and Chrysler closing plants, laying off workers and cutting expenses as sales number continue to drop, lawmakers from Michigan are trying to get the automakers $27 billion in federal aid over the next five years. Of course, if they had paid attention to the handwriting on the wall and started focusing on alternative fuel technologies and manufacturing smaller cars several years ago, they would not be in the bind they are now. As George Magliano, an analyst with Global Insight Inc., points out in a Cox News story: "Providing low-interest loans could help domestic automakers survive because they now have very poor credit ratings, making it more expensive for them to borrow and invest in new technologies. Still, Magliano doubts Congress will offer such help. If he had to guess the outcome, 'I would bet against it,' he said. 'The industry just doesn't have the political clout it used to have.' Automakers are getting a cold shoulder because 'there is a feeling the industry brought on its problems itself by staying with big trucks for too long' rather than moving towards more fuel-efficient vehicles, he said." Exactly!  ...  Here's an eye-opening stat:  The U.S. Federal Highway Administration is now reporting that Americans drive 9.6 billion fewer miles in May 2008 ... the biggest drop in 66 years.  ...  And - big surprise! - Toyota had the highest Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) for any car line sold in the U.S. for the 2007 model year.  Honda and Hyundai were next in line, with domestic automakers GM, Ford and Chrysler much further down the list ...
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VW JETTA TDI CLEAN DIESEL: NEXT UP FOR DEALER PRICE GOUGING?
July 25, 2008: We wonder - is this the next high-MPG car to which auto dealers will be tacking on a premium in order to gouge consumers?  There has been a lot of news this week about the soon-to-be-released 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI clean diesel.  A reviewer at the Hartford Courant concluded: "Here's my bottom-line take on it: This is the car that will probably end up being the most affordable and most economical diesel available in the coming year. Clean and green, the new Jetta TDI should make converts of even the most stubborn diesel doubters. It is hard not to be smitten by its comfort, its performance - and real-world economy results that trounce the EPA estimates. Interested parties should get in line now."  Making the TDI even more appealing: it will be eligible for a $1,300 tax credit from the IRS under the Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle income tax credit.  ...  Does a car company only have to put out green vehicles to get credit for being environmentally-friendly or can additional activities get them the sought-after green approval?  We've talked before about how Subaru went greener by achieving no-landfill status.  Now it looks like, in addition to developing electric vehicles,  Nissan is also trying to be greener than green at its headquarters in Franklin, Tenn.  ...  And the BBB is issuing a warning to consumers: Scammers are ramping up claims that they have just the right device or additive to supercharge your fuel economy.  Just remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is ...  
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BEST CASE FOR HIGHER MPG: NO GAS PRICE FIX
July 18, 2008: What's the best argument for the highest possible MPG standard right now?  Experts agree:  There is no easy gas price fix.  U.S. Senate Republicans and Democrats gathered for a one day energy summit this week and heard from two world renowned experts on global energy that there is no easy quick fix to the high gas prices being suffered by Americans. As you may expect, this was not what they wanted to hear. As Fox News reports: "Sky high gas prices are not caused by any one reason, but rather a complex puzzle of events that are all interconnected. ... Dr. Dan Yergin and Roger Diwan were pushed and pulled in all directions, as each senator tried to get either expert to provide information that gave credence to their cause. Yergin, a Pulitzer prize-winning author and chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates, implored members not to look for 'either, or' solutions. But that was not what most had in mind. Diwan, an energy markets expert, urged members to look at a constantly changing range of connected events. ... Yergin outlined what he saw as the reasons for sky high gas prices: speculation, the weak dollar, geopolitics or volatile world events, like Iran's nuclear ambitions, and a 'shortage psychology.'"  ...  Massive subsidies from the U.S. federal government will be required to make hydrogen fuel cell vehicles a large part of our transportation future, according to a report from the National Research Council released this week. In order to make hydrogen vehicles cost competitive with conventional cars and truck, subsidies totaling $55 billion over the next 15 years would be required.  If the investment were made and number of hydrogen vehicles were to increase to nearly 60 million by 2035 and to 200 million by 2050, U.S. oil consumption from transportation could be reduced by 60 to 70 percent. Gee, wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy everyone one of those James Bond jetpacks?  ...  A recent piece from Huffington Post begs the question - are the Detroit Three making any relevant cars or trucks today?  Good question ...
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STICKERING IT TO GLOBAL WARMING
July 10, 2008: Look for this idea to catch on in other states:  Beginning in 2009, every vehicle sold in California will be required to have a window sticker showing  the vehicle's global warming score.  The scores will rate smog and greenhouse gases on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 the highest and 0 the lowest. It looks like New York state may be next, putting a similar rule on its books by 2010.  ...  There are all sorts of devices and fuel tank additives out there that claim to improve fuel economy, but many of these higher-MPG schemes are just flat-out scams.  But you can find a few good new wrinkles out there.   We came across an interesting piece of technology that uses your car's computer to show how your driving style affects fuel economy, thus allowing you to adjust certain habits to improve fuel efficiency.  "The (PLX) Kiwi is a small dashboard computer that plugs into your car's on board computer through the diagnostic port (called an OBDII/CAN port) which is typically located under the steering wheel. ... The Kiwi displays all the real-time information available from your car's computer, such as miles per gallon, speed and trip information. It can also tell you why that pesky check engine light has come on and turn it off for you if it turns out not to be a problem."  Gas 2.0  says the device should be available later this month  ...  According to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, gas has sold at or above $4 a gallon for the last 30 days.  And consumers have paid $3 a gallon or more at the pump for the last year.  We already know that Americans expect to pay $5 a gallon for gas by Labor Day.  So much for summer fun! ...
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THE SMALL CAR IS THE NEW KING OF THE ROAD
July 3, 2008: With truck sales in the toilet and small cars just about the only things moving off of car dealership lots, U.S. auto sales are now down 18.3 percent from the same point last year. Two of the three domestic automakers have taken the largest hit, with Chrysler down 35.9 percent and Ford down 27.8 percent.  The only carmaker to improve in sales was Honda, with an increase of 1.1 percent, likely due to its stable of affordable, fuel-efficient vehicles. The Detroit News reports: "The amount of time it takes to sell a Toyota Prius, the world's best-selling hybrid, is down to one day. The Yaris subcompact is at seven days and the compact Corolla is at 15." And although Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales, says his company is unable to boost production of the Prius, they do have plans to crank out more non-hybrid subcompacts  ...  Even as they see sales of light trucks down significantly and smaller, fuel efficient cars flying out the doors, U.S. automakers are still complaining that the 4.5 percent yearly increase between 2011-2015 that is in the works for a rule by the Transportation Department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is too aggressive. Much research has been done showing that even more significant gains in fuel efficiency are possible than what the government will require yet still, the automakers whine.  If they had paid attention back in 2002 when the National Academies of Science concluded that existing technologies would add as much as 12-14 mpg for cars and 11-13 mpg for trucks, they could have started shifting away from gas guzzlers then  ...  And although sales of hybrids like the Prius and Civic Hybrid have not been hurt by the loss of tax incentives, a recent LA Times article wonders about the logic behind removing hybrid tax incentives.  Good question! ...  
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$5 GAS: THE TIPPING POINT FOR VOTERS?
June 27, 2008: Americans are increasingly angry and anxious about high gas prices and favor far-reaching action on energy and climate issues. About three out of four Americans (76 percent) and a similar percentage of likely voters (74 percent) expect gasoline prices to reach $5 a gallon by Labor Day, according to a major new national opinion survey of 1,005 adults conducted for the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (CSI) think tank and its Citizens Lead for Energy Action Now (CLEAN) project by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC). The level of Americans braced for more bad news on gas prices by the end of the summer is up from the 71 percent of Americans who correctly forecast in a January 2008 CSI survey that gas prices would reach $4 a gallon this summer. Three out of four Americans (74 percent) and 73 percent of likely voters - including a bipartisan 73 percent of Republicans, 74 percent of Democrats and 74 percent of Independents - say that they already are "very angry" (40 percent) or "somewhat angry" (33 percent) about gasoline prices. The result of all of this growing anger and anxiety is a political climate in which Americans favor far-reaching energy and climate solutions of the sort reflected in the CLEAN agenda, including higher federal MPG standards and more hybrids on the road ...
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HYDROGEN = HOT AIR?
June 18, 2008: Honda just announced the impending release of their new "zero emission" hydrogen car, the FCX Clarity.  While we're happy to see the field of alternative fuel vehicles expand, we also wonder how much of this is hot air ... at least so far. And we're not the only skeptical ones. First off, Honda only plans to lease a few dozen of the vehicles in specific areas in California this year and plans to get up to the whopping number of 200 within three years. Second, there is no large scale distribution system in the U.S. for hydrogen fuel, which would be necessary for large-scale commercial rollout of the FCX Clarity.  On the other hand, we are intrigued by the whole back to the future idea of a "home refueling station".  It reminded one of us of our childhood in rural Minnesota, living with that natural gas tank right outside our bedroom window  ...  With high gas prices now the norm and unlikely to fall in a big way any time soon, most Americans have had to change their driving habits. Carpooling, driving less and using mass transit are a few of the options they've been taking up to avoid that sharp pain at the gas pump.  As NPR reports, for some Americans, "hypermiling" has helped them get more bang for their buck at the pump.  ...  And several consumer groups want federal regulators to increase proposed fuel economy regulations and hold federal hearings this summer before putting rules into place ...
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PREDICTING HIGH GAS PRICES: EXPERTS 0, AMERICAN PUBLIC 1
June 10, 2008: While some experts scoffed back in January when 40MPG.org released its survey on the expectations of Americans for summer gas prices, we now find ourselves in the unfortunate position of being proven correct.  All too correct, in fact.  Gas prices rose six cents in the last week and now at an average of $4.04 a gallon for unleaded.  We reported back in January that 71 percent of Americans thought gas would reach $4 a gallon this summer and almost half (48 percent) thought they would exceed $4 a gallon.  We also reported that over half of Americans would cut back on summer travel if prices did reach this level and 58 percent said they would cut back on personal spending.  This is all happening now and in addition, the Washington Post reports: "In a society nurtured on cheap gasoline, the high fuel prices are having disparate effects: the end of free pizza deliveries at major franchises, a plunge in the sales of sport-utility vehicles, a steep drop in the price of houses that are far from jobs or mass transit."  On the solution side, an editorial from the Baltimore Sun points out that lowering our speed can significantly help with fuel economy performance.  Many suggest public transportation or walking or biking when possible to help ease the pain American wallets.  As it turns out, you can also gain a few "MPGs" by losing a few "LBs".  ...
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TEETERING ON THE EDGE OF $4 GAS
June 3, 2008: Gas prices are now at $3.98 per gallon, the highest price ever recorded, according to the Energy Department.  And that's just the national average. Gas in 12 states and Washington, D.C. has already surpassed the $4 per gallon mark. Not surprisingly, public transportation ridership levels are surging in such cities as Washington, D.C., Boston, Seattle, WA and Fresno  ...  Amid reports of GM being forced to shutter plants that make SUV and trucks, it's not surprising that they are also  looking to offload the most-fuelish brand that they have - the Hummer. It remains to be seen who will want a Hummer in the future  ...  When claims are made that cars can (or will soon) run on compressed air, organic waste or even water, do you write off such claims as fiction?  If necessity truly is the mother of invention, such schemes now stand a much greater likelihood of coming to pass.   As gas prices continue to rise, smaller companies are breaking from the standard hybrid/electric space and looking elsewhere to get a piece of the alternative fuel pie. ...
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GAS UP 15 CENTS … IN ONE WEEK!
May 28, 2008: "Sticker shock" just doesn't cut it anymore.  We need to come up with a whole new phrase to describe the kick in the gut that happens when the price of gas soars 15 cents in just one week and hits a record high national average for unleaded regular of $3.94 a gallon  ....  How bad are things for consumers in the U.S.?  As the Times of London notes, we are abandoning gas guzzlers in droves and Ford has even reintroduced to U.S. shores the Fiesta - last seen in the 1970 oil embargo period  ...  OK, we will admit that we watch that Boomerang cartoon channel as much as the next guy (and then some), but what's with all the Jetsons-related auto coverage lately?  The Dallas Morning News writes of auto designers who allegedly are channeling George, Jane, Elroy and the whole crew.  And the Boston Herald even took  the flying-car bait.  As Astro might say:  Ruh-roh!   ...  On a more serious note, USA Today has an interesting story on how automakers are now focused on better tires as a way to squeeze out a few more MPG ...  
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LIQUID PAIN: SUBPRIME MEMORIAL DAY VACATION?
May 20, 2008: Expect to see a lot more people hanging around your neighborhood than is typical for a Memorial Day holiday weekend.   From around the country, we're hearing stories of record gas prices approaching $4 a gallon, and in some cases over $4 a gallon.  The result?  Americans are scaling back on their travel plans over Memorial Day weekend. Some places are offering incentives to get travelers to visit. Unfortunately, we've already seen our predictions of national gas prices at or above $3.50 per gallon coming true and expect a $4 per gallon national average to be a reality all too soon  ...  Chrysler's offer to subsidize gas costs for new buyers of its vehicles for three years after their purchase may have some people seeing green (as in cash) but in reality, it's a counterproductive marketing hustle. "Golly, this seems like a great deal, American innovation at its finest. Buy a vehicle like a Dodge Ram truck (13 miles per gallon in the city, 18 on the highway), and Chrysler will make sure you don't pay more than $2.99 per gallon for the next three years. ... So swig away on that gas and don't worry about the hangover. ... And what happens when the three years end? Programs like this one have the perverse economic impact of making gas more expensive, said Jeroen Struben, a postdoctoral associate at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Stimulating people to buy more gas by disguising costs makes demand - and prices - go up in the long run, said Struben." Amen!  ...  More reports out there that that diesel is making a comeback. Volkswagen is predicting that by 2018, 30 percent of its U.S. sales will be for diesel vehicles. More than one of us here at 40MPG.org is already itching for a test drive! ...  
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IT’S A GREEN FLAG AT THIS FINISH LINE
May 13, 2008: No fewer than 46 alternative fuel cars -- including one powered by wood chips -- participated in the fourth-annual Green Grand Prix in New York this past weekend. The goal of event founder Bob Gillespie is "... to preach energy independence, reduce greenhouse gases and educate the public about alternative fuels."  Cars that have participated in the event in the past have gotten up to 100 MPG.  This year's winners: "... a biodiesel-powered Harley-Davidson motorcycle ridden by New England Biodiesel founder Bill Bolch took top fuel honors at 89 miles per gallon, while a Chevrolet Equinox powered by a hydrogen fuel cell was second overall in the road rally."  ...  With gas prices continuing to hit records, we are all looking for ways to conserve. Consumer Reports recently released tips on how to  pinch pennies at the pump - and also deflated a few myths in the process  ...  More evidence that car buyers are rejecting gas hogs and moving to more fuel efficient vehicles: An auto dealer in Florida said buyers are coming in with charts and calculators to look at vehicles with better fuel efficiency.  Not by coincidence, these folks are also trying to dump their big trucks. ...    
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ETHANOL AND YOUR SHRINKING MPG
May 6, 2008: We've noticed our fuel economy decrease as ethanol has been blended with gas.  So, we're wondering just how big a hit ethanol is on MPG.   According to the Boston Herald: "If it's a gallon of E-10, which is a blend of 10 percent ethanol and conventional gas, there's an energy difference of about 3.4 percent. Now that may not seem like much when you're topping off the tank this week. But over the course of a year of normal driving, it would take an additional 40 gallons of E-10 to go the same distance as conventional gas. If they were both priced the same, it would mean an extra $120."  And in a side-by-side comparison taking into account energy loss, E85 can also cost a household nearly $100 per year more than conventional gas  ...  If you're still looking for a way to improve your fuel economy, take a look at your tires ...
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EUROPIFICATION: WE TOLD YOU SO!
April 30, 2008: Have you heard the new, hip term for the transition in America to smaller, gas-sipping cars? Europification. Sound familiar? It should since we reported not only last year but more than two years ago that Americans want access to more fuel efficient vehicles available only in Europe and Asia. Business Week notes: "Call it the Europification of the American automobile. In the Old World, small engines and cars are the norm and have been for years. In a perverse way, higher fuel prices may actually help the carmakers. CAFÉ is based on what vehicles the carmakers sell. With oil at $119 a barrel and gasoline hitting $4 a gallon in some places, consumers are already demanding smaller, more efficient cars. The new fuel rules may be tough for auto makers to hit, but consumers were seeking efficiency even before Congress started mulling tougher fuel economy proposals more than a year ago." ... Those truckers woes we noted in early April have now made their way to Washington, as a convoy of truckers with horns blaring made their way to Capitol Hill to protest high fuel prices and demand government action ... And if you're looking for more details on how the new CAFÉ standards will work, Harry Stoffer of Automotive News explains how the new standards will effect various automakers differently ...
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31.6 BY 2015: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE
April 23, 2008: The new federal fuel efficiency standards rolled out with much fanfare yesterday would increase fuel economy to a 31.6 MPG average for cars and trucks by 2015 and "save 55 billion gallons of fuel -- or $100 billion at the pump -- and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 521 million metric tons over the life of the new vehicles." Our question is this: Why is Washington shooting so low on MPG? We already know that much higher levels of fuel economy are possible faster and others agree that the time for half solutions has passed ... With gas prices continuing to rise each week to historical records across the country, including $4 gas in California, we need to push for the maximum achievable fuel efficiency ASAP ... There is a rising uproar around the world blaming the U.S. focus on corn-based ethanol for driving up world food prices, causing some lawmakers to wonder if the whole short-sighted focus on corn-based ethanol was a mistake. Some groups are trying to help alleviate the problem by looking to other sources for biofuels ... Some Maryland residents look for ways to achieve significantly improved fuel economy ... and a new small car coming to the U.S. market from Ford by 2010 is part of the growing movement away from gas-hog SUVS towards gas-sipping smaller vehicles ...
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NISSAN TO THE RESCUE OF LOW-MPG CHRYSLER?
April 15, 2008: Check this out: Nissan and Chrysler have announced a new partnership. Nissan will build and all-new small fuel efficient car for Chrysler, similar to the Versa, and Chrysler will build Nissan a version of its Dodge Ram pickup to replace the Titan pickup. CNN Money notes: "Chrysler badly needs a high-volume small car to cushion it from the precipitous falloff in its pickups and SUVs, as well as to meet stringent new federal fuel economy regulations in 2020. With sales this year down 15.5% - more than any other major automaker - Chrysler also needs to demonstrate more vitality."  Could there be any clearer indication of how Detroit missed the high-MPG boat?  If you don't want to hear it from us, read the words of Bloomberg commentator Doron Levin, who points out that the Big Three automakers are victims of their own miscalculations in essentially giving the small car market starting in the 90's to the Asian carmakers  ...  This Buffalo News editorial is right on the money: "With record oil prices topping $100 a barrel this year and gas prices now climbing toward $4 a gallon, America's oil addiction is more painful than ever. So far the government response has been far more rhetoric than action. That must change. ... As the presidential candidates continue to stump for the White House, America's addiction to oil should be on the campaign agenda." ...
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GAS PRICES UP SHARPLY FROM SPRING 2007
April 8, 2008: You may have thought that gas prices last year were painful, but it turns out that was nothing.  "At the pump, the national average price of a gallon of gas jumped 3.6 cents over the weekend to a record $3.339, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. That's 58 cents higher than a year ago." That's right nearly 60 cents higher than a year ago!  ...  Don't hold your breath waiting for gas prices to drop any time soon.  As for the long-term outlook, the head of a consulting firm which specializes in the oil and gas market, oil price volatility is here to stay.  ...  With gas prices sky high, high-MPG vehicles are hotter than ever.  A new study by J.D. Power concludes that "sales of high-mileage diesels and hybrid-electric vehicles are expected to triple by the middle of the next decade."  Power says that by 2015, the two technologies will achieve a combined 17 percent of the U.S. new car and light truck market ... The Car Care Connection says that simple maintenance can improve your car's fuel economy, potentially saving up to $1,200 or more a year, in addition to improving safety and dependability. They have a few pointers on maintenance that will help you get more for your fuel dollar ...    
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(DON’T) KEEP ON TRUCKING?
