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California breaks rank again, demands over 15% of cars sold be non-polluting by 2025
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Legislation and Policy 
Less than a year after everyone with any sort of say in the matter seemed to agree that 54.5 miles per gallon by the year 2025 was a properly attainable goal, the California Air Resources Board has decided to change things up a bit.
In addition to CAFE requirements of a 54.5-mpg fleet average (using the government's formula, not what you see on window stickers), at least 15.4 percent of all cars sold by any major automaker doing business in California will have to be either fully electric, a plug-in hybrid or be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell by 2025. There are questions about the "over-compliance" section of the bill, which we'll be investigating further.
According to Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board, 15.4 percent is "actually a relatively modest goal, but that's all that we're mandating." Most automakers are on board, says Nichols. "Probably the most heartening aspect of this whole rulemaking was the level of cooperation that we received from the industry... Overall, the degree of support for the package was just extraordinary."
Even if automakers are on board, though, there's still a question of who will actually buy the vehicles. While everyone wants better fuel efficiency, not everyone is willing to pay for it, counters the California New Car Dealers Association, estimating that the plan would add about $3,200 to the average price of a new car or truck. Perhaps to help dissuade such fears, Nichols added that "direct incentives to people who buy these cars (like) rebates and credits" are also in the works.
At least 10 more states are likely to follow California's lead, reports Automotive News. That would put the total number of advanced green vehicles (either with a plug or powered by hydrogen) at around three million total units by 2025, 1.4 million of which would be in California.California breaks rank again, demands over 15% of cars sold be non-polluting by 2025 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Tesla Model S, BMW i3 among 2012 Green Car Vision finalists
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Hydrogen, BMW, Cadillac, Ford, Mercedes Benz, Tesla Motors, Washington DC Auto Show 
Tesla's Model S, the BMW i3, the Cadillac ELR, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell and the Ford C-MAX Energi are the finalists for Green Car Journal's 2012 Green Car Vision awards. The winner of the award, which is given to the most innovative "green vehicle" that's either in its demonstration phase or nearing its public launch, will be named at the Washington Auto Show on January 26.
Of the finalists, two - the Tesla and the BMW - are pure battery electric vehicles that are scheduled to be available for the 2013 and 2014 model years, respectively. The C-MAX is a plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle slated for the 2013 model year, while the Cadillac - expected as a 2014 model year - uses an extended-range plug-in hybrid powertrain similar to that of the Chevrolet Volt. The F-Cell hydrogen fuel-cell electric, which has been available in limited numbers for lease in Southern California, is slated for a 2014 model year debut.
"It's no surprise that electric drive continues to dominate the thoughts of automakers as they look to the future," writes Green Car Journal, which hands out the award. "While all five finalists integrate electric drive, they power their motors in distinctly different ways."
Last year's Green Car Vision award was won by the Ford Focus Electric, while the Nissan Leafwon in 2010. The Chevy Volt won in 2009. Who should win this year? Take our poll after the jump. Continue reading Tesla Model S, BMW i3 among 2012 Green Car Vision finalists Tesla Model S, BMW i3 among 2012 Green Car Vision finalists originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mercedes-Benz developing E Superlight as its new carbon fiber halo sedan
Filed under: Hydrogen, Mercedes Benz, Lightweight 
Automakers need halo cars. They bring people into the showroom and demonstrate just what their engineers can do. Typically those range-topping vehicles come in the form of sports cars - think Audi R8, Dodge Viper, Lexus LFA et al - but Mercedes-Benz is reportedly taking another direction. That's because these exotic supercars tend to sell in small numbers (almost by definition), while - for Mercedes-Benz - mid-size luxury sedans like the E-Class sell in much bigger numbers. As such, the Silver Star automaker is planning on making its next halo car a four-door sedan (of sorts).
A couple months ago, we brought you initial word of Daimler's plans to make a super-lightweight, carbon-fiber E-Class, and now further details have found their way into the bloggosphere. Dubbed the E Superlight, the sedan is tipped to share its footprint with the E-Class, its size with the CLS and its price with the S-Class. For that, buyers would get a state-of-the-art sedan made from carbon fiber sitting at the very cutting edge of what Stuttgart's finest are capable of achieving.
