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UPS: BIG BROWN TO GET GREENER?
July 27, 2010:  In an effort that should fit well with planned federal fuel economy regulations for commercial trucks, UPS Inc. has said it aims to improve the fuel efficiency of its fleet by 20 percent between 2000 and 2020.  It seems like a rather lofty goal but the company has already increased fuel efficiency by 10 percent between 2000 and 2009 through use of improved vehicle technology, effective maintenance, fuel conservation, routing technology, and operation initiatives such as minimizing idling.  That increase in fuel efficiency since 2000 decreased UPS fuel consumption by 3.2 million gallons.  Let's hope other big delivery companies take up the gauntlet they have thrown down ... Although not all fuel economy winners, a few of the 2011 vehicles highlighted in a top 10 list are real fuel sippers. The Chevy Cruze Eco is a good bet, getting 40mpg highway.  Also coming in at 40mpg highway, the Ford Fiesta has enjoyed a lot of buzz. The Hyundai Sonata gets 35 MPG highway, which is impressive for a midsize car. The 2011 VW Jetta is getting some updates and will still be available in a powerful yet MPG-friendly clean diesel. And of course, the electric Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf make the list, at the very tip top of the MPG chart.  If you are in the market for a new car and want to go green, check out this list ...
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DEBUNKING THE BIG-IS-BACK CAR MYTH
July 21, 2010: Are Americans forgetting the $4 gas we saw just two short years ago and returning to bigger, gas-guzzling vehicles?  If you read some of the stories out there, you'd certainly think so. That is what the carmakers perpetuating this idea are depending on since they prefer the higher profit margins of the big, gas-guzzlers.  But what these stories - and the carmakers - aren't focusing on is the fact that the changes to some of these "trucks" have them now being built on much lighter and more fuel-efficient car frames powered with smaller, more fuel-efficient engines --  such as the new, 30-percent more efficient Ford Explorer.   (Kudos to Ford on the advances - but let's not pretend this is one of the old SUV dinosaurs!)  In addition, automakers have aggressively been adding MPG-saving materials and engine adjustments to these vehicles.  So if Americans purchase what look to be large vehicles but get much-improved MPG, who cares?  To say that the old Detroit mentality is back is both wrong and, arguably, dangerous ...  It looks like some new clean diesel development may be a victim of market forces, for now.  Honda has pushed back plans to produce clean diesel engines and will focus primarily on hybrid and electric vehicles since diesel prices are now at or higher than gas prices  ...  Want to test your fuel economy knowledge?  Check out a quiz from the Kansas City Star. If you do well, you may not need these but those who are rusty on their MPG know-how may want to check out this list of resources on how to tweak your driving habits to get the best fuel economy and what maintenance is most important to keep your engine getting its top MPG, especially if you're driving to a vacation destination this summer and are looking to save at the pump ...
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57 MPG … FROM A NON-HYBRID?
July 15, 2010: Move over hybrids!  The Fiat TwinAir 500 may soon make it to U.S. shores.  Fiat says the two-cylinder TwinAir will not only get 57.4 MPG, it will also have super low carbon emissions - 92 g/km of CO2.  How does that stack up with the hybrid leading Prius?  50 MPG and 89 g/km of CO2.   It sounds like Fiat has put a lot of fuel economy bells and whistles on this little car that could.  It features a turbocharged engine and start-stop technology. An "eco" mode allows the driver to cut torque to boost fuel economy.  Our only question:  When can we test drive one?  The Fiat 500 will arrive in the U.S. at the end of the year but no word yet on whether this kick-ass engine will make the U.S. lineup ... We've said it before and we'll say it again - fuel economy regulations do work to motivate automakers to improve MPG.  The proof is in the pudding, so to speak.  Although new fuel economy regulations don't go into effect until 2012, we're already seeing some solid year-to-year gains show up between some 2010 models and 2011 ones in the midsize field in particular.  The Honda Accord improves the most, going from 21 city/31 highway in 2010 to  23/34 in 2011.  The Hyundai Sonata gains 3 MPG in highway MPG. Chrysler has not yet announced its MPG numbers for the Avenger and Sebring but says there will be fuel economy improvements. Although Ford and GM won't show these gains, it's because they started earlier on improving their numbers.  The Ford Fusion gets 34 MPG highway, same as the Accord, and the Chevy Malibu gets a close 33 MPG highway.  All of this is good news for fuel economy conscious consumers ... HuffingtonPost commenter and green builder Tom Schey offers an interesting perspective on how our oil addiction led to the environmental catastrophe in the Gulf and when we need to do now to make things better moving forward:  "Yes, we consume 20,000,000 barrels of oil a day, 65% of which is imported, and get our crude oil from countries like Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Venezuela and Nigeria, all the while demanding that our beautiful vistas be kept pristine. ... Let's look across the Atlantic for a moment. While Reagan dealt with Carter's post-oil embargo America by lowering CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards, Europe saw an opportunity to increase efficiency. They raised CAFE standards and levied taxes on petroleum, forcing people to be more efficient by driving smaller and more effective cars. And it worked. I have often read that had we followed the European model, today we would not be importing oil at all, or at least we would have the option to import it from friendlier countries and not sinking holes 22,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. ... Our dependency on oil is an addiction we need to break. The government should be forcing us through rehab ..." Amen! ...
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APPS FOR MPG FANATICS
July 7, 2010: If you drive an alternative fuel vehicle now - like a biodiesel truck - and have a hard time finding a fueling station, look no further.  Just download the Alternative Fuel Locator app. As part of the USA.gov's revamped site, the government has moved into the 21^st century and is offering mobile apps.  Your smartphone can find the five closest biodiesel, electricity, E85 (etha­nol), hydrogen, natural gas, and propane fueling sites near you using familiar Google technology. Want to track your MPG and annual fuel cost through your Web-enabled mobile device? Or looking to calculate how much you could save at the pump with a new car that gets 30 MPG versus an older car that gets just 20 MPG?  Then check out the FuelEconomy.gov app ... We've reported before that the government is crafting fuel economy standards for commercial trucks.  This is a major step towards reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Well, now you can put your money where your mouth is and be heard.  "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is seeking comments on the effect new mileage standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks will have on the environment." Comments will be accepted until July 14 when you enter Docket No. fr14jn10_20 at www.regulations.gov ...                                                          
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SPILL PLUS STORM EQUAL HIGHER GAS PRICES FOR 4TH
June 29, 2010: Gas prices are once again edging up - just in time for one of the year's biggest driving weekends.  Ahead of the holiday weekend and in part due to the first U.S.-bound named tropical storm of the season, prices across the country are up 5 cents in the last two weeks. And travel over the weekend - even in places like Florida that have been affected by the Gulf Oil spill - is likely to be up ...  The "manual vs. automatic" debate is all but over.  The statistics don't lie:  91 percent of model year 2009 cars sold in the U.S. had automatic transmissions. We'd mentioned before that new technology has narrowed the manual-versus-automatic gap in fuel efficiency. Not only is the gap all but gone, some automatic or CVT (continuously variable transmission)-equipped engines now get better fuel economy numbers than manually shifted transmissions.  For example, the 2011 Mustang V6 automatic gets 19/31 (city/highway) MPG whereas the manual gets 19/30 MPG. And a Honda CR-Z with a CVT engine gets 36/38 MPG versus 31/37 MPG for the manual ... Although it's one of the best-selling cars in the country, Honda isn't resting on its laurels when it comes to the Accord.  The 2011 Accord, which will go on sale in mid-August fall, is receiving a boost in fuel economy. The four-cylinder will get 23 city/34 highway, a boost of 2 and 3 MPG respectively. The V6 goes up 1 MPG, getting a  19 city/30 highway MPG rating. The numbers top those of two main rivals, the Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry ...
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U.S. LOSING WORLD RACE TO SLASH AUTO CO2
June 22, 2010: Just how far off the pace is the United States when it comes to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cars?  Well, the chances are we're doing even worse than you think we are.  Make that much worse.  For the first quarter of 2010, the U.S. emission rate was 255.6 grams per kilometer for light vehicles, whereas Japan was considerably lower at 130.8 grams per kilometer and Europe's five biggest markets averaged just 140.3 grams per kilometer. And on MPG, the story is even worse:  "...33.9 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. still fall within a 15 mpg to 20 mpg consumption bracket, compared with Europe where only 0.28 percent of vehicle sales in Europe fall with that bracket and only 0.63 percent of sales in Japan."   ...  Another baby step in the right direction - Ford reduced the CO2 emissions of its 2009 U.S. models by 5 percent as compared to its 2008 models. And it improved CO2 emissions for its European models by 6 percent. In addition, the company increased energy efficiency at its North American facilities by 4.6 percent  ...  We've reported on the eco-friendly tires made with orange peels but it looks like several companies are looking to produce even more eco-friendly tires to compete in the market. Teams are trying to reduce the use of petrochemicals as much as they can, so as to reduce the need for oil in the manufacturing process.  One company is even using sunflower oil!  ...