April 2, 2008: Did people think that energy prices could just keep rising forever without hitting a breaking point?  If you're an independent trucker buying swimming pools of diesel at a time, you go on strike to bring the issue to the attention of lawmakers.  High diesel prices are making it tough for many independent truckers to stay in business.  As we reported at the end of January, 65 percent of Americans said the only reason they had not cut down on their driving to or from work was because they were not able to.  If you're commuting to work, that's one thing. But a trucker has no real choice in the matter. The story of the trucker strike is being told here, here and here, along with dozens of other news outlets  ...  Ford's just released March sales show that consumer's choices are clearly being affected by gas prices and environmental concerns. Not surprisingly, the usually top-selling Ford F-Series pick-up saw a sharp sales drop of almost 24 percent from last year's March figures.  And conversely, Ford's fuel-sipping cars, like the Focus compact and Edge, saw an almost 24 percent gain  ...  Score one for Congress. Lawmakers lambasted oil companies executives this week for "clinging to $18 billion in tax breaks designed to encourage oil exploration, even as their companies post record earnings and consumers are pinched by peak gasoline prices." ...
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NO CLIMATE CONTROL FOR OLD MEN?
March 25, 2008: John McCain ... Isn't he that Republican presidential candidate who embraces action on climate change?  You might want to make sure you check out the fine print on that one.  In a recent interview with E&E Daily, one of McCain's top advisors said he would consider taking the recent weak MPG standards signed by President Bush "off the books."  We're at a loss as to how that would help curb global warming.  And it seems as though other people are scratching their heads on this one, too.  Some are saying this is not such a big switch after all, given that the League of Conservation Voters gave McCain a lifetime score of only 24 percent. ... If the cost of gas is wiping out your bank account, check out these fuel-saving tips from CNN. ... Diesel prices are climbing fast, too.  And it's been a brutal couple of years for truckers, many of whom are going broke.  It's so bad that they're now looking to take extreme measures so that the federal government will take note of their plight. "Dan Little, the owner/operator of a livestock hauling company in Carrollton, Mo., estimated Tuesday that at least 1,000 other truckers from across the United States have committed so far to joining him in a strike on April 1." One truck company operator in Maine says that diesel prices have forced him to the brink of bankruptcy. ...    
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CALIFORNIA’S HIGH-MPG ROADMAP
March 18, 2008: According to the Bureau of Atomic Scientists (BAS), California has been leading the way in trying to establish a standard for low-carbon emissions fuel.  It's plan, signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in January 2007, called for a 10-percent reduction in the carbon intensity of his state's transportation fuels by 2020.  BAS says "implementation of California's plan is likely to become a road map for others."  Several members of Congress followed with proposals of federal legislation to lower carbon emissions in fuel.  The reason why this makes so much sense? BAS states: "The appeal of a low-carbon fuel standard is that it establishes performance levels and opens the transportation fuels market to new competitors, not allowing the government to lock in on pet programs or technologies. Liquid fuel providers who produce and sell diesel fuel, gasoline, or biofuels--as well as electricity providers who 'fuel' plug-in hybrid vehicles with electricity generated by renewables--can all now compete for the transportation dollar. Competition and market forces are tremendously useful to encourage innovation that lowers costs." ...  Unfortunately for poor college students everywhere, those record high gas prices may prevent many from having the spring break trips they were hoping for.  ...  Amazing but true: Hawaii now has cheaper gas than California.  Nonetheless, the state legislature in Hawaii is proposing to require oil refiners to make public their account books to show the public their costs and profits.  Sounds good to us ...  
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GAS PRICES BREAK RECORD … 40MPG NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD!
March 11, 2008: The pain Americans feel at the pump is growing ever worse as gas prices across the country reach new sky-high records. USA Today reports: "According to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service, the average national price of a gallon of gas rose half a cent overnight to $3.2272 Tuesday. That is slightly higher than the previous record of $3.2265 a gallon, set last May."  U.S. demand for gas traditionally rises as we get closer to the summer travel months and consistently high demand from overseas is keeping prices high. In January, 71 percent of Americans said that they expect gas prices to reach $4 a gallon this summer and it seems we're right on track to get to that point ... A North Carolina man is touting filling up with CNG (compressed natural gas).  "...Ronald Orr thinks we might like to hear about a different kind of gas that costs less than $2. Orr, a retired engineer, has a fleet of six cars and trucks that run on CNG -- compressed natural gas. ... Unlike gasoline, natural gas is abundant in the United States, relatively cheap and squeaky clean. 'It's the only alternative fuel that's demonstrably cheaper than gasoline, unlike ethanol and biodiesel,' said Orr, 68. 'With them, you pay more to be green. And CNG essentially doesn't pollute.'"  Here's an interesting side note:  ACEEE rates the only new car on the market with a compressed natural gas system - the CNG-fueled Civic -- as the nation's most environmentally friendly "green" car, even greener than the  Toyota Prius ...  We  continue to see stories about rising gas prices causing a change in consumer behavior in favor of buying small, more fuel efficient vehicles.  Is that really such a shock to anyone outside of Detroit? ...
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THE EPA: WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF DETROIT?
March 4, 2008: You might expect this EPA to act as a rubber stamp for the auto industry.  But is it too much for them to maintain at least some pretense of acting in the public interest?  As a Register-Guard editorial states: " In his official decision released Friday, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson failed to make any semblance of a convincing case for blocking California, Oregon and 14 other states from imposing limits on greenhouse emissions from vehicles. Pity the beleaguered bureaucrat assigned the job of defending Johnson's indefensible decision to issue the first complete denial of a waiver request in the entire 40-year history of the Clean Air Act. Recently released EPA documents reveal that the agency's legal and technical staff advised Johnson that California's request was warranted and that its rejection would not survive a court challenge." ... Over the next two years, more than 50 teams will compete for the international Automotive X Prize.  To win the $10 million prize, teams are challenged to build a vehicle that is energy efficient, clean and safe. "The winning model will need to travel 100 miles on a single gallon of gasoline or its electric equivalent, emitting just 200 grams of greenhouse gases-barely a tenth of what is now spewed by the typical exhaust pipe. It must also be assembly-line ready; the goal isn't a concept car for flower-power techies, but a mainstream replacement for gas guzzlers that now produce nearly one-fifth of US greenhouse gas emissions."  ... Volkswagen will unveil a diesel-electric hybrid, the Golf TDI Hybrid, at the Geneva auto show. Jalopnik reports: "VW has combined a turbocharged 75 HP 3-cylinder diesel, a 27 HP electric motor with a trunk-mounted NiMH battery, and a 7-speed DSG. The result should be an average of 3.4L/100km (69 mpg)." ...  
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BAD CLIMATE AT GM FOR VOLT PLUG-IN?
February 26, 2008: Would you let a climatologist design your next car?  Of course not.  But that isn't stopping GM Executive Bob Lutz from weighing in on weather science. Forget about that IPCC report concluding: "Warming of the climate system is unequivocal..."  According to Reuters: "General Motors Corp Vice Chairman Bob Lutz has defended remarks he made dismissing global warming as a "total crock of s---," saying his views had no bearing on GM's commitment to build environmentally friendly vehicles."  Is this just a meaningless side comment from a non-expert?  Maybe not.  We are troubled by signs that GM may be backing away from it's highly touted Volt plug-in car ... Automotive News is saying that Toyota may add two small vehicles to its U.S. lineup to help meet the new fuel economy standards ...  And the Detroit News reports that the "National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has completed its proposal laying out annual fuel economy increases and sent it to the White House on Wednesday for approval"  ...  
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SHAME ON U.S. FOR LAME MPG HIKE!
February 19, 2008: Congratulations to the International Energy Agency (IEA), an advisory body for 27 industrialized countries, for calling out the United States on what we here at 40MPG.org have been saying for a long time:   "... the IEA pointed out many European nations as well as Japan and China currently have stricter standards in place than the new U. S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for cars and light trucks that won't take full effect before 2020. 'That's not very fast or ambitious enough,' IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka told reporters at a briefing. 'If these kinds of efficiency gains can be achieved outside the U.S., then why not here?'" Amen! ... Thank goodness that state officials take the greenhouse gas auto emissions issue seriously.  Minnesota may soon adopt California clean car standards, joining several other states with air quality rules that are more stringent than those of the federal government  ...  After dipping for a bit, gas prices seem to be heading back up judging from reports across the U.S., including Dayton, OH. , El Paso, TX. , and Nashville, TN.  Looks like American consumers are right to fear $4 gas by this summer ...  
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FUEL EFFICIENCY … AND PERFORMANCE?
February 12, 2008: Motor Trend has an interesting article that touts a supposed new trend among automakers toward "1970s-style efficiency increases, without the performance penalty" ... Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle have proposed a tax based on fuel efficiency, hoping that using the pocketbook will motivate consumers to drive green.  The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports: "Senate Bill 6923 would impose a vehicle excise tax on all passenger vehicles based on EPA ratings of a cars' fuel efficiency. For example, the owner of a hybrid car such as, say, a Toyota Prius, would pay $60 in annual taxes, whereas the owner of a Hummer H3 would pay $180 a year. ... The tax would replace slumping revenue collected through the state's gas tax. Rising fuel costs have lured drivers from their cars while the increased popularity of gas-efficient vehicles has cut back on the number of trips drivers make to the pumps. The money raised would be split between the state Department of Transportation and local governments, with 75 percent of the tax going to cities and counties and 25 percent going to the DOT for transportation projects, including 'green' alternatives." You can see the text of the legislation on the Web site for the Washington State Legislature ... In addition to the Legacy and Outback diesels Subaru plans to show in Geneva, Autoblog.com reports Subaru is also looking into the diesel engine for its sporty WRX ... 'Grease Lightning'?  This fellow's neighbors can smell when he's coming - his Jetta runs on recycled vegetable oil ...
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$4 GAS IN THE NEWS
February 5, 2008: You can read coverage of the 40MPG.org/Civil Society Institute survey on $4 gas and the 2008 elections at CNNMoney.com, the Houston Chronicle, the San Jose Mercury News, New York Daily News and the Sacramento Bee.  More soon! ... Did Detroit get a Christmas present or a death sentence when Congress passed weak fuel-efficiency standards in 2007?  The Baltimore Sun has an interesting article on this topic:  "Because American carmakers tend to make larger and heavier vehicles, Detroit's 'Big Three' of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler will have to meet an average of 33 miles per gallon by 2020 under the new law, while their foreign competitors will be held to an average of 38 mpg, according to an analysis by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute ... Some drivers are surprised that the new law doesn't even attempt to reverse a trend in America over the last two decades toward ever larger vehicles. Light trucks -- defined as pickups, SUVs and other bigger vehicles -- grew from 10 percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. in 1979 to 53 percent in 2004. Sales of the big vehicles have since crept down to about 50 percent.  'Why can't the American companies do what the Japanese companies do?' said Lori Lynch, 52, a clerk from Rising Sun who recently traded in her beefy American-made SUV -- a GMC Envoy -- and bought a Honda Civic. 'I really don't think that many people are interested in big vehicles anymore.'" ...
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$4 GAS AND THE 2008 ELECTION
January 30, 2008: Check out this news release:  "Gas prices this summer reaching $4 a gallon are expected by 71 percent of Americans, of whom more than half (51 percent) cite fuel prices as their #1 economic worry for 2008, ahead of fears of recession, the mortgage foreclosure meltdown and the prospect of more joblessness.   A scientific national survey of 1001 Americans conducted for the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (CSI) think tank and its 40MPG.org project also found that what presidential and congressional candidates say about energy issues could have a big impact on the outcome of the 2008 elections.  Nearly nine out of 10 Americans (89 percent) - including 95 percent of Democrats and 84 percent of both Republicans and Independents - say that 'the views of candidates on energy-related issues -- such as gasoline prices, home heating oil prices, global warming and energy independence' will be an important factor in how they vote.  Other key findings of the new CSI/40MPG.org survey include:  Over four out of five Americans (84 percent) - including 91 percent of Democrats, 80 percent of Independents and 76 percent of Republicans -- do not 'think the federal government is doing enough about high energy prices and the U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern energy sources'; nearly half of Americans (49 percent) are 'not satisfied' that 'Congress did everything it could to improve fuel-efficiency rules for U.S. automakers' in recently increasing federal mile-per-gallon standards; over four out of five Americans (84 percent) think 'big oil companies are currently gouging consumers at the gas pump'; and about four out of five Americans (79 percent) would support 'a tax on the windfall profits of oil companies if the resulting revenues were spent' for 'research on alternative energy.'"  Listen to the news event here ...  
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CARS: ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY … EXCEPT FOR GAS
January 24, 2008: Did you know that the most recycled consumer product in the world is the car? According to the U.S. EPA, 95 percent of all cars get recycled at the end of their lives. But how do companies end up being so environmentally unfriendly on a bottom-line basis? CNN states: "The reason cars are so environmentally unfriendly is basically due to the gasoline they burn. If you took the entire process that is involved in a car's average lifespan (from sourcing the materials, to manufacturing the car, to driving it, to eventually breaking it down for recycling) fuel would represent around 90 percent of that car's overall greenhouse gas emissions. Despite advances in the technologies surrounding cleaner cars, around 96 percent of American cars and trucks still rely on petroleum, needing 120 billion gallons of it every year ... Cars contribute greatly to the reason why the U.S. imports as much oil as it does -- around 20 million barrels every day (costing the country $1 billion daily) -- 40 percent of which goes straight into Americans' gas tanks. America's oil-fueled cars play a disproportionately large role in the country's -- and the world's -- environmental ills ..."  ... An interesting New York Times report:   "BMW - specifically, Stefan Krause, BMW's head of sales and marketing - is seriously considering starting up a new brand to build and sell a line of green vehicles."  That seems promising ... If auto companies come to Washington, they have to expect to get lobbied, right?  Co-op America is encouraging Washington Auto Show attendees to push GM and Ford to mass-produce a lug-in hybrid and use available technology to build a plug-in with over 100 MPG  ...
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SEXY DIESEL: OXYMORON NO MORE?
January 17, 2008: With several automakers launching clean diesels or planning to launch in the next few years, Audi unveiled a sexy, clean diesel sports car at the Detroit Auto Show.    "The R8 TDI concept's 6.0-liter V12 twin-turbo engine develops 500 horsepower and 737 lb-ft of torque. It nails the 0-62 mph sprint in 4.2 seconds, with a top speed of more than 186 mph. How clean is it? Clean enough to meet the ultra-tough California emissions standards that still defeat many lesser diesels." ... Check out this CBS Evening News story about an "extreme hybrid battery" that can go from zero to 60 in 10 seconds while also being able to operate solely on electric power for the first 40 miles after a charge.  As CBS notes:  "According to figures from the 2003 National Highway Travel Survey, that's enough to get roughly eighty percent of Americans through their daily routine...After those 40 miles, the car switches to a standard gas-powered engine."  ... When most of us think about 'green' car companies, we're thinking about how good the fuel economy of their vehicles is or how small the emissions of their vehicles are.  But Subaru is showing another way companies can reduce their environmental footprint: reducing the impact of the production process.  Subaru of Indiana's plant, which produces most of the Subaru's sold in the U.S., has achieved the significant distinction of being the first in the country to be a "zero landfill" plant.  ... And on the campaign trail, auto industry woes were a major issue in the recent Michigan GOP primaries.  ...
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CONGRESS STALLS ON MPG, STATES KEEP RUNNING
January 10, 2008: The states now play a key role when it comes to fuel efficiency for vehicles.  Consider what the Detroit News writes about California: "Now the ideas championed by some green-minded Californians have gone mainstream. And Detroit's Big Three and other automakers are scrambling to adapt to the sea change in attitude as the American public embraces green ideals. The push to produce fuel-saving, environmentally friendly vehicles has become a cause that is at once trendy, politically savvy and increasingly profitable... California, meanwhile, continues its bid to go even greener. The California Air Resources Board several years ago began trying to set emissions standards tougher than national rules for vehicles sold there. The effort launched a costly legal battle between the state and automakers who said meeting the standards would require expensive vehicle modifications. More than a dozen states have joined the effort to get the tougher regulations."   If Washington won't get the job done on fuel efficiency, we can only hope that it will happen in the Sacramentos of the world ...  Remember:  We told you that the technology for significantly better gas mileage already exists.  Now, Detroit is changing its tune and acknowledging the existence of that technology.   Ford announced a new engine technology they say "will deliver up to 20 percent better fuel economy, reduce CO2 emissions by 15 percent, pay for itself in fuel savings in less than three years, and, of course, not compromise driving performance."   Nice to see that U.S. automakers finally have stopped pretending that the high-MPG tech doesn't exist! ... Daimler reports that orders for the 40 MPG Smart Fortwo have outpaced their production capacity (no surprises there) ... And if you're looking for another green travel choice to see the country that not only saves money at the pump and hotels at the same time, look no further: a hybrid RV will soon be available ...
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2008: ANOTHER RECORD HIGH-MPG VEHICLE YEAR?
January 4, 2008: Edmunds reports: "Hybrid market share (for 2007) increased 61.5 percent compared to last year, mainly because sales of the Toyota Prius increased by 71 percent." Taking this into account, they predict: "Hybrid and diesel vehicles will continue to grow in popularity (in 2008), especially given new product introductions such as the Audi Q7, Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and Volkswagen Jetta BlueTec." ... The new year also brings with it ... drum roll please ... predictions of sky-high gas prices. We're already seeing local stories of gas prices hitting new records ... One way U.S. auto companies plan to meet the new fuel economy standards is by adding more diesels into their fleet. UPI reports: "Diesel engines are about 30 percent more efficient than gasoline ones. But diesel, popular in Europe because of fuel-efficiency mandates and tax incentives, failed to catch on in the United States. The combination of new efficiency mandates and high gas prices is likely to change attitudes." ...
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HELLO 2008, GOODBYE “CHEAP” GASOLINE
December 28, 2007: Here is one thing we know that you didn't get for Christmas:  the traditional December easing of gasoline prices.  Not only did that break fail to materialize for your wallet, but things are going to get worse in 2008 ... much worse.  As the Los Angeles Times reports: "'If anyone expects gas to be less than a new record, they are not thinking,' said Fadel Gheit, senior energy analyst for Oppenheimer & Co. 'There is no question it will be much higher than last year.'  Americans will start 2008 paying about 65 cents more a gallon than they did in January 2007, according to the forecasts, and by April could see self-serve regular selling for $3.50 to $3.75 a gallon."  And here is the really scary part, that was what the experts were predicting before the December 27^th assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto triggered a whole new round of fears about further escalation of gas prices ... Maybe attitudes are changing after all.   Consider this editorial from a Michigan (!) newspaper: "Ultimately, the industry's long opposition to increasing the standards crept into company cultures and left employees feeling improvement was unnecessary or impossible. Muttering about the influence of environmentalists has never impressed shoppers looking for more efficient vehicles. Buyers really don't care about the limitations that physics places on engineers. All they want are better vehicles. The consequences for Detroit have been enormous and left domestic automakers with a poor image in the minds of many American consumers, according to some recent surveys. The poor image is costing carmakers sales, surveys indicate. Stopping the slow, debilitating leak has to be one of the very top priorities at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. Meeting the challenges from the new energy legislation offers domestic automakers an invaluable opportunity to demonstrate once again that they are creative and know how to innovate. Successfully meeting the standards will give Detroit's carmakers an opportunity to show that they are up to the diverse challenges of the 21st century. It's also the only way to rebuild the value of American automobile companies."  Now, that sounds like a great New Year's resolution for Detroit! ...
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CONGRESS ENABLES EPA TO KILL CALIFORNIA TAILPIPE CONTROLS
December 21, 2007: You have to give Detroit credit where credit is due.  They may not know how to build high-MPG cars the way every other automaker in the world has figured out how to do ... but they sure know how to run rings around a Democratic Congress.   First, Congress passes a pathetically weak and elongated MPG improvement target and then the Bush Environmental Protection Agency responds by using the new law as the primary justification for striking down California's attempt to tighten up on tailpipe emissions.  Talk about adding insult to injury! Of course, it's nice to know that Congress is up in arms and that Washington state and The Terminator want to sue The Decider to overturn the EPA decision.  But this was a totally predictable and entirely self-inflicted wound for Democrats who controlled the energy legislation.   By caving into Detroit by pushing the 35 MPG standard out much farther into the future than is technologically necessary, Congress made it possible for the Bush Administration to kill a much more serioius-minded state-level initiative to control wasteful energy consumption by autos.  The EPA may have pulled the trigger, but Congress handed them the bullet ...
