Transportation News

Researchers Outline Consensus Position on “Beneficial Biofuels”

Sunday, July 19 2009

Eleven researchers outlines what they believe to be the consensus position on what the biofuel industry needs to focus on to become more sustainable. They point out that biofuels are a great opportunity to lower GHG emissions, but that they must be done in a sustainable way. They point out that biofuels should only be supported if they positively impact energy security, greenhouse-gas emissions, biodiversity, and the sustainability of the food supply. They suggest that the biofuels industry focus on perennial plants grown on degraded agricultural lands, crop residues, sustainably harvested wood and forest residues, double crops and mixed cropping systems, and municipal and industrial wastes.
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US Secretary of Transportation Says Reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled Necessary for Substantive CO2 Reduction from Transportation

Thursday, July 16 2009

The US Secretary of Transportation mentioned in testimony before Congress that even with low carbon fuels and more efficient vehicles, the US needs to work to reduce it's vehicle miles traveled (VMT). He states that even assuming 55mpg vehicles in 2030, the US transportation sector will only see modest CO2 decreases without a corresponding decrease in VMT. He advocates for more mixed use development, more public transportation opportunities, more walkable and bikeable cities, and more housing development near public transit.
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UC Berkeley Study Concludes Battery Switching Model Would Accelerate Mass-Market Adoption of Electric Cars

Tuesday, July 14 2009

A UC Berkeley study reports that their research predicts an at least 64% market share of electric vehicles if a battery swapping system is used. These systems rely on a subscription-based pay-per-mile sort of scheme where the car owner doesn't have to own the battery, lowering the cost of the vehicles. Read more about these sorts of systems in our <a href = "/Transportation/Charging-Stations/">Charging Stations section</a>.
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Vancouver Requires Charging Stations in New Condominium and Apartment Buildings, and Some Parking Lots

Saturday, July 11 2009

Vancouver, BC will begin requiring that developers of new condominiums and apartment complexes outfit 20% of available parking spaces with electric vehicle charging stations. The new regulations will take effect in 18 months and will also involve installing charging stations public parking lots.
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Survey Finds US Hybrids and Diesels Beat Gasoline Models on Full Cost of Ownership

Thursday, July 09 2009

An Intellichoice.com survey compared the 51 clean diesel and hybrid vehicles to their gasoline equivalents and found that 35 of them have a lower cost of ownership. The increase in sticker price was more than made up for in decreased fuel costs, tax incentives, lower maintenance costs, and a higher resale value. If the price of gasoline went up to $4.00 a gallon, 41 would have a lower cost of ownership.
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Zipcar Launches Car Sharing Club with Hybrids, PHEV and EV in London

Tuesday, July 07 2009

The Westminster City Council in London and ZipCar have announced a partnership to provide a car sharing service that will consist originally of 20 hybrid vehicles, with plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles to be featured in the future alongside gasoline powered vehicles.
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Report: Toyota To Start Commercial Production of Plug-In Hybrids In 2012

Saturday, July 04 2009

Toyota announced that it will begin commercial production of plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012 in addition to plug-in versions of the Prius that they will begin leasing out at the end of this year.
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California Adopts Cooler Cars Regulation

Friday, June 26 2009

Starting in 2012, cars sold in California will need to have windows that reflect or absorb almost half of the heat from the sun's rays hitting the glass.
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Jump start for electric car trial

Tuesday, June 23 2009

The UK has started a 2 year program to lease out over 340 plug-in hybrid and full-electric vehicles for 6 months to a year at a time in 8 cities.
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On the Streets of China, Electric Bikes Are Swarming

Sunday, June 14 2009

There has been a recent boom in sales of electric bikes in China, accounting for about 90% of the electric bikes sold world-wide. These are a low-impact way to get around crowded cities.
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IATA: Airline Industry Targeting Carbon-Neutral Growth By 2020

Monday, June 08 2009

The international airline industry has pledged to achieve carbon neutral growth by 2020, meaning that by 2020 their emissions will stay the same even if demand goes up. They has already been making increases in efficiency and are expected to lower emissions by 2% due to efficiency improvements (after already discounting for fewer flights due to the recession).
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Toyota Industries to Begin Selling Rechargers for EVs and PHEVs

Sunday, June 07 2009

Toyota will begin selling recharging stations for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles this summer in Japan. The charging stations are designed to be used in commercial and public spaces, although a residential model will be coming out soon.
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Hybrids in Japan Grabbed 12% New Vehicle Market Share in May