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PAYING THE FULL PRICE FOR A TANK OF GAS
June 15, 2010: If the oil spill in the Gulf has taught us anything, it is this: The price we pay for gas and oil in this country is much less than the product's true cost.  As The Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein notes: "The BP spill is going to cost fishermen, it's going to cost the gulf's ecosystem, and it's going to cost the region's tourism industry. But that cost won't be paid by the people who wanted that oil for their cars. It'll fall on taxpayers, on Gulf Coast residents who need new jobs, on the poisoned wildlife on the seafloor. That means the gasoline you're buying at the pump is -- stick with me here -- too cheap."  In addition to the specific costs in the Gulf,  there are more general elements that aren't factored into the price we pay for gas - or can't exactly be quantified.  These include things like air pollution, climate change, sensitivity to price fluctuations and traffic congestion. Also, the cost of "playing nice" with oil-producing countries overseas who don't have great track records when it comes to human rights in relation to our military policy. Part of the solution is to reduce our dependence on oil.  New fuel economy rules put into place by the Obama Administration point us in the right direction.  But we must also look into other options: "The question, in other words, isn't just what a gallon of gas costs. It's what a gallon of anything that can replace gas costs. Maybe that's what we should start asking politicians." ... It may seem counterintuitive but it's a fact: the car of the past was a car of the future when it comes to fuel economy.  The EPA just published a top ten list of cars with the best fuel economy in the U.S.  since 1984.  While the hybrid Honda Insight tops the list, it looks like the 1980's were the best time for being able to get the highest MPG cars.  The 1986 Chevrolet Sprint HR got a combined 48 MPG.  The 1986-87 Honda Civic Coupe HF got a combined 46 MPG. And those are regular combustion engine vehicles! Just goes to show that higher fuel economy in regular vehicles is already achievable ...
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PUT THE BRAKES ON MURKOWSKI
June 8, 2010: A resolution by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), which is slated to be voted on by the U.S. Senate this Thursday,  will do more than just muzzle the EPA when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Sacramento Bee oped.  As the newspaper notes:  "...(Murkowski) would roll back the U.S. EPA's authority to ... implement a version of California's 'clean cars' law. If implemented nationwide, the California law would dramatically improve fuel economy in cars and trucks and eliminate the need to import and pump millions of barrels of oil yearly. " Not surprisingly, the amendment was written by industry lobbyists. It's clear the U.S. needs to reduce our dependence on oil and do anything we can to help our environment and implementing the California law would kill two birds with one stone - reducing our need for oil through increased fuel economy and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.  So we say:   Put the brakes on the Murkowski foolishness! ... "Readily available technology can cut the fuel consumption of passenger cars as much as 50 percent without impacting performance or comfort ..." according to the Wired.com story about the long-awaited update to the National Academy of Sciences report on fuel economy.  As most of us know, there are additional costs associated with the technology.  However, some of the costs for the technology to make these improvements is lower than others, as you would expect. The least expensive options are those that improve the existing combustion engine.  Many of the available technologies have already been adopted to varying degrees, including direct injection and turbo-charging.  Unlike the prior report, this one included a look at technology such as that used in plug-in hybrids ...
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THAT’S A BIG 10-4(0 MPG), GOOD BUDDY!
June 3, 2010: It's about time!  The Obama Administration has put into motion a plan for fuel economy rules for the commercial trucking industry. The new rules  are sorely needed, given that the commercial trucking industry produces one-fifth of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to transportation in the U.S., although they account for only 4 percent of vehicles on the road, according to the White House.  They also average 6.1 MPG and consume more than 2 million barrels of oil per day. The new trucking rules are slated to go into effect by the 2014 model year and will run through 2018. We had reported before that possible rules for the trucking industry were on the way but we're glad to see the Administration got it done here. In addition to the new trucking rules, the White House also announced they plan put into motion a plan to extend passenger fuel economy rules through 2025, although by law, the administration can only set fuel economy rules for five model years at a time. While we've noted the auto industry is on board with new fuel passenger rules and has lauded this most recent decision from the White House, the fossil fuel industry is not so happy and predictably has mounted negative propaganda attacks ... Following the president's announcement, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders called for an increase to 55 MPG by 2030, as well as a ban on offshore drilling.  Sanders says the higher fuel economy "would translate into savings of $1.43 per gallon of gas..." whereas opening coastal waters to offshore drilling would only yield enough additional petroleum to produce a drop of 3 cents per gallon.  Sounds good to us ...
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TEST YOUR FUEL ECONOMY IQ
May 18, 2010: Most of us know that aftermarket additives that claim to improve fuel economy are bogus.  But will replacing your air filter help you get better fuel economy?  It looks like the answer to that question is "no." How about his question we hear quite often:  Do you have to drive a small car to get good fuel economy? While smaller cars can get higher fuel economy due to lower weight, you can get good fuel economy in midsize vehicles due to recent advances in engine and drivetrain technology.  On to another popular question:  Does starting or idling consume more gas?   Idling consumes more fuel than starting so experts recommend turning off the vehicle when standing for a period of time. These and other top misconceptions about fuel economy were compiled by Fueleconomy.gov, the  official EPA site on fuel economy ... Looking for 40 MPG but  don't have the extra cash for a hybrid?  There aren't many options out there currently.  But the official numbers are out for the 2011 Ford Fiesta and the car makes it into the 40 MPG club with its highway fuel economy (it gets 29 MPG city). We'd mentioned a few weeks ago that the Fiesta bested the Honda Fit on highway fuel economy.  As it turns out, it beats the Fit by an even larger margin than we originally said - 40 MPG vs. the Fit's 35 MPG.  Production began this week and we'll see the Fiesta in dealerships this summer ... More clean diesels?  Bring them on.  It is confirmed - BMW will bring a turbodiesel version of its 5 Series, the automaker's most profitable car, to the U.S. The company hasn't said when but they also plan to bring a diesel version  of one of its other vehicles to the U.S.   However, BMW may end up offering hybrid and 4-cylinder drivetrains as well ...
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BEYOND THE SPILL: DRIVING UP MPG GAINS
May 11, 2010: As we watch the Gulf oil spill eco-disaster unfold, we are reminded that one of the best ways for us to work towards reduction of our oil use is already taking root: stronger fuel efficiency standards.  The Obama Administration says the rules to increase passenger vehicles fuel economy to 35.5 MPG "will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of cars and trucks sold between the 2012-16 model years with those vehicles' improved efficiency."  Others put it this way: the new rules will cut oil consumption by 1.3 million barrels a day.  Additional ways to add to the impact of the new fuel rules abound, including use of wind energy to power new electric vehicles.  If you're wondering how automakers will meet the newly published  fuel economy and greenhouse gas requirements, look no further.  Car and Driver waded through 1500 pages of the new regulations and walks us through how they will work, the ways the regulations take into account feedback from automakers themselves and some of how automakers will meet them ... Mercedes-Benz will introduce a new V6 engine that gets almost 31 MPG and a new V8 that gets 24.7 MPG, improvements of 24 percent and 22 percent respectively from earlier versions.  A main factor in the improvement is direct injection but another piece of the puzzle we have discussed before is the addition of start-stop technology. And power-hungry driver can also note that the engines will have increased horsepower as well. The official MPG numbers may not show the full benefit of the new technology due to current EPA testing, which don't currently take into account start-stop benefits, as we have discussed.   The new engines should make it to U.S. shores in a few months to compete with the new engine lineups from Ford, Mazda and Audi, among others ... You're probably aware that keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your MPG but have your tires ever told you that themselves?  Most tires on new cars nowadays have a systems to tell the computer when they are underinflated but an Irish company is beefing up the system.  From Autobloggreen: "Shrader's 'talking tire' monitoring system will not only keep drivers apprised of their tire pressure, it will also provide feedback on the condition of the tire's tread as well as real-time information on road conditions, especially traction." ...        
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WILL OIL SPILL SOAK YOU AT THE PUMP?
May 5, 2010: OK - we know how it works:  Gas prices always go up in the late spring as the pumps start switching over to the more expensive summer mix.  But will the pain at the pump be even sharper be this year due to the oil spill in the Gulf?  Analysts were already predicting 2010 would be bad for gas prices ... but that was before oil rose 3 percent just in the last week on the news of the BP oil spill.  We've seen stories about fast-rising gas prices from Hawaii, New Jersey, Texas, Boston, Florida, and everywhere in between ... Although the concept is not groundbreaking - lighter vehicles get better fuel economy - many car companies have been hesitant to decrease the weight of vehicles too much for fear the car would not meet safety standards.  But Lotus Engineering has turned that myth on its head with its test redesign of the Toyota Venza. The firm "conducted the research to develop a commercially viable strategy for cutting flab from mainstream passenger vehicles by 2020," according to Wired magazine.  Their results?  The weight of the vehicle can be reduced by up to 38 percent  and add no more than 3 percent to the purchase cost but save 23 percent in fuel consumption ... In the past, the battle between U.S. domestic automaker vehicles and foreign automakers has often had the domestic cars ceding leadership to those from overseas.  We have started to see the tides turn - case-in-point the award-winning Ford Fusion hybrid -  and the fuel-sipping Ford Fiesta looks like it will be the next to best its overseas competitor.  USA Today declares the 2011 Ford Fiesta beats the Honda Fit. Although they reviewed the entire car, fuel economy is key to us.  They both weigh in at 28 MPG city, but the Fiesta beats the Fit on the highway - 38 MPG vs. 35 MPG ...  
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THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN: MORE MPG
April 27, 2010: The number of higher MPG cars available for sale doesn't mean diddly if Americans aren't buying them.    So what is the marketplace telling us on that front?  We've been saying for years that car buyers have been placing fuel economy at the top of their list of considerations when looking to purchase a new car.  Now we have more data back that up:  Edmunds.com reports that the top five best-selling auto segments get about 2 MPG better fuel efficiency than five years ago. As Edmunds observes: "It may not seem like a major shift, but given that fuel-efficiency numbers were flat for almost 30 years, it's at least a move in the right direction."   While progress is being made, it will be even more exciting to see the improvement over the next five years and beyond, as automakers strive to meet the new fuel economy rules requiring them to hit 34.1 MPG by 2016  ... There are signs Detroit is inching its way back to recovery, not the least of which is General Motors repaying its loan to the U.S. government.  But how far have U.S. automakers come?  We should be able to tell based on the success of the Detroit 3's lineup this spring but there is a lot on the line.  A Detroit Free Press columnist lays out the potential strengths and weaknesses of the various offerings ... Not surprisingly, the Kelley Blue Book (KBB) list of 2010 top green cars is made up of mostly hybrids with a few clean diesels in the mix.  But two standard combustion engines also made the list: the Honda Fit and MINI Cooper.  They both get over 30 MPG, are stylish and reasonably priced.  KBB said they were trying to include a variety of cars in the mix as different consumers have different needs.  The rest of the list includes a few you would expect - Toyota Prius, Honda Insight Hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, and BMW 335d.  The VW Golf TDI was an addition to the list this year ...