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SELLING AMERICA SHORT ON MPG
December 14, 2007: The temptation is always to say that something is better than nothing, but it's impossible to get excited about the lame House/Senate compromise on MPG.   And that's particularly true when bill proponents point to the MPG "triumph" as one of the best things about the bill!     Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth Action, may have said it best: "When the Republican leadership and the polluter lobby have blocked important legislation, Senate Democrats have been all too willing to move in their direction ... The result is that the two most positive provisions of the energy bill - a clean energy mandate and a tax package reining in handouts for fossil fuels and promoting clean energy - are being removed, while detrimental provisions, such as a radical five-fold increase in unsustainable biofuel use, remain." As we reported in June and earlier in February, a significant majority of Americans want 40 MPG now - not the 35 MPG by 2020 envisioned in the House/Senate bill.  And why shouldn't Americans demand more? It's not like it's impossible to get the job done.  The experts are very clear in saying that we could have 40 MPG today - and that there is no reason to drag the process out to 2020 - or later. Someone once said that "politics is the science of the possible," but Congress is falling far short of the "possible" standard when it comes to setting tougher MPG standards to reduce energy waste, save consumers money at the gas pump and curb our dangerous addiction to foreign oil ...      
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HIGHER MPG HEADING INTO DITCH?
December 6, 2007: Don't hold your breath waiting for Congress and the White House to impose higher federal vehicle MPG standards. The U.S. House voted today to approve a measure that "would raise car fuel-economy standards, increase the use of gasoline alternatives, boost efficiency measures, require utilities get 15 percent of their power from renewable sources and includes a $21 billion tax package." (Actually, it's a pretty lame MPG standard - far below what is technologically do-able today.)  Senate Republicans plan to fight the measure, noting problems with the tax package and renewables portfolio standard.  And Dow Jones reports: "The White House on Thursday threatened to veto an energy bill the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on later in the day, saying the bill would raise taxes and ignore the needs of individual states by requiring all utilities across the nation to generate more power from renewable energy."  We'll have to wait to see how this will play out.  Maybe they can start over again on MPG and get it right this time with a higher standard?  ... We've talked about the Smart car before, but did you know it wins the award for "being the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid car"? Quite a distinction ... And NPR's Marketplace asks: "Instead of waiting until you buy a hybrid to reduce your eco-footprint, why not make your vehicle electric now?"  Check out their story on how you can stop filling up at the pump ...
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300 MPG ELECTRIC CAR
November 29, 2007: Look out, Detroit!  Several entrepreneurs have launched or plan to launch either all-electric or hybrid models that get up to 300 mpg, according to a report from CNN Money. In the next few years, consumers will be able to find anything from sports cars to pickup trucks to small commuter vehicles in all-electric versions.  One example, the Aptera, is "a sleek two-seat, three-wheel electric vehicle with a top speed of 95 miles an hour, and it comes in two versions: all electric and hybrid. Made of a Space Age composite material, the hybrid gets 300 miles per gallon, while the electric goes 100 miles on a single three- to six-hour charge. And it looks great in the carpool lane." ... Check out this piece from the New York Times about Congress nearing a deal to increase fuel economy ... With $100-a-barrel oil prices within spitting distance, we continue to see stories from around the country about increasing gas prices.  From Pennsylvania to Nashville to Idaho, the reports are rolling in.  There are several stories noting that high gas prices are placing a particularly difficult strain on families during this holiday season ...
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RAND POPS CORN FUEL BUBBLE
November 15, 2007: If you're considering an alternative energy vehicle, you should check out the new analysis from Rand comparing gas-electric hybrids, diesels and E85 vehicles. Rand states: "Cars and light trucks powered by advanced diesel technology or hybrid technology can provide larger societal benefits than traditional gasoline-powered automobiles, according to a RAND Corporation working paper..." The Rand think tankers found that light trucks and cars continuously fueled by a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline - known as E85 - compare unfavorably with hybrids and clean diesels. Not to mention that rising gas prices make E85 looks even worse! ... A new poll from the Pew Campaign for Fuel Efficiency show that a bipartisan majority of voters, including veterans, support higher MPG standards: "Overwhelming and unwavering support for increased fuel efficiency standards is predicated in large measure on the belief that reducing our dependence on foreign oil is vital for America's national security. When we pit the opposition's message against the national security argument for stricter fuel efficiency standards, support for CAFE remains overwhelming. Nationwide, nearly nine in 10 voters (86%), favor requiring the auto industry to increase fuel efficiency for cars, pickup trucks and SUVs." Gee, where have we heard that before? ...
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$4 GAS NOW, $159 OIL LATER
November 8, 2007: Welcome to your future: Gasoline prices in parts of California are now up into nose-bleed territory at $4 ... and we are seeing a new rash of these stories again: "High Prices Fuel Anger at Gas Pump" ... Hard to imagine, but consumers may soon be looking back at these as the good old days of (relatively) cheap gas. As Grist.com reports: "The International Energy Agency has released its annual World Energy Outlook, and it's fair to say that the outlook is, um, not good. World energy demand is projected to surge by 55 percent by 2030, with China and India accounting for nearly half of that increase and China overtaking the U.S. as the globe's primary energy glutton. Think $100-a-barrel oil is spendy? That's nothin', says the IEA, which predicts the price of crude could reach $159 by 2030 ... Says IEA Chief Economist Fatih Birol, 'I am sorry to say this, but we are headed toward really bad days.'" ... Meet the Prius' little brother? Smart cars (33 mpg city/40 mpg highway) are starting to show up around the U.S. ...
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THE CHINA MPG SYNDROME
November 1, 2007: Do yourself a favor right now and read Elizabeth Kolbert's outstanding book review "Running on Fumes" in the November 5, 2007 issue of The New Yorker. Here's just one of many interesting passages: "Consider what's happening in India and China ... car ownership in both countries has been and still remains, by U.S. standards, almost absurdly low. There are nine personal vehicles per thousand eligible drivers in China and eleven for every thousand Indians, compared with 1,148 for every thousand Americans. But incomes in the two countries are rising so rapidly--the Chinese economy grew by 11 percent last year and is expected to grow by the same amount this year--that millions of vehicle-less families will soon be in a position to buy automobiles. Assuming that incomes continue to rise, in a few years tens of millions of families will be buying their first cars, and eventually hundreds of millions ... Were China and India to increase their rates of car ownership to the point where per-capita oil consumption reached just half of American levels, the two countries would burn through a hundred million additional barrels a day. (Currently, total global oil use is eighty-six million barrels a day.) Were they to match U.S. consumption levels, they would require an extra two hundred million barrels a day. It's difficult to imagine how such enormous quantities of oil could be found, but, if they could, the result would be catastrophe. 'Just consider the scale of the potential problem--for instance, the effect on global warming of seven hundred and fifty million more cars in India and China, belching carbon dioxide,' (book authors) Carson and Vaitheeswaran write." Don't miss this article! ...
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OIL PRICES HIT RECORD, U.S. GAS JUMPS A NICKEL
October 26, 2007: Is it the Turkish incursion into Iraq?  Is it the saber rattling between the U.S. and Iran?  Is it fears about the weak dollar?  Whatever the reason, the result is clear:  Oil prices hit a record of over $92 a barrel, before falling back a bit late this week ... Back in the U.S., gas prices jumped a nickel higher over the last two weeks and are now back above $2.80 per gallon for the national average ...  Some people get what it takes to deal with this problem.  A columnist in the Orlando Sentinel wrote this week:  "The seriousness of climate change argues for prompt action. Short term, we can achieve the greatest results for the least amount of money by reducing the waste in energy use. A good start would be for Congress to adopt higher fuel-efficiency standards in cars, SUVs and trucks -- which would significantly reduce emissions of global-warming gases that come from burning gasoline and diesel. Developing the technology to achieve this wouldn't be difficult, considering that hybrid cars already get almost 50 miles per gallon. We need to ramp up our fuel-efficiency standards immediately, with provisions that will make them more efficient over the next two decades." ...   Some reports are saying that Toyota is pooh-poohing the plug-in hybrid's marketing potential.  Whatever the facts are, it's good to see that Toyota is covering its bets by aggressively testing plug-in hybrid technology ...
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WHITE HOUSE REVERSES ITSELF ON MPG
October 19, 2007: The White House is sending out mixed signals on fuel efficiency standards.  Last week, Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell indicated that President Bush could support the Senate energy bill (with a higher MPG standard) with just a few adjustments.  Now, the White House has changed its mind.  As the Detroit News reports:  "Allan Hubbard, director of the White House National Economic Council, said in a letter late Monday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders that the White House was offering a 'basic framework for an energy bill that would not compel that president's senior advisors to recommend a veto.'" What's going on here?  The  White House wants to give Detroit a pass on the Senate bill's higher standards for pickups ... Speaking of flip flops, now Detroit is saying that it can increase fuel efficiency for pickups and sport utility vehicles.  But there is a (supposed) catch, it will cost so much to convert to the new technology that automakers need more time and consumers will need to dig deeper to pay for the extra cost.   Missing from the fascinating Business Week article about the "Joe Pickup Truck" market  is the obvious point:  The industry could have started doing this years ago, stretching out the investment over time -- as well as the costs to consumers ... Another major signpost on the road to higher MPG: India, one of the world's biggest emerging auto marketplaces, is requiring considerably higher mandatory fuel efficiency standards for vehicles ...  
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WEEBLES MOBILE?
October 12, 2007: Don't get us wrong.  We are 100 percent in favor of the highest possible MPG.  And, yes, we have toyed with the notion of being the first person in our zip code to get one of those tiny Smart cars.   But the design of Honda's new PUYO fuel-cell concept car (if that's the right term) leaves us cold.  Check out the photograph for this "vehicle," which looks like something Weebles would wobble around in if they were 5'10" tall ...  This EE Times article provides a good overview of what U.S. and Japanese automakers have up their sleeves on green initiatives ...  Of course, one of those initiatives is not going to court to frustrate state-level pushes to impose tougher emission standards to clean up the air and reduce global warming pressures ...  Green groups are legitimately upset with Toyota.  On the one hand, Toyota has done more than any other auto company to legitimize and popularize hybrid technology. On the other hand, the Japanese auto company is focusing more and more attention on its notoriously fuel-inefficient trucks and also is fighting alongside Detroit to kill improved MPG legislation in Congress ... Can Volkswagen do in the U.S. for clean diesel what Toyota did for hybrids?  We wish them the best of luck! ...
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MPG BUZZ KILL HITS THE SHOWROOMS
October 5, 2007: Brace yourself for a whole new kind of sticker shock.   The EPA-ordered reductions in reported MPG levels for cars are now hitting the show rooms.  Don't kid yourself:  It's one thing to know intellectually that the numbers are going down and it's another thing to see it in black and white on the window of the actual car ... Ford's auto sales plummeted 21 percent in the most recent reporting period.  Sure, you can blame the economy and consumer uncertainty.  But, if those were the real problems, why did Toyota sales slip by just 4 percent?  Might have something to do with the fact that Toyota and Honda are on top of the MPG charts and Ford is not ... Kudos to the Clean Cities coalitions around the U.S. that saved enough vehicle fuel in 2006 to offset one day's worth of U.S. gas consumption.  You have to start somewhere, right? ... 
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GM: SIP GAS OR DIE?
September 27, 2007: It's our favorite "Motor Trends" headline of 2007:  "Sip Gas or Die: New GM model programs must show fuel-economy gain."  The accompanying story reads in part:  "There's a mandate going around General Motors that puts on the back burner any project that doesn't have an absolute fuel-economy gain. That is, if a new car is designed in a way to ensure better fuel economy, it's a go. If it's not, it could be on hold indefinitely."  Who knows?  Maybe Detroit really can change its spots ... The White House was caught interfering with California's attempts in Sacramento to reduce auto emissions ... Reducing the speed limit to 55 again across the board on highways would save gas, lives and cut greenhouse gases.  As Wired magazine notes:  "The fierce resistance from drivers everywhere is hard to explain. The results for the slower speed limit in the 1970s and 1980s were mixed--and modest, at best, both for safety and fuel consumption. But the minutes saved in driving 70 mph instead of 55 mph on a typical 25-mile commute are also modest (long-haul truckers have a better argument for the efficacy of faster speeds). The refusal to slow down is psychological, not practical. It underscores how automobiles are truly extensions of ourselves. As walking bipeds, we may first express self determination with our vocal chords. But soon after, we express it with our feet. Automobiles are just speedy extensions.  There's little question that lowering the national speed limit to 55 mph would save lives, cut fuel consumption and reduce carbon emissions with little cost to the economy. It might even soothe our national nerves. But will it become a political reality? Don't bet on it." ...
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$150 OIL IN THE WINGS?
September 20, 2007: Oil prices are on the rise again, but are record prices of $81-$82 dollars a barrel just a hint of much worse things to come? Lord Oxburgh, the former chairman of Shell, is warning about the potential for $150 oil prices.  He said:  "We may be sleepwalking into a problem which is actually going to be very serious and it may be too late to do anything about it by the time we are fully aware." ... While some consumers may have been lulled into a false sense of security over gas price declines over the summer months, some parts of the U.S. are once again seeing gas prices over $3 a gallon ... Is ethanol causing "agflation"? The escalating demand for ethanol is increasing the cost of many food staples around the world, including corn-based products, wheat, soybeans, meat and milk ... Here's the proof that greener equals greener (as in more money!):  Net CO2 emissions from new cars and light trucks may have dipped recently but have continued to grow steadily since 1990. John DeCicco, senior fellow, automotive strategies at Environmental Defense, observed: "The ability of Toyota and BMW to gain market share while cutting emissions is a clear example of innovative design paying off for the bottom line and the environment." ...     
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GAS PRICES HEAD BACK UP
September 11, 2007: Where are all the "experts" now who forecast that gas prices would remain flat or even fall after Labor Day, the last big summer holiday?  Once again, the experts got it dead wrong:  "Gas prices rose 6.5 cents over the past two weeks to $2.81 per gallon of self-serve regular, the first increase at the pump since early July, a national survey said Sunday ...The survey of prices at about 5,000 stations found Chicago drivers paid the most on average ($3.27 per gallon) and drivers in Newark, N.J., the least ($2.52 per gallon)."  Here's our fearless prediction:  Don't look for a meaningful drop in prices any time soon ... Is Detroit finally waking up?  According to AP, new vehicles sold in the U.S. are finally offering increased gas mileage on an overall basis.  Of course, it's only up 1 measly mpg from the previous record of 26.2 mpg, but that previous high-water mark for fuel efficiency was set 20 years ago in 1987.  Interestingly, Toyota (of all companies!) is headed in the wrong direction with a 3 mpg decline in 2007 ...  Of course, the mpg picture will be dimmer in 2008, due to tougher Environment Protection Administration test standards for vehicle fuel efficiency ...  
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NO MORE GAS GUZZLERS FOR CONGRESS?
September 5, 2007: It sounds like a great idea:   Congress may no longer allow its members to get tax-subsidized access to SUVs and other gas-guzzlers.  The only snag is that the energy bill provision in question fails to explain what exactly it means when limiting subsidized leases for House and Senate members to "low greenhouse-gas emitting vehicles."   ... Just how defensive is the Detroit PR machine today?  It is trying to raise a stink about the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) email encouraging employees to buy fuel-efficient cars that pollute less.  Horrors! (For a particularly loony take on this phony controversy, check out this nuttiness.)  Interesting how the U.S. auto company PR flacks automatically assume the HHS email rules out anything made in Detroit.  Hmmm ....  Don't tell anyone, but those folks at HHS actually are on to something.  As the Detroit News reports:  "Five of the six largest sellers of automobiles in the United States increased average vehicle emissions over a 15-year-period, largely because of the dramatic increase in SUV sales, a new study has found.  Nissan Motor Co. had the biggest jump in per-vehicle carbon dioxide emissions, up 9.2 percent. In contrast, Toyota saw its average emissions drop by 3 percent, in part because of the gasoline-electric hybrid Prius. U.S. autos emitted 331 million tons of energy-related carbon dioxide in 2004, which accounted for about 20 percent of all U.S. carbon emissions, according to the report released by Environmental Defense. The report noted that if they were ranked as a separate nation, U.S. autos would be the world's fifth highest carbon emitter." ...
 
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60,000 VOLTS ON THE ROAD?
August 29, 2007: The hype for GM's plug-in Volt car keeps rolling along.  But how much of it is for real?  Bloomberg reports that there is talk of putting 30,000-60,000 Volts on the road in the first year, possibly as early as late 2010.  But not everyone thinks that is even remotely possible.  Menahem Anderman, president of Advanced Automotive Batteries, an industry consultant in Oregon House, California, is quoted by Bloomberg as saying a 60,000-unit target for the Volt is "totally ridiculous at this point ... To reach that level by 2010, they'd need to be placing the orders right now." If GM proceeds with its current partner as the main battery supplier, Anderman said "they would be doing it with a company that has no experience in high-volume manufacturing on such a scale." ... Here's a difference between U.S. and German government regulators:  When Axel Friedrich, a top German regulator, was told by VW that additional pollution reduction gains were impossible, he didn't accept that at face value.  The Los Angeles Times reported that Friedrich "hired a bunch of engineers to take a Volkswagen Golf and make it more environmentally friendly using existing technology, without compromising safety or horsepower. They managed to cut emissions by 25% -- much to the chagrin of Volkswagen, which now faces uncomfortable questions about why it hasn't bothered to make the same simple fixes."  Why not give the same medicine for Detroit? ...
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DETROIT'S $31.2 MILLION RAZORBLADE
August 21, 2007: There are certainly a lot of cheaper ways to commit suicide than the $31.2 million that Detroit wasted during the first six months of 2007 on lobbyists to fight higher federal fuel-efficiency standards. The Detroit News says that might end up being a "grand bargain" compared to the cost of delivering more fuel-efficient cars. Of course, that assumes that American consumers are going to stop penalizing U.S. automakers for trying to shove gas-guzzlers down their throats. Wouldn't it just be smarter for Detroit to wake up and start making the fuel-efficient cars that Americans not only say they want but are now buying in droves? .... Speaking of wake-up calls: More than four out of five of the constituents of Rep. Ed Markey want him to push for a 40MPG-by-2010 federal fuel efficiency standard -- not the go-ahead-slow approach that the Massachusetts Congressman is now shepherding through the U.S. House of Representatives ... The New York Newsday headline says it all: "Critics skeptical of buzz over GM's latest electric car" ... Is funny guy Will "Talladega Nights" Ferrell really the person to test drive the hydrogen-powered BWM 7 Series? ...
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U.S.: LEADER IN CHILLED GLOVE BOX TECHNOLOGY
August 15, 2007: The United States may be lagging the rest of the world when it comes to vehicle fuel-efficiency innovation ... but we are No. 1 when it comes to chilled glove box technology.  As op-ed writer Bilal Zuberi points out in the Boston Globe:  "Clearly, the barrier to improving US fuel economy is not technological; the real obstacle is lack of political will. Automakers are demonstrating a remarkable ability to resist any changes in mileage standards, and instead they are producing larger and heavier cars with unnecessary amenities, such as chilled glove boxes. A better way to improve fuel economy would be for the government to let market forces do the work, which is what Europe has done so successfully over the past few decades." ... Would innovation-averse Detroit automakers prefer to see Congress impose a more than 50-cent gas tax increase on U.S. consumers, rather than improving federal fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles? ... Coming soon to an auto dealer near you:  the Smart Car, which "combines a reasonable price, less than $12,000 for a base model, excellent gasoline mileage, 40 mpg-plus combined city-highway, wrapped in a steel cage-like frame with the roominess of its cousin, the Mercedes E-Class."  ...
