Eco-friendly Rides

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June 2009
- Electric Bikes Take Off in China
  
  Time | Jun 14, 09 7:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Chinese drivers are seeing a new vehicle zip by on the nation's congested, smog-choked freeways: electric bicycles, Austin Ramzy writes in Time . Promoted by the government as affordable solutions to cars, so-called e-bikes are growing in popularity, offering a green solution to the country's automobile boom. About 21 million e-bikes sold there last year, compared to 9.4 million cars. More »
May 2009
- Hatch: Save the Hummer ... for the Environment
  
  Washington Post | May 21, 09 12:12 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Many Republicans won’t touch fuel economy issues, but not Sen. Orrin Hatch. He’s been an advocate for alternative-fuel vehicles for a decade, and yesterday got behind the wheel of the most muscular hybrid ever, reports Dana Milbank of the Washington Post . A company from Hatch’s native Utah has created a plug-in Hummer that gets 100 mpg. Just two problems: General Motors is jettisoning the Hummer brand, and Hatch apparently can’t drive. More »
- Congress Nears 'Cash for Clunkers' Deal
  
  New York Times | May 6, 09 3:19 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Congress is nearing agreement on a “cash for clunkers” plan that would pay Americans to give up their gas-guzzling vehicles. A House plan outlined yesterday focuses on cars and light trucks that yield less than 18 miles per gallon. Owners who junk those will receive a $3,500-$4,500 voucher, depending on the relative efficiency of their new ride, the New York Times . More »
- 'Cash for Clunkers' Plan Hits Skids With Auto Experts
  
  MSNBC | May 2, 09 5:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - “Cash for Clunkers,” a congressional effort to remove older, gas-guzzling cars from the road, is gaining traction on Capitol Hill, but remains controversial elsewhere, MSNBC reports. The plan would offer drivers a $4,500 voucher toward new, fuel-efficient cars in exchange for trading in their environmentally unfriendly vehicles. “There are more effective policies out there,” said one expert. More »
April 2009
- Honda Ready to Take On the Prius
  
  Wall Street Journal | Apr 28, 09 7:31 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Honda is rolling out a fresh—and worthy—competitor to Toyota’s Prius, king of the hybrid market, writes Joseph P. White in the Wall Street Journal . The 2010 Insight will sell for just under $20,000, some $2,000 less than the most popular Prius model, and gets “minicar mileage” while offering enough room for a bike in the back seat. "Honda has already rattled the champ," writes White , "and the first round hasn't really begun." More »
- Death Traps Vs. Gas Guzzlers Split Automakers
  
  Wall Street Journal | Apr 21, 09 11:45 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - In the push to curb America’s fuel intake, consumers must often make a choice between safety and fuel economy, Joseph White writes in the Wall Street Journal . The real problem, though, may be that small cars have to share the road with SUVs. “A much bigger issue is the incompatibility between truck-based SUVs and cars of any size,” says a researcher. More »
- Forget Hybrids: Just Drive Like Your Grandma
  
  Wall Street Journal | Apr 17, 09 9:29 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Driving like a grandma can save more gas than fancy hybrid technology, Jeffrey Ball writes in the Wall Street Journal. Accelerating slowly, shifting gears early, and coasting to avoid stop-and-go driving can bump gas efficiency of even the largest gas guzzlers. The catch? "I've been honked at. I've been flipped off. I've been yelled at: 'Grandma,'" says one so-called eco-driver. More »
- Mileage Be Damned, SUV Remains American Darling
  
  MSNBC | Apr 11, 09 5:48 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Despite predictions of its demise, the SUV is alive and well at the New York auto show this year, Dan Carney writes for MSNBC. Sure, more fuel-efficient models of classic 4x4s make up the majority of the cars on display, but reports that the gas guzzler is passé, emanating from “literary critics, Broadway choreographers, and other practitioners of the bedrock industries that built this country” are greatly exaggerated. According to one website that tracks such things, half of Americans shopping for new cars are looking at crossovers and SUVs. More »
- Obama Snaps Up 17,600 Fuel-Efficient US Cars
  
  Washington Post | Apr 10, 09 7:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Obama announced yesterday that the government plans to buy up 17,600 American-made hybrid and fuel-efficient cars for the federal fleet, reports the Washington Post . In addition to being a way to get some more money to the automakers, the plan will boost the efficiency of the government fleet by at least 10%, saving 1.3 million gallons of gas a year. "On the big scale," though, says an analyst, "no, that's not going to change anyone's bottom line." More »
- China Plans to Lead Way in Electric Cars
  
  New York Times | Apr 1, 09 7:43 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - As US automakers continue their late push into the market for hybrids and electric cars, they may soon have a major new competitor to worry about: China. Beijing, which barely registers in the auto world today, has begun a major investment push and plans to join the world leaders in making electric vehicles in three years and pass them after that, the New York Times reports. More »
March 2009
- Price War Heats Up Hybrid Market
  