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MOVE OVER MAPQUEST?: ECO-ROUTE IS HERE
April 21, 2010: If you've been thinking about getting a Ford for their new Eco-Boost line of engines, which improve fuel economy by 15 percent, now you may have yet another reason: Eco-Route.  A new version of the MyFord Touch dashboard interface system with SD card-based mapping will allow drivers to select the fastest route and the shortest route...or they can select the "Eco-Route."  The option uses real-time data, including traffic and posted speed information, that Ford claims will translate in up to 15% better fuel economy than other routes. The feature will be available this summer on the 2011 Ford Edge and 2011 Lincoln MKX and will be offered on the 2012 Ford Focus later in the year. It will be standard on new Lincoln vehicles beginning with the MKX but it's unclear how much the option will cost for the Ford vehicles ... More good news for consumers? NHTSA has finalized new fuel-efficiency ratings for tires.  However, some groups, including Consumers Union, which recommended the ratings in the first place, see some additional room for improvement.  More information is better as far as we're concerned so it's a good start ... We've talked about how the move to increase the use of "start-stop" technology in the U.S. has been hampered by the EPA's testing. It now looks like Hyundai and Kia plan to start offering the technology on their cars within 2 years either way.  They expect it will boost fuel economy by 3 percent. Ford is also considering adding start-stop to 20 percent of its global lineup by 2014 ...
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FIRING UP THE GAS TAX HIKE DEBATE
April 13, 2010: As details start to leak about the compromise Kerry-Lieberman-Graham climate and energy bill, one item in particular piqued our interest - a possible gas tax hike.  Mother Jones blogger Kate Sheppard asks the question many are now asking:  "If a gas tax is included in a climate and energy bill, will it actually achieve the desired goals of reducing emissions and oil use?"   Seems to us to make sense, just like the health benefits from higher cigarette taxes.  Yes, the government raises more money in the short term, but it also reduces the ill health effects of lighting up.  Of course, much of the gas-tax debate is now centering on how the funds from the proposed tax would be allocated.  A group of eight Democratic senators and a group of industry and labor organizations have sent letters to the bill's authors saying that the funds should go into the Highway Trust Fund used to fund road and bridge repairs, which is where federal gas tax dollars currently go.  They say federal infrastructure policymakers are already facing a funding crisis so considering alternatives for where to put the additional gas tax revenues would be irresponsible.  The senators point out that investments in infrastructure create jobs which are sorely needed with the current economy. High gas taxes do seem to have made an impact in Europe but the proposed increase is nowhere near as much as is paid on the other side of the pond.  We will get back to you with more on the proposed gas tax hike as the full details emerge ... With the new U.S. fuel rules in place, it was only a matter of time before we heard from more car companies looking to increase fuel economy of their engines while trying to hold on to the performance Americans  crave.  Following reports in the past few weeks from Mazda and Ford, Audi has now come out with a new V6 engine that gets 27 percent better fuel economy than their V8 ... More high-MPG/small-car news from the New York Auto Show last week:  Toyota unveiled a production version of the Scion iQ, meant to compete with the Smart fortwo and Mini Cooper. Although Toyota didn't have specifics on exactly how good the numbers would look, executives said fuel economy would be "in the high 30's".  The 2011 iQ is expected to arrive early next year and we should see the actual specs -- including final fuel economy numbers and pricing -- by the end of the year ...
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SUMMERTIME BLUES AHEAD: HIGHER GAS PRICES
April 6, 2010: With summer driving season just around the corner, crude oil futures rose to the highest levels in 18 months at $86.60 a barrel on Monday and gas prices had already been rising around the country over the past few weeks ...  Although the road has been long and filled with potholes, the final fuel economy rules that will get us to 35.5 MPG between 2012-2016 were announced by the Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency last week. The regulations are historic not only because they required agreement from the automakers, but also because they will "cut the pollution of heat-trapping gasses than anything the Obama administration has done so far," according to Grist magazine. The Boston Globe points out that the 1.8 billion barrel drop in oil usage that will result from the rules is more than the U.S. imports from Saudi Arabia each year. Although the new rules will result in an increase of up to $1,000 on the purchase of a new car by the 2016 model year, the fuel savings cost will allow most consumers to earn back the additional expense within three years ... It looks like the popular Mazda6 will get a fuel-sipping option in 2012 - a diesel dubbed the Sky-D.  The company is reporting the new vehicle will get hybrid-like MPG numbers of 43 MPG highway.  In addition, Mazda will introduce a new, more fuel-efficient engine - the Sky-G - across its lineup next year ...    
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FIAT: NEXT BIG BREAKTHROUGH IN ENGINE TECH?
March 30, 2010: Fiat is so confident in their new MultiAir induction technology that they are saying the rest of the world's automakers will follow their lead in adopting the technology, and going even farther to say that all gasoline engines will have the technology in the future.  Since Fiat is credited with developing past automotive technologies like the common rail diesel engine, which is now used by almost all automakers, maybe this isn't so far fetched.  Fiat says tests show the new engine tech can boost power by 10 percent, increase low-end torque by 15 percent, and increase fuel economy. The MultiAir technology will first appear in the U.S. with the release of the Fiat 500 next year ... And Fiat is certainly not the only one working on developing new technology to improve fuel efficiency without losing power.  While Ford has already announced it will move its entire fleet to a six-speed transmission in the next few years to improve fuel economy, the company has started to release details about a new transmission geared (get it?) towards smaller cars.  The PowerShift dual-clutch automatic will first be found in the 2011 Ford Fiesta previewed this past December and will also be added to the 2012 Focus to maximize their MPG possibilities  ...  Looking for a good car for commuting?  AAA is offering a helping hand.  They have compiled a list of their top picks for commuter cars. With the exception of the luxury part of the list, there is a decided focus on fuel economy, as you would expect ...
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CARS WITH LASERS = MORE MPG?
March 23, 2010: Is this from the plot of the next Bond movie or the pages of Scientific American?  We're not sure.  But here's the question: Are lasers and nanoparticles the future of high-tech solutions to squeezing more MPG (and lower emissions) out of gasoline vehicles? On paper, the technology sounds rather simple: "Tiny particles called 'functionalized fullerenes' help fuel to burn at lower ignition energies, meaning a lower-power ignition source can be used. That's where the low-power laser comes in. Not much more powerful than a typical laser pointer, the laser sets off the fullerenes, which then ignite the fuel--but because they're nanoparticles and distributed throughout the fuel, they help to make for more complete combustion, improving the overall thermal efficiency of the engine. The sum total of the equation? Less fuel for the same power output," according to MotorAuthority.com. We can't wait to see some practical applications of this technology ... Will Chrysler's new Pentastar V6 engine compete with the Ford EcoBoost line?  Chrysler, which says the new engine will make its first appearance on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, will be 11 percent more fuel efficient than the engine it replaces.  Eventually, the Pentastar V6 will replace seven current V6 engines.  Ford says its EcoBoost engine improves fuel economy by 15 percent so it looks like they have Chrysler beat.   Ford plans to install its EcoBoost engine on 90 percent of its cars by 2013 ... Looking for the most fuel-sipping vehicles but not sure you have the extra $$ for a hybrid?  Forbes has assembled a list of cars with the best miles-per-gallon (including lowest total fuel costs over five years as one criteria) featuring only combustion engine vehicles. Not surprisingly, diesel tops the list ...
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A GREENER THIN BLUE LINE?
March 16, 2010: Even your local cop shop is getting into the fuel efficiency game.  Not only is Ford's EcoBoost technology benefitting the general consumer public, the company has announced that the new version of its ubiquitous Police Interceptor will see a 25 percent improvement in fuel economy.  The company, which has maintained about 70 percent of the police market for the past several years, is replacing the old V8 engine with a lineup of V6 engines that Ford says will perform equal to or better than the V8 and get better fuel economy.   We can't help but wonder:   Does that mean no more classic movie scenes like this? ... Will Mercedes-Benz have upped its fleet fuel economy enough to avoid the massive Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) fines they have paid in the past?  The shift this summer for all of Mercedes-Benz's six- and eight-cylinder engines to direct injection may put them over the top. The company expects to meet the 2010 CAFÉ standards - and not a moment too soon.  The new S400 and ML450 Hybrids should contribute also but the shift to smaller displacement engines for the automaker's lineup of gasoline engines is a big move in the right direction.  Considering the company paid a record $30.3 million in fines in 2006 and $28.9 million in 2007, we're sure they will be happy to see those headaches disappear ... Will we see another high MPG import from Europe make it to our shores soon?  We certainly hope so.  Infiniti is reportedly considering bringing its diesel engine already available in Europe over to this side of the pond to boost the fuel efficiency for the company's lineup ...