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THE LOUSY-MPG-EQUALS-LOUSY-CAR-SALES CONNECTION
August 8, 2007: Here are two headlines that should awaken Detroit auto executives still sleeping on the need for U.S. vehicles with much higher MPG ratings:  "Detroit Is Outsold by Imports in U.S." and "U.S. Vehicles Rank (at) Bottom in World Fuel Efficiency" ... The first headline goes with a story appearing originally in the New York Times:  "Detroit lost its leadership of the American automobile market for the first time ever in July, when import nameplates outsold the three American companies in a dismal month for auto sales.  The traditional American brands owned by General Motors, the Ford Motor Company and the Chrysler Group held 48.1 percent of the market in July ... That meant foreign auto companies held 51.9 percent of the market. The most they had previously held was 49.8 percent of the market earlier this year."  ... The second headline is from Reuters:  "The United States ranks at the bottom of industrialized countries in vehicle fuel-economy standards ... U.S. fuel-efficiency requirements for passenger cars have been stuck at 27.5 miles per gallon since 1985 ...That puts the United States behind Canada, South Korea, Australia, China, Europe Union and Japan in vehicle fuel economy, according to the report from the International Council on Clean Transportation." ... Anyone still not getting the lousy-MPG-equals-lousy-car-sales connection?
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A BAR CHART WORTH 1,000 WORDS
July 31, 2007: It certainly doesn't rival Helen of Troy in the beauty department, but the chart that illustrates the fuel-efficiency story in the Boston Globe is worth a 1,000 words ... and then some.  The stark illustration really shows how U.S. fuel-efficiency has "flatlined" for all too many years ... Amid growing calls for action on higher fuel-efficiency standards, Detroit may be blinking.   GM and Ford are sending signals to Capitol Hill that despite all of their Chicken-Little predictions about industry collapse, they now are ready to compromise on tougher fuel-efficiency standards.  The stated reason:  They fear what a Democrat in the White House backed by a Democratic Congress might do in terms of forcing through a big jump in mpg standards .... It's hard to tell exactly what Toyota is up to these days on fuel-efficiency standards.   Are they backing a weak bill on Capitol Hilll because of the Japanese auto companies growing emphasis on fuel-inefficient trucks?  Or, is Toyota going shoulder to shoulder with Detroit in the hopes of staving off a backlash tied to those one million Priuses they've put out there on American streets and roads?  Hmmmm ...
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THE ETHANOL MYTH
July 24, 2007: Make sure to check out this Bloomberg column from John Wasik:  "An old Midwestern maxim deems a corn crop healthy if it's `knee-high by the fourth of July.' Yet when it comes to the expectations that corn-based ethanol will cure America's dependence on foreign oil, the hype is way over everyone's head. Running the numbers on how much land could be put into production for corn-based ethanol makes it clear how little of the fuel could be produced to help curb America's energy gluttony." ... Think you can rationalize anything?  You probably are a rank amateur compared to this fellow from the SUV Owners of America ...  We smell a rat.  The U.S. oil industry is saying that the best way to reduce the U.S. dependence on foreign oil is to increase vehicle fuel efficiency ...  Here's another sign of changing times in Detroit:   Chrysler has pulled the plug on the Imperial, which would have been the biggest and heaviest vehicle in its class ...  
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WILL DETROIT GET CLEAN DIESELS RIGHT?
July 18, 2007: Clean diesels may be poised to eclipse hybrids in the U.S.  According to Automotive Week:  "The U.S. market for diesel-powered vehicles - formerly the exclusive domain of boat-towing pickups and German luxury cars - is reaching critical mass. Last week, Automotive News revealed that General Motors plans to equip the Saturn Aura and a Cadillac sedan with diesel engines by 2010. With GM's confirmation last week that it will offer the fuel-saving engine in cars, crossovers and light trucks, diesels should easily outpace U.S. sales of hybrid-powered vehicles. Siemens VDO Automotive Corp. - one of the largest suppliers of diesel fuel injection systems - projects U.S. diesel sales will grow to 867,000 units in 2012, up from an estimated 653,000 units this year. By contrast, sales of hybrid vehicles are projected at 510,000 units in 2012, up from an estimated 193,000 units this year."  Of course, all of that assumes that U.S. automakers will do a better job with clean diesels than they did with hybrids.   Unfortunately, there already are signs that Detroit may end up handling clean diesels just as badly ...  What do fame and lower gas prices have in common?  Maybe what Andy Warhol said about living in the limelight will become the rule of thumb at the gas pump:  Lower gas prices will only last 15 minutes.   After a record run of weekly increases, U.S. gas prices eased briefly and then moved right back up.  And that was before oil prices flirted with record levels before easing somewhat ...  
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KISS 'LOWER' GAS PRICES GOODBYE
July 10, 2007: You just had to know that a few weeks of sliding gas prices was too good to last. And you were right. In the last few days, oil hit an 11-month high of $76 a barrel in the commodities markets. And there was more trouble in Nigeria and disruptions at a major refinery in Indiana. The bottom line is that "tight supplies" will keep oil prices high through at least 2012, according to one group of leading international experts ... They pollute less, cost less at the car dealer and get better gas mileage. No wonder that four-cylinder engines are the big trend in 2007 auto sales. Some interesting stats: "The percentage of four-cylinder engines in U.S. vehicles has been rising slightly since 2002, but it still was only 25.4 percent of the U.S. engine mix in 2006, according to data collected by Ward's Automotive Group. Still, in midsize vehicles where consumers have a choice, the majority has picked four-cylinder engines so far this year in nearly all of the best-selling models made by the top five U.S. auto sellers. At DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group, 72 percent of Sebring buyers drove off with four-cylinder engines through May, compared with 53 percent in the previous version of the Sebring, which was phased out last year." ... And here's more speculation about whether or not "clean diesels" will be a hit in the U.S. ...
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WHAT DO AUTO AND BIG OIL CEOS HAVE IN COMMON?
July 3, 2007: When it came to high gas prices, it used to be that the public focused its venom almost exclusively on Big Oil CEOs.  Now, the heads of Detroit auto companies are sharing the same hot seat.  Consider the turbocharged rhetoric of commentator Jim Hightower:  "To be CEO of a Detroit auto company, is it required that you be born without a lick of common sense?  Ford, GM, and Chrysler are losing money faster than rubes playing blackjack in Las Vegas, because the corporate honchos won't produce vehicles that the public actually wants to buy. Consumers are clamoring for cars and trucks that are fuel efficient, but executives keep rolling out behemoths that guzzle gas while also spewing pollutants that cause health problems and global warming.  Japanese and other automakers have gotten the message and are setting sales records in America with their energy efficient models. Yet our own companies are taking multi-billion-dollar beatings in the marketplace by demanding that customers buy what Detroit wants, rather than what the customers want."   The tone may be milder in this editorial from the Kansas City Star, but the point is nearly identical:  "Over the last two decades, the (auto) industry has spun horror stories about what could happen if they were required to build more fuel-efficient cars and trucks: Jobs could supposedly be slashed, vehicle sales could fall, prices could skyrocket. Presidents and congressional members from both parties fell in line and prevented meaningful increases in efficiency. Meanwhile, foreign companies such as Toyota and Nissan built fleets that got more miles to the gallon. The companies added jobs and increased sales." The bad news for Detroit here is that Americans have to buy gasoline.  But they don't have to buy fuel-inefficient cars made in America ...    
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DETROIT LOSES ITS GRIP ON CONGRESS
June 27, 2007: "BIG 3 LOSING CLOUT IN CONGRESS" - That's the headline of one recent news story, which reads:  "If any doubt remained that Detroit's auto industry has lost most of its once considerable clout on Capitol Hill, the Senate's lopsided vote this week to raise fuel economy mandates removed it. The most intensive Detroit-led lobbying effort in recent memory not only failed, it was virtually ignored by a Senate that voted 65-27 to approve fuel-economy regulations that the automakers said could cripple the industry. 'We don't believe you anymore,' Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday. 'We've had enough.'  ...  Detroit may have lost its grip on Capitol Hill, but the group that really seems to have slipped through the fingers of U.S. carmakers is the editorial writers of America.   Here is what the Philadelphia Inquirer opined:  "The Senate has decided that U.S. auto fuel standards should finally catch up with the rest of the developed world. 'Now in our vehicles, we have better cupholders; we have keyless entry; we have better music systems; we have heated seats,' said Sen. Byron Dorgan (D., N.D.). 'It is time that we expect more automobile efficiency.' Long past time." ...  Even with the Senate vote, the fate of energy legislation in the U.S. House remains uncertain ...  Let's hope that the U.S. House goes even farther than the Senate to impose the 40MPG by 2010 standard that America really needs ...  
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CRUSHING THE SAFETY HOAX
June 19, 2007: In fighting against higher fuel-efficiency standards, Detroit is playing the "safety" card today.   But this time, Americans and Congress aren't buying it.  As the Christian Science Monitor reports:  "Some fuel-efficient cars are already safer than bigger, less-efficient counterparts, a new study finds. 'There's no reason that higher fuel-economy standards would force automakers to change the size of the vehicle, [its] structural integrity or crash-worthiness,' says David Greene, an Oak Ridge National Laboratory researcher and co-author of the study released last Thursday by the International Council on Clean Transportation. 'It's unfortunate that manufacturers are trying to cast the debate in that way.'"... You can listen here to how a key journalist is not buying the Detroit-fostered myth that the technology to achieve better gas mileage just doesn't exist today ... Check out this Birmingham News editorial:  "A Senate committee-passed bill would raise fuel economy standards from the current combined corporate average of 25 miles per gallon (27.5 for cars and 22.2 for light trucks) to 35 mpg by the year 2020, with annual increases of 4 percent through 2030. That may seem like a big jump. But the current standards haven't been increased in two decades. If anything, the proposal isn't ambitious enough ... This is an area where Congress should not compromise, particularly to placate U.S. automakers. Their claims that higher efficiency standards would be their doom are ridiculous ... Requiring more fuel-efficient vehicles not only will save gas and American consumers' money, it will also force U.S. automakers to be more competitive."  Amen!
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FALLING OUT OF LOVE WITH GAS GUZZLERS
June 12, 2007: Our favorite headline so far this month:  "Americans Falling Out Of Love With Gas Guzzlers". As the Tampa Tribune explains:  "Sales of big trucks and SUVs are declining amid high gas prices while sales of hybrid cars are increasing. New and used vehicles that are experiencing the fastest sales declines and the fastest sales increases, including average retail value and gas mileage, are - fastest sales declines: 2003 Ford Explorer, $14,450, 14 mpg; 2003 Chevy Silverado, $17,700, 13 mpg; and 2003 Ford F-150 super cab long bed, $12,965, 16 mpg. Fastest sales increases: 2007 Toyota Prius, $22,175, 60 mpg; 2007 Ford Escape hybrid SUV, $25,655, 36 mpg; and 2007 Honda Civic hybrid, $22,600, 50 mpg." ... You heard it first from 40MPG.org and the Civil Society Institute and now the word is getting out far and wide!  On Sunday, the New York Times reported:  "The technology to make a more fuel-efficient car is no secret. Europe requires cars to get an average of 37.5 miles to the gallon. To compete there, Ford and General Motors sell a variety of small and mid-size cars and cross-over vehicles, some with diesel engines, which they don't sell in the United States. Ford and G.M. build those vehicles in overseas plants to meet European standards ... Standards are also higher in China, both the world's second-biggest car market and G.M.'s second-biggest market. China's first fuel standard, 30.2 miles per gallon for the typical car, was imposed in 2005, and will be raised to 36 miles per gallon in 2008."  ... Try and beat this contest:  First prize is 12,000 gallons of gasoline ...      
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40MPG NOW -- NOT 10 (OR MORE!) YEARS TOO LATE
June 6, 2007: Even as major automakers and some federal lawmakers try to slam the brakes on plans to accelerate federal fuel-efficiency vehicle standards, more than three out of four Americans (76 percent) - including 78 percent of 2008 voters - want Congress to raise the mile-per-gallon (MPG) requirement sharply now to 40 MPG by 2010 rather than waiting to reach a more modest MPG goal by 2018, according to a major new Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) survey conducted for the nonprofit Civil Society Institute (CSI) think tank and its 40MPG.org project.  It turns out that American voters have excellent reasons to be at odds with automakers, Congress and the Bush Administration when it comes to go-ahead-slow hikes to federal fuel-efficiency vehicle standards: A separate CSI/40MPG.org report shows that, compared to the much more modest 35-MPG-by-2018 approach set out in one major bill on Capitol Hill, a 40-MPG-by-2010 plan would (1) save consumers a total of $246 billion at the gas pump by 2018, (2) cut 2.4 trillion additional pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution linked to global warming and (3) offset the equivalent of the current U.S. reliance on oil imported from the Middle East.  Read the full text of the CSI/40MPG.org news release here.  Wake up America! ...
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DETROIT'S SUICIDE NOTE?
May 30, 2007: If Detroit's astonishing ad campaign against more fuel-efficient car standards wasn't so sad, you'd have to laugh. Rather than just getting on board with the rest of the world with vehicles that deliver better gas mileage and less pollution, Detroit is lying to the American public, suggesting that reducing our addiction to foreign oil is somehow a bad thing. You can read more about this suicidal nonsense from the Big 3 here and here. Our favorite reaction: "'This misinformation campaign is akin to a drug pusher telling people that cutting their addiction is bad for their health,' said David Friedman, research director for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) Clean Vehicles Program. 'Automakers are not giving consumers the 34-mpg SUVs, the 37-mpg minivans and the 41-mpg family cars our nation's top engineers and scientists can deliver, according to the National Academies of Science.'" ... Oil companies certainly know how to seize on every possible factor to jack up gas prices by a nickel, dime or more at a crack. Funny how when prices finally "fall" after five straight weeks of steady increases, it's only by one pathetic penny ...
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OIL COMPANIES: YOU FORCED US TO RAISE GAS PRICES
May 24, 2007: Get a load of this:  Oil company executives have a new line when it comes to shifting the blame off of themselves for sky-high gas prices.  And the culprit they are fingering?  Alternative energy.   "If the national policy of the country is to push for dramatic increases in the biofuels industry, this is a disincentive for those making investment decisions on expanding capacity in oil products and refining," said John D. Hofmeister, the president of the Shell Oil Company. "Industrywide, this will have an impact."   You read that right:  We are forcing oil companies to pocket even fatter profits because America is trying to break its addiction to foreign oil.    We are contacting Webster's today to get them to work on rewriting their definition of "chutzpah" ... So much for industry and government predictions that gas prices would fall before Memorial Day:  prices are now at record levels ...  How bad is it out there today?  The Consumer Federation of America reports that spending on gas is now up 85 percent over the last five years ... In the face of rising gas prices, more people are taking the bus and retail spending is starting to take a hit ...
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GAS PRICES SWAMP POST-KATRINA RECORD
May 15, 2007: Here we go again!  "AAA said the average national price of unleaded regular gasoline jumped to 3.073 dollars per gallon over the weekend, the highest average it has recorded. That shattered the previous national benchmark of 3.06 dollars per gallon on September 5, 2005, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, AAA said. 'This is the worst possible news at the worst possible time,' said AAA spokesman John Townsend."  That sums things up pretty nicely ...  If you are the Bush Administration or the oil industry, just keep repeating after us:  Gas prices will start dropping any minute now ... promise! Maybe if they say it often enough, it will actually happen ...  And what about President Bush's "master plan" to curb this nation's foreign oil "addiction" (to use the White House term)?  Even if the President got every last thing he is calling for, we'd still be importing more than half (55 percent) of our oil from overseas.  This leads us to ask:  Has a heroin addict kicked his habit if he only shoots up half as much? ...  Here's one bit of good news:  More and more American cities are following the examples of metropolitan areas in other nations that are imposing car-free zones ...
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GAS PRICE SURVEY HITS A NERVE
May 9, 2007: We'd like to think it was a welcome dose of reality amidst all of the unrealistic (and incorrect!) government and industry forecasts of falling gasoline prices.   We are referring to the Civil Society Institute/40mpg.org survey released last week showing that 72 percent of Americans expect gasoline prices of at least $3.50 this summer ...  Looks like we really hit a nerve!   Check out the coverage in the Wall Street Journal, the Deseret Morning News, CNN.com, Inc.com, and the Christian Science Monitor.  Our favorite headline about the survey was in New York Newsday:  "Tanks for nothing, D.C. bigs!  Gas prices & government hot air making drivers fume."  Our favorite related editorial so far appeared Saturday in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.  Entitled "Stuck in the Slow Lane," the editorial started like this:  "If it makes the experience less painful, pretend you're not paying $3 a gallon for gas. And, by all means, ignore the warnings that prices might rise to $4 a gallon this summer. Silly advice? Sure. But that's essentially the strategy General Motors embraced for years, says Walter McManus, a fuel-economy analyst who from 1989 to 1999 worked for the world's former No. 1 automaker."  Our point exactly! ...
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$3.50 GAS PRICE SURVEY: MAD AS HELL YET?
May 2, 2007: Nearly three out of four Americans (72 percent) expect gasoline prices to reach $3.50 a gallon this summer and just over one in four (28 percent) foresee prices at $4 a gallon in the next few months, according to a major new Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) survey conducted for the nonprofit Civil Society Institute (CSI) think tank and its 40MPG.org project.   More than four out of five Americans (83 percent) already think that there is price gouging going on at the gas pump today.   In response to the increasing pain at the pump, about half of Americans say they will "definitely" or "probably" cut back on personal spending (51 percent) and summer or end-of-year holiday travel (46 percent) if gasoline reaches $3.50 a gallon this summer. Nearly three in 10 (29 percent) Americans say they are more likely to buy a hybrid or other highly fuel-efficient car if gasoline hits $3.50 a gallon.   Check out this key finding:  More than two thirds of Americans (67 percent) say that recent gas price increases make it more important that the Federal government take steps to increase the fuel-efficiency standards in this country.  There is strong support across party lines for such action, including 61 percent of Republicans, 65 percent of Independents and 75 percent of Democrats ...
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THE SUMMER OF $4 GAS?
April 25, 2007: For every expert who predicts (again!) that gasoline prices are just days away from receding, there is another who makes ominous noises about the potential for $4-a-gallon gas this summer. And why not?  The "experts" have been forecasting a drop in prices in the pump for weeks now.  And what has happened? Gas prices are up another 8 cents in the last two weeks and 69 cents overall so far this year! And why exactly do gas prices go up, up ... and then up some more?  Sometimes, the vague explanations are global, sometimes national and sometimes right down to specific regions in the U.S. Just remember the chaos in expert opinion the next time someone reassures you that the rise and fall of gas prices is easily explained by easily discerned market forces.  Right! ... Is Congress finally starting to wake up to the need for strong federal action on higher fuel-efficiency standards?  Detroit is being told by insiders to brace for "bad news" from Capitol Hill ... You have to love former auto exec Lee Iacocca.  From his new book, here's the Iacocca rave-out bouncing around the Web right now:  "Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course.'  Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!" ...  
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GAS PRICES: UP 11 STRAIGHT WEEKS IN A ROW
April 17, 2007: Where are those cheap gas prices that were being promised to us just a few short months ago? Read it and weep:  "The national average price for gasoline rose for the 11th straight week, according to a government report released Monday. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said drivers paid an average of $2.876 for a gallon of regular gasoline in the week ended April 16, up 7.4 cents from a week ago and up 9.3 cents from a year ago.  Over the past 11 weeks, the national average price has surged 71.1 cents, or 33 percent, from $2.165 on Jan. 29." ... Make sure to check out this Center for American Progress background briefing paper on  how cleaner cars will mean a stronger Detroit ... Forbes.com has compiled its list of the 12 greenest cars on the road today:  "You might be surprised to learn that you don't need to drive a hybrid car to do your part for the Earth.  Yes, of the year's 12 most environmentally friendly 2007-model cars - a list dominated by tiny, economical models - six are hybrids. And two gas/electric hybrids -  Toyota Motor's Prius and Honda Motor's Civic Hybrid - are tied for first place." ...
