Archive for November 10th, 2008
Activists groups on Monday launched a certification program meant to identify responsible recyclers of electronic gear in North America.
The program, called e-Steward Initiative, was organized by the Basel Action Network, the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, and Electronic Recyclers International.
The launch of the program was timed with the release of …
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As speculation mounts over the shape of president-elect Obama’s energy policy, Al Gore laid out a multifaceted plan to make the U.S. electricity system carbon-free in 10 years.
In an opinion column published Sunday in the The New York Times, Gore said the federal government should fund projects …
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In Sunday’s 60 Minutes, the CBS TV news magazine examines the lucrative but shadowy business of mining e-waste–junked computers, televisions, and other old electronic products–for valuable components, including gold. However, often illegal and hazardous activity creates toxic pollution, which in turn leads to brain damage, kidney disease, cancers, and
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Renault, UK
Click above for more shots of the Renault Z.E. concept
Renault plans to make a splash at the 2012 Olympics in London where the automaker will have a trio of electric vehicles on display and in action at the games. The first EV from the French automaker will be an electrified Kangoo MPV that will shuttle both Olympians and spectators from event to event. Renault’s second planned EV will be based on the Megane sedan and will be featured as part of the automaker’s Project Better Place rollout in Israel. Lastly, a small city car that seats five occupants is planned on a brand new platform that’s not shared with any other models.
Electric vehicle charging is one current (ha ha) sticking point that needs to be addressed before we’re driving with electrons, and Renault has plans on that front as well. Quick charging stations would be set up in and around the London area for the car’s rollout and these could be replicated anywhere EVs are planned. Alternatively, special stations could be created that are equipped to swap out a vehicle’s battery in just five minutes, providing at least 100 miles of range. Each EV would have a standard GPS navigation system with every charging or swapping station pre-programmed. Of course, the cars could also easily be charged at night from a normal power outlet.
[Source: Autocar]
Renault plans three electric cars for the future originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Coupes, Hybrids/Alternative, Trucks/Pickups, Green, Toyota
 Even though Toyota has made it clear that a separate Prius brand isn’t a sure thing, that doesn’t mean that more body styles of the iconic fuel miser aren’t on their way. The latest speculative Prius variant comes courtesy of MotorTrend, which has mocked up a rendering of what a Toyota Prius coupe could look like. Although the idea of a 2+2 hybrid with a lower roofline and some sporting pretenses might seem odd given the Prius’ main claim to fame, Toyota doesn’t want to be left out in the cold when the also-hybrid Honda CR-Z goes on sale within the next two years.
Predictably, the coupe would share the same drivetrain as its five-door stable-mate, consisting of a new 1.8-liter engine (300cc larger than the current Prius) while returning fuel economy on par or exceeding the outgoing model. The coupe would be lighter than the sedan, allowing the 2+2 to be both quicker and possibily more fuel-efficient.
MT also mentions that the production version of the Toyota A-BAT is still in limbo as the automaker determines under which brand it wants to sell the hybrid pickup. It was originally thought the A-BAT would be offered as a Scion, but Toyota’s pledge to only offer one generation of each model in its “youth” brand and the automaker’s need to bring its CAFE numbers in check might mean that the A-BAT will don a Toyota badge when (if?) it goes on sale after 2010.
[Source: MotorTrend]
Rumormill: Toyota Prius coupe in the works originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Motorsports, Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Ford
Click above to enlarge the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid pace car
For the first time ever, a NASCAR Sprint Cup event will be paced by a hybrid, Ford’s fresh-faced 2010 Fusion Hybrid to be exact. The race is scheduled to take place this Sunday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The box-stock Fusion hybrid will be able to travel on electricity alone for up to 47 miles per hour, which isn’t quite fast enough to kick off the race, so this one will be burning some gas. One thing that the hybrid can do that the Sprint Cup cars only wish they could is travel up to 700 miles per tank of fuel. Anyway, the leafy-camouflaged hybrid will lead the race cars to the green flag (waved by none other than Mark Fields) to kick things off, after which a 2010 Ford Fusion Sport will pick up the mantle as pace car for the rest of the event.
Both the 2010 Fusion hybrid and Fusion Sport will see their formal debut at the LA Auto Show on the 19th. Both models are new for ‘10, with the hybrid posting a rumored best-in-class fuel mileage of at least 38 mpg in the city, while its Sport sibling gets Ford’s new 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 263 hp and 249 lb-ft of torque. Best of all, every Fusion model will come standard with a six-speed automatic.
[Source: Ford]
Continue reading 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid to wave NASCAR’s green flag this weekend
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid to wave NASCAR’s green flag this weekend originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green
A list of cars not appearing in this film: Sir Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid (delayed until 2011), AFS Trinity’s “150 mpge” hybrids (yanked from the LA Auto Show) and the 2010 Ford Fusion hybrid (delayed). To make up for these good knights, a new double decker bus has landed in London and California votes “yeah” for a high speed train.
The rest of the headlines after the jump.
Continue reading AutoblogGreen for 11.10.08
AutoblogGreen for 11.10.08 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Tech
 If you read the headline and thought, “Well, that’s nothing new,” you’re partly right. Using microorganisms to turn plants into something you can run through your fuel injectors is otherwise known as fermentation.
But the microscopic bugs used in moonshine stills and distilleries are pretty picky eaters. They like corn, wheat, rice, etc., but throw a corn stalk or a few tree branches in the mix and they just turn up their little noses.
A group of researchers now say they have found a fungus living inside the Ulmo trees of the Patagonian rain forest that happily turns any part of a plant into fuel. It’s called Gliocladium roseum (that’s it in the photo), and researchers at Yale University are trying to find a way to put it to work churning out gallons of diesel. They’re quick to point out, though, that’s a long way off.
But there’s another twist in the discovery. The researchers bring up an interesting question. If this thing can turn plants into what closely resembles petrochemicals, could they possibly be responsible for part of the Earth’s crude oil?
[Source: Wired Science]
Researchers discover fungus that eats trees, pees diesel originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Nov 2008 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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