Bullmastiff owners in Mexico City are about to become extremely popular among laptop-wielding parkgoers, methinks

Bullmastiff owners in Mexico City are about to become extremely popular among laptop-wielding parkgoers, methinks

Bullmastiff owners in Mexico City are about to become extremely popular among laptop-wielding parkgoers, methinks

Student activism nationwide flies in the face of a recent study claiming young Americans don't care about the environment.

For a society that lives high on the food chain, this new trend could signal the end of meat’s mealtime dominance.

 " Looking for a green cleaning product? How about a green steam cleaner for your..."

Image credit: The Urbane Forager

We already know that backyard fruit trees are a barely tapped resource for urban gleaning, and we’ve seen how the Fallen Fruit project has created maps and community events to alert us to the bounty that is all around us. Over in the UK, The Urbane Forager is on a similar mission—sharing stories of foraging mis…Read the full story on TreeHugger

Filed under: AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Automotive X-Prize

We first saw the Very Light Car from Edison2 in January in the basement at the Detroit Auto Show, but a lot more people might soon see this funky-looking car in magazines and on TV if the current results of the Automotive X-Prize's Knockout Stage hold. With little fanfare (so far, anyway), all of the vehicles in the mainstream class at the X-Prize have dropped out except for two entrants from Edison2. Vehicles Number 97 and 98 (pictured) still have a shot at winning this thing, according to the X-Prize's website. Everyone else has gone home.

Now, this doesn't mean that one of the VLCs is going to be crowned the champion, because the cars still need to pass the Final and Validation Stages, but it looks like no one else has a chance to beat them. See the X-Prize's graphic after the jump.



Photos by Sebastian Blanco / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Progressive Automotive X-Prize]

Continue reading Will Edison2 win the $5 million mainstream X-Prize? No one else can beat them now

Will Edison2 win the $5 million mainstream X-Prize? No one else can beat them now originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: AutoblogGreen Exclusive, On Two Wheels, Automotive X-Prize

The Three Tilting Wheels (TTW) Motors entrant in the Automotive X-Prize stands head and shoulders above the rest. Turns out, this isn't a winning strategy.

The unbelievably tall TTW vehicle caught our attention at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI last week not only because it is so tall and slim (get a good look in the gallery below) but because it's bright orange and we hadn't seen it at the competition before. Turns out, we won't be seeing much more of it, either, since the TTW had been eliminated from the X-Prize.

TTW, from Italy, designed the TTW to put one person (or sometimes two people) into the most efficient vehicle possible while also providing a high vantage point for the driver in traffic. The resulting vehicle is a combination of bicycle and CUV driving experiences with a plug-in, parallel hybrid powertrain. The driver sits up high and has a tremendous field of vision from an enclosed vehicle that tilts when it turns.

Being forced out of the X-Prize isn't the only hardship facing team TTW. Team leader Stefano Carabelli told AutoblogGreen that, "standard fundraising reasons" caused the vehicle to not be as ideal as it could be on paper. The engine, for example, was an off-the-shelf model that wasn't ideally suited for what the team put it through. "We tried to make the most of what we had and we blew it up," Carabelli said. TTW's press release about the vehicle is available after the jump.



Photos by Sebastian Blanco / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Automotive X-Prize: TTW stands tall, but falls behind the competition

Automotive X-Prize: TTW stands tall, but falls behind the competition originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: MPG, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Automotive X-Prize

The slope of the track at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI is playing a role in how the teams in the Automotive X-Prize are driving their vehicles. During the tests where the cars need to accelerate to a set speed and then slow down repeatedly (the city and urban drive tests), some drivers used the angle of the road to help brake the car and then get to speed again. From the starting line, they angle the car to the higher side of the track, then swoop down and back up to the next stop sign. Rinse, repeat, repeat, repeat (see what we mean in the gallery below). Will they ever make up the extra energy used to get up the slope that first time? We'll let the math and physics majors chime in on this one.

We saw the Very Light Cars from Edison2 and the Amp'd Sky use this trick (strategy?) On the one hand, swerving high and low is not a legitimate way to drive on public roads so this isn't exactly in the spirit of building high efficiency vehicles for everyday use. On the other hand, good eco drivers always look for ways to maximize efficiency, and this is one of those moves. Plus, since the option is available to every team in the X-Prize, so it's not like it's an unfair move. We don't think any vehicle will be able to "beat the system" and win the 100 mile per gallon equivalent challenge with a car that really only gets, say, 75 mpge, but it does show that even in a competition where the rules were written and rewritten as much as they were in the AXP there is still room for creativity.