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TIME FOR THE EPA TO GET TOUGH ON GLOBAL WARMING
April 6, 2007: The Bush White House will go to great lengths - including extremely creative interpretations of existing federal laws and rules -- to prosecute its war against terrorism. So, why is it so much more timid when it comes to reading the federal anti-pollution laws and rules that could be used to curb the considerably greater threat posed to the American public by the ravages of global warming? Make sure to check out Marie Cocco's excellent column in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in which the Environmental Protection Agency was told that it cannot simply ignore the climate-related consequences of carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution from cars and other sources ... When the Iran hostage situation heated up, some experts warned that it could send gasoline prices to $4 a gallon. Now that the crisis is over, the experts are still forecasting $4 gasoline. Hmmm .... And if you think that high gas prices are just a minor inconvenience that consumers take in stride effortlessly, think again: The steadily escalating gas prices of recent weeks is sending consumer confidence into the toilet ... Let's not forget the stakes here: Detroit's failure to embrace higher fuel-efficiency when it should have five or 10 years ago is exacting a steep human price: the steady demise of the good-paying auto factory job ...
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IS REP. MARKEY GETTING THE MESSAGE?
March 30, 2007: It's only been a week and already 133 Americans have contacted the office of Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey to urge him to get on board with a 40MPG federal fuel-efficiency standard by 2010. You can send the same message today courtesy of the 40MPG.org Web site! Or, you can call Rep. Markey's office directly at 202-225-2836 ... Why are we focusing on Rep. Markey? He introduced a weak bill that would only boost federal fuel-economy standards to 35 MPG by the ridiculously late point of 2018 ... You don't have to be a genius to figure out why America needs a 40mpg standard by 2010. We certainly can't wait until some unspecified point more than eight years after 2010! Not only is America losing more and more of its competitive edge on autos, but we also once again are looking gasoline prices at or near $3 in many parts of the U.S. Haven't we been held hostage at the gas pump long enough by whatever the crisis du jour is in the Middle East? The bottom line is simple: America has already waited far too long to do something about reducing energy use and global-warming pollution. It is in our best national security interest to act now ... not wait until 2018 or later and allow other nations to keep building their competitive advantage on autos. Please contact Rep. Markey today and let him know you want 40MPG by 2010 ...

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TELL REP. MARKEY: MORE MPG ... AND FASTER!
March 22, 2007: We need your help to send a message to Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey today! Rep. Markey is calling for improved federal fuel-economy standards of 35 MPG by 2018. We can do better! The technology exists today to achieve greater fuel efficiency faster. If we don't move to adopt these technologies, the American auto industry will fall further behind the German and Japanese automakers who are rapidly adopting new technologies. People outside the U.S. already have 161 highly fuel efficient cars to choose from and these cars meet or exceed U.S. emission and safety standards. Since Congressman Ed Markey is going to play a big role in what the U.S. House decides on fuel-efficiency targets, 40MPG.org is urging you to send the Congressman an email message today to exercise bold leadership and upgrade his fuel-efficiency plan to get 40 MPG by 2010. Or, you can call Rep. Markey's office directly at 202-225-2836 ...
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DETROIT DENIAL ON STEROIDS?
March 14, 2007: As the rest of the world gets the message and shifts to producing more and more fuel efficient cars, U.S. carmakers and unions are digging in their heels and insisting that the same thing can't be done here in the U.S.  ... In the process, Detroit and its allies are exhibiting all the classic signs of denial:   beat up on a scapegoat to take the focus off yourself; and insist that the people who are trying to help you are actually trying to kill you ... Of course, the reality is that "Detroit" doesn't speak for Detroit or the rest of the people in Michigan.  If you have any doubts about that, check out the Civil Society Institute/40MPG.org Michigan survey from late February ... The bottom line is that U.S. carmakers are going to have an increasingly hard time of remaining in denial with gas prices back up to $2.55 a gallon, after rising for six straight weeks ...
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HERE COME THE CLEAN DIESELS
March 6, 2007: Car makers are more and more convinced that U.S. consumers are ready to buy "clean" diesel autos. Even though a trickle of clean diesels are coming to the U.S., most of the best such vehicles will remain beyond the reach of Americans ... Check out the ideas from the Union of Concerned Scientists for a highly fuel-efficient vehicle that is not a hybrid and which Detroit could be building now based on existing technology  ... See stories here and here on rising gas prices and the growing pinch on the pocketbooks of consumers ... Remember:  consuming less energy doesn't necessarily have to be rocket science ... Yikes!  A coal-powered car?!
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DETROIT AUTOWORKERS SUPPORT 40MPG!
February 28, 2007: Michigan residents are not cutting Detroit any slack when it comes to increasing fuel efficiency and decreasing global warming pollution.  More than two thirds of Michigan autoworker households (67 percent) and a slightly higher level of all households in the state (72 percent) say that Washington could "help U.S. automakers be more competitive by increasing the federal fuel-efficiency standard to 40 miles per gallon," according to a new national opinion poll conducted for CSI AND 40MPG.org by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) ... More than four out of five Michigan residents (84 percent) agree that "the U.S. auto industry is in major trouble and Michigan's  economy will suffer seriously if the situation of the Big Three automakers gets even worse."  Those in Michigan households linked a "great deal/somewhat" to the health of the auto industry are even more likely (89 percent) to see the industry as being in serious trouble today ... Another key CSI/40MPG.org survey finding:   More than four out of five Michigan residents (82 percent) agree that "we need higher federal fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles now in order to conserve more energy, making us less dependent on Middle Eastern oil, and to reduce the ill effects of global warming" ... Read the full news release here ...
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THE RETURN OF $3 A GALLON GAS
February 21, 2007: Bad news for the folks at the SUV Owners of America:  Gas prices have been edging higher and higher.  Now it looks like $3 a gallon gasoline will be back with us again this coming summer.  As the Detroit News explains:  " ... it's not a certainty that prices will top three bucks, but the fact they reached that level the past two years shows the market can sustain that price during the summer driving season. The higher cost to make summer fuel, higher gas demand and speculators -- those who buy and sell oil as an investment -- push pump prices higher during the spring months ..."  Higher gas prices are just another good reason for doing something about the shrinking number of 40 mile per gallon vehicles available for sale in the United States -- a major problem documented by the Civil Society Institute/40MPG.org ... Are Americans warming up to diesel cars? Check out this interesting Arizona Republic article on that topic ...
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"FUEL-EFFICIENT CAR GAP" GROWING, U.S. NOW WAY BEHIND
February 14, 2007: America is now stuck in reverse when it comes to fuel-efficient vehicles and unhappy U.S. consumers want Congress to take action to correct the situation, according to new research from the Civil Society Institute (CSI)/40MPG.org and a national opinion poll conducted for CSI by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) ... CSI/40MPG.org found that the number of vehicles sold in the U.S. that achieve combined gas mileage of at least 40 miles per gallon (MPG) has dropped from five in 2005 to just two in 2007, while the ranks of such vehicles available overseas -- but not sold in the U.S. -- rose from 86 to 113 in the same time period ... Adding insult to injury, nearly two thirds (74 or 65 percent) of the 113 highly fuel-efficient car models that are unavailable to American consumers are either made by U.S. auto manufacturers (e.g., Ford and GM) or foreign manufacturers with substantial U.S. sales operations (e.g., Volkswagen, Nissan and Toyota) ... The national opinion survey shows that there is a potential market of at least 2.5 million U.S. consumers for the introduction of the fuel-efficient cars now being sold overseas but not in this country ... Nearly nine out of 10 Americans (88 percent) -- including roughly three out of five (58 percent) who feel strongly -- think U.S. consumers should have access to the dozens of more fuel-efficient cars available from U.S. automakers overseas -- but not in this country. U.S. consumers want action by Congress to increase U.S. fuel efficiency standards now ... Four out of five Americans -- including 86 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Republicans and independents -- say that they would support "Congress taking the lead to achieve the highest possible fuel efficiency as quickly as possible" by raising the fuel-efficiency requirements for U.S. vehicles to achieve the goal of 40 miles per gallon ... Check out the full text of the CSI/40MPG.org news release  ...
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NO U.S. CARS IN 'GREEN BOOK' TOP 12
February 8, 2007: The new Green Book is out from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the news is not good for American carmakers: Every one of the top 12 greenest cars is from Asia. As the Miami Herald explained: "Honda's natural-gas-powered Civic GX was the nation's greenest vehicle for the third time in four years -- after being knocked into second place last year by the company's since-discontinued two-seat Insight gasoline-electric hybrid. Toyota's popular Prius, another gasoline-electric hybrid, was second, followed closely by Honda's Civic hybrid. Two newcomers -- Nissan's Altima hybrid, which went on sale in February, and Toyota's Yaris subcompact -- rounded out the top five." ... The bad news for U.S. automakers keeps piling up: Chrysler is planning to cut 10,000 jobs ... So much for those falling gasoline costs: Pump prices went up last week. ExxonMobil's "outlandish" profits are generating a backlash in the Democratic-controlled Congress ... Industry griping about the growing pressure about higher fuel-efficiency standards is not unique to the U.S. As Bloomberg reports: "Porsche AG is under threat from the drive to combat global warming, Chief Executive Officer Wendelin Wiedeking says. Wiedeking has joined with other German luxury-car makers to protest a mandatory European Union cap on carbon-dioxide emissions that he says favors companies such as Renault SA and Fiat SpA that produce smaller vehicles." ...
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TERROR-FREE GASOLINE
February 2, 2007: Coming soon to a gas pump near you:  "terror-free gasoline"? And this time it isn't about people being scared to death by sky-high pump prices ... More fall-out from the President's State of the Union Speech remarks about fuel efficiency here, here and here ... After falling for several weeks, gasoline prices appear to be leveling off ... Exxon posts record profits even as Ford tumbles even harder than expected ... Confused by all the talk about alternative fuels?  Here is a good introduction to the various options out there ...  Interesting study #1:  telecommuting can save America huge amounts of energy ... and interesting study #2:  Rising fuel prices hit Detroit hard ... actually a lot harder than academics had assumed would be the case before the recent hikes at the gas pumps ...
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LOSING GROUND ON MPG STANDARDS?
January 24, 2007: President Bush is getting a lot of praise in some corners for his ideas about reducing foreign oil consumption ... But experts are decidedly more skeptical about the specifics of his plan for federal CAFE fuel-efficiency standards.  Consider this post-speech review in Grist.com.  The author reels off what Bush called for:  "Congress should not be in the business of setting concrete numerical targets for CAFE standards; that should be left to the Secretary of Transportation. The standards should have 'escape valves' in case they pose any inconvenience to automakers; there should be a 'CAFE credits' trading system for increased 'flexibility.' Congress should 'reform' car CAFE standards to follow the 'attribute-based method' Bush established for light trucks last year. You recall those standards -- the ones greens bashed for being too complex and for establishing the perverse incentive for automakers to make their trucks larger in order to receive more lenient fuel-economy standards. Yeah, those. Bush wants them for cars too."  ... We have a simple question:  Why give up on the 40 MPG goal when we know that it can be achieved?  Do we really want to let Detroit off the hook again? ... Fortunately, not everyone can get away with claiming one thing about fuel efficiency and then doing the opposite  ...  Here's the  latest on the expected glut in capacity in ethanol alternative fuel production.   That certainly didn't take very long! ...
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TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE FOR DETROIT?
January 16, 2007: Detroit is trying to make a good show of having religion on the need for greater fuel efficiency, but is it possible that even U.S. auto consumers have written off American automakers in that context? ... Will America fall even further behind on vehicle pollution limits?  The EU is looking at tough new carbon-emission standards that are so challenging that only the Prius would pass them among currently available cars ... Don't let anyone tell you that the U.S. can't innovate.  Check out the story of this fuel-efficient inventor ... Will the red-hot demand for grain needed to produce ethanol play havoc with global food markets and push costs even higher for those in starving nations?  That's what Lester R. Brown at the Earth Policy Institute is worried about ... Just because your favorite star rolled up at the Golden Globes in a limo doesn't mean that he or she was wasting fuel ...
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$2 A GALLON ... OR $6 A GALLON?
January 11, 2007: Which way are gas prices going to go? Crude oil prices are continuing to drop, which has prompted more than one cynic to ask: Why aren't gasoline prices at the pump also declining? ... Even if gasoline prices do fall, it wouldn't take much at all for them to shoot up to $5-$6 a gallon, or so say some experts. They worry about what would happen if a rag-tag group of rabble rousers in Nigeria managed to score a few big successes against oil companies, according to this chilling article in Vanity Fair ... Detroit automakers are doing their best to look green. No wonder: Toyota is sitting on top of the U.S. consumer auto brand preference survey ... Kudos to BMW, which has unveiled new Mini Cooper sedans that get 40 mpg ... Is this possible already: too many ethanol plants? ... Don't try this at home (or on your commute to work): death-defying techniques for driving up your gas mileage ...
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NEW YEAR'S GASOLINE: 10 CENTS MORE EXPENSIVE
January 4, 2007: If you bought gasoline on New Year's Day 2007, you probably paid something around $2.33 per gallon, the average national price. That was 10 cents per gallon higher than what you would have paid a year earlier on New Year's Day 2006. So, where exactly are these "falling gasoline prices" that we keep seeing news stories about? ... Check out this great Philadelphia Inquirer editorial that credits the EPA for bringing federal mileage figures closer to reality. But the newspaper goes on to note: "... the burden shouldn't fall to consumers alone. The new Congress should ease growing worries about high gas prices, oil security, and global warming by moving away from supply-side solutions to conservation, fuel-efficiency, and better technology. Honest labels were a first step. Now, Congress should ask automakers for more fuel-efficient cars." Amen! ... Interesting reading: A San Francisco Chronicle reporter test drives a fuel-cell vehicle ... You'll either love this or hate this: A commentator's unique approach to fixing Uncle Sam's gas tax: "A Federal surtax of $1.00 per gallon on gasoline (and diesel) -- exempting each licensed, adult driver from the surtax on the first thirty gallons purchased each month." Hmmm ...
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2006: WORST GAS PRICE YEAR EVER
December 29, 2006: As consumers headed into the Christmas holiday, gasoline prices continued to rise to such an extent that "2006 is on track to become the most expensive year ever for gasoline." Pump prices for regular unleaded climbed 10 cents in a month, standing 13 cents higher than at the same point last year. So much for cheap gas! ... Are gasoline prices going to keep ratcheting up? The industry won't give anyone a straight answer (always a bad sign!), but other experts are warning that gas prices will go up, up and up again in 2007. No wonder Congress is looking at major investments in alternative energy sources ... Make sure to check out this article on the San Francisco Bay area as the "car-share capital of the world" ... Happy New Year!
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WILL FORD, GM RUN OUT OF GAS IN 2007?
December 22, 2006: U.S. auto giants Ford and GM are headed into a tough year in 2007 and inattention to fuel efficiency is a big reason why.  Analysts already are predicting that Ford will slip to No. 3 next year behind Toyota, home of the popular Prius and other innovative fuel-efficient vehicles.  The picture for No. 1 GM is not going to be all that much prettier.  In an article entitled "The Worst Stock for 2007: GM," the Motley Fool investment Web site notes:  "...perhaps the only thing GM has going for it is a leading brand, with a 2005 market share in U.S. automobiles of about 23%. The problem is, that share has eroded steadily for more than 40 years."  As the Motley Fool asks:  Why has GM let Toyota run rings around it when it comes to fuel efficiency? ... If you want to understand how Ford and GM ended up in the soup they find themselves in now, just read this Detroit News editorial arguing against higher federal fuel efficiency standards. Some people will never learn! ... Hybrids aren't getting all the attention these days, check out articles here and here on the rise of clean diesel technology ...
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MPG - KEEPING IT REAL
December 12, 2006: If you've always been a skeptic about those Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mileage numbers, consider yourself vindicated:  the EPA is likely to make meaningful adjustments to new car MPG figures to bring them more into line with the real-world experiences of drivers ... Don't miss this interesting New York Times story about how automakers are selling fuel efficiency during a time of see-sawing gas pump prices ... After being slow to jump on the hybrid bandwagon, Nissan is making a green U-turn, even announcing distant plans for Nissan fuel-cell vehicle ... A bold new marketing claim:  a new Volkswagen "Polo BlueMotion" to be sold in the UK next year will have fewer carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than a Toyota Prius.  As one report notes:  "VW claims the Polo BlueMotion is the most economical five-seater in Europe, emitting 102g/km - 2g/km less than Toyota's electric-hybrid. The Polo uses a three-cylinder 1.4 direct-injection turbodiesel engine and has a combined fuel consumption of 72.4 mpg." ...
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SO MUCH FOR 'CHEAP' GAS PRICES!
December 8, 2006: Gas-guzzling SUV drivers should put away their party hats and pay attention: Gas prices are now up for the fourth week in a row, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The U.S. average retail price for gasoline jumped 5.1 cents to $2.297 a gallon as of Dec. 4, which is 15 cents per gallon higher than at this time last year. You read that right: Gas prices today are higher than they were at this point in 2005 ... Continuing high prices are taking their toll on SUV makers. GM announced this week that it would make major production cuts in some of its most fuel-inefficient vehicles ... A real sign of the changing times: Driving by Americans is down for the first time in 25 years and high fuel prices are to blame ... Mileage-based tax offsets may be in the works in the U.S. ... How would you like to be a Big Oil fat-cat executive with this new U.S. Congress about to take over? In response to the dramatic shake-up on Capitol Hill, freaked out oil companies are snapping up every lobbyist and PR firm that they can get their hands on ...
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AP FINDS OIL PRICE MANIPULATION
November 30, 2006: If you are tired of being dismissed as some kind of conspiracy theorist for thinking that oil companies are playing games to push up gas prices, make sure to check out this Associated Press analysis ... The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments this week from 12 states arguing that the EPA has dropped the ball on limiting car and truck pollution linked to global warming ... Think that bigger cars and trucks with lousy gas mileage still make sense because they are safer than their gas-sipping brethren?  Think again ... Fuel-efficiency is a red hot theme at auto shows across the U.S. ... Higher gas prices are encouraging more ridesharing and the sprouting of ethanol production plants in new places ... With oil back up over $60 a barrel, you can find report of higher pump prices across the U.S, including here, here and here in the East...
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9 OUT OF 10 EXPECT GAS PUMP PRICES TO SOAR
November 22, 2006: A new national survey shows that a strong and bipartisan 78 percent of Americans want Washington to impose a 40 mile per gallon (MPG) fuel-efficiency standard for American vehicles.  The Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) poll for the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (CSI) -- the parent of 40MPG.org -- also found that nine out of 10 Americans expect gas prices to go up "in the near future." That would appear to explain the survey finding that temporarily lower gasoline prices are not sending large numbers of Americans rushing back to gas-guzzling SUV and trucks. In fact, nearly half (45 percent) of Americans are now more likely to buy a "hybrid or other fuel-efficient vehicle" than they were six months ago, compared to 30 percent who are unchanged in their plans and fewer than one in four (24 percent) who are less likely to make such a vehicle purchase ... Turns out that the 90 percent of Americans who are expecting bad news soon about the return of sky-high gas prices are onto something.  The Los Angeles Times reports:  "Nationally, retail gasoline prices rose 0.7 cent to $2.239 for the week, 3.8 cents above the price in 2005. It was the second consecutive increase and the third in the last four weeks." ... Before you dismiss the recent jump in gas prices as just a short-term effect tied to holiday travel, make sure to check out the stories here and here about oil edging back up over $60 a barrel ... And if that doesn't convince you that something is afoot on rising gasoline prices, check out the national and regional news stories here, here and here ... Translation:  Enjoy the still relatively low gas prices while you can! ...  
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9 OF 13 U.S. CAR MAKERS SLIP ON MILEAGE
November 16, 2006: U.S. car mileage is stuck in reverse.  The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) reported this week that most American car manufacturers have reduced their overall fuel efficiency. "Even as consumers express less concern over gas prices, their concern over our dependency on oil and the desire for fuel efficient cars remains high," said Jack Gillis, CFA Public Affairs Director and author of The Car Book. "At the same time, our analysis shows that 9 out of 13 major U.S. car sellers had lower fleet wide mpg ratings than they did ten years ago."  Sad but true ... More bad news about rising gas prices here, here and here.  Get ready for it to go even higher! ... Check out this interesting radio report from American Public Radio's "Marketplace" on luxury "clean diesel" vehicles ... and Big Oil is heading for a tougher Congress under Democrats. Waah!  Can't these poor guys ever catch a break? ...