Saturday, June 06 2009

Hybrid vehicles accounted for 12% of the new light-duty vehicles sold in the month of May in Japan with hybrids grabbing the #1 and #3 spots in terms of most sold models. In the US, hybrids accounted for 2.8% of new vehicles sold in May.
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Toyota to Lease 200 PHEVs in Japan Starting at End of 2009, 500 Globally

Wednesday, June 03 2009

Toyota is planning the lease 200 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Japan, 150 in the US, 100 in France, and 50 in the rest of Europe by the end of 2009.
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India to Move Forward With Fuel Economy Standards

Wednesday, June 03 2009

The government of India has decided that it will implement fuel economy standards on its gasoline and diesel vehicles.
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In a Sluggish Japan, Prius Sales Boom

Saturday, May 30 2009

In response to government incentives, Japanese demand for hybrid vehicles is very strong despite the overall economic conditions. The third generation Prius, which has just recently been launched, is already swamping dealerships with orders.
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Report: Honda to Advance Hybrid Fit for Japan to 2010

Wednesday, May 27 2009

Apparently in response to the Honda Insight hybrid displacing the Honda Fit as the number one vehicle in Japan, Honda has decided to push up the release of a hybrid version of the Fit to 2010, 18 months ahead of schedule.
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Nissan and Europcar Form EV Partnership

Wednesday, May 27 2009

Nissan and Europcar are working together to market electric vehicles in the vehicle rental market by 2010. The vehicles are going to be brought to France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand before being spread worldwide.
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IMO Study Concludes Shipping Could Cut GHG Emissions by One-Fifth at Negative Cost to Industry

Sunday, May 24 2009

A new International Maritime Organization (IMO) report has concluded that the shipping industry, responsible for about 3% of greenhouse gas emissions, could reduce those emissions by 20% and save money at the same time.
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With Increasing Car Ownership, China’s Oil Demand to Increase by Up to 33% 2015

Sunday, May 24 2009

It has recently been predicted that China's oil usage could increase by up to 33% in the next 6 years because of an increase in automobile ownership.
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Survey Finds Americans Believe Hybrid Technology Is Strategically Important for US, Too Expensive to Buy

Wednesday, May 20 2009

Results from a comprehensive survey about American's opinions regarding hybrids.
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Hitachi Develops Fourth-Generation, High Power Automotive Lithium-Ion Battery with 4,500 W/kg

Tuesday, May 19 2009

Hitachi has developed a new Lithium Ion battery with 1.7 times the output of its mass produced battery. This means that it can store more energy while weighing less, reducing overall vehicle weight.
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Canadian Research Team Reports Major Breakthrough in Lithium Battery Technology

Tuesday, May 19 2009

A Canadian research team is attempting to leap-frog typical Lithium Ion batteries by focusing on Lithium-Sulfur battery technology. This technology has the opportunity to provide three times the energy density of Lithium Ion according to their results, meaning a battery of the same size could store three times as much energy.
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Obama to Tighten Fuel-Economy Standards

Tuesday, May 19 2009

The US Government announced new vehicle fuel efficiency standards that pull together the national plan and that California and other states were proposing. All vehicle classes will need to improve, preventing manufacturers from producing just a few very efficient vehicles to balance out not improving the efficiency of SUVs and trucks. The minimum overall standard will be 35.5 mpg by 2016. Cars will need an average of 39 mpg and trucks will need to get 30 mpg. This represents about a 30% increase from current standards.
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Magnetic road strips could power electric cars

Monday, May 18 2009

Idea being tested in South Korea that would charge electric vehicles using magnetic induction by putting magnetic strips on roadways.
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GE Transportation Unveils New Evolution Series Locomotive

Monday, May 18 2009

GE unveiled a new low-emissions locomotive that has a 17% reduction in fuel consumption and 70% reduction in emissions.
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UK Researchers Developing Rechargeable Lithium-Air Battery

Monday, May 18 2009

Researchers at the University of St. Andrews in the UK are halfway through a project to develop lithium-air batteries with up to 10 times the capacity of current lithium-ion batteries.
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Waxman/Markey Bill Accelerates Infrastructure and Build-out for Plug-Ins, Calls for Harmonization of Motor Vehicle GHG Standards