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SOUNDS A-PEEL-ING: ORANGE TIRES
March 9, 2010: A tire made from orange peels?  You read that right.  A new tire by Yokohama has orange peels as a key ingredient.  In fact, the company says 80 percent of the tire's ingredients are derived from sources other than petroleum.  We focus on this here since tires are a major issue when it comes to MPG.  Tires drain about a fifth of the energy needed to power the car - and that comes from tires providing friction so vehicles can grip the road. In addition to Yokohama's "orange tires", some manufacturers have tried to reduce the rolling resistance to increase the vehicle's fuel economy.  In the past, this has caused cars to lose grip and shortened tire life.   Now, manufacturers are starting to use "nanocomposites" to create tires that can improve fuel efficiency by up to 8 percent and make tires last longer ... With Toyota suffering in the light of the wave of recent recalls, will the new Mercedes-Benz diesel-hybrid beat out the Lexus HS 250h? Mercedes previewed the E300 BlueTec Hybrid at the Geneva Auto Show.  It will get close to 60 MPG and is expected to go on sale around the world in late 2011.  In comparison, the Lexus hybrid gets 35 MPG city and 34 MPG highway.  It's not clear yet what the price will be for the Mercedes but it doesn't look like it will have serious competition in its class on the MPG front ...
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THEY’RE BAAAACCCKK – HIGHER GAS PRICES
March 3, 2010: Tis the season ... for gas prices to start going up, that is. In addition to seasonal increases that start in the spring as refineries switch to the summer blends, a better-than-expected U.S. economy has pushed up crude oil prices, increasing prices at the pump.  Another factor in higher gas prices - the Chile earthquake will reduce the overall supply, even though the country is not a major producer. States across the country - California, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Massachusetts to name a few -   are already seeing price increases ... Who would have thought this would happen: "U.S. automakers and the EPA have become frenemies in the fight for - get this - more federal regulation," according to BNET. It may seem unusual but it does make sense. The alliance was forged to oppose Sen. Lisa Murkowski's campaign to prevent the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases.  Automakers warn that without federal regulation, they would have to contend with a patchwork of state regulations, which would be costly and cumbersome. The EPA was given the authority to regulate GHG emissions under the Clean Air Act as a result of a 2007 Supreme Court ruling. The U.S. has been woefully behind in setting greenhouse gas emissions targets and the EPA needs to step in for us to be a real part of the global movement towards reducing global warming.  However, even if GHG regulation is delayed, higher fuel efficiency targets will still be set by the U.S. Department of Transportation ...
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MORE MPG FROM EPA ASAP?
February 23, 2010: We're excited to see that the new EPA standards for greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) for model year 2012-2016 vehicles will make an appearance shortly.  EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson laid out the timetable for the agency to regulate  GHG emissions in a letter to lawmakers this past Monday.  She stated that the new standards would be issued by the end of March and the Department of Transportation would issue the rule raising the fuel economy for the same light-duty vehicles in conjunction with the EPA.   (The EPA doesn't explicitly increase MPG through its rulemaking, but the agency's limits on tailpipe emissions works out to be pretty much the same thing in practice.)   Jackson says:  "Together, the EPA and DOT standards will reduce the lifetime oil consumption of the affected vehicles by 1.8 billion barrels while eliminating 950 million metric tons of greenhouse-gas pollution." That's what we're talking about ... If fuel economy is the most important criteria when you go shopping for that new car, look no further.  MSN provides a handy guide to the fuel-economy leaders by class as determined by the EPA. Not only can you see what the leaders are for each segment - like the Toyota Yaris in the Subcompact class with 29/36 MPG - comparisons are offered with a couple of other vehicles in the same class.  In addition to fuel economy, they include price, MSN expert and user ratings, Consumer Reports ratings, and warranty information, among other information ... Using fuel injection and turbocharging to improve fuel economy?  A few years ago, some seemed to think they were a novel idea but now they are becoming standard, as automakers look for any way they can to wring higher MPG out of their cars.  We've known for years that automakers would need to start using more of the existing technologies that were already available to them to improve fuel efficiency even if it took them a while to catch up. The benefit to consumers is they get more power to go with the lower MPG which saves them $$ at the pump.  While some of these vehicles may cost more at the moment, the additional cost is offset some with savings at the pump and prices will come down as the technology becomes standardized ...
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WILL YOU TEXT TO RESERVE YOUR NEXT FUEL-SIPPING CAR?
February 16, 2010: Make a reservation for a new car on your iPhone or Blackberry?  If fuel economy is big in your purchasing decision and you are one of the many who wants to get a hold of one of the small cars that are finally making their way to the U.S. from Europe, you can make your reservation for the 2011 Ford Fiesta by texting "reserve" to 4Ford.  The company says they already have 6,000 reservations - half from non-Ford customers - for the 2011 Fiesta, which is estimated to deliver 40 MPG highway. You can also make an "old school" customized reservation, where you build your own Fiesta and get the price -  at www.fordvehicles.com/2011fiesta.  Who would think that "building" your dream car on the Web would end up seeming, well, "so two years ago"?  ...  The weather experts are saying snow was on the ground this week in 49 of the 50 states.  As you dug your vehicle out and starting driving around in the snow and ice, you may have noticed you weren't getting the best fuel economy.  If you have wondered how you can prepare for winter weather in order to improve your MPGs, Bankrate.com offers a few tips, including checking your coolant, which might be something you think is most important in summer rather than winter. Ensuring you have the proper mix of antifreeze and water and that your coolant is clean can help up your MPGs  ...  Looks like a domestic automaker is anticipating demand for fuel-sipping delivery vehicles.  We've reported that MPG for medium-duty trucks had risen in past years and that it was possible a new fuel economy standard for the trucking industry might be announced soon.  So it fits that Ford would start offering a smaller, more fuel economical option to fill the niche for businesses that need a larger transport option than a mini-van but something smaller than a huge delivery truck ...
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GREEN POLICE AD: CHEAP TRICK … OR SMART MOVE?
February 9, 2010: If you watched the Super Bowl (and who didn't?), you may have seen a TV spot that was a favorite of ours - the "Green Police" ad for the Audi A3 TDI clean diesel, which was named 2010 Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal.  We weren't the only ones who took a shine to the smart messaging.  Energy Outlook blogger Geoffrey Styles makes an observation that explains why diesel is growing in popularity: "Having had the opportunity to drive one at the recent Washington Auto Show, I can attest that the A3's environmental credentials come wrapped in a very attractive package, requiring no sacrifice other than the sticker price. Even if the comparison to a variety of intrusive green practices lampooned in reductio ad absurdem fashion may have annoyed some observers, the positive side of the message seemed smart and timely: Diesel cars are available now in appealing models delivering greatly-reduced fuel consumption and emissions, but without requiring major behavioral changes on the part of their owners." ...   We're not huge fans of ethanol, as we've seen our fuel economy decrease since it's been in the mix gasoline.  Sounds like Oregon has the right idea to us. "In response to complaints of poor gas mileage and system-clogging complications from the 10 percent of ethanol flowing into tanks since 2008 mandates, the state Legislature recently added a new fuel option - premium non-ethanol," according to The News-Review.  Starting this month, service stations throughout the state are adding the new fuel option their lineup.   We love it and look forward to that idea traveling East soon! ...  
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WANT 214 MPG? THINK 2 WHEELS …
February 2, 2010: Since larger usually means less fuel efficient in the world of vehicles, most people realize that motorcycles get better fuel economy than cars and trucks. For those who don't need the space to haul people and gear and really want to save $$ on gas costs, a motorcycle or moped can be a great fuel-sipping option.  40 MPG seems to be on the low end, with many getting 50, 60, 70 or more MPG.  A DIY-er in has even streamlined his Honda Innova, which already gets 133 MPG, so it now gets 199 MPG on average and has even hit an amazing 214 MPG.  Plus, his enhancements made the bike stable in a crosswind of up to 40 mph ... Not only are more small and often inexpensive cars making it into the U.S., they are often exceeding consumer expectations tied to now irrelevant "econobox" memories.  As the Philadelphia Inquirer notes: "Indeed, yesterday's small cars tended to be homely, cramped, terminally Spartan, and not much fun to drive. But if you fast-forward ... you will be confronted with dramatic evidence that the small car is no longer your father's Datsun B210." For example, the new Chevy Cruze includes amenities such as leather and a sunroof. The Ford Fiesta has leather and exterior chrome details, as well as many technologies seen in higher class vehicles.  And the Mazda2 has award-winning drive dynamics and unexpected roominess ...  Among the technologies being developed to meet higher fuel economy standard around the globe, Volvo reports that it has developed a new four-cylinder engine with the same power output as the five-cylinder engine but is also more energy-efficient.  The turbo-charged, direct injection engine is estimated to get about 28 MPG.  It will make it to Asia and Europe first but we hope the U.S. is not far behind, where it would like replace the MPG-challenged five-cylinder engine found in the C30 and S40, which get just 22-23 MPG currently ...
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FINALLY! DETROIT IMPORTS SMALL CARS
January 26, 2010: For years now, 40MPG.org has been promoting a simple solution to turn around the low MPG situation in the U.S.:   bring to the U.S. the scores of more fuel efficient vehicles that U.S. car makers sell in other parts of the world.   That recommendation was met by derision from Detroit when we first made it.  My, what a difference a few years make!    Faced with the need to take action to comply with the new fuel rules issued by the White House, U.S. car makers finally woke up to reality:  "The new CAFE standard meant that cars would have to be hitting 42mpg (26mpg for trucks) in less time than it typically takes to develop new car models. The carmakers would have no choice but to try to sell Americans cars developed for Europe and Asia. Furthermore, only by using the same platforms all over the world could the carmakers begin to compensate for the loss of the fat profits that used to come from selling big vehicles," as the Economist put it.  We try not to gloat, but it's impossible to resist the temptation here:  We told you so! ...  At least two of the three U.S. automakers - Ford and Chevrolet - showcased their  expanded small car offerings at the Detroit Auto Show. Chrysler, while behind the curve, also announced plans for a new compact sedan in 2012 based on a Fiat platform.  And other automakers are getting rave reviews for some of their small cars.  Seems like the sea change in the direction of the world's best small cars making it to America's shores is finally here ... If you're shopping for a green auto, ACEEE has just released a new list of the top Green Cars for 2010 to help with your search.   The big news?  American companies actually made the list this year ...