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SHOCKER! GAS PRICES GO UP AFTER ELECTION
November 10, 2006: We are really trying hard not to be cynical about what is happening with oil prices this week.  Unfortunately, the facts are stacking up in favor of those who predicted higher prices right after the election.  Oil prices are bouncing up again over the $60 a barrel mark.   And you can find news stories all over the U.S. about how prices at the pump are creeping up again ... Those dinosaurs in Detroit don't learn very fast do they?  Auto industry executives are leaping for joy as lower gas prices trigger a short-term jump in sales of fuel-inefficient vehicles.  Talk about grasping at straws! ... U.S. car companies are hoping that they will get a better hearing from Democrats, who now control the U.S. House and Senate ... Dying to be the first kid on your block with a hydrogen-powered car?  This is as close as you may ever get to that dream ...
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FEWER MPG (MILES PER GUT)?
October 31, 2006: Need an incentive to lose a few pounds?  Make sure to check out this story about how that extra blubber you are carrying around can shave a few miles per gallon off the fuel efficiency of your vehicle ... Some very smart people at MIT have figured out how to engineer a "pint-sized" motor that burns ethanol and will give hybrids a run for their money in the MPG department ... Still harboring the illusion that today's relatively cheap prices will last very long after next weeks election?  If so, read the stories here, here and here.  Time to wake up, dreamer! ...  Speaking of dreamers, "Future Boy" (would we make that up?) assures us that the hydrogen-powered car will one day rule the earth. Question: Would that be happening before or after we are all issued our long-promised personal jet pack and small plane to fly to and from work? ... Not sold yet on the diesel alternative?  Check out this interesting perspective ...
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DIESEL'S DAY IN THE SUN
October 24, 2006: Will Americans warm up to clean diesel technology? Some reporters are coming around. Dan Lienert has an excellent overview -- "Day of the diesel car for U.S.?" -- at Forbes.com. Are the young more inclined than older drivers to get behind the wheel of clean-diesel cars? This survey seems to indicate that the answer to that question is "yes" ... Pennsylvania is offering a $500 tax break for hybrid vehicle purchases to the first 3,000 qualifying state residents who apply for it ... Losses continue to pile up at Ford, even as auto dealers say they can't maintain an adequate supply of fuel-efficient cars, despite the recent gas-price plunge ... An impact not yet seen: OPEC approves deep cuts in available fuel supplies ...
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ETHANOL TAKES A HIT
October 17, 2006: It was another tough week for ethanol.   Consumer Reports came out with "The Ethanol Myth," a hard-hitting piece focusing on the fuel-efficiency robbing properties of ethanol as an auto fuel.   The Chicago Tribune focused on the Bush Administration's "end run" to weaken pollution standards for ethanol-producing facilities .... Interesting data in a news release from Travelers: "Californians registered 52,619 new hybrid vehicles in 2005. At a distant second, Florida registered 10,470 hybrids, followed by Texas, New York and Virginia. Los Angeles tops the list of hybrid-driving cities with 22,922 new hybrid cars registered, followed by San Francisco with 15,828. New York, Washington D.C. and Boston complete the top five." ... The new list of the most fuel-efficient vehicles is out, with Toyota and Honda leading the way. Not to be outdone, GM is claiming to lead the industry with the largest number of vehicles getting over 30 mpg ...  The clean diesels are coming ... Looking for a gas-sipping ride that will stand out from the pack?  Check out the latest import:  the Obvio from Brazil ...
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FUEL YOU ONCE, FUEL YOU TWICE ...
October 10, 2006: Can American consumers possibly be so "fuel-ish" as to believe that today's temporarily depressed gasoline prices are here to stay?  Amidst some murky evidence of revived consumer demand for gas guzzlers, there are far more signs that oil supplies are being tightened again, that gas prices already are at rock bottom and that they will be ratcheting up again soon.  Of course, it would be a complete coincidence if the inevitable big jump in gasoline prices came right after Election Day.  Right? ... If you are in a cold part of North America, you are probably a big believer in idling your car to warm it up.  Turns out a lot of what you think you know about warming up your car is wrong -- and a big drain on your pocketbook to boot ... How popular are fuel-efficient cars?  Check out the "green car" special section in USA Weekend, the popular Sunday newspaper insert ...
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LOW GAS PRICE PARTY NEARLY OVER?
October 3, 2006: Energy prices have dropped on a global basis to their lowest level in seven months, with the cost of oil briefly falling below $59 a barrel this week.  But if you think OPEC is just going to sit back and do nothing ... well ... enjoy that wishful thinking while you can: The oil cartel is already taking steps to tighten up production in order to drive prices (and profits) back up.  Perhaps the recent brief respite from high gas prices is what it will take to get people really mad when the gas pump signs go right back up to where they were ... If you think gas prices will defy gravity forever, don't read this article on 15 ways to save gas ...  The price of filling up slumped in September, but it didn't help U.S. automakers much.  Ford was up about 4.7 percent in sales, while other domestic car companies were down.  Meanwhile, Toyota "crushed" Detroit with a monthly sales increase of 25 percent.  If you are curious about the likely prospects for U.S. carmakers, make sure to read "Replacing the Big Three" by Robert Reich ... For interesting coverage about the expected rise of "clean deisel" in the U.S., read stories here and here ...
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HOW LOW CAN GAS PRICES GO?
September 26, 2006: You might think SUV makers would be doing handsprings over falling gasoline prices, but the reality is that it won't do much good for struggling Detroit auto firms.  The damage already may be done to U.S. carmakers; Toyota is moving into the passing lane to overtake GM ... How low can gas prices go? Do the math:  Even at just $60 a barrel, gas costs about $1.43 a gallon.  And that's before you add in refining costs, oil company profits, shipping costs, taxes and so on.  And if you think prices will stay this low, you are dreaming.  After shooting up in the wake of Katrina and Rita, U.S. gas prices dropped back down to about $2.33 by Thanksgiving of last year, before climbing again to painful new heights in 2006 ... With gas prices off nearly two bits in just two weeks, there is increasing speculation about manipulation of energy costs for political purposes.  But that paranoia aside, it's clear that the drop in prices at the pump could have an impact on U.S. House and Senate races ... Are biofuels the answer to shifting from fossil fuel or are they "deforestation diesel"? ... Make sure to check out this Co-op America commentary entitled "Fuel Efficiency: It's in Consumers' Hands" ...
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CAR TAX CREDITS: NOT JUST FOR HYBRID OWNERS?
September 19, 2006: Good news for people who have purchased fuel-sipping cars and light trucks that are not hybrids:  Two U.S. senators -- Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Bob Bennett (R-UT) -- are proposing a new tax credit of up to $1,860 for buyers of fuel efficient passenger vehicles and light trucks that get 34.5 mpg or 27.5 mpg, respectively.  Appropriately enough, the $1.3-billion-a-year cost of the Wyden-Bennett bill would be financed by repealing an oil industry tax break ... Check out the article on MSN Auto from Consumer Reports on alternative fuel sources for vehicles, including diesel, ethanol, bioethanol and hydrogen.  The report notes: "The good news is that automakers and other researchers have been working on a variety of alternatives to conventional gasoline-fueled, internal-combustion engines. But the reality is that only hybrids and upcoming 'clean diesels' promise to be practical alternatives in the near future." ... Amid talk of a 75,000-employee buy-out at Ford and a possible Ford-GM "alliance," even President Bush seems to have given up on straightening out the mess in Detroit ....
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9/11 & THE END OF $1 GALLON GAS
September 12, 2006: As America marked the anniversary of 9/11, one sign of how much the world had changed went unnoted:  Five years ago, the average retail gasoline price for regular grade dipped as low as $1.19 a gallon.   That certainly provides a stark context for the "major" 11-cent-per-gallon price drop in recent days to a national average of $2.62! ... Even though gas prices are down, cynicism is up among consumers who are unlikely to forget gas price gouging any time soon.  Gas prices may be in a lull now, but let's not forget:  Oil companies raked in an astounding $59.4 billion in profits during the first six months of 2006 ...  Here's an interesting development:  Car rental leader Hertz is now offering a "Green Collection" of vehicles that get 28 mpg or better ... Have an extra $108,000 in pocket change to spare?  If so, you may want to order this 120 mph vehicle from an online catalog.  Check out this list of the "top 10 high-tech vehicles of the filthy rich" .... 
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EU EYES CAR C02 TAX
September 5, 2006: When it comes to innovations in fuel efficiency and how to encourage more of them, the United States seems to be stuck in a perpetual game of catch-up.   In Europe, where the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new cars are down more than 12 percent since 1995, there are some interesting new ideas making the rounds about how to rethink car taxes.  European lawmakers are asking:  Why not base the vehicle tax on CO2 emissions linked to global warming rather than simply the registration of a car, truck or other vehicle?  That way, someone who opted for a more fuel-efficient vehicle would be rewarded with lower car taxes ... If you've been to the gas pump in the last two weeks, you know that fuel prices have eased.  But don't break out the party hats just yet.  Experts say that  the temporary easing of that pain in your wallet is not going to last ... Toyota continued to gain ground on Detroit in U.S. auto sales during August.  The reason:  Consumers want fuel-efficient vehicles, not monster cars and trucks that fritter away fuel like it's still 1999 at the gas pump ...
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ETHANOL BACKLASH?
August 29, 2006: It's been a tough couple of weeks for Team Ethanol:  A number of newspapers and Web sites are running items stressing the lower fuel-effiency of ethanol. (See here and here.) For a thoughtful overview of the ins and out of ethanol, don't miss this Des Moines Register article.  Not surprisingly, a former American Petroleum Institute official is going to have no kind words to spare for flex fuels ... Let's not forget that there's a big world out there of increasingly fuel efficient vehicles that are not hybrids.  We took note of this "fuel efficient" turbo diesel V-8 and the within-shouting-distance-of-40mpg stats on the 2007 Ford Focus PZEV to be available in California ... Thinking about investing in a "miracle" additive to squeeze a few extra miles out of yoru gas tank?  If so, you are officially a sucker ... While we are on the consumer rip-off beat, get ready for a whole new issue:  "Hot" gas makes it look like you are getting more fuel than is actually being pumped into your car.  It could be costing some consumers hundreds of dollars a year ... Our nomination for fuel-efficiency Web site of the week is I Want Real MPG from the Enviromental Working Group ... Have a great Labor Day!
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AS GOES CALIFORNIA, SO GOES DETROIT?
August 22, 2006: As Ford makes painful production cuts, there is more bad news for Detroit from California: Automotive News quotes data from R.L. Polk in concluding:  "The Detroit 3 may be nearing the point of no return in California."  Why the concern?  For January-July 2006, Detroit carmakers made up less than a third (31.4 percent) of California vehicle registrations - down from last year.  As Automotive News notes: "Toyota's brands now generate more retail sales in California than the North American brands of GM and Ford combined." ...  Fuel-efficient vehicles are getting good reviews.  Check out this coverage for the Fit and Yaris ... The General Motors-made Aveo is getting attention for its good marks on fuel consumption and there is even a 40mpg minivan, but (naturally!) you can't buy it in the U.S. ... Could clean diesels account for 12 percent of U.S. auto sales by 2015? ... Some people are sighing with relief as oil prices ease, but there remains the Iranian nuclear power plant "X factor" out there to continue delivering unpleasant jolts to the world's energy markets ... Who says it can't be done?  Brazil has 180 million people spread out over only about half a million fewer square kilometers than the United States.  Nonetheless, it is on the road to energy independence thanks to ... sugar cane?!  
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PLAN B? CLEAN DIESELS AND MOTORCYCLES
August 16, 2006: With waiting lists for hybrid cars getting longer and longer, the winners in the "Plan B" category of auto sales are likely to be "clean diesel" cars and motorcycles/scooters. Public safety officials are growing increasingly concerned about a surge in motorcycle accidents attributed to the fast-growing ranks of newbie bikers ... The good news:  Gas prices are easing by a few pennies a gallon right now.  The bad news:  It looks like the damage may already be done to the U.S. economy in terms of crimping summer vacation plans ... If you've ever wondered why your friends and relatives in other parts of the U.S. pay so much more (or less) for gasoline than you do, make sure to read this Washington Post analysis ... You may already have noticed:  sky-high gas prices and energy independence are major themes in the 2006 mid-term elections ... Could Detroit possibly still not be getting the message?  Even as Toyota and other automakers respond to the public's clear appetite for increased fuel effiency, U.S. automakers are actually introducing heavier and heavier cars that gulp gasoline like it still only costs $1.50 a gallon ...
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FUEL-SIPPING IMPORTS CLOBBER U.S. AUTOMAKERS
August 9, 2006: If you think the American auto industry's problems are limited to Ford, think again.  It's a much bigger problem.  Automotive News is reporting that, through May of this year, over half (52.9 percent) of new vehicles registered by retail customers were import brands and only 47.1 percent were traditional domestic brands made by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group.  There's no longer any room for doubt that a deep craving among American consumers for more fuel-efficient vehicles is driving the record profits at Toyota and other foreign automakers ... That trend isn't likely to change any time soon.  With new price pressures driven by BP's pipeline woes in Alaska and other long-term trends, Wall Street investors are hunkering down for $100-a-barrel oil prices that would mean gas prices of $4 or more per gallon ... You've heard about energy made from corn, soybeans and sawgrass, now get ready to fill up your tank with moonshine distilled from Georgia peaches ...
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$8 A GALLON FOR GAS?
August 2, 2006: Eight dollars a gallon is the real cost to the U.S. for gasoline when you take into account all of the hidden costs, including military expenditures in the Middle East, according to an expert cited in the Chicago Tribune's fascinating "Oil Safari" story ... Who's to blame for high gas prices?  According to an analysis by the Associated Press, oil companies are responsible for more of the problem than they are owning up to ... Toyota continues its vehicle sales climb in the United States, beating Ford for the first month ever. Don't look for Ford's fortunes to turn around any time soon based on what they are rolling out for 2007 ... Won't pick-up truck drivers keep buying gas-hog vehicles no matter what?  Not necessarily.  One survey shows that over 50 percent of truck drivers planning to buy a vehicle in the next six months are considering switching to a regular car or even a hybrid! ... It's a(nother) gas!  Some drivers are borrowing a page from NASCAR drivers and getting a little extra mileage by filling their car tires with nitrogen instead of air ...
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FINALLY A "COOL" ELECTRIC CAR?
July 27, 2006: Do we finally have a fuel-efficient car with some undeniable sex appeal?  This was the big week for media coverage of the all-electric Tesla Motors, which got the star treatment from a variety of leading publications including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and, under the irresistible headline "Go Speed Racer!," the New York Times ... The somewhat more charisma-impaired plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) continued to get coverage with all the continuing interest in Toyota's about-face on plug-in hybrids ... With Exxon continuing to get richer than God, don't expect the media and public interest in hybrids and all-electric cars to go away any time soon ... You also should expect to see more innovations like eRideShare, where consumers can go to the Web to help lower the cost of gassing up at the pump.
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U.S. AUTOMAKERS LAGGING ON FUEL EFFICIENCY
July 19, 2006: No wonder Toyota is now in a position to make a play for General Motors!  U.S. automakers have not learned the lessons of other car makers when it comes to increasing fuel efficiency ...  With gas prices now at $3 a gallon or higher in many parts of the U.S., more and more lower-income Americans are finding it impossible to fill up at the pump ... Give me a break!  Does an oil company executive really think we are going to listen to his thoughts on the possible ethical problems associated with using alternative fuel sources? ... With some signs that the current woes in the Middle East are easing, oil prices are falling back from record highs to still-elevated levels.  But don't look for things to get much better, since the forces driving oil price spkes are nowhere near being tamed ...
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$3.07 PER GALLON RECORD TO FALL?
July 12, 2006: So much for those who said gas prices couldn't possibly remain at such high levels!  On Tuesday, average pump prices climbed to the dreaded $3.00 per gallon mark -- a record level for 2006, up 11 cents in the last two weeks alone and reflecting a half-dollar price jump from one year ago!  Is the post-Katrina, all-time gas price record of $3.07 per gallon now in danger of falling? Federal experts say there is no prospect of any easing in gas prices this summer ... Other U.S. and international companies may be getting serious about energy conservation and climate change, but Detroit is still dragging its heels. Not only are the vast majority of the "least green machines" made right here in the US of A, but it turns out that Detroit already knows how to significantly boost fuel efficiency -- it just isn't using the technology.  Big surprise:  The same genuises who missed the boat on hybrids are now claiming U.S. car buyers don't really want the tech that will result in higher fuel efficiency.  (Think about that blame-the-victim rationalization the next time you get mugged at the gas pump!) ... So, what does needlessly low fuel efficiency in the U.S. mean in hard terms?  Inefficient U.S. cars account for half of the world's vehicle-related greenhouse gases ... A bright light on the horizon?  Consumers may start pushing for wide introduction of PHEVs:  plug-in hybrid vehicles ... On a lighter note, check out this People magazine interview with President Bush in which he claims to be "solving" (!) global warming ...
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Hybrid Buyers: The New Patriots?
July 4, 2006: A thought for July 4th -- There is more to buying a hybrid car than saving money on gasoline.  For many Americans, it's a way to help keep our country more secure, making it an expression of patriotism.   And if you have any doubts about that, go back to the 40mpg.org/Civil Society Institute survey released on March 15, 2006:  "A growing number of Americans think 'it is patriotic to drive a more fuel-efficient vehicle since it requires less fuel to run, and therefore, can help to reduce U.S. dependency on Middle Eastern oil.'  Today, 71 percent of Americans agree with that statement, including 66 percent of conservatives.  When the same question was posed in a 40mpg.org survey released on March 17, 2005, two thirds of Americans agreed with the statement, including 57 percent of conservatives." ... An interesting new survey from Rasmussen Reports:  44 percent of Americans believe that, in 10 years, most new cars sold will be hybrid vehicles using both a traditional motor and an electric engine ... And automakers are paying attention:  GM is now looking into manufacturing a plug-in hybrid ... With up to 60mpg possible, the Smart Car is finally on its way to the United States, thanks to Mercedes ... We are off for the holiday weekend.
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OIL PRICES TO TRIPLE?
June 22, 2006: A chilling warning this week from the Saudis:  Oil prices could triple if the situation between Iran and the United States does not end amicably ... Politically tone-deaf oil company executives were back this week to tell American consumers that they really don't have it so bad ... The Big Oil suggestion that energy independence for America is a "bad idea" drew this tart response from CNN's Jack Cafferty ... Growing U.S. media attention focuses on "cornfields versus oilfields," but some are keeping a watchful eye on the substantial water-related demands associated with ethanol production ... Meanwhile, the "Brazilian miracle" in which oil has been replaced with sugar cane and other substitutes continues ... Has global warming already had an impact on your life? If so, ABC News wants to hear about it ...
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ANOTHER BAD MONTH FOR DETROIT
June 14, 2006: The May sales figures are in and it was another brutal month for U.S. automakers, especially those reliant on SUVs and other gas-gulping vehicles ... While Detroit fiddles, Toyota continues to move ahead aggressively with plans for wider introduction of hybrids, including a willingess to explore the plug-in alternative that the Japanese carmaker once pooh-poohed ... The New York Times offers an interesting look at large versus small car collisions ... Is hydrogen as a fuel alternative "accelerating along a road to nowhere"? ... With all the concerns about high prices, maybe it is finally time to bring back passenger rail travel in the United States ... The Chinese government is exploring new approaches to fuel-efficiency and energy conservation that may end up leaving Washington in the dust ... 
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HYBRID BANDWAGON GROWING
June 9, 2006: Corporate America is getting on board the hybrid bandwagon.  The Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal reported this week that more and more companies are offering major incentives to employees who buy or lease more fuel-efficient vehicles.  In the Boston area, Bank of America Corp. is offering workers $3,000 cash incentive to buy hybrid cars.  Google is providing $5,000 to employees toward the purchase of a hybrid vehicle and $2,500 for those who lease one.  Even cities are getting in on the act:  New Haven is letting hybrid car owners park free at their meters! ... The political clout behind ethanol seems to be growing with each passing day ... Even with the death of the insurgent al-Zarqawi in Iraq, gas prices remain over $70 a barrel ... Is "clean diesel" the next big thing for American car buyers?  New steps by the Environmental Protection Agency should widen the range of available vehicles for sale in the U.S., a step that 40mpg.org has been urging since last year ...