Sunday, May 17 2009

The Cap and Trade bill in the House, HR 2454, includes provisions to increase transportation energy efficiency, including from heavy duty vehicles and airplanes as well as provisions for increasing electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
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Elektromotive Debuts Tool for Monitoring and Invoicing Electricity Drawn from Charging Stations

Friday, May 15 2009

UK-based company Elektromotive has introduced a tool for monitoring and invoicing electricity drawn from vehicle charging stations called EBConnect. It will be installed at all Elektrobay charging stations, which there are already more than 160 of in the UK.
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GE to Open Sodium-Metal Halide Battery Plant in New York

Tuesday, May 12 2009

GE plans to open a Sodium-Metal Halide battery plant in upstate New York for the rail, marine, mining, telecommunications and utility sectors. GE says that facility will produce approximately 10 million sodium-metal halide cells each year (900 MWh of energy storage) and that they will likely be used in GE's hybrid locomotive, set to be commercialized in 2010.
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Toyota to Lease More Than 150 Experimental Li-Ion PHEVs in Europe

Tuesday, May 12 2009

Toyota will lease more than 150 units of its experimental Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) in Europe. It is planning on deploying more than 500 by 2010.
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Hybrids and EVs May Capture 10% Of Japan New Car Sales in Fiscal 2009

Tuesday, May 12 2009

It is being estimated that hybrid and electric car sales could make up about 10% of Japan's vehicle sales.
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Insight Becomes First Hybrid Vehicle to Rank as Best-Selling Vehicle in Japan

Monday, May 11 2009

The Honda Insight replaced the Honda Fit as the number one selling car in Japan in April, making it the first time a hybrid has topped the list.
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In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars

Monday, May 11 2009

Story about a car-free suburb in Germany and attempts to build car-reduced communities all over the world.
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$26.4B DOE FY 2010 Budget Request Cuts Funding for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles

Thursday, May 07 2009

The US Department of Energy released its budget, in which there were increases for plug-in hybrid technology, biomass, energy conservation, renewable energy, and smart grid technology. There were cuts for nuclear energy and hydrogen fuel cell technology.
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China Car Sales Likely Hit New Record in April

Thursday, May 07 2009

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), sales of automobiles likely reached a record high of 1.15 million units for the month of April.
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Renault-Nissan Alliance Partners with Singapore Government for EVs

Thursday, May 07 2009

The Renault-Nissan Alliance are working with the Singapore government to explore the development of zero emissions vehicles.
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Two More Hydrogenics Fuel Cell MidiBuses In Operation in Europe

Wednesday, May 06 2009

There are now ten of these hydrogen fuel cell buses in use in Europe. The hydrogen fuel cell/battery hybrids make it 200 km (124 miles) on one fill of hydrogen. The buses also take advantage of combined heat and power (CHP), using waste heat from the fuel cell to warm the bus in cool temperatures.
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SAIC to Introduce Series of Hybrids, PHEVs and EVs By 2012

Wednesday, May 06 2009

SAIC has made a commitment to producing a series of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles by 2012. They have invested US$877 million on the effort.
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Scrappage Scheme Moving Forward in US Congress

Wednesday, May 06 2009

The United States Congress is working on a "cash for clunkers" bill that offers vouchers to people turning in inefficient vehicles and purchasing ones of higher efficiency. Under the plan, passenger cars getting under 18mpg can be traded in for $3500 if the new vehicle is at least 4mpg higher than the old, or $4500 for a 10mpg improvement. New light duty trucks or SUVs get $3500 or $4500 if they were less than 18mpg and the new vehicle is 2 or 5mpg higher than the old, respectively. Large light duty trucks that get less than 15mpg are eligible for vouchers worth $3500 and $4500 if the new vehicle is 1 or 2mpg higher than the old, respectively. And finally, work trucks are worth $3500 if they were built before 2002 regardless of fuel economy because of the efficiency of the newer vehicles that even get the same mileage.
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Minnesota RFS Now Requires 5% Biodiesel

Wednesday, May 06 2009

Minnesota’s Renewable Fuel Standard now requires that diesel fuel contain a 5% blend of biodiesel, up from its previous requirement of 2%.
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President Obama Establishes Biofuels Interagency Working Group

Tuesday, May 05 2009

This group would work together to ensure continued investment in biofuels plants, renewable generation plants, and other supporting facilities. It pushes for more widespread commercialization and adoption of biofuels.
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Testing Finds Proterra Electric Transit Bus Achieves More Than 20 mpg Diesel Equivalent