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70 MPG FOR $8,000?
January 19, 2010: 70 MPG highway and 50 MPG city?  Now we're talking!  The world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, has announced plans to come to the U.S. in two to three years and it would up the ante not just for price but also for fuel economy. If the U.S. version of the car has a comparable price to the European version at $8,000, it would beat out the $9,970 Hyundai Accent for the title of cheapest car in the U.S.  Commuters looking for an inexpensive, fuel sipping car take note ... In a move reminiscent of U.S. auto executives traveling to Detroit in their private planes to ask for bailout funds from the government, General Motors has announced its plans to spend a billion dollars on a major overhaul of its full-size pickups.  Considering U.S. taxpayers bailed out GM last year and the White House has a clear focus on increasing fuel economy, one has to wonder why the company thinks this is a good idea -- and whether the U.S. government had to sign off on the plans.  As of September, the U.S. government had invested $49.9 billion in the company.  Although the company says part of the revamp will be to improve fuel economy, it sounds to us like they're trying to put lipstick on a pig.  A Wall Street Journal oped states it well: "GM says it has new ideas on how to build its large trucks while still meeting Washington's tough new fuel-economy standards, but don't let the spin kid you: Its main way of meeting those rules will be simply to push small and electric cars into the market at a loss in order to create the 'fleet average' freedom to sell larger vehicles. This is exactly the Faustian compromise that kept the industry together for 25 years, albeit with one big difference today: Now GM will be counting on direct taxpayer subsidies added to the mix." ... Automakers in the U.S. are looking overseas for insights on how to shave MPG off of fuel economy for all their vehicles.  We've been saying for a while now that U.S. consumers wanted access to fuel-sipping cars from overseas and automakers have been bringing more and more to the U.S. in the past few years.  But it looks like companies are finally realizing that they need to design vehicles to appeal to a fuel-cost and carbon conscious global consumer. It's about time ...    
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U.S. UNDERWRITING FUEL EFFICIENCY GAINS
January 12, 2010: Just in time for the Detroit Auto Show,  Energy Secretary Stephen Chu announced $187 million in grants to spur fuel efficiency.  The largest portion of the funding will go to improving the fuel efficiency of heavy trucks and the rest to improve efficiency for passenger vehicles and will span across electric, diesel and gasoline engine technology.  All of the Detroit automakers will get a piece of the pie - Ford, GM and Chrysler  were awarded grant money for various projects - and the remainder goes to auto suppliers and battery makers.  As we have reported in the past, a possible fuel economy rule for heavy trucking may be in the cards in the next few years and these grants seem to be an indicator that a fuel rule for the trucking industry is indeed likely, which is certainly welcome  ...  Speaking of the Detroit Auto Show, although scaled down this year due to the tough economic climate, all three Detroit automakers have already announced plans for gas-sipping new engines and powertrains.  Ford continues its push to be the U.S leader in fuel economy by announcing their plans for nine new or upgraded engines and six new transmissions.  Chrysler also announced some new engines for its vehicles, notably a new four-cylinder engines borrowed from Fiat.  And General Motors announced that they are working on developing ultra-efficient diesel hybrids, which could be in production in the next five years.  In that they join the race already underway by automakers like Mercedes-Benz and Citroen ...
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GREEN APPS FOR YOUR CAR
January 6, 2010: The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) never fails to  provide a sneak peak of cool new technology.  Among the items introduced at CES this week is a new device and software that can turn a Garmin Nuvi into a fuel saving device, as well as an automotive diagnostic tool. The new ecoRoute HD device plugs into the vehicle's onboard diagnostics and transmits data wirelessly to the Nuvi. This can tell drivers how greenly they are driving and how they can improve and also lets drivers choose routes based on fuel economy as opposed to distance or fastest time.  Garmin has announced an expected availability date of March 2010  ...  Another interesting bit of tech:   General Motors has announced they will launch the Volt with charging apps for the iPhone, Blackberry and Droid that will allow users to schedule their battery charging for the cheapest charging times  ...  Wondering why you haven't seen more of the start-stop technology used in hybrids in regular gasoline vehicles? Mazda and other automakers blame the EPA's city-test mode, saying it only allows for one stop, which does not show the MPG benefits of the technology in their official ratings.   Luckily, the EPA is listening and is currently taking public comments on proposed testing changes that would better evaluate the stop-start technology  ...  Sounds like drivers are really starting to embrace clean diesel technology and understand the fuel efficiency benefits it provides along with better power than hybrid and electric vehicles.  "Volkswagen of America Inc. announced in December that its line of clean diesel TDI models sold 41, 278 models-approximately 20 percent of the company's overall sales volume for the year," according to Biodiesel Magazine ...
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HIGH MPG ENGINES MAKE “BEST” LIST
December 16, 2009: Think going green for your next car means you need to sacrifice performance?   Although fuel economy isn't technically one of the criteria, the list of "10 Best Engines" for 2010 put out by Ward's shows that you can keep the power you crave and save at the pump.  Two hybrids, two clean diesels, and three 4-cylinder engines made the list.  Volkswagen and its luxury line Audi did particularly well, with three engines on the list.  Also notable, only one V8 made the list whereas as many as four made the list in 1997 and 1999 .... Although heavy duty vehicles have been exempt from fuel economy regulations, the new EPA finding that greenhouse gas emissions are dangerous to human health may change that.  We mentioned a few weeks ago that MPG for medium-duty trucks had risen in some recent research but based on the amount of these trucks on the road, how much gas they consume due to very low MPG, and the number of miles they drive, fuel economy improvement in this sector is needed as part of the larger vehicle strategy for the U.S.  A counsel for the American Trucking Association says it is possible a fuel economy rule for heavy trucking could be enacted as soon as 2016. ACEEE has said average fuel economy for heavy duty vehicles could be increased by over 50 percent in the next 10 to 15 years and we hope to see industry and government work together to make that happen.  Gains in this sector can make a big impact to improve the environment and reduce our dependence on oil ...
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SMALL CARS FINALLY MAKING IT TO U.S.
December 9, 2009: If the L.A. Auto Show has shown us anything, it's that automakers have finally started listening to Americans and are offering more small cars that get better fuel efficiency.  Some of them are overseas models being brought to the U.S., which Americans have been overwhelmingly in favor of happening for years. Examples of these are the Ford Fiesta, which gets 40 MPG highway/30 MPG city, and the 2011 Mazda2, which was originally launched in Europe, Japan, and Australia a couple of years ago. Another high MPG standout is the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, which was unveiled in LA and will get 40 MPG highway.  A total of nine fuel sippers were unveiled in L.A., six of which are in production ready ...  Although  there are many combustion engines now getting much better MPG due to available technology, clean diesels, hybrids and electric still lead the green pack.  The Green Car Journal has picked a clean diesel for the second year in a row as its "Green Car of the Year." With both performance and fuel economy, the 42 MPG highway/30 MPG city Audi A3 TDI beat three hybrids and another clean diesel for the award ... Potholes for more power?  If you thought regenerative braking - when a hybrid or electric car recycles the energy from braking - was cool, you'll like this even more.  Three MIT grads have developed  a technology that harnesses the energy that goes into your cars shock absorber when you go over a road bump, which is usually just lost in the universe, to increase a car's fuel economy.  It's in the prototype phase but the device - called GenShock - has been tested In a Humvee, the developers are in talks with the military, and they fully expect it to make it into mass-produced vehicles ...
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HIGH-MPG MUSCLE CARS – OXYMORON NO MORE!
December 1, 2009: Now we truly have seen everything!  Can it be that muscle-car makers are competing to rev up their .... MPG levels?!  To date, we haven't focused much on this class of vehicles because the MPG numbers have tended to be dismal, to say the least.  But as fuel economy has become the "in" thing among more and more autobuyers, vehicles like the Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang are now competing not only on high-testosterone HP ... but also fast-rising MPG levels. Since June, the relaunched 2010 Camaro has outsold the Mustang for the first time since 1993.   Although the Mustang still leads in sales for the year through October, Ford is taking no chances.  It is upping the ante with its 2011 Mustang V6, which will get one more horsepower than the Camaro -- 30 MPG versus the Camaro's 29 MPG.  And Ford claims that they will be the only ones that can get 30 MPG and 300 horsepower, which is impressive no matter how you slice in it.  If you're in the market for a sportier car but still want better fuel economy, it looks like you can look forward to more options that you've had in the past ... We mentioned last week that the EPA reported MPG was up and CO2 down for passenger vehicles but it looks like they aren't the only ones.  Research from J.D. Power shows MPG was also up for medium-duty trucks in 2007 engines versus 2006 models. They also concluded that the increase in fuel economy was linked with an increase in overall satisfaction ... A new report from the Consumer Federation of America says Americans could save a whopping $140 billion and greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced 42 billion tons by raising fuel economy standards. Sounds pretty good, right?  Although the Obama administration has increased fuel economy standards to 35 MPG by 2016, CFA says the auto industry has the ability to reach 45 MPG by 2020. Of the 2010 models, they report only 90 percent get 30 MPG or higher. Although 78 percent of Americans surveyed say they would pay more for cars with better fuel economy, consumer demand is not being met by supply.  Can't say this is a surprise to us as we've reported time and time again Americans want more options in fuel-sipping vehicles and automakers have the ability to make them ...
