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Advanced Clean Cars Program & California

eblock — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:23:48 +0000

Feb 5, 2012 – The New York Times has the following report about the Advanced Clean Car Program and California. Apparently it turns out to be 1 step forward and 2 steps back. Air regulators approved new car-pollution rules to cut down on smog and global warming they included a provision that critics described as a loophole that could substantially reduce the number of EVs sold in the state in coming years.

Under the new Advanced Clean Cars Program rules, approved last month, automakers will be required, beginning in 2018, to sell an escalating number of automobiles and light vehicles in California that can run on electricity, fuel cells or other zero-tailpipe-emission technologies.

But under a deal reached by automakers, the Obama administration and 2 senior California Air Resources Board officials, manufacturers that exceed new federal fuel-efficiency standards, even slightly, will be allowed to reduce the number of zero-emission vehicles they sell by up to 50 percent in 2018, a reduction that will drop to 30 percent by 2021.

The new rules also allow carmakers that do not meet their sales goals to purchase credits from other companies that surpass the goals, like Tesla Motors, a Bay Area company that plans to sell only electric vehicles and electric vehicle components.

Battery Maker Ener1 in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

LMerker — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:14:28 +0000

Ener1, which received a $118.5 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to make lithium-ion and other batteries for electric cars, filed for bankruptcy protection after the demise of a large customer.

It comes amid persistent criticism of U.S. President Barack Obama from Republican lawmakers about whether his administration is properly assessing “clean energy” companies before authorizing government support.

The Energy Department had in 2009 awarded the $118.5 million grant to Ener1′s EnerDel unit, as part of a government stimulus package to bolster the U.S. electric car industry.

For the entire story, please visit http://www.cnbc.com/id/46156363 .

Green Energy Winning and Losing Sectors in 2011

LMerker — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:17:22 +0000

Not only is research and development pushing forward in so many different directions, certain technologies are evolving quickly, while others are just getting going.

For the first time, energy storage received the most venture capital funding ($514 million), displacing solar ($350 million). Solar also lost the No. 1 spot in deal volume. Energy efficiency was the most popular area, with 34 funding rounds.

Energy storage (e.g. batteries) — considered something of a silver bullet — still presents sizable technological hurdles, while efficiency is now clearly the low-cost, plain vanilla version of clean tech.

This rotation of sorts is commonplace in maturing industries.

By no coincidence energy efficiency and storage, specifically electric cars, along with the booming recycling business, are our three winners.

At the same time, the U.S. solar industry is clearly one of our three losers.

Nothing as fatal as those events struck the ethanol industry, our third loser, which is more a victim of conventional market forces and uncertainty over government incentives, a key element in the alternative energy sector.

All three losers, however, have one thing in common — momentum has temporarily shifted against them and that’s rarely good for keeping and attracting investors.

Source cnbc.com.

Webinar on Materials Science for Alternative Energy Applications

eblock — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:46:12 +0000

Date:	January 19th, 2012
Time:	USA 11:00 a.m. EST / 10:00 a.m. CST / 8:00 a.m. PST / 16:00 GMT

Energy storage & conversion materials are a hot topic. Chemistry and materials science are playing a leading role in developing more powerful and long-lasting batteries, solar panels, fuel cells, biologically derived fuels, and other energy-related technology to power an increasingly crowded planet. It’s also an imperative to reduce emissions and process by-products for environmental sustainability, while simultaneously managing costs. This webcast will cover the application of computational methods to developing innovative materials for energy production, storage, and conversion.

In this webinar, you will learn:

How virtual screening can be used to develop improved batteries, fuel cells, and biofuels
How informatics and workflow management complement molecular modeling in alternative energy research
How high-throughput computation can accelerate the pace of materials discovery

Very Inexpensive Solar Outdoor Landscape Lights

LMerker — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:11:44 +0000

You ma;y have noticed more and more houses use LED solar landscape lighting to light a walkway. It is very convenient because you do not have to run any wires. At Home Depot, I have seen solar landscape lights for as little as $2.38 with a rechargeable AA battery included. I purchased a different one which was $2.88. The photosensor is very sensitive. With other lights nearby, it did not illuminate. I covered the photosensor and then the lamp illuminated.

2012 Detroit Auto Show

eblock — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:45:01 +0000

Jan 10, 2012 – The Detroit Auto Show is on. Are you there? More auto manufacturers are introducing hybrid and all electric cars, but does anyone want one now that gasoline prices came down in 2011? The category dropped to 2.2% of cars sold in the USA in 2011 from 2.2% in 2010. But, gasoline prices are projected to increase in 2012, especially with the saber rattling going on with Iran threatening to prevent oil from being shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. Increased gasoline prices will get car buyers attention quickly. Please leave your comments here. What car have you bought in the last 12 months? Conventional gasoline? Hybrid? All electric? What would make you consider or buy a hybrid? an all electric?

Energy Saving Gifts

eblock — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 22:38:07 +0000

Dec 26, 2011 – What energy saving gifts did you receive? Did you get a hybrid car? Did you get a new Tesla? Did you get a solar radio? Please leave your comments here.

Daimler Delivers Hybrids to Deutsche Post

eblock — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:51:40 +0000

Dec 9, 2011 – Daimler AG handed over ten Mercedes-Benz Atego BlueTec Hybrid vehicles to DP Fleet GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL, at the manufacturer’s Wörth plant today. The vehicles will be deployed throughout Germany in the mail and freight segments. The trucks assigned to DHL’s freight operations will operate in Wustermark and Hamburg, while the five Atego Hybrids to be used by the company’s mail division will go into service in Hennigsdorf, Dortmund, Cologne-Gremberghoven, Gersthofen and Kolbermoor.

smart is turning the automotive world upside down once again

eblock — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:47:44 +0000

Dec 7, 2011 – smart is turning the automotive world upside down once again and challenging ideas about what an urban pickup should look like. In a tongue-in-cheek manner the for-us signals that this is the right car for the young and young-at-heart with active lives who attach importance to low emissions and taking up minimum road space. The smart for-us translates the practical loading concept of a pickup to the reality of 21st century urban traffic for the first time.

GM Will Buy Back Volts

eblock — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:05:52 +0000

Dec 2, 2011 – GM has announced an unprecedented offer to buy back Volt cars from owners who are concerned about a fire hazard. Of course, there are only a total of 15,000 cars on the road so this is not like Toyota’s problems last year with millions of cars affected.