Photos by Sebastian Blanco / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Automotive X-Prize: Drivers hit the slopes to try and squeeze out a few more mpge originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 27 Jun 2010 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Audi, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

When we saw an Audi A5 quattro with the words "Ethanol E100" at the Challenge Bibendum in Rio de Janiero recently, we knew it was something unusual. It was so different, in fact, that it's taken Audi PR until today to get back to us and tell us exactly what we were looking at.

it's not that surprising that a car at a green transportation event in Brazil burns ethanol, but the fact that it can use nothing but the biofuel is a bit surprising. Audi does offer some flex-fuel models, most notably the A4 and A4 Avant in Germany, and has tested E85 in the A5 in the past, but this is the first modern E100 Audi vehicle that we know of. Here are some key numbers about the pure ethanol-burning A5:

• Engine 2.0 TFSI 132 kW (180 PS), 320 Newton-meters of torque
• Manual 6-gear quattro transmission
• 0-100 kilometers per hour in 6.9 seconds
• Top speed: 236 km/h (146 miles per hour)
• Weight: 1,310 kilograms

The car officially consume 9.9 liters per 100 km (24 mile per gallon U.S.) when running on ethanol, but drivers managed 9.5 l/100 km (25 mpg) on ethanol during the Michelin Chalenge Bibendum Rallye.



Photos copyright (C)2010 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Audi]

Our travel and lodging for this media event were provided by Michelin.

Continue reading Challenge Bibendum: Audi's E100-capable A5 can get to 25 mpg and 146 mph

Challenge Bibendum: Audi's E100-capable A5 can get to 25 mpg and 146 mph originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Automotive X-Prize

The vehicle from Illuminati Motor Works, called Seven, was in bits strewn about the team's garage bay at the Automotive X-Prize Knockout Stage in Brooklyn, MI this week. Sure, the car can be put back together quickly and did make it to the track when requested, but not everything is going smoothly for the team from Springfield, IL.

The Seven is a fully-electric car and is also the last all-electric car left standing in the mainstream class. We spoke with team leader/engineer Kevin Smith, who told us that one of the team's problems is that the Seven can't fully charge right now because the batteries aren't conditioned. Illuminati built the 30 kWh pack itself from purchased cells. After the Shakedown Stage in April, the seven-member team needed to take the car apart and work on improvements (a trend that was kept alive when we saw the car - note the missing headlight, which was being repaired) and the battery pack couldn't charge during that time. In fact, the pack needs "dozens" of charges (maybe more) to fill up, with each successive charge holding a bit more juice. This not only hurts the team because they can't get the maximum number of electrons into the car, but also because of the way the AXP judges measure the energy used. The car is filled up, then the tests are run, then the car is charged up again and the energy used is measured. Since the Seven takes in a bit more electricity with each charge, the AXP thinks the car has used more energy than it actually did, Smith explained.

Still, last we heard, the Seven averaged 119.8 miles per gallon equivalent over the three efficiency tests, so there's potential that we'll see this one during the finals stage if they can muster up enough range out of the pack for the distance tests. Maybe Voodoo Steve, the foam being that appeared under the rear window one night, will help.



Photos by Sebastian Blanco / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Automotive X-Prize: Illuminati Seven reaches 119.8 mpge despite setbacks originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Automotive X-Prize

The team behind the Global-E is inspired by its Louisiana roots. You can tell by the message on the front end of the car, which reads "Louisiana Proud," and the license plate, which says "Our environment ... our future" and has a picture of a pelican. The pride is also apparent when you speak with members of the team, as we did during the Shakedown Stage of the Automotive X-Prize in Brooklyn, MI this week.

Global-E's headquarters are in New Orleans, but the company's initial assembling operation location is in Los Angeles. Right now, the company has a lot of ideas to make more fuel-efficient vehicles and is using a plug-in hybrid vehicle called the G1 (pictured) as a "technology testbed" for its entire product portfolio. Global-E's other vehicles are the Pulse, a five-door electric hatchback, and the E1, a five-passenger crossover that is still on the drawing board. Global-E is under contract to bring the Pulse out for someone else and it will potentially be distributed in Central and South America.

Being from Louisiana, Global-E has a unique insight into both the value of cleaner vehicles (see, obviously, the BP/Anadarko oil spill) and V-Vehicles, the secretive start-up that is hoping to build efficient cars in the Pelican State. The big difference between these two LA-based (see what we did there?) companies is, according to Global-E, what steps the companies need to get their vehicles on the road. Global-E has an aerospace and overseas automotive background and can develop and build the vehicles, it just needs some investment funds. V-Vehicles, on the other hand, needs people (like, for example, Global-E) to actually put its plans into production. Global-E thinks it is in the stronger position. Aside from working out some technical glitches during the vigorous testing environment that is the X-Prize, Global-E is also making friends with other participants, and said it is in discussions with two other teams to possibly build their cars at some point down the road.