Tuesday, May 05 2009

Testing of an all electric bus found that it could top 20 mpg diesel equivalent, better than 5 times the efficiency of comparable diesel buses.
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EPA Proposes New Regulations for Renewable Fuel Standard to Implement Requirements of EISA

Tuesday, May 05 2009

The US EPA released revised standards for the amount of biofuel of specific types that must be produced each years and the greenhouse gas reductions that fuel must provide. It takes into account indirect land use changes in its life cycle greenhouse gas reduction calculations.
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OriginOil Partners With Desmet Ballestra to Commercialize Single-Step Extraction Technology for Algae Oil

Tuesday, May 05 2009

OriginOil and Desmet Ballestra are working together to process algae oil in a way that skips the energy-intensive dewatering process. This would reduce the energy intensity of the process by up to 90% and reduce costs to about $200 per metric ton of oil. This would produce straight vegetable oil (SVO) that could be used in modified engines or further refined into biodiesel.
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NYPD Adds 40 Altima Hybrid Patrol Cars to Fleet

Monday, May 04 2009

The NYPD began using the first 40 of the 100 planned Nissan Altima hybrids expected to be deployed this year.
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Hawaii State Legislature Raises Tax on Petroleum from $0.05 to $1.05 per Barrel

Sunday, May 03 2009

The Hawaii state legislature increased taxes on petroleum 2000%.
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Electric cars for remote estates

Monday, April 27 2009

A remote community in Scotland is considering getting electric vehicles powered by micro-renewable setups to lower their carbon footprint.
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Is the Future of Electric Cars in China?

Tuesday, April 21 2009

Article about Chinese car companies and government subsidies that are pushing the country towards more electric vehicles.
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Obama unveils high-speed passenger rail plan

Thursday, April 16 2009

The Obama administration identified 10 potential transportation corridors all over the country that could use investments in high speed rail as an alternative to road or air transportation. The administration is planning billions in investment in these projects.
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Plan to boost electric car sales

Thursday, April 16 2009

The UK government announced subsidies of up to £5,000 to encourage the public to buy electric or plug-in hybrid cars as they become available in the next couple of years.
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Chrysler developing electric sports car for 2010

Monday, April 13 2009

Chrysler is planning on releasing the Roadster, a battery-powered 268-horsepower two-seat sports car, in 2010.
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Health risks of shipping pollution have been 'underestimated'

Thursday, April 09 2009

Studies are beginning to show that pollution from shipping may have been underestimated up until now. It is estimated that pollution from the world's 90,000 cargo ships leads to 60,000 deaths a year in the US alone and costs up to $330bn per year in health costs from lung and heart diseases. It is estimated that 15 of the world's largest container ships emit as much cancer and asthma producing pollution as all the world's cars.
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A Solar-Powered Solution to Florida Sprawl

Thursday, April 09 2009

Syd Kitson, a former NFL lineman, has plans to turn a ranch into a sustainable community with energy efficient buildings, solar power, a smart grid, and electric cars. The photovoltaic power plant itself would be twice as large as the current largest photovoltaic plant.
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Tesla rolls out new sedan

Monday, March 30 2009

Tesla plans to produce about 20,000 all electric sedans costing about $50,000 a piece starting in 2011.
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Tyson Foods + Syntroleum Fuel Corp = America’s First Renewable Synthetic Fuel Facility Now Under Construction

Thursday, January 22 2009

Tyson Foods and Syntroleum Fuel Corp. have joined forces and begun construction on a new Louisiana facility with 75 million gallon per year (gpy) potential; this is the nation’s first renewable synthetic fuel endeavor. Planned for startup in 2010, the facility will convert animal fats and greases into “ultra clean renewable diesel and jet fuel.”
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Hawaii Plans Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

Thursday, January 08 2009

Hawaii has partnered with project better place and expects to have multiple charging and battery swap stations in place by 2012.
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First flight of algae-fuelled jet

Thursday, January 08 2009

A US airline has completed the first test flight of a plane partly powered by biofuel derived from algae.
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Coulomb's Electric Vehicle Charging Stations are Live in San Jose

Tuesday, January 06 2009

Coulomb is offering electricity for electric or plug-in vehicles through their subscription plans at 3 locations in San Jose.
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NZ Airline Flies Jet Partly Run on Veg. Oil