That's right, the E Superlight isn't a mere concept car: reports from overseas indicate that Daimler is actually planning on building it, with production earmarked to begin in 2015 and to come fully online by 2017. A hydrogen fuel cell is expected to provide the motivation at least in the beginning, but more conventional powertrains are also said to be in the mix. Once it's made its point, Mercedes can lift the halo back where it usually sits, atop the replacement for the current SLS AMG supercar.Mercedes-Benz developing E Superlight as its new carbon fiber halo sedan originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Rep. Issa asks CARB for more documents about 54.5 mpg CAFE standards
Filed under: Hydrogen, MPG, USA  A month ago, Darrell Issa (R-CA) sent letters to 15 automotive CEOs asking them for information about the possible safety effects of implementing the proposed new fuel economy standards. Now, he's following up with a new request to California Air Resources Board chairwoman Mary Nichols for documents about how CARB, the Obama administration and the automakers came to the agreement to hit 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. He's been down this road before, and claims that the 4,000 documents CARB sent him before were not enough, especially since some had already been made public. Therefore, Issa is asking for all of the documents CARB has on the matter and he's a little miffed CARB is supposedly holding out on him. According to the Detroit News, he said CARB's actions were "a deliberate attempt to mislead Congress and obstruct an official investigation."
Issa is asking for all this information in his role as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. If CARB doesn't give him what he wants, Issa said he may issue a subpoena for the documents. We'll see how CARB responds by Issa's January 9 deadline. We imagine that Nichols will continue to respond as she did to one of Issa's earlier requests, when she said (PDF):
Although I appreciate and support the Committee's mandate to conduct oversight of federal government operations, I would hope that, especially in this time of fiscal restraint, instead of choosing to re-examine legally discredited arguments the Committee would support the development of improved regulatory coordination at the federal level that generates jobs and benefits consumers, industry, American energy security, and Main Street economies.
In other words, stop fishing.
To see how the Board has discussed the issue with the Congressman thus far, see this.Rep. Issa asks CARB for more documents about 54.5 mpg CAFE standards originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 21 Dec 2011 07:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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U.S. Omnibus Appropriations bill would raise hydrogen funding 6% over 2010 levels
Filed under: Hydrogen, Legislation and Policy, USA 
The future of hydrogen vehicles is both promising and full of questions. Everyone from Nissanto Toyotato Mercedes-Benz (the F-125! concept is pictured) continues to work on the technology, but it still trails battery-electric powertrains in real-world sales and use. The good news for H2 advocates in America is that an increase in government funding for hydrogen vehicles was included in the Omnibus Appropriations bill that passed the U.S. Senate last week. The bill looks likely to get the President's approval when it lands on Obama's desk soon.
Sandy Thomas, a long-time proponent of hydrogen vehicles (he's the former president of H2Gen Innovations), sent out a message that, buried in the 1 trillion-dollar spending bill, is $104 million for the DOE's hydrogen and fuel cell budget through the end of September next year. He writes:
This is a remarkable outcome, since Secretary Chu requested only $100.45 million, and the House marked up the bill at only $91.5 million while the Senate came in at $98 million. Normally, the conference between the House and Senate will settle on a value that is the average of their two marks, or $94.7 million in this case. So the final $104 million is an increase of $9.3 million (9.8%) over the customary 50/50 split, and a $3.6 million (3.5%) increase over the Secretary's request. It is also a $6 million increase (6.1%) over the FY 2011 level of $98 million.
In comparison, funding for biomass, solar and wind were cut by 41 percent, 37 percent and 27 percent, respectively, Thomas writes.U.S. Omnibus Appropriations bill would raise hydrogen funding 6% over 2010 levels originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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California lawmakers push for 1.4M zero-emissions vehicles on the road
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hydrogen, MPG, Legislation and Policy, USA 
TheDetroitBureau.com reports that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is out to change the zero-emissions-vehicle (ZEV) game again, this time revising its desired numbers for vehicle sales and prodding industry to make alternative fuels more available. From 2018 to 2025, CARB wants ZEVs to number 1.4 million sales every year. According to its numbers, by 2025, that would result in a decrease of 52 million metric tons of emissions.
While electric cars count for CARB's ZEV program, hydrogen vehicles will be a part of the 2025 mix. But what good is a car that runs on hydrogen without convenient places to refuel? The Cleans Fuels Outlet part of its plan "would require oil companies to install hydrogen refueling stations." That sure sounds like it will be rather expensive for someone, but according to CARB, somehow it won't be the consumer: CARB says residents will save $22 billion on fuel costs, 21,000 jobs will be created because of the move to different fuels, and a car buyer in 2025 would save $4,000 over the life of the car even with the extra cost of the tech.