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MPG UP & CO2 DOWN IN LAST FIVE YEARS
November 24, 2009: It looks like the shift towards greener vehicles is already having an impact. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that for the past five years, fuel efficiency for new cars and light duty trucks has increased as CO2 emissions have decreased. "... EPA officials said carbon dioxide emissions for new vehicles have decreased by 8 percent, or 39 grams per mile, since 2004. During that same time period, the average fuel economy for new vehicles increased by 9 percent, or 1.8 mpg," according to UPI.  Honda has the highest fuel economy/lowest CO2 emissions while Chrysler had the worst.  Chrysler actually had worse fuel economy than in 2004, when fuel efficiency bottomed out for the first time since the EPA started keeping fuel efficiency records in 1975. However, it's good to hear that although Honda, Kia and Toyota had the highest performance numbers, Ford and GM had the largest efficiency gains ... Instead of what they see as "exotic" solutions to meet new fuel economy standards, Mazda's "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom" strategy says the company will meet new fuel economy goals through improvements to engines and transmissions, as well as redesigning vehicles to reduce weight.  The company plans to meet the formidable - and commendable -  goal of improving across the board fuel efficiency 30 percent by 2015. While we always like to see more competition in the hybrid market, which is not part of Mazda's plans, we look forward to the company reaching such lofty gains in fuel efficiency in whatever way they can ... Hyundai is saying their 2011 Sonata will lead the field in fuel efficiency for midsize cars.  They say the vehicle will get 35 MPG and the current leader, the Ford Fusion, currently checks in at 34 MPG.  We can't wait to hear the next news in the fuel economy race ...
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FEWER RED LIGHTS, MORE MPG!
November 17, 2009: Have you been stuck in traffic recently, inching along from red light to red light wondering why the traffic flow is so slow? Are you tempted to turn your car off when stuck in a traffic jam to save gas but afraid traffic will start moving as soon as you do so?  Do you question why you have to stop at a red light late at night when you're the only car on the road?  BMW's Traffic Technology and Traffic Management group studied Green Waves - at least four traffic signals in a row that can be synchronized - and were able to nearly double the efficiency of a vehicle by changing the timing of traffic signals in a test. TheCarConnection.com reports: "That being an idealized situation, the company expects an overall 10 to 15 percent decrease in urban fuel consumption due to smart traffic signaling. Considering that motor vehicles use about 175 million gallons of fuel annually, and urban areas make up a significant chunk of miles traveled, that's a tremendous potential improvement."  As most U.S. traffic signal systems are out of date - 30 to 40 years old - they lack the flexibility and adaptability that could save us dollars at the pump.  BMW is pushing for smarter, updated traffic signals and talking to the Department of Transportation.  Less time in traffic?  Higher MPG?  Count us in!  ...  With all the hoopla about how to calculate fuel economy for electric cars following Chevy's claim for 230 MPG for the Volt, Edmunds.com is throwing its hat in the ring with a proposal.  As the Environmental Protection Agency considers formulas for how to accurately gauge the fuel-efficiency of new green vehicles in order to compare them properly with existing vehicles, Edmunds.com is asking the government to base the ratings on the cost of a typical month of operation. "Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl says the EPA should consider a cost-to-operate figure that would let consumers compare what they'd spend on energy for a vehicle, whether it uses gasoline, electricity, hydrogen, ethanol or some combination. The current 'mpg' number is useful because consumers can compare efficiency among cars. That comparison could be lost, he says, if the EPA adopts multiple ratings or numbers that don't accurately reflect the cost of operation," according to USA Today. The EPA is expected to rule in late 2009 or early 2010  ...  Due to growing concern about emissions and fuel economy,  two luxury automakers have announced intentions to bring their smaller cars to the U.S. market. Mercedes-Benz intends to bring its B-class here by 2012 and BMW plans to bring a 4-cylinder car, possibly the I-4 turbo-diesel, to the U.S. market soon ...  
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CHRYSLER: KILLING THE ELECTRIC CAR?
November 10, 2009: Did Chrysler really take billions in U.S. taxpayer bailout dollars, promising electric and hybrid car development, only to back out on that promise?  Looks like that may be the case.  Chrysler's new head - Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne - has some definite plans to streamline Chrysler to get it back in working order.   Some sound great but we wonder about other elements.  The positive: "'By 2014, Chrysler's fleet fuel economy will improve by 25 percent,' promised Marchionne," according to Popular Mechanics.   They plan to do this by adding Fiat's small cars into the rotation, reducing the number of platforms used for their lineup and using Fiat's platforms and engines, and making new vehicles more aerodynamic and lighter.  But we're not enthusiastic about this part of the puzzle: Fiat has pulled the plug on Chrysler's plans for electric vehicles and possibly even hybrids.  Since the company received billions in loans from U.S. taxpayers in part because of its electric and hybrids plans and just got $70 million in grants from the Department of Energy to develop hybrid and electric technology, we're a bit perplexed. Marchionne says maybe 2 percent of the fleet may be electrified by 2014.  While improved fuel economy is a great goal - and a government-mandated one -  the company should be required to live up to the promises offered to get our U.S. tax dollars and government grants given for hybrid and electric development ... Can this be true - the vehicle fleet on U.S. roads today only gets 3 more MPG than in 1923? An editorial in the Sacramento Bee points out that improving fuel economy standards is important now more than ever as little in fleet MPG gains has been seen in years even though we've made technology gains.  "From 1991 to 2006, fuel efficiency of the U.S. fleet increased by less than 2% -- to 17.2 mpg. So why aren't we seeing greater improvement, given that some of the newest cars today get close to 40 mpg?"  We have to wonder the same thing ...
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CAP AND SAVE: LOWER GAS COSTS UNDER FEDERAL BILL?
November 4, 2009: There is some good news for motorists in the future if Congress imposes a cap-and-trade system:  U.S. consumers will actually see a net savings of $13 billion in 2020 ($100 average per household) and $46 billion in 2030 ($326 average per household) in their gasoline expenditures.  A new analysis from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy explains that "the lower gasoline expenditures for U.S. consumers will reflect a combination of two factors: a much lower cost per gallon of gasoline for the impact of cap and trade than is claimed by cap and trade critics plus major savings made possible through the federal government's drive for higher vehicle miles per gallon (MPG) performance." So much for the doom-and-gloom predictions from the petroleum industry about cap-and-trade ... Will Fiat's Sergio Marchionne be able raise  Chrysler from the ashes and make the company a global leader again?  We'll find out today when he lays out his 5-year plan during a six hour meeting in Detroit. The Detroit Free Press notes: "The company's fourth chief executive officer in fewer than three years, Marchionne seeks to convert about $10 billion in taxpayer money into popular, fuel-efficient vehicles and create a globally competitive Fiat-Chrysler. If he succeeds, Marchionne, 57, could be hailed as the 21st-Century Lee Iacocca."  We'll reserve our judgment for now but are curious to see what the future brings for this former auto giant ... Have you ever wondered exactly how much weight affects your MPG numbers?  A detailed analysis can be found in a recent Autobloggreen Greenling's column: "The EPA says that for every 100 pounds taken out of the vehicle, the fuel economy is increased by 1-2 percent. Based on a gallon of gasoline costing $2.58, this translates to savings of between $0.03-$0.05 a gallon."  Not only can you save on  fuel economy with a lighter vehicle, this also makes the point for cleaning out that extra "junk in your trunk" adding weight, which can make gas dollars add up ...
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JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN: SCARY GAS PRICES
October 29, 2009: Getting spooked by a return to blood-curdling gas prices?  Gas prices typically go up during the busy travel months of the summer but then fall in the, well, fall. But the average price of gas has jumped 20 cents over the past two weeks.  Prior to this turn of events, some  had been talking about gas prices stabilizing but this just goes to show there are no guarantees.  Why the untimely increase?  It's pretty simple:  crude oil prices have been rising and refiners have been cutting back on production. However, whereas demand is often a factor in higher gas prices, organizations like AAA are saying it's instead due this time around to the weak dollar. AAA also notes that gas prices have gone up in the fourth quarter only one other time in the past 30 years ... The popular fueleconomy.gov site offered by the government to inform consumers about fuel economy and emissions is now available in Spanish.  According to the Los Angeles Times: "The site, www.ahorremosgasolina.org ("Let's save gas"), currently provides only a condensed rendering of the government's key fuel economy data, which covers every car and light truck sold in the United States dating back to the 1884 model year. It also has a Spanish translation of the English-language site's "Gas Mileage Tips" section."  The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency site will soon have additional content translated into Spanish ... The fifth grant from the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program has been awarded to a company who will use the $24 million loan to reduce harmful tailpipe emissions of hydrocarbons, particulate matter and nitrogen oxide.  Tenneco says "their diesel oxidation catalyst reduces hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions by 90 percent." ...