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Exxon Melts Under Shareholder Heat
June 1, 2006: What happens when you position yourself as "the Darth Vader of global warming," pay your outgoing CEO a king's ransom and also rake in record quarterly profits due to sky-high gas prices?  When it came time for its shareholder gathering this week, Exxon Mobil ended up facing some real wrath.  The ice sculpture of its logo outside of the Exxon annual meeting wasn't the only thing wilting in the face of all the heat ... Wouldn't it just be cheaper to make more fuel-efficient cars?  GM is pushing a new sales pitch in California:  It is offering to pay people who buy their vehicles the difference between $1.99 and whatever it is that they actually shell out for gasoline. Looks like GM may be paying out some money if its sales gimmick catches on:  Experts are forecasting that gasoline prices won't drop under $2.60 for the entire summer ... Is this any way to cure an oil addiction?  President Bush's new budget would cut about a dozen federal energy conservation programs ... Check out the Civil Society Institute report showing that "more than three out of five Americans (61 percent) say the nation can't 'afford to wait ... to put in place part of the solution to the energy crisis and global warming' if 'building more nuclear power plants will take a decade or more in the U.S. and cost tens of billions of dollars.' Only a third said the U.S. could wait for more nuclear power plants to come on-line as a way to dealing with today's energy and climate woes ...
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CONSUMER REPORTS LEAVES DETROIT IN THE DUST
May 24, 2006: Consumer Reports is out with its new list of the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the market. The bad news for Detroit:  Only two of the vehicles Consumer Reports cites for good fuel economy are made by U.S. automakers ... Ethanol and biodiesel are basking in the media limelight today.  Read the coverage here, here and here ...  And speaking of ethanol:  How does 6,786 miles to the gallon sound right about now?  European students are making major strides in an annual contest to squeeze more miles out of existing technology ... The Sierra Club isn't letting the Bush Adminstration off the hook for its lame "increases" in fuel-efficiency standards ... Once the province of tech geeks, the plug-in hybrid conversion is gaining popularity in the auto mainstream ...
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TIPPING POINT ON FUEL-EFFICIENT CARS?
May 18, 2006: Ever wonder what it would take to get half of Americans to rush out on the spot and buy a hybrid or another fuel-efficient vehicles?  Industry surveys show the "magic number" is $3.75 ... or even less for a gallon of gasoline. Remember the days when that price level seemed like a totally insane idea? ... With gas prices still going up, what might be called "bathtub ethanol" is now enjoying some popularity with the home-brewing crowd ... Congress is not alone in looking at proposals to reduce gas taxes; the idea also is catching on in state legislatures ... Small car fever is raging through the auto industry, with Honda thinking about scrapping the venerable Insight in favor of a cheaper hybrid car ... Just try not to smile when you read this:  At least one member of Congress thinks that federal elected officials shouldn't be given an incentive to rent gas-hog SUVs when they go back to visit the "little people" ...
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HYBRIDS: THE NEW ECONOMY CARS?
May 10, 2006: It might be too soon to dub hybrids the "new economy car," but a new study from the Consumer Federation of America says that Congress can help make that a reality by pushing for a federal 50 mpg fuel-efficiency standard:  "The CFA analysis shows that at $3 a gallon even purchasing a 48 miles per gallon vehicle today makes sense for consumers because higher auto loan payments for more efficient cars are recouped by the money saved paying for lower monthly gas purchases" ... But, from the look of things, you should't be holding your breath for Congressional action on improved fuel-efficiency standards any time soon ... Meanwhile, Detroit's motor sales continue to hit rock bottom, even as Toyota posts a record quarterly profit ... As oil prices continue to gyrate above and below $70 a barrel, talk continues about $100 a barrel prices later this year, which would mean $5 a gallon for gas and another 30 percent boost in winter heating oil costs ... 
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CONSUMERS TAKE THEIR GOUGING ... AND DO NOT LIKE IT
May 3, 2006: The worsening pain at the pump is fueling more and more consumer anger. And who can blame motorists for lashing out?   Even Bush Administration figures now admit that gas prices are likely to remain high for three years ... Senate Republicans are throwing out gas-price "plans" one day and abandoning them the next ... and profit-bloated oil companies are defiantly unsympathetic when it comes to the plight of consumers.  So, what's a fed-up motorist to do?  How about insisting that your elected U.S. House and Senate members go on record as to whether or not they support a windfall tax on the excess profits of oil companies with the revenue proceeds going to develop alternative energy?   You can send that message right here at 40MPG.org.  And let us know what your member of Congress says; we intend to publish the list of who stands where on this issue ... Looking for some good news?  Here are some headlines that hold out hope:  10 States, in Challenge to U.S., Plan Suit to Force Better Mileage Rules for S.U.V.'s ... Challenging Toyota's Hybrid Hegemony ... and Coming Soon: Cars That Get 100 Miles Per Gallon ...
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BUSH S DROP IN THE OIL BUCKET
April 26, 2006: With gasoline prices spiking by nearly a quarter in two weeks and more sky-high oil profit announcements, it was inevitable:  President Bush outlined a "plan" to reduce gas prices.  However, the reviews haven't been kind. For example, two stories running today in the Los Angeles Times are entitled "Bush's Proposals Viewed as a Drop in the Oil Bucket" and "Why Gas Prices Won't Go Down."  Not to be outdone, MSNBC.com offers this assessment: "Bush Plan Will Do Little to Ease Pain at the Pump" ... Have the sneaking suspicion that you are paying higher gasoline prices than people in other parts of the country?  You can find out for sure by consulting this colorful gasoline price "temperature map" ... Yes, there is someone who gets worse gasoline mileage than you do.  Check out this New York Times story on some of the worst-polluting, least efficient "vehicles" in America:  riding lawnmowers ... Suddenly, reporters are taking fuel-efficiency seriously with stories on lithium battery powered cars (you read that right: 300 miles per five-hour charge!), the sudden surge in moped use and the jump in public bus/train ridership ... Of course, not everyone waited until the 11th hour to get smart about gas-sipping car technology; the San Francisco Chronicle has a fascinating story on how Toyota became the leader in commercially successful hybrid vehicles ...
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$4.50 A GALLON?!
April 21, 2006: With gas prices rising rapidly, spot shortages of gasoline are being forecast ... and pumps are already starting to run dry in Philadelphia and elsewhere ... The result:  Gas prices that could put even those post-Katrina rip offs to shame.  Pump prices already have been spotted over $4 in California ... and an even steeper $4.50 per gallon in New York City! ... To find the lowest gas prices where you live, check out GasBuddy.com ... The soaring prices at the pump are looking more and more like prime fodder for the 2006 and 2008 elections ... Look for growing demand for diesel vehicles, which will become more widely available in the U.S. soon ... Looking for hope when it comes to global warming? The Civil Society Institute has released a paper outlining five "practical and flexible" climate-change solutions that could actually result in economic growth and more jobs for America ...      
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HYBRIDS HEAT UP AS GAS SOARS
April 12, 2006: No wonder the Gallup polling organization found that 57 percent of Americans now say they would consider buying a gas-sipping hybrid:  Experts are warning that -- not only are lower fuel prices now permanently "in the rear view mirror" of American drivers -- but this summer's prices at the pump are likely to be up 25 cents or more from last summer's already sky-high levels ... As the Big Apple goes, so goes the nation?  Prices at the pump have been spotted at the $3 or higher level this week in New York City ... Just in time for next April 15th: hybrid car tax credits for 2006 are now out from the IRS ... Hybrids may be hotter than ever, but there are more signs out there of a brewing anti-hybrid backlash on the part of gas-guzzling drivers ...
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A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A FUEL-EFFICIENCY STANDARD
April 5, 2006: The much-hyped Bush Administration increases in fuel efficiency standards turn out to be much ado about nothing.   The new rules for light trucks -- including SUVs and minivans -- only require a pathetic increase in fuel efficiency of less than two miles per gallon ... by 2011!  As one observer noted of the lame move: "It's a bit like telling a three-pack-a-day smoker to give up one cigarette a day" ... Good news from California!  The grassroots push for action on global warming continues:  "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's top environmental advisors, in a report on how to combat global warming, are recommending that the state require power plant operators and other heavy industries to report the amount of greenhouse gas they emit." ... On December 1, 2005, 40mpg.org and the Civil Society Institute released a survey showing that 88 percent of Americans want access to the 86 or more highly fuel-efficient vehicles available for sale in other nations, but not here in the U.S.  It sounds like automakers may finally be listening to their customers. Some of those "off limits" vehicles -- including the Honda Fit and the Toyota Yaris -- are finally going to make their way to American car showrooms ...

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GAS HOG DISHONOR ROLL
March 29, 2006: In the market for the worst possible fuel economy from your vehicle?  Look no farther than this astonishing "dishonor roll" of the biggest gas hogs on the road today that are helping to keep America addicted to foreign oil ... Global warming is no longer something that can be ignored:  Time magazine's new cover story warns that Americans should "be very worried" about climate change dangers ... and a new study warns that much of New York City, Florida and other coastal regions around the globe could be underwater by 2100 ... Now that gas prices are on the rise again, more and more Americans are focusing on fuel efficiency as a key vehicle purchase consideration.  Want some help finding a gas-sipping car?  Environmental Defense has some helpful tips for you to consider ... If you aren't upset already you will be:  You will want to go out and vote against someone when you read this New York Times story about how Congress is lavishing billions of dollars on special considerations for the profit-bloated oil industry ...
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AMERICANS WORRIED ABOUT OIL SUPPLY
March 22, 2006: 77 percent of Americans now think that the world's oil supply will fail to keep up with demand ... The energy market seems to be on the same page:  Prices are edging back up at the pump over the $2.50 a gallon mark ... No wonder Americans are craving more leadership on energy and global warming issues.  You can read coverage of the Civil Society Institute/40mpg.org survey on that topic at Reuters, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Environment News Service ... Is "E85" the answer to America's energy needs when it comes to vehicles? ... No wonder that the dinosaur "luxury SUV" market is tanking ... From the "think big" department:  A new competition is launched for a practical 250 mpg (!) production car ...
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TAKE ME TO YOUR GLOBAL WARMING LEADER
March 15, 2006: Americans of all political beliefs are disgruntled about weak federal leadership on global warming and energy issues, while lining up solidly behind the growing number of state and local efforts to rein in climate change problems and to tap alternative fuel sources, according to a major new Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) national survey released today by the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (CSI) and 40MPG.org, which is a project of the CSI think tank ... You can listen to the CSI/40mpg.org news event here as of 6 p.m. today ...  Also out today:  A new CSI report, "Policy Abhors a Vacuum," outlining the growing number of steps that "more than 40 states, and almost 200 municipalities are taking to address global warming concerns" ...
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RECALL OF A SLAM ON HYBRIDS
March 9, 2006: Consumer Reports has issued the magazine equivalent of a recall this week - acknowledging that it got tripped up by bad math in an article concluding that hybrid owners pay more than owners of other cars ... Of course, that doesn't mean all hybrids are born equal.  There is growing concern that some new vehicles labeled as "hybrids" are not exactly models of fuel effiency ...  Revenge of the dinosaurs?:  SUV owners want the same kind of tax breaks that hybrids are getting.   Presumably, this tax policy would aim to worsen America's already dangerous addiction to Middle Eastern oil  ... Fortunately, not  everyone around the globe is so shortsighted when it comes to promoting alternatives to oil.  Europeans are hard at work on finding a viable synthetic substitute to power autos and other vehicles ...  Good news in Virginia:  State lawmakers keep in place access for hybrid owners to special freeway travel lanes ...
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THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY INDEPENDENCE?
March 2, 2006: Is it time for a U.S. Director of Energy Security with a wide-ranging portfolio not unlike that of the Homeland Security czar?  It's an intriguing idea that is being floated by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who has become increasingly outspoken in recent months on the need for new ideas to wean America from its dangerous addiction to foreign oil ... We might need someone in that job sooner than later.  With gas prices poised to start climbing again, OPEC is sending signals that oil at $60 a barrel or higher may be here for good ... Will they ever make up their mind?  DaimlerChrysler is hinting -- again! -- that it may want to bring the popular European "Smart Car" to the United States.  You've seen these wheels recently in movie previews for both "The Pink Panther" remake and "The DaVinci Code" ... The wheels of the bus will go round and round (just a lot more quietly) now that hybrid school buses are making their way onto the scene ... Global warming news round-up:  Western states are leading the way on climate change action, according to USA Today ... and the New York Times reports that Americans would be willing to pay a higher gas tax if the proceeds were used to fight global warming and/or to discover alternative energy sources.
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HYBRID FOR THE MASSES?
February 24, 2006: Is a cheaper hybrid car on the horizon?  Honda wants to retrofit one of its smallest compacts into a lighter, low-power hybrid that would sell for less than $12,000 ... Everyone wants to get in on the hybrid act.  Mercedes is talking up an S Class that would deliver greater fuel efficiency without "sacrificing luxury" ... Huh?  What exactly are those "startling" breakthroughs in energy technology that President Bush was talking about this week? ... Don't look for any "breakthroughs" by Congress in cracking down on obscene profits for oil companies.  The Bush Administration has made it clear that it will veto any effort by Capitol Hill to rein in accounting schemes used by oil companies to keep their ridiculously low taxes as low as possible ...Don't think the U.S. can do better on federal fuel efficiency standards?  Even the Chinese -- who have perhaps the weakest environment protections of any large government on Earth -- are requiring higher gas mileage results than does the U.S.!
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US AUTOMAKERS LEFT BEHIND
February 17, 2006: Another sign of the woes of U.S. automakers:  Cars from Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and Kia hold 10 of the top 12 spots in the annual "green car" survey released this week by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.   As the Los Angeles Times notes, there is an interesting twist in the ACEEE ratings: "Only three of the most environmentally friendly vehicles are gas-electric hybrids because advances in fuel economy and emissions controls have boosted conventional cars onto the list."  Just not U.S. cars for the most part ... While you are surfing the ACEEE Web site, take the time to check out the estimated federal tax breaks for hybrid owners.  The IRS has not yet come out with the official numbers ... Incentives for car owners to go hybrid are sparking some backlashes here and there, including grumbling in the Washington, D.C. area about special access for hybrids to faster travel lanes ... Don't get your hopes up about the recent easing of some energy prices.  Experts say there is more trouble ahead on the energy supply front ...
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NOT SO SUPER CAR ADS
February 10, 2006: If you watched the Super Bowl, you will appreciate this comment from MSNBC about the auto ads during the event: "So, to summarize: Toyota was a winner, with inventive, novel advertising. Ford and GM were losers with tired misfires.  Sounds a lot like Detroit's recent history." ...Clean car programs adopted by 10 states will reduce global warming emissions by 64 million metric tons per year in 2020, an amount greater than the national emissions of more than 140 nations, according to a new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) ... The BBC is carrying an interesting story on the grassroots movement in the United States to reduce our dangerous dependence on Middle Eastern oil ... What would it really take to break America's reliance on foreign oil?  Michael Brune from Oil Change International sets out his ideas on "a national intervention, and a 12-step program to break America's oil addiction." ...  Not so fast, says Exxon Mobil.  America should just get used to the idea that it is hooked on foreign oil and nothing is going to change that fact ...
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BUSH BACKTRACKS ON OIL ADDICTION
February 3, 2006: Never mind!  The State of the Union Speech delivered by President Bush included some seemingly tough talk about America being "addicted to oil" and the need to sharply reduce foreign oil.   Not so much, as it turns out.  As Knight Ridder reported:  "One day after President Bush vowed to reduce America's dependence on Middle East oil by cutting imports from there 75 percent by 2025, his energy secretary and national economic adviser said Wednesday that the president didn't mean it literally." ... If you think gas prices are bad today, just wait until oil soars out of sight to $262 a barrel! ... Even without triple-digit oil prices, ExxonMobil posted another quarter of record (obscene?) profits ... Want to see Exxon get the comeuppance it so richly deserves?  Check out this Flash movie from TrueMajority.org ... Even after the pampered treatment they got the last time, oil company executives are now refusing to testify in new hearings on Capitol Hill ... Another myth debunked:  There is no factual basis to suggest that hybrids pose some kind of danger to emergency rescue teams ...
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BAILING OUT DETROIT?
January 27, 2006: As Ford unveiled plans to lay off as many as 30.000 workers, the talk in Washington started turning to a possible bail-out of Motor City.  Meanwhile, the U.S. economy is struggling to keep posting strong numbers in the face of slumping auto sales ... Time magazine had an interesting article on Bill Ford and how he plans to try and save the family business ... Another myth debunked:  New tests by Consumer Reports show that hybrids are just as safe as other autos ... Remember all those experts who said the post-Katrina old price spike was a one-time blip?  After briefly easing a bit, the cost of a barrel is right back to where it was in the wake of the hurricanes ... Pass this link along to any "Flat Earthers" you may know who are still pooh poohing the solid science of global warming:  The official records show 2005 was the warmest year -- in a century! ... 
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SO MUCH FOR FALLING GAS PRICES
January 20, 2006: So much for falling gas prices!   The nuclear standoff with Iran - combined with continuing turmoil in Nigeria - is leading to talk of oil prices jumping to more than $70 a barrel ...  Even more telling in terms of America's addict-like over reliance on Middle Eastern oil:  Iran is threatening to cut off oil exports to the West if the UN (led by the US) does something of which it disapproves ... In a big step toward bringing hybrids to the mainstream, Toyota is bringing out a fuel-efficient version of its popular Camry sedan .. Six former heads of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - including five Republicans - can agree on at least one thing:  the Bush Administration needs to start taking global warming more seriously ... Is global warming already beyond the point of no return?  Amid some of the most dire global warming predictions ever, many experts are saying that there is still time to turn around our climate change woes ...
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January 13, 2006: Here's another nail in the coffin of SUVs and other fuel-wasting vehicles:  "Only six of the 44 SUVs but not one of the 15 pickups tested (by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) earned top scores for their seat and head restraints." So much for the notion that bigger means safer for drivers and their passengers ... Too little too late?  After years of foot dragging, Detroit is finally waking up to the fact that Americans want more fuel efficient vehicles ... Faced with imminent bankruptcy, General Motors is slashing prices on 80 percent of its cars ... Detroit may soon have a more cosmopolitan feeling; Toyota is thinking about setting up shop in the previously unchallenged bastion of the American automobile industry ... Just when you think there's no possible way for the U.S. auto industry to slip even further behind in terms of innovation,  along comes Honda with a fresh new approach to alternative energy that could end up transforming how we fuel both cars and homes ...
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January 6, 2006: The holiday season was not kind to the manufacturers of fuel-inefficient vehicles:  "The SUV sales decline was even more pronounced at U.S. automakers General Motors and Ford, which reported sales that were down 10.2 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively, in the month of December, with sales of GM's largest SUVs, such as the Suburban, down 36 percent and Ford's flagship Explorer SUV seeing a decline of 24 percent in the month." ... And even though there is some concern about the sustainability of red-hot increases in hybrid auto sales, the message is finally sinking in for automakers:  Americans want more fuel-efficient cars ... And who can blame us? The final figures for 2005 show that, even with the modest moderation at the pump in the last few months of the year, gas prices still rose a whopping 40 percent in 2005 ... While you are looking in the rear-view mirror at last year, we should all ponder this unsettling overview of recent climate-change related news ... Want to do something to atone for your vehicular carbon consumption?  One organization is offering an interesting approach for concerned motorists ... Was one of your New Year's resolutions to switch to a hybrid car?  If so, make sure you get a handle on the new tax breaks for hybrid owners ...
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December 30, 2005: 2005 may be remembered in the automotive world as the year of the hybrid, with U.S. sales of the fuel-efficient cars doubling from 2004 levels ...  The news was not so good for U.S. automakers, including GM, which will continue to be dogged in early 2006 by rumors of imminent bankruptcy ... Think the days of high gasoline prices are a thing of the past?  Don't bet on it, say the experts.  World energy supplies will remain so tight for the foreseeable future that even the smallest hitch in the flow of oil could send prices at the gas pump soaring into the stratosphere all over again ... Country and western star Willie Nelson is singing a new tune:  biodiesel fuel, which he is selling as "BioWillie" in Texas and three other states ...