As for the competition itself, Global-E originally entered both the Pulse and the G1 in the X-Prize, but is now focusing on the larger sedan. Global E calculated the 3,200-pound, $27,000 (estimated) G1 got over 80 miles per gallon equivalent in the mpge test during the Shakedown stage, so they're confident they will make it to the Finals Stage in July. We'll see soon enough.



Photos by Sebastian Blanco / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Automotive X-Prize: Global-E's G1 could be the shape of things to come originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, SMART, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, USA

This is a post about the numbers. Here are three important figures about the second-gen all-electric Smart ED that was on display in New York City yesterday:

• 250 units are coming to the U.S. starting in October 2010
• Leases will be $599 a month for 48 months (plus $2,500 due at signing, for a total of $31,252 before taxes or any potential governmental rebates), and Daimler takes the cars back at the end of the four years.
• The car has a top speed of just 62.5 miles per hour.

These numbers are all huge hurdles to overcome on the road to electric vehicle (EV) acceptance if Daimler were trying to make a big splash with the Smart ED. Its not; that comes later, in January 2012, when the production models arrive. These first 250 vehicles make up a focused, limited test program that gives Daimlers a chance to learn about EVs in America. Find out everything you need to know about the program after the jump.



Photos copyright (C)2010 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading 250 Smart EDs coming to U.S. this fall with $599/month leases attached

250 Smart EDs coming to U.S. this fall with $599/month leases attached originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

The two biggest issues around the subject of electric cars are probably the real-world range capabilities and the up-front cost. A reader pinged us today with the following question:

Why do electric cars cost so much? If you get rid of the engine and transmission, which costs 6 or 7 thousand plus, and add a $10,000 battery pack why are we paying $20,000 more than the car should cost? Clue me in - I must be missing something.

We did a bit of checking and some of the basic assumptions in this question are wrong. First off, the estimate for an internal combustion powertrain is pretty far off, nearly double the actual cost. Automakers don't talk on the record about how much components cost because they consider them trade secrets. However, we have been told on background that a typical, normally aspirated four-cylinder engine that would power a compact car like a Civic, Focus or Cobalt costs in the region of $2,000-3,000. This is the cost of manufacturing including materials, labor, etc. but does not include development. Similarly, an automatic transmission is about $1,000-2,000 and an electronic control unit is probably about $100-150. That puts the total in the $3,000-5,000 range.

For an electric vehicle of similar size, you need about a 24-26 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack for a 100-mile nominal range. Again, manufacturers are cagey about hard numbers, but current estimates of battery costs range anywhere from about $650 to $1,200 per kilowatt-hour. That would put the battery cost at anywhere from $16,000 to over $30,000, although somewhere in the $20,000 range is probably a good ballpark figure for where the first EVs will cost. The $10,000 estimate the reader cites is the cost of the Chevrolet Volt's 16 kWh pack, one that only provides a 40-mile all-electric range.

However, that cost still doesn't include two other major components, the traction motor and the power electronics which probably add another $1,000-2,000 to the bill of materials. Add it all up and a $20,000 premium for first-generation EVs starts to look like something of a bargain. Plus, you will make up much of the price premium over the life of the car in lower operating costs. We know you don't want to hear it, but sometimes the truth hurts.

Ask ABG: Why are electric vehicles so expensive? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Emerging Technologies, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

Back in 2005, the Center for Automotive Research, with help from other groups, conducted a study that predicted that electronics and software would make up almost 40 percent of a car's total value by 2010 (PDF). Yesterday, IBM used this number in a press release when discussing the way that the computer company wants to work to simplify the millions of lines of code and the way all the electronic systems in a car work together. The number really stood out. After all, if 40 percent of the value of your car is in the electronic gizmos, what's going to happen in the near future? On the one hand, more and more electronic systems (plug-in hybrid powertrains, to name just one obvious example) will be introduced into vehicles. On the other hand, the long-term trend in electronics pricing is down, down, down (compare the computer you get for $500 today with what you got for $1,500 five years ago). To find out more, we spoke with IBM's Meg Selfe, Vice President, Complex & Embedded Systems, IBM Rational Software and it turns out that nothing is guaranteed or simple in this industry.

The issue is that all of the telematics, entertainment and other electronic systems in a vehicle are being developed by a lot of different companies. As Selfe said, the electronics reside on the chips and modules, and these come from different suppliers and the modules are not architected together, which all adds complexity. IBM's release says it wants to integrate these processes "to better manage these smart vehicles across their lifecycle." To do this, Selfe said, "We feel there has to be a decoupling of the software hardcoded into the hardware. Right now, we can't manage the complexity." Read on after the jump to find out how this might happen and what it might mean.