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AUTOMAKERS SINGING NEW TUNE ON HIGHER MPG
October 23, 2009: As unhappy as they claimed to be ... and as much as they fought it tooth and nail ... it seems automakers are changing their woe-is-us tune about the new fuel economy standards.  They now say they can meet the new standards.  It seems the thought of having to deal with individual state regulations drove them to submit to complying with one single, strengthened federal standard.  The Department of Transportation and EPA have been holding public hearings this week to get feedback on their proposed annual benchmarks to meet the 35.5 MPG by 2016 standard set forth by President Obama and automakers are roundly supportive of the new, tougher fuel economy standards.  It's about time! ... Auto emissions trading?  It has been available to automakers for a while, although they haven't availed themselves of it yet.  That may soon change.  "The emissions-trading mechanism itself -- known as an average banking and trading (ABT) program -- is not new...The bankruptcies, mergers and other economic hardships the industry has faced in the past year have created a larger push for the sector to 'go green.' This, on top of the administration's goal to have an economy-wide cap-and-trade system, could encourage companies to trade among each other," reports the National Journal  ... Thinking about getting a new car soon?  Want to get the most fuel economy bang for your buck?  Time to read up:  The U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency just released the 2010 Fuel Economy Guide. As in the past, the guide includes an estimated annual fuel cost based on each vehicles MPG rating.  All passenger vehicles under 8,500 pounds are included in the ratings.  Not surprisingly, hybrids took nine of the top 10 spots.  The Toyota Prius held onto its fuel-sipping #1 slot ...
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MORE MPG … ON YOUR IPHONE?
October 15, 2009: Want to really learn how to drive green?  We've all read the tips: don't crush  the gas pedal ... drive the speed limit ... and so on.  But a new iPhone app claims it will actually train you to drive in a more eco-friendly way.  The EcoDriverEd app uses the built in accelerometer and provides tips to the driver through color graphs and audio feedback.  Driving greener helps the environment and your pocketbook - the app claims it can help drivers save up to $200 a year and 1,200 pounds of CO2 ... The global focus on fuel efficiency is starting to show gains, which should continue in the future as plug-in and next-gen hybrids gain market share and new technologies are brought to market.  A new report shows that demand for oil in developed countries like the U.S. peaked in 2005 and  likely will not reach such heights again.  Both governmental and consumer pressure for fuel economy gains and increased penetration of alternative fuel vehicles were cited as contributing to the decrease in oil demand ..." This proves the point we've been making for years - increased fuel economy reduces our oil dependence and make us more secure as a nation ... Want to drive a greener car but don't have the $$$ for a new ride?  An option many have been considering is "green tires", which can improve your fuel economy up to 5%.  If you're looking to get the most bang for your buck, check out this comparison of seven different low-rolling-resistance (LRR) tires ...
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A GREEN RACE CAR THAT RUNS ON CHOCOLATE?
October 8, 2009: Have you heard about the world's first sustainable race car?  We were intrigued ... and it made us drool a bit .... but we were also skeptical.  Gas 2.0 reports: "The race car is made from woven flax and carrot pulp as well as recycled carbon fibre and recycled resin. In addition it uses biodiesel made from chocolate and animal fats and is lubricated with plant oils." But can it cut it on the race track?  The Formula 3 race car will compete in its first race on October 17 but is reported to have a top speed of 135 mph, can go from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds, and is turbo-charged.  Vroom ... The race to develop and integrate fuel economy technology into vehicles is serious, especially with the new mandates from the U.S. government.    We've reported that key to Ford's fuel economy goals is the EcoBoost engine it has developed.  The company is now moving to protect their technology.  Ford has filed more than 100 patents on the technology, which allows combustion engines to get up to 20 percent more higher fuel economy. Some analysts had indicated ford was lagging on the tech front but a study last year by The Patent Board put them ahead of several rivals, including General Motors, Volkswagen, Daimler and, notably, Toyota ... How do we know fuel economy is a key factor for American consumers looking to purchase new vehicles?  When it is highlighted in the headline of stories about new models, that is a pretty good indication.  Both automatic and manual transmission versions of the 2010 Volkswagen Golf have improved fuel economy over earlier versions and VW's clean diesel will now be offered on the Golf.   And the Hyundai Accent will offer a high MPG, "Blue" trim level, which will get a 31 MPG combined thanks to a modified transmission and improved aerodynamics.  Can't wait to see more and more stories like this as automakers incorporate into their lineup the changes that we've reported have been available for years ...
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WILL DIESEL RECOVER FROM GM’s SABOTAGE?
September 29, 2009: There's a reason why diesels are wildly popular overseas and a rare thing on the road here in the States.   As Kjell Bergh at Automotive News points out (sorry for the ugly cached clip!), GM experimented with diesel in the 1970s.  When that try-out belly flopped, GM diverted attention from its failure by putting the blame on diesel technology as outmoded, inefficient and highly polluting.  The echoes of that very public thrashing of diesels still reverberates today in the minds of American motorists.  Too bad it no longer has any real connection to current-day reality.  The truth is that  today's diesels are "highly sophisticated, quick-starting, quiet, powerful and fuel-sipping direct-injection turbodiesels built by Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Volkswagen, Audi, Nissan, Toyota and most of the world's other manufacturers, curiously including GM's and Ford Motor Co.'s European operations."  So why aren't we seeing more of these diesels make it U.S. shores faster?  And, even more to the point, will the car makers screw up their second shot at selling diesels in the U.S.?  They are not off to a promising start.  If you take a closer look at the diesel offerings being made in the States, you will find that we are getting the short end of the stick.  As Gas 2.0 points out, the launch this fall of the Audi A3 TDI in the U.S. looks pretty good at first blush.  It gets 30 MPG city/42 MPG hwy. But then you discover that a trim level of the same vehicle offered overseas with a smaller engine gets 40 MPG city/52 MPG hwy - a full 10 MPG better!  We have to agree with Nick Chambers: "I would think you'd want to introduce a car that really exemplified the benefits of what a clean diesel can offer. Sell the highest mileage diesel you can and people will flock to it - guaranteed." ... Diesel efficiency in a gas engine? A U.K company says that it has developed an electrically powered supercharger they say will improve fuel economy and reduce emissions on a gas vehicle to levels of a diesel.  We can't wait to see this new technology make it into the mass market ... Sounds like General Motors has decided to go positive with their messaging after fighting the fuel economy rules tooth and nail.  The company is saying that the new fuel rules do not "signal impending doom for...large sport utility vehicles ..." and that the company will "meet those regulations, and we'll meet them with margins to spare," according to a Ft. Worth Star-Telegram article.  We have to wonder: If what GM says is true, why didn't the company do it years ago?  ...
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A LONG-OVERDUE FIESTA: HIGH-MPG CARS FINALLY COME TO U.S.
September 22, 2009: It only took four years, but Detroit is finally doing what we called for four years ago.   From the 40MPG.org vaults, check out this December 1, 2005 news release:  "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."   Well, now Ford's plan to focus on small cars  will involve the U.S. automakers bringing some vehicles from Europe to the States. Along with the Fiesta, set to arrive next year, Ford plans to bring its C-Max microvan to the U.S in 2011 ...  Let the high-MPG price wars begin!  Hyundai has announced that a new version of its Elantra - called the Elantra Blue - will get 35 MPG. Not only that but it's more than $1000 less than its competitors -  the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Ford Focus - and it has higher fuel economy than them. Don't be surprised to see more announcements like this as the competition becomes stiff for higher fuel economy at a pocketbook friendly price ...  
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CAR BUYERS: FUEL ECONOMY IS KING
September 15, 2009: Who says Americans don't care about fuel economy?  Can we finally all agree that old myth has been put to rest once and for all? In a recent Consumer Reports survey, fuel economy was the most important factor for new car buyers and second only to price for used car buyers in the decision about which car to purchase.  Not surprising as we've heard the same sentiments from Americans for years.   An interesting result from the survey: 80 percent of respondents looking at a new car purchase are considering American brands.  Ford had the highest ratings among domestic brands, likely since they were the only company of the Detroit 3 that did not seek federal bailout money last year.  Chrysler was the lowest rated but continues to try and reinvent itself ... You may have heard that the Australian couple know for setting Guinness world records in fuel economy recently beat their previous record for traversing 48 of the United States.  The couple, John and Helen Taylor, got 67.9 MPG average in a Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Their 48-state route took them 9,505 miles in 19 days and they filled up only 13 times for a sum total of $371.03 for diesel fuel. How did they do it? A New York Times piece showcases tips from the Taylors that we can all use to maximize our fuel economy.  One of the tips that has been tested has to do with speed.  Consumer Reports found that the most fuel economical vehicles lost the most MPG as drivers increase their speed from 55 mph to 65 mph and 75 mph. The Honda Insight lost almost 15 MPG as it went from 55 mph to 75 mph.  Drivers of all types of vehicles, not just fuel sipping ones, see MPG benefits from slower speeds ... While diesel will no doubt continue to be the leader in Europe, new emissions rules are getting Europeans to jump headfirst into hybrid and electric vehicle technology.  The Frankfurt Auto Show this week will provide a forum for new hybrid and electric offerings from several European companies ...
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WHERE’S THE BIG SELL FOR CLEAN DIESEL?
September 1, 2009: With all the talk about hybrid and electric vehicles, we have noticed one alternative fuel technology that has been conspicuously missing from most headlines ... and nearly all automaker ads:   clean diesel.  A few carmakers are taking up the challenge of changing that. Audi, whose parent company is Volkswagen, and BMW are looking to upend American perceptions of diesel as the dirtier cousin of gasoline.  Diesel has long been the standard in Europe.  It  is 25 to 40 percent more fuel-efficient than gasoline and has lower carbon emissions.  And the advent of ultra-low sulfur diesel and exhaust-scrubbing technologies make it a real contender among green auto technologies.  Volkswagen's Jetta TDI clean diesel also would benefit from the changed perceptions about diesel, as would Mercedes ML320 CDI, which was the first clean diesel in the U.S.    BMW currently sells two clean-diesels in the U.S. and Audi has one and a second is expected soon  ...  Automakers and the public will soon see the fine print on fuel economy rules required by the Obama Administration to get the U.S. fleet to 35.5 MPG for the years between 2012 and 2016.  The new rules, drafted by the Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Transportation, were just sent to the White House for review and  are expected to be made public next month.  As the Detroit Free Press says: "The proposed rules under review by the White House would spell out the details of a compromise among automakers, state governments and the Obama administration to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from cars and trucks."  The new rules will go a long way towards the United States efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our dependence on foreign oil ...
