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AT&T orders 1,200 compressed natural gas Chevrolet Express Vans from GM
Filed under: Chevrolet, Natural Gas
What's the biggest compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle order that GM has ever received? Thanks to an announcement yesterday from the automaker and AT&T, we now know the answer is 1,200 vehicles.
That's how many Chevrolet Express Cargo Vans AT&T will get from The General. The dozen hundred vehicles will go into service across the country and are part of AT&T's much larger initiative to green up its fleet. From electric vans to other electric vans to hybrids, the company has invested in a variety of alternative powertrain vehicles. It pretty much has to look at many options if it wants to reach its target of deploying 15,000 alternative power vehicles by 2018. This $545-million project started in 2009; the 5,000th vehicle joined the fleet last week.
The 1,200 new GM vans are all Chevrolet Express models that have been built at the factory to burn CNG in their Vortec 6.0L V8 engines. GM says the modifications include "hardened exhaust valves, and intake and exhaust valve seats for improved wear resistance and durability with gaseous fuel systems." The fuel may burn cleaner than gasoline, but these are still fuel-hungry monsters that get a gasoline-equivalent fuel economy of 11 miles per gallon (city) and 16 mpg (highway), according to previous statements from GM, which also indicated the CNG versions cost an extra $14,590 compared to regular gas vans.
AT&T's order is the latest in a bit of an upsurge in CNG vehicles in America and around the world. The Honda Civic Natural Gas won the 2012 Green Car of the Year award at last year's LA Auto Show and is the first passenger car to be available in all 50-states. CNG has long been more popular in the fleet market than in general use, since fleet managers can calculate the cost benefits fairly easily, just ask Waste Management or the AT&T of last March, which ordered 100 CNG-powered Chevy Express vans. If everything goes as planned, AT&T should have around 8,000 CNG vehicles in its fleet sometime this decade.Continue reading AT&T orders 1,200 compressed natural gas Chevrolet Express Vans from GM AT&T orders 1,200 compressed natural gas Chevrolet Express Vans from GM originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Volkswagen Up! five-door hits the patent office
Filed under: MPG, Volkswagen, Natural Gas 
Images of a five-door version of the Volkswagen Up! have surfaced courtesy of a European patent office. The German automaker confirmed a five-door version of the pint-sized vehicle was headed to market, and Volkswagen even went so far as to show off the Cross Up! Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Judging by the patent photo, the production version of the five-door Up! will stick fairly close to the concept and will ride on a similarly tall suspension. That should give the vehicle more of a mini crossover appearance instead of a small hatchback.
Information on drivetrain options is suitably scarce at the moment, but we expect the five-door Up! to roll off of the production line with the same engines as its shorter three-door kin. That means buyers should be able to tick boxes for either a 59-horsepower gasoline engine or a brawny 74-horsepower gas powerplant. A 67-horsepower natural gas engine is also available in the Up! as well. A taller-riding Up! is a perfect fit in Russia and South America where roads can vary from uncomfortable to inhumane.Volkswagen Up! five-door hits the patent office originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Bajaj RE60 may take World's Cheapest Car title from Tata Nano
Filed under: MPG, Natural Gas, India 
The Tata Nano may not be the runaway sales success the vehicle's Indian manufacturers had hoped, but that hasn't stopped other automakers from eying India's blooming inexpensive vehicle segment. The country's largest manufacturer of three wheelers is set to dip a toe into the automotive manufacturing with an all-new vehicle. The Bajaj RE60 features a water-cooled 200cc engine with around 20 horsepower, and as a result, the vehicle has a top speed of just 43 mph. That may not be quick, but the company says there's room for up to four people indoors or up to 14.1 cubic feet of cargo area with the rear seats folded flat.
The Bajaj RE60 weighs in at a mere 880 pounds, and the company plans to offer several fuel variants. Gasoline, liquid propane gas and compressed natural gas versions will all be available, though buyers won't be able to get their hands on an RE60 with a diesel engine. So far, there's no word on price, but we're guessing it'll have to undercut the Tata.