Tuesday, December 30 2008

One engine of a Boeing 747-400 airplane was powered by a 50-50 blend of oil from jatropha plants and standard A1 jet fuel.
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Better Place Plugs First Charge Spot to Electric Car

Monday, December 08 2008

Better Place Unveils Design and Deployment of Charging Spot and Electric Parking Lots in Israel
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Better Place Joins Subaru, Other Japanese Carmakers In Ministry of Environment Electric Vehicle Project

Monday, December 08 2008

etter Place, the world’s leading mobility operator, today announced that it is joining Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., maker of Subaru automobiles, and other Japanese carmakers in the first Ministry of Environment, electric-vehicle (EV) project in Japan.
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28 States To Get Smartlet Electric Vehicle Charging Station Distributors, Entire US + Canada Early Next Year

Tuesday, December 02 2008

Coulomb Technologies is partnering with resellers all over the country to distribute their charging technology.
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Firm envisions network of electric-vehicle charging sites

Friday, November 21 2008

A Palo Alto company is looking to install 250,000 charging points and 100 battery swap stations in the San Francisco Bay Area by 2012.
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Tax credits offer incentives for plug-in vehicles

Thursday, October 30 2008

Plug-in electric vehicles from General Motors and Toyota are not expected to hit showrooms for more than a year, but when they arrive, the first buyers will be eligible for a tax credit that could reach $7,500.
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World's Fastest Production Car to Go Electric

Saturday, October 25 2008

SSC is developing the Ultimate Aero EV, a 500 bhp electric sports car that will come to market in late 2009
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Wind Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Available in Australia

Friday, October 24 2008

Project Better Place is installing wind powered electric vehicle charging stations in Australia.
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Five plug-in vehicle charging stations now operating in Portland and Salem

Monday, September 22 2008

Portland General Electric completed the installation of five plug-in vehicle charging stations, enough to charge 12 vehicles, in the Portland and Salem area.
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China Planning Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Sunday, September 21 2008

China is installing electric vehicle charging stations in 10 cities around the country with the intention of having 1 in 10 future vehicles produced be electrical vehicles.
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Google & GE Joining Forces to Bring You Geothermal Power, Plug-In Vehicles and a Smart Grid

Thursday, September 18 2008

Google and GE are coming together to attempt to work on both the policy and technological side of improving geothermal energy, plug-in vehicles, and the smart electrical grid.
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EPRI, GM, 34 Utilities Collaborate to Advance Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Tuesday, July 29 2008

GM is working with utilities to make sure that when they produce plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, the infrastructure to use them will be there.
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PGE reveals electric charging stations

Tuesday, July 29 2008

Portland General Electric Co. on Tuesday unveiled the first of a dozen new electric charging stations.
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'Smart' electric grids to ease zap from plug-ins?

Tuesday, July 22 2008

A project funded by the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory will test bidirectional battery chargers and "smart" grids that could prevent U.S. electric grid overload from plug-in vehicles.
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Smartlet Charging Stations An Idea To Recharge Your Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle

Tuesday, July 22 2008

Coulomb Technologies has come up with a technology that could deliver a vehicle recharging technology to municipalities and parking lot owners by the end of the year.
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Coulomb unveils electric-car charging stations

Tuesday, July 22 2008

The city of San Jose, Calif., will be the first to test electric-car charging stations from start-up Coulomb Technologies.
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Electric Vehicle Charging Continues to Spread Across London

Thursday, May 29 2008

Article discusses the continued increase in the availability of charging locations in London for electric vehicles.
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Project Better Place Might Charge Up SF

Tuesday, May 13 2008

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is in talks with electric vehicle startup Project Better Place about building the infrastructure for a fleet of plug-in cars in the city, including parking meter charging stations and battery replacement stations.
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California firm to produce electric charging stations

Saturday, April 19 2008

California company working to create public charging stations for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles
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Lithium Ion Batteries See Potential 10-fold Capacity Improvement

Tuesday, January 15 2008

There has been a recent development in lithium ion batteries that promises to increase capacity by 10 fold. While focusing on small electronics, this could potentially be applied to electric cars.
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Motorhead Messiah

Thursday, November 01 2007

Article about a man who works to take the most inefficient vehicles on the market and turn them into highly efficient, low impact vehicles.
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250 Plug-in Electric Car Charging Stations to be Installed Across the UK

Friday, October 12 2007

250 Charging stations will be installed across the UK by April 2008
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