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MAZDA: WE’LL SEE FORD’S 20% MPG INCREASE … AND RAISE IT
August 25, 2009: It seems the tide really is turning where it comes to auto manufacturers paying attention to fuel economy. While Ford's announcement a month ago of plans to improve the fuel economy of its 2010 lineup by 20 percent over 2005 levels is impressive, Mazda is planning gains that are even more ambitious.  Mazda announced plans to increase the fuel economy of its lineup 30 percent from current levels by 2016.  They have several areas of focus but a major one is their engines.  According to Automobile magazine: "... Mazda's 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, equipped with a new six-speed automatic transmission, will get up to 32 miles per gallon in the city and 42 mpg on the highway, 10 more miles per gallon for each rating than the current engine."  ...  How effective was the much-debated, sometimes-hated cash-for-clunkers program?  It depends on how you look at it.  As a crude short-term economic stimulus, it wasn't half bad.  But as an environmental program, it did not exactly set the world on fire.  While about 750,000 clunkers will be traded in by the time the program officially ends, that is only about 2 percent of the 42 million gas hogs on the road.  We've still got a L-O-N-G way to go  ...  Could a new internal combustion engine be the standard for future? A British engineering firm has developed a prototype 150-hp, "five-stroke" engine that they claim offers the fuel economy of a diesel without the particulate emissions ...
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DETROIT: WHERE MORE CLUNKERS MEANS LESS CASH
August 18, 2009: Automakers with the most fuel-efficient cars are the big winners under the federal cash-for-clunkers program.   And which automakers are raking it in under the rebate program?  Three of the five most popular vehicles purchased were Toyota and eight of the top-10-selling vehicles were from Asian automakers, which is raising eyebrows about how much in U.S. tax dollars will benefit foreign companies.  We've been saying for years that Americans have wanted U.S. automakers to shift their focus to making or importing smaller, more fuel efficient cars.  Now, they are paying the price for failing to do so.   On the plus side, it looks like both U.S. and foreign companies will be greatly expanding their small car offerings in the next few years due to the new MPG legislation.   But is that going to be too little, too late for Chrysler, GM and Ford?  Only Ford made it into the cash-for-clunkers top 10 with its Focus and Escape.  Also telling is the fact that all of the top trade-ins were made by American carmakers, showing the Big Three's reputation for putting out gas guzzlers was earned honestly  ...  Is the future of gas and diesel powered vehicles to combine them to achieve greater fuel efficiency?  Gizmag writes:  "... in a series of tests conducted at the University of Wisconsin, scientists have used an engine's fuel injection to produce the optimal diesel-gas mix for any given moment. The results are impressive: an average 20% greater fuel efficiency; combustion temperatures reduced by up to 40%; and effortless meeting of the stringent EPA 2010 emission regulations. Plus, the researchers believe that if their findings were implemented into every gasoline and diesel engine in the US, the savings could be as great as 4 million barrels of oil daily."  ...  GM is still working towards a production-ready fuel cell power train to be ready around 2012 ...
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THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT HIGH GAS PRICES: CLEANER AIR
August 11, 2009: If the air smelled sweeter to you last summer, there was a good reason. The high gas prices that caused us pain at the pump resulted in lower emissions. A new study from University of Michigan researchers found that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new vehicles were lower each month from November 2007 through April 2009 when compared to October 2007.  The cause was improved fuel economy and a decrease in the amount of driving done by U.S. motorists. Since gas prices have jumped 15 cents in the last two weeks, it looks like the air will be getting cleaner again ... Most people know that fuel economy is important but do you know exactly why?  The Department of Energy has a few talking points you can use when explaining to your friend who drives an SUV why you bought a hybrid: "A vehicle that gets 30 miles per gallon will cost you $610 less to fuel each year than one that gets 20 miles per gallon (assuming 15,000 miles of driving a year and a fuel cost of $2.44 a gallon)." ... Although luxury cars often see new technologies first, here's hoping some of the new features that boost fuel economy being developed by German gearbox specialist ZF make it the mainstream sooner rather than later.  The company claims that features like a new 8-speed automatic gearbox can boost fuel economy by 6 percent and  an electric power steering can boost fuel economy by 2-3 percent over a hydraulic version.  When you add up the fuel economy benefits, it could total 18 percent.  The new ZF innovations will start making an appearance with the 2010 model year ...
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CASH-FOR-CLUNKERS SNAFU
July 30, 2009: Looks like the government is taking a bad idea and making it even worse.  We've said from the start that the "cash-for-clunkers" legislation was a mistake.  Now it appears the EPA is changing the fuel economy ratings of many older vehicles so some become ineligible and others that did not qualify before now do.  It's turning into a real mess for consumers, especially those who tried to take advantage of the legislation early now find they either have to return the new car or pay $4,500 more. The EPA review just took place over last weekend prior to the program launching July 27, so anyone looking to take advantage of the program should really do their homework first.  This calculator from Edmunds.com might help  ...  A thoughtful oped in the Christian Science Monitor sets forth a proposal to really boost fuel economy: offer automakers financial compensation for vehicles that exceed the CAFE standards.  Amory Lovins, chief scientist at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), points out: "Under the existing CAFE legislation, if automakers surpass the annual minimum efficiency requirement, then they receive 'credits,' which can be used to offset deficiencies in subsequent or prior years. But that's not a carrot - it's more like a stick painted orange! Consider that from 1995 to 2007, the Big Three's combined CAFE never once exceeded the minimum standards by even 1 MPG." ... 
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FORD: A LOOK AT THE US MPG LEADER
July 23, 2009: Of all the U.S. domestic auto manufacturers, Ford seems to have taken the focus on fuel economy most to heart.  And the proof will be in its 2010 lineup.  The automaker just announced that its 2010 lineup will have fuel economy gains of 20 percent over 2005 levels and said it is on track for gains of more than 35 percent by 2015.  Also in the mix are plans to have at least four electrified vehicles by 2012.  For its combustion engines, the EcoBoost technology is a large piece of the puzzle.  This focus on fuel economy and efforts to become a leaner company are likely what kept Ford from having to dip into the bailout funds, as we noted last December, and are why it is presently the healthiest of the domestic automakers.  We look forward to seeing how this progresses  ...  Despite the current economic climate, many automakers are looking towards bringing more diesel vehicles to the U.S.  European companies seem more willing to take the leap, with Audi and Volkswagen leading the way.  As Audi points out in a new ad, "..if one-third of U.S. drivers operated a clean diesel, the country would displace the use of 1.5 million barrels of imported oil every day." Several manufacturers, particularly domestic ones like GM, say the U.S. having the strictest diesel regulations in the world.  However, some companies have clearly figured out how to make it work ...
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WHAT’S YOUR VEHICLE’S GPM?
July 16, 2009: What makes more sense: Miles per gallon or gallons per mile? The U.S. has long used miles per gallon (MPG) as its measure of fuel consumption but Europe and many other places in the world use liters/100 kilometers.  Popular Mechanics argues that it is much easier to make comparisons of fuel consumption between two vehicles using the European method of fuel consumed per unit of distance. "Quick, which is better: Replacing an 18-mpg car with a 28-mpg one, or going from a 34-mpg car to one that returns 50 mpg? Researchers at Duke University say that drivers find it easier to select the right answer when efficiency is expressed as gallons per 100 miles (g/100m). So 18 mpg (or 5.5 g/100m) versus 28 mpg (3.6 g/100m)-an increase of 10 mpg-represents a 52 percent reduction in consumption. If you trade in a car rated at 34 mpg for one rated at 50 mpg, it's a 16-mpg improvement, so we ought to see those gas card bills plummeting, right? Actually, after a minute's worth of math, you'll get 2.9g/100m in the 34-mpg car and 2g/100m in the 50-mpg car-only half as big a gain as the original scenario."  Will focusing on lower consumption versus higher mileage make a difference as we look toward reducing our dependence on oil? It's possible but consumers are the ones who might benefit the most from this approach in looking to get the most bang for their buck  ...  Available technologies to get better fuel economy continue to make their way into U.S. vehicles since the new fuel rules have been instituted.  BMW is likely to bring back its smaller 4-cylinder engines, which it hasn't offered in the U.S. since 1999. This would allow them to boost fuel efficiency without hurting their reputation for performance ...
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KOREA: 4OMPG BY 2015
July 9, 2009: A new plan from the Korean government will "require passenger cars and mini-vans with less than 10 passenger seats to get an overall average of 17 kilometers per liter by 2015," the equivalent of 40 miles per gallon, according to The Korea Herald.  They say this will save 15 million barrels of oil and reduce 8 million tons of carbon emissions by 2015.  So why can't the U.S. do the same thing?  While we're happy to see the requirements improve to 35.5 MPG by 2016 under the Obama Administration, it's clear we should have asked for more from automakers  ...  While hybrids will undoubtedly get a boost under Obama's plan to get 1 million plug-in hybrids on the road by 2015, there are several technologies that can boost fuel economy of regular gasoline vehicles, many of which are being used now and some which may make it to roadworthy status soon. And some of them are even being used or developed by domestic automakers, like GM's Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) technology found in the Saturn Aura concept car  ...  Many people think it's more fuel economical to drive with the windows down and air conditioning off than the other way around.  But the answer may not be so simple. It turns out, as fans of MythBusters might already know, it's better to drive with the windows down when going under 50 mph but turn on that AC and roll them up when you're on the highway ...
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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