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December 23, 2005: Congress has left town for another year – without taking meaningful action to reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil. The case for higher federal fuel-efficiency standards is now clearer than ever. As the Washington Post points out: "The United States this year has imported about 59 percent of the more than 20 million barrels of oil a day it has consumed." ... Higher fuel efficiency is not just good for the environment - it also means more money in your pocket. American consumers will pay $8.7 billion more than they should at the gas pump in 2006 because of shortsighted automobile fuel economy policies, according to a new report from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund ... Ready or not Detroit! Foreign automakers are shipping more and more subcompacts to the United States on the sound rationale that Americans are ready to buy and increasingly want fuel-efficient cars... Sign of the times: As GM shares hit an 18-year low, the struggling U.S. car company is about to be left in the dust by Toyota, which is poised to become the world's No. 1 automaker in 2006 ...
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December 16, 2005: More than 1,500 concerned Americans have used the 40mpg.org Web site to tell Congress to stop gas price gouging by Big Oil companies.  Have you done so?  If not, please send your email today!  ... The 40mpg.org "import more cars, not foreign oil" campaign is getting attention.  You can read about it in United Press International, the Christian Science Monitor and this editorial appearing in the Cape Cod Times.   Not available online is an article from Inside Fuel and Vehicles:  "New survey data indicates growing consumer support for raising corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards and increasing the number of foreign-made, fuel-efficient automobiles in the U.S. market. Growing consumer demand for improved fuel economy could sway historically weak congressional support for new bills expected in 2006 to raise federal fuel economy standards ..."
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Another myth busted
December 9, 2005: Another myth busted -- many of the cars that the insurance industry rates as the safest are smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles ... Move over hybrids.  The next hot thing may be "trybrids" ... The demise of the self-destructing U.S. auto industry continues apace with rumors that Ford is about to close eight of its North American manufacturing plants ... So much for falling energy prices! The cold snap on the East Coast sent oil back up over $61 a barrel -- this after oil company executives fretted publicly about the short-term phenomenon of falling energy prices ...  Have a friend who is still skeptical about global warming?  Check out this fact sheet page from NOAA on the 2005 record-setting hurricane season ...
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Import more cars, not more fuel?
December 1, 2005: Ever heard of the Ford Fiesta that gets 45mpg in the city and 60mpg on the highway?  Not familiar with the Volkswagen Lupo with a combined city/highway rating of 53.5 mpg?  Don't remember a car salesman ever offering you a test drive in a GM Opel/Vauxhall Tigra that does better than 60mpg on the open road?   Never been passed by the sleek BMW 5 Series Saloon that gets 50mpg on the highway?  You are far from alone.  According to new research by 40mpg.org/Civil Society Institute, these are just a few of the 86 or more car models that get a combined rating of 40mpg or better ... but are not sold in the U.S., where only five cars are rated as highly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Adding insult to injury:  Most of these fuel-efficient vehicles are either made by U.S. manufacturers or foreign car makers with extensive U.S. sales operations.  This situation does not sit well with millions of frustrated Americans consumers who face both high gas prices and often lengthy delays when trying to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles in the U.S.  Nine out of 10 Americans (88 percent) say that "U.S. consumers should be able to get the best of the more fuel-efficient vehicles that already are available in other countries," according to a new Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) national opinion poll conducted for 40mpg.org and the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute. Read our news release issued today ...
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GM: Cooked Turkey?
November 25, 2005: Happy Thanksgiving!   You are probably basking in the glow of the holiday right now ... unless you are one of the 30,000 employees that struggling U.S. automaker GM is laying off.  More bad news this week as General Motors continues its too-little-too-late efforts to recover from the short-term mindset that got it into $2 billion worth of trouble ... Fortunately, some people are trying to figure out how to salvage at least some of the U.S. auto industry. Sen. Barack Obama, D-IL., is part of a bipartisan group in Congress that wants to give Detroit a break on health care costs in exchange for reinvesting more industry profits in energy-saving technology ... It just might be that a student sitting in a college classroom right now will come up with the next big breakthrough in reducing our dependence on Middle Eastern oil ... What about hydrogen as the magic bullet for cutting vehicle oil consumption?  Don't look for that technology to pay off until 2020 ... if even then.  For now, "clean diesel" and hybrids are probably the best bet ... Not getting the promised gas mileage for your car?  Check out these useful tips on how to get your mileage up and trips to the gas pump down ...
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Prices Down, But Doubts Up
November 18, 2005: Even as there is some good news this week on oil prices, there is increasing evidence that Big Oil executives may have lied under oath when they testified before Congress.  No wonder they did want to make their statements under oath! ... Even if there are some indications of easing gas prices at the pump, the long-term energy supply picture remains gloomy, with experts warning that the world may be perilously close today to the "bottom of the barrel" – the oil barrel, that is ...
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November 11, 2005: Had a hard time restraining the impulse to scream at your television while watching those Big Oil executives deny to Congress that they are price gougers?   You are not alone; join the thousands who already have signed the 40mpg.org petition demanding action by Congress against gas pump price manipulations ...  Not upset yet at Big Oil?  You will be hopping mad after reading this Friends of the Earth analysis of the $14 billion in federal welfare that oil companies are getting – even as they rake in record profits!  ... Other news of note this week:  ... investments in alternative energy are up ... are federal fuel-efficiency standards overstated? ... and greenhouse gas emissions will rise 52 percent by 2030 unless we start taking action NOW!
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November 4, 2005: Have you spoken out yet against gasoline price gouging?   Join the 1,500 Americans who already have let Capitol Hill know that they are sick and tired of getting hammered at the gasoline pump by Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia, that support anti-U.S. hate and by big oil companies that are now drowning in a sea of profits ...  And then there was one.  See why some experts now think that two of America's big three automakers are doomed to end up in the dustbin of history ... Thanks to high gasoline prices, public transportation is finally getting some long-overdue respect.  "Cities from Austin, Texas, to Washington, D.C., are reporting double-digit increases in ridership on their buses and light-rail systems, according to the American Public Transportation Association." ... Make sure to check this out:  47 vehicles  that get 35 miles per gallon or more.  You have to sign-up to get the details, but it's free to do so ...
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October 28, 2005: "Windfall?  What windfall?"  It takes real chutzpah, but that's the message today from Exxon Mobil in the wake of its record third quarter earnings of nearly $10 billion – that is based on an also record-setting $100 billion in quarterly sales ...   Of course, the only people who may be able to do even more laughing all the way to the bank are the Saudis and other oil-rich Middle Eastern states.  They now have plenty of your money to fuel the turmoil and unrest that feeds al Qaeda.  Bloomberg reports:  "Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and three other Persian Gulf monarchies will generate a record $305 billion of oil revenue this year, a third more than in 2004, on higher international oil prices ..."   Fed up with all the price gouging at the gas pump? Sign the 40mpg.org petition to stop oil price abuses and to promote more fuel-efficient vehicles ...
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October 21, 2005: Yes, it is unusually warm in most parts of the U.S.  In fact, the United States experienced its fourth warmest September on record, while global land surface temperatures were the warmest ever for the month, according to the NOAA National Climatic Data Center.  Three East Coast states had their driest September on record, while the month was the eleventh driest for the nation overall.  Wonder how global warming flat-earthers are beating the unseasonably warm temps?  ... Hybrid demand is expected to grow sharply.  Sanyo anticipates annual production of hybrid vehicles jumping to 3 million worldwide by 2010 -- accounting for 7 percent of the 44 million passenger-car market.  Toyota is already looking ahead to newer technology with its Fine-X, which is powered by an electric battery and a hydrogen fuel cell ... Get ready to be Zapped!  U.S. auto importer/customizer ZAP is planning to sell 15,000 retrofitted Smart Cars in 2006.  Designed for narrow streets and tiny parking spots in Rome and Paris, the fuel-stingy vehicles are only about eight feet long and barely five feet tall.
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October 14, 2005: More bad news for Detroit -- Ford Motor Co., with its hybrid SUVs, is the only American carmaker to crack the federal government's top-10 fuel economy list for 2006 vehicles.  The manual version of the hybrid Honda Insight tops the list, with 60 miles per gallon in the city and 66 mpg on the highway, and the hybrid Toyota Prius is second with 60 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway ... Americans consume 45 percent of all gasoline produced worldwide, so what's it going to take to get us to conserve?  New ideas are being floated about possible gas tax changes ... If you consult the dictionary, you will find this item is the definition of "too little too late":  With SUV sales going the way of the dinosaur, Detroit is finally waking up to the fact that small is beautiful ...
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October 7, 2005: It only took a week for more than 1,300 people to sign our petition urging Congress and the White House to do something about gasoline price gouging and also to take action to impose higher federal fuel-efficiency standards on cars and other vehicles! Please check it out today ... Look to the states for action:  New Jersey is suing three oil companies for gouging consumers at the pump in the wake of Hurricane Katrina ... Here's an ominous sign for Detroit:  SUV sales are down, but store owners can't stock enough bicycles to meet consumer demand ... Too young to have lived through the 1970s energy crisis?  Don't worry, it looks like you are going to get a chance to relive that era in all its "glory" ... Want to have the key facts about America's addiction to foreign oil handy?  Check out this outstanding fact sheet from the Sierra Club:  By the Numbers: America's Energy Supply and Demand ...
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September 27, 2005: You can read the latest coverage of the 40mpg.org/Civil Society Institute survey about the changing views of Americans on energy issues at CNN Money, Dow Jones MarketWatch and the Dallas Morning News ...  Please express your opposition to price gouging and support positive action by Congress and the White House on vehicle fuel efficiency standards.  Click here to sign our new petition!
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September 22, 2005: Fed up with price gouging and federal inaction on energy, four out of five Americans - including 76 percent of Republicans - would support "a tax on the windfall profits of oil companies" if the resulting revenues were devoted to alternative energy research, according to a new Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) national opinion poll conducted for 40mpg.org and the Civil Society Institute. Among the key findings: four out of five adults say the federal government is not doing enough about high energy prices and America's over-reliance on Middle Eastern oil; and nearly three out of four Americans believe that recent gasoline price hikes now make it more important that the federal government impose higher fuel-efficiency standards ... In response to the pent-up public concerns, 40mpg.org is launching an online petition today allowing Americans to tell their members of Congress and the White House that they want action NOW on price gouging and other energy issues ...
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September 19, 2005: It looks like America is finally stirring from its deep slumber as a result of getting slapped upside the head with a big-time wake-up call on gas prices.   "Eight in 10 people say it's important for Americans now driving sport utility vehicles to switch to more fuel-efficient vehicles to reduce the nation's dependence on oil," according to a new Pew poll ...  Meanwhile, automakers in Japan and even Europe, South Korea and China (!) are taking steps to crank out tens of thousands of new, more fuel-efficient vehicles.  Detroit, as usual, is still dawdling and has yet not jumped on the bandwagon ...  Part of what's going on here is a panic about record-high gasoline prices, which are pinching American consumers hard – even though there are sometimes major variations in what it costs to fill up in different parts of the U.S. ... Unfortunately, things are just going to get worse as the cold weather months set in and low-income Americans are confronted with what experts fear will be quite literally killer home heating bills ...
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September 12, 2005: Sometimes, all it takes is dose of reality to get people focused on the need for change.  In the wake of the Katrina catastrophe, some Senators are rethinking their decision earlier this year to leave vehicle fuel efficiency standards unchanged ... Energy cost hikes may be easing somewhat as order returns to Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, but the fact remains:  Another major hurricane strike in the Gulf Coast area would deal a "devastating" blow to U.S. energy supplies.  With 10-12 hurricanes to go yet this season, that's the kind of thought that makes for sleepless nights ...  Americans feel that they are getting gouged by profit-engorged oil companies and the politicians who normally jump to the tune of Big Oil are finally making some noise about gasoline prices ... Finally, you may not be so desperate that you've parked your Mustang in favor of getting around on a Shetland (pony), but the chances are still good that you wouldn't mind new tips on how to cut your sky-high gas bills down to size ...
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September 5, 2005: The devastation of Hurricane Katrina should wipe away any uncertainty that might exist about the link between U.S. energy policy and U.S. national security ... Facing the prospect of shortages and gas lines, Americans want more emphasis on fuel issues, with nearly seven out of 10 saying they are already feeling the pinch of rising gas prices ...  Don't look for any relief at the gas pump any time soon ... Gas prices jumped in some parts of the U.S. by half a dollar on Wednesday and experts warn that releasing a small amount of America's strategic petroleum reserve isn't going to make much of a difference ...
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August 29, 2005: Just how fragile is the energy supply line to the United States?   The threat of hurricane Katrina and fears that it would strike the main Gulf of Mexico collection point in Louisiana for crude oil caused energy prices to spike north of $70 a barrel Monday.   Even though that sky-high price level will ease, experts continue to warn that brutal gas prices paid by consumers are not going to go away any time soon ... What are other people like you doing to cope with high energy prices?  Here is what people are telling MSNBC about their coping strategies in the face of crippling gasoline pump ... Who consumes the most energy in the United States?   Here's a hint:  His first name and middle initial are "George" and "W" ...
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August 24, 2005: Did you hear that the Bush Administration is going to save you money at the pump by imposing tougher federal fuel standards? If so, you heard wrong. As the Sierra Club noted Tuesday: "Today, the Bush administration announced plans that would weaken the nation's most successful oil-savings law. Instead of making meaningful improvements in the fuel economy of America's pickup trucks, SUVs, and other light trucks, the administration's proposal creates new loopholes that will weaken Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. This will result in Americans paying more at the gas pump, deepening the country's oil dependence, and exacerbating global warming." So much for the spin from the White House! ... What is the answer? It's simple: 40 mpg. The reality is that the technology exists today to make all vehicles average 40 miles per gallon in the next decade. Based on current gas prices, this step would save the average driver $2,200 in fuel savings over the lifetime of their vehicle ... eliminate the need for more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge combined ... reduce the dangers of global warming ... and strengthen U.S. national security. What's not to like?
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August 22, 2005: Feeling the pain yet from gasoline prices at or near $3 a gallon?  Sure signs of trouble and unrest can be seen in retail sales that are suffering as consumers pinch pennies to pay at the pump, the divide between rich and poor that is getting even worse, and worried politicians scrambling for cover when confronted by angry voters ... How is the Bush team responding to out-of-control gas prices? The White House wants to let Hummers and other dino-SUVs off the hook on tougher fuel efficiency standards!  Wait ... isn't this the Administration that is against assisted suicide?  ... Make sure to check out this Associated Press story about how a California inventor has figured out how to tinker with his Prius hybrid to get 250 miles per gallon ...
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August 15, 2005: President Bush says that he will vacation in Crawford, Texas, no matter how hot it gets there.  That's good, because as our new "Crawford Global Warming Forecast" (see green box at right) shows, it's going to get much, much warmer down on the ranch ... With oil prices soaring to $66 a barrel, more bad news:  Expect to live with sky-high gasoline prices for the foreseeable future, according to the federal government ...  If you are old enough to have lived through the energy-pinched 1970s, you know what's next:   growing public discontent about sky-high gasoline prices, including this 600-truck protest blockade in Southern Florida ...
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August 8, 2005: What does Consumer Reports think are the best buys among the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the market today? Among the respected magazine's top picks are the Toyota Sienna LE minivan, Honda Pilot EX and Toyota RAV4 sport-utility vehicles and the Scion xB wagon … Japan continues to beat in the heads of Detroit automakers on the fuel-efficiency front. According to the Associated Press: "Toyota Motor wants hybrids to make up 25 percent of its U.S. sales by early in the next decade and is considering adding the technology to its entire lineup, including trucks, Toyota's North American president Jim Press said today. 'To us, it's not a passing phase but a vital technology for the 21st century,' Press said at an annual automotive conference in Traverse City, Mich. By contrast, U.S. automakers Ford and GM are still tinkering with the technology ...
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August 2, 2005: Fuel-efficiency advocates will find little to cheer in the energy bill emerging from the U.S. House/Senate conference committee last week.  In addition to dropping higher fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles, the reworked bill is stuffed with billions of dollars of give-aways to the oil industry, including the right to start drilling in previously protected waters in the Gulf of Mexico ... Not clear on the connection between U.S. energy policy and national security?  Make sure to read the powerful "Oil and Blood" column by the New York Times' Bob Herbert ...  Good news from California:   hybrid car drivers will be permitted to use special traffic lanes otherwise reserved for carpoolers ...
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July 22, 2005: It used to be that you just had to worry about choking on gas fumes.  Now that oil prices are averaging $2.30 a gallon, you've got a whole new reason to suffer from indigestion.   Whether you drive a hybrid or a gas guzzler, there are things you can do to keep your summer driving costs to a minimum.  A new SmartMoney.com article how to use the news media and the Web to find the lowest pump prices close to where you live and work
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July 15, 2005: Seven governors from the West, Midwest and Northeast called today on the Bush White House to embrace "(n)ew incentives, such as manufacturing conversion tax credits, to help build the infrastructure needed to support the use of clean fuels technologies in the American automobile industry's production of high-performance vehicles, from hybrids to hydrogen cars."  You can read the full text of the governors' letter here ...
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July 8, 2005: The number of consumers searching for hybrid vehicles on one major car buying Web site tripled in February when gas prices hit $2 a gallon. In response, Cars.com now features a "Hybrid Vehicle Buying Guide"  that tackles some myths about hybrid vehicles. "Myth: Hybrid vehicles lack the performance of their counterparts with conventional engines. Reality: Most hybrid vehicles are actually quicker than their nonhybrid counterparts ... Myth: Hybrid vehicles cost more to maintain and the batteries are costly to replace. Reality: The maintenance costs of hybrid vehicles are very similar to those of regular cars. In fact, true hybrid engines don't work as hard as regular engines and, in turn, that saves on wear and tear ..."  Read more here ...
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June 29, 2005: Dogged by continued high oil prices and the uncertainty of the long-running war in Iraq, the American public is now prepared to start drawing lines in the sand of the Middle East, according to a new Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) national survey conducted for the Civil Society Institute (CSI) and 40mpg.org.   The CSI/40mpg.org findings show that slightly more than two-thirds of Americans support two major deadlines: 68 percent (including 49 percent of conservatives) want to see “the setting of a firm date for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq;" and a nearly identical number (69 percent) think “the U.S. government should set a national goal of declaring July 4, 2015 as 'Energy Independence Day' – a real target date for ending our reliance on Middle Eastern and other foreign oil supplies."   As of 5 p.m. ET today, you can listen to the news event here …
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June 24, 2005: We have good news and bad news today ... First the bad news:  The U.S. Senate voted down yesterday an energy bill amendment to require better gas mileage for U.S. vehicles.   The amendment by Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois would have required cars to achieve 40 mpg by no later than 2016.  See how your Senator voted by clicking here and then go to the 40mpg.org Action Center  to send your elected official a message about this disappointing vote.  The 40mpg.org fight goes on!  ... Now the good news:  40mpg.org, which was launched just three months ago, now has more than 1,000 members.   As of today, 40mpg.org membership stands at 1,017 ... and rising fast!  Not signed up yet to stay informed and get involved?  Please join us today by clicking here ...
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June 17, 2005: Check out the excellent tips from the Alliance to Save Energy showing how you can conserve fuel when you are on summer vacation this year … the first 1,110 votes are in on The 40MPG.ORG Bestselling U.S. Vehicle Hybrid Poll and Ford is still way out front, accouting for three of the top five vote getters.  Here are your current top picks for the vehicles that should "go hybrid" next:  Ford F-Series pick-ups (182); Jeep Grand Cherokee (178); Toyota Corolla (124); Ford Explorer (121); and Ford Focus (119) ...
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June 10, 2005: Could you be our 1,000th member?   The 40MPG.org Web site is on the cusp of one thousand members right now and you could be the one who makes it possible for us to achieve this important milestone!  Please click here to sign up and stay informed about the fight to cut gas pump bills, limit global warming pollution and reduce our dangerous dependence on Middle Eastern oil.  It's free and there's no obligation to you of any kind.  Please join 40MPG.org today! ... Good news:  the Conservation Law Foundation reports "Maine Governor Baldacci signed a critical piece of legislation last week in the fight for clean cars.  This legislation will bring more hybrids and the cleanest gasoline-powered vehicles to Maine. The full legislature voted on adopting California's Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) rule and overwhelmingly approved the bill.  With this vote, every northeastern state but New Hampshire now uses the California emissions standards, which are significantly stricter than federal standards ..."  You can learn more about "Clean Car Standards" by clicking here.