What's more, in 2017, CARB - in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency - has released an emissions-level limit of 166 g/km for cars sold in the state. That would represent another 34 percent drop from the emissions levels targeted in 2016.California lawmakers push for 1.4M zero-emissions vehicles on the road originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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General Motors, BMW to shack up on fuel cell development
Filed under: Hydrogen, BMW, GM 
Reuters reports General Motors and BMW are headed toward a partnership that may see the two automakers join forces on the creation of a fuel cell system. German business magazine Wirtschafts Woche has cited unnamed industry sources as saying talks between the companies are already quite advanced, and that the duo may formalize the agreement soon. GM has already established itself as an industry authority on fuel cell vehicles, and BMW is likely hoping to leverage some of that knowledge into its own products. GM has refused to comment on the partnership, though BMW has said that the two companies are "speaking about various future technologies."
The German automaker seems to be on the equivalent of a green-tech land grab. Earlier this month, the company announced a similar partnership with Toyota designed to foster collaboration toward new green technology. We aren't surprised to see automakers joining forces on green tech. Research and development can be costly, and it only makes sense to spread that financial burden out amongst as many collaborators as possible.General Motors, BMW to shack up on fuel cell development originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Nissan fuel cell vehicle on track for 2015
Filed under: Hydrogen, Nissan, Tokyo Motor Show 
With over 20,000 Leafsrunning around the planet, Nissan is looking to introduce yet another alt-powered vehicle to the world, and judging by its recent work with fuel cells, a hydrogen-powered vehicle could be here in four year's time.
Today in Japan, Nissan showed off its next-generation fuel cell stack, the one that the automaker has claimed has the world's best power density for its size. Compared to the 2005 model (above, left), the new fuel cell (above, right) has 2.5-times more storage capacity while being both smaller and lighter than its predecessor. Weight is down from 265 pounds to just under 90 pounds and output is up to 2.5kW per liter.
This third-generation fuel cell stack makes uses of an improved Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA), which combined with single-row lamination, has reduced the size by over half. More importantly, the amount of platinum bits inside has been decreased, which means this new cell is about one-sixth the cost of the last generation design. But - and there's always a "but" when it comes fuel cells - the cost of production is around $50,000. However, that price is set to come down and one engineer confided in us that he'd like to half the size and components yet again, while providing 1.25-times more storage. Considering Nissan's EV push with the Leaf, we could see the automaker's first fuel cell vehicle on the market in 2015. Earlier reports said Nissan wanted to launch its fuel cell car at a cost of less than ten million yen ($128,000 U.S. at today's exchange rate). In its recent "mid-term environmental plan," Nissan said it plans to sell 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles by 2016 (some coming from Alliance partner Renault). That number includes all-electric vehicles as well as an "all-new fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) together with strategic partner, Daimler," Nissan said in a press release last month. Now about that infrastructure...Nissan fuel cell vehicle on track for 2015 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Toyota's 2015 hydrogen vehicle still estimated to cost $50,000, not $138,000
Filed under: Hydrogen, Toyota 
Stop the Internet presses! Toyota's fuel cell car is going to be really expensive!
That's the meme going around after Toyota Europe vice president for product planning and marketing, Alain Uyttenhoven, recently told Automotive Newsthat, "We could expect a fuel cell vehicle to retail at about 100,000 euros ($138,000) in Europe." This is indeed noteworthy, as Toyota has previously stated its hydrogen car would cost around $50,000 when it is released in 2015.
So, Uyttenhoven's quote quickly caught fire (see here and here), but we thought that something seemed out of whack. So we asked Jana Hartline, Toyota's environmental communications manager, what was up. The rub is that there was some miscommunication about dates. Hartline told AutoblogGreen, "We anticipate the market price be much lower than this, as previously reported. The article's quoted price is closer to what the cost would be if we came to market today." So, nothing new to read here folks. Not yet, anyway.Toyota's 2015 hydrogen vehicle still estimated to cost $50,000, not $138,000 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Study: hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will grow slower than expected
Filed under: Hydrogen 
There are those who are unhappy with the creeping pace of electric vehicle battery improvements and believe that hydrogen is the answer. One prominent example is the guys on Top Gear, who are no fans of electric cars and have placed their bets on hydrogen fuel cells as the solution for future power storage. However, a new report from Pike Research indicates that the hydrogen future may be more distant than anticipated.
Previous studies by Pike had expected hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric vehicles to take a central role by the end of this decade, with cumulative sales of 2.8 million FCEVs bringing with them $28.9 billion in revenues. Now, Pike has cut those predictions sharply. The newest forecast for 2020 is for one million hydrogen FCEVs with revenues trimmed to $16.9 billion.
The biggest reason for the change in the forecast is that the global economic downtown has slowed government investments in fuel cell technology. Pike estimates that getting these systems to consumers will take longer without that injection of funds, and the vehicles will remain more expensive for a longer period.Study: hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will grow slower than expected originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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