[Source: IBM | Image courtesy of Hughes Telematics, Inc ]

Continue reading How much does software add to the cost of today's vehicles? How about tomorrow's electric cars?

How much does software add to the cost of today's vehicles? How about tomorrow's electric cars? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

As the hosts of the Challenge Bibendum, Michelin took a bit of time in Rio de Janiero to allow the company's three managing partners (the company's leaders, as it does not have a CEO) to talk about why the 10th running of the eco-event was important and took questions from the assembled journalists and attendees. A lot of the talk centered around the company's efforts to expand sales in developing countries and safety issues, but one of Michelin's three managing partners said something about the company's expectations for the plug-in vehicle market in the next decade that is worth repeating here. He said, through a translator (emphasis added):

We do see a long life for combustion engines, because a long time will have to go by until alternative solutions can replace this technology. Apparently, electric engines in 2020 will account for five percent of world production but currently the car assembly plants are improving the economy of internal combustion engines so they will emit a lot less CO2, be it due to the development of new ignition technologies or the addition of gasoline to biofuels. We see for the coming years a number of solutions which will co-exist.

Now, five percent of the market in 2020 is less than some predict and more than others. Given the fairly impartial role that Michelin plays in this - they'll make tires for anyone - we wonder if this middle-of-the-road number shouldn't be considered the best prediction we have today.

Challenge Bibendum: Michelin expects electric car to make up 5% of the market in 2020 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, MPG, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

Unsurprisingly, all of the highlights Exxon displayed in its sign about "Improving Energy Efficiency For Today's Consumer" at the Challenge Bibendum in Rio de Janiero, Brazil last week were small improvements related to getting more miles out of each gallon of gasoline. Exxon promoted better plastics that reduce weight and Exxcore DVA resins that make tires lighter. Not everything in the company's booth was simply about a bit less gasoline, since the cutaway "car" on display featured a 27 kWh lithium-ion superpolymer battery from ElectroVaya. Put all of these technologies together, though, and Exxon's press materials say, "the quest for better fuel efficiency could add up to big gains over the next 20 years."

The Exxon/ElectroVaya partnership vehicle displayed the Maya 300 NEV a year ago. That car was supposed to be a part of a new car-sharing program in Baltimore called AltCar, but nothing new has been posted to that site since the program was announced in June of 2009. The Maya 300 is supposed to come to market in 2011 and cost around $20,000-$25,000, but we're not going to stay up late waiting for news.

Challenge Bibendum: Exxon sees "big gains" in efficiency on the Road to 2030 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Honda, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Green Daily

In the past couple of years, Honda has gotten no end of grief about the styling of models like the Pilot, Crosstour and, of course, the entire Acura lineup. One car has remained largely immune to criticism: the Fit. Since its introduction to the U.S. market several years ago, the Honda Fit has become one of our favorite small cars... and for good reason. It offers a great balance of handling dynamics and fuel efficiency, a reasonable price and, most importantly, utility.

During the first half of 2008 when fuel prices ran up in the United States, a lot of people gave up their SUVs in favor of smaller vehicles. Since then, many of those same people have had buyers remorse, in part because they felt their new smaller vehicles were just too cramped. The Fit clearly demonstrates that down-sizing doesn't have to mean giving up so much space and cargo hauling ability. It's certainly smaller than a typical crossover or SUV, but it's by no means tight. To demonstrate that, we borrowed a Fit from Honda recently while out in Los Angeles. Read all about it after the jump.



Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Utility Review: 2010 Honda Fit Sport actually does "fit" it all in

Utility Review: 2010 Honda Fit Sport actually does "fit" it all in originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Citroen, Green Daily

Where do outlandish auto show concepts go when they die? If they're monsters like the Citroën Hypnos, they apparently go to the Challenge Bibendum in Rio de Janiero. That's where we found the unique diesel-hybrid SUV from the 2008 Paris Motor Show giving rides around the Riocentro convention center. It's a loud, magnificent beast, and we think there's something totally awesome about the combination of a diesel engine and hybrid drive. While the Hypnos was only ever meant to wow us on the auto show floor, its powertrain will find a home in a production vehicle at the end of 2011, and last we heard it would be in the Peugeot 3008 crossover. The 3008 will use a smaller version of the powertrain that pairs a 163-horsepower, 2.0-liter diesel engine that drives the front wheels and a 37 hp electric motor moving the rear wheels with the help of a lithium-ion battery. This system should be good enough for 57 miles per gallon (U.S.) and CO2 emissions of just 109 grams per kilometer. Read on after the jump to find out what Hypnos is like today and what it portends for the future.



Photos copyright (C)2010 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Challenge Bibendum: Citroën Hypnos is a monster, but not a scary one

Challenge Bibendum: Citroën Hypnos is a monster, but not a scary one originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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