  Salon | Mar 27, 09 10:40 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Toyota and Honda have begun waging battle in the hybrid market, and a price war is bound to speed conversion by consumers—the Prius is expected to dip below $21,000 in order to compete with the $19,000 Insight in Japan. But the two aren't just versions of the same new option, writes Salon . Different technology makes Toyota's offering both more expensive and more efficient for in-town driving, while Honda's is more efficient for highway driving. More »
- Honda's New Hybrid Will Sell for $20K
  
  Los Angeles Times | Mar 11, 09 1:35 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Honda's much-anticipated 2010 Insight hybrid car will sell for a base price of just $19,800, the Los Angeles Times reports. The recession-friendly price tag makes the Insight the cheapest hybrid in the country at $2,200 less expensive than the Toyota Prius. The company aims to lure buyers who wouldn't have otherwise chosen a hybrid. More »
February 2009
- Ethanol on Tap From Beer Dregs
  
  CNET | Feb 3, 09 5:50 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Brewer Sierra Nevada is part of an effort to turn byproducts of the beer-making process into usable, alternative fuel, CNET reports. E-Fuel sells a $10,000 portable ethanol refinery that the brewer will feed with its yearly output of 1.6 million gallons of “bottom of the barrel” waste. The company will first use the ethanol to power its own fleet, then supply workers and sell it on the market. More »
- Road to Electric Cars Runs Through Bolivia
  
  New York Times | Feb 3, 09 9:13 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Are we about to replace our dependence on foreign oil with a dependence on foreign lithium? Almost half the world’s supply of the mineral—essential for the light, rechargeable batteries electric cars need—is found in Bolivia, where nationalist sentiment is running high, the New York Times reports. Evo Morales’ government is closely controlling the supply, rebuffing Japanese and European efforts to tap it. More »
- Human Waste Helps Oslo's Carbon Footprint
  
  Wired | Feb 2, 09 4:21 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Norwegian officials have hit on a novel, if gassy, alternative to carbon-spewing gasoline, Dave Demerjian writes in Wired . Starting in September, Oslo will capture methane, a byproduct of the process at its sewage treatment plants, and use it to power city buses. Norway hopes to use the gaseous human contribution as part of its plan to become carbon-neutral by 2050. More »
January 2009
- Toyota Recalls 1.3M Cars Over Seatbelt Issue
  
  The Car Connection | Jan 28, 09 3:56 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - About 1.3 million Toyota Yaris models are being recalled for repairs after a seatbelt defect was discovered that, during a severe frontal collision, can cause a pad inside the vehicle to ignite, the Car Connection reports. Some 134,900 US models, from 2006 and ’07, are affected; the Yaris’ compact sedan and hatchback versions are sold under other names overseas. More »
- Obama Lets States Tighten Fuel Standards
  
  Associated Press | Jan 26, 09 10:20 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Barack Obama announced a drastic change in the nation’s energy policy today, beginning with an executive order allowing states to raise their fuel efficiency standards. "America will not be held hostage to dwindling resources,” Obama said. “Today I announce the first steps on our journey to energy independence.” The first of those steps: telling the EPA to review requests from 15 states to tighten fuel efficiency standards. More »
- US Choice: Put Money in Startups or Big Three
  
  BusinessWeek | Jan 17, 09 1:42 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Small upstart Tesla wants to build on the success of its bold electric sports car—the pricey Roadster—by building a tamer sedan for the masses. But to do so, it needs a big infusion of cash from the Obama administration, which is looking to boost clean energy. The situation, notes Devid Welch in BusinessWeek , poses a tricky question for Obama: Are taxpayer dollars best spent on “small startups or big but troubled players inlcuding General Motors and Ford?" More »
- Chrysler Eyes Electric Rollout in 2010
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jan 11, 09 9:10 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Struggling Chrysler is underscoring its green-friendly efforts just ahead of the Detroit auto show, reports the Detroit News, promising to have an electric car in production by 2010 . Though a rep said he was “not allowed to” reveal any information about the model, the automaker will reveal a battery-powered version of the Jeep Patriot and show three previously displayed concepts—including a minivan and a sports car. More »
- Ford Buffs Green Image With Fusion
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jan 5, 09 8:34 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Ford’s 2010 Fusion hybrid will debut this spring with an EPA rating of 41mpg city and 36mpg highway, writes Joseph White in the Wall Street Journal , but reaching those underwhelming numbers could be a tough ride for most consumers. Complicating Ford's tough sell are anemic gas prices, writes White, but the Fusion represents the direction Ford—and other American automakers—will need to take to compete with foreign carmakers' more accelerated leap into the green segment. More »