Hit the jump for the press release and check out the gallery of photos provided by our friends at Indian Autos Blog.Continue reading Bajaj RE60 may take World's Cheapest Car title from Tata Nano Bajaj RE60 may take World's Cheapest Car title from Tata Nano originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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T. Boone Pickens has a federal subsidy beef with the Koch brothers over natural gas, ethanol
Filed under: Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, Natural Gas, USA 
Since the summer, natural gas supporter T. Boone Pickens (pictured) has been in an energy fight with the Koch brothers. Think of it as a battle of the conservative billionaires to see who can get more money from the federal government.
According to the Des Moines Register, Pickens has been working to encourage governmental support for natural gas vehicles. No surprise there, since Pickens believes it was given to us by God himself. The Koch brothers, on the other hand, have their hands out for a lot of ethanol subsidies even though they are often called Libertarian (or at the very least, deeply conservative). Pickens reportedly said recently that:
Koch Industries imports 61,000 barrels of OPEC oil a day to their Corpus Christi refinery. They're the third largest recipient of subsidies for ethanol, they're in the chemical business and the fertilizer business. So everything I do could affect them in some way. They're against me. I know Charles and David Koch. I asked them to talk to me about this subject; they would not do it. They would not return my phone calls. When I was one of their biggest customers in 2005, I heard from them and was entertained in their home in Wichita, but now (they) don't want to talk to me about it. They've gone and tried to peel off all the co-sponsors of the bill that they can. While they knocked out 14 I was getting 16. They spend a lot of money to do this. They're working for the Kochs, I'm working for America. I want an energy plan for America, they want an energy plan for the Koch's.
This past May, Charles Koch wrote an op-ed that claimed that Picken's call for natural gas to get subsidies "well-intentioned but misguided" even as it said that Kock didn't even want the ethanol subsidies he was collecting: "Because ethanol use is mandated, we were compelled to be in that business. We still oppose ethanol subsidies and mandates even though some of our businesses would benefit from them." A spokesman for the Koch brothers wrote to Congress in June that "We do not believe government should be picking 'winners and losers' in the marketplace." Well, of course you don't. Not once you're already winning.T. Boone Pickens has a federal subsidy beef with the Koch brothers over natural gas, ethanol originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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2012 Green Car of the Year winner is the Honda Civic Natural Gas
Filed under: Honda, LA Auto Show, Natural Gas 
The 2012 Green Car of the Year award was snagged from the electric and diesel jaws of its competitors by the Honda Civic Natural Gas. In a year full of standard gasoline powertrain alternatives, the Civic beat out the Ford Focus Electric, Mitsubishi i, Toyota Prius V and the Volkswagen Passat TDI.
Green Car Journal hands out the award and its rules state that the GCOTY needs to have a "quantifiable environmental achievement," market significance and "newness." Any car that has these clearly defined features and is available for sale by January 1, 2012 can be a nominee, and the list of finalists is whittled down by GCJ editors and selected industry and environmental experts.
Over the last four years, the GCOTY was won by a hybrid (the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid in 2008), diesels (the Volkswagen Jetta TDI in 2009 and the Audi A3 TDI in 2010) and a plug-in hybrid (the Chevrolet Volt in 2011). In our informal poll we put up when the five finalists were announced a month ago, the Focus Electric dominated the field.2012 Green Car of the Year winner is the Honda Civic Natural Gas originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Green Car of the Year Award finalists include diesel, hybrid, natural gas, electric
Filed under: Diesel, EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Ford, Honda, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Volkswagen, LA Auto Show, Natural Gas 
Those are the past winners of the Green Car of the Year award, given out each year at the LA Auto Show by Green Car Journal. The five finalists for the 2012 award were announced today and there are four different powertrains among them. Here they are: Ford Focus Electric, Honda Civic Natural Gas, Mitsubishi i, Toyota Prius V and Volkswagen Passat TDI.
The rules for the GCOTY are that the vehicle has to have "quantifiable environmental achievement" as well as market significance and "newness." It has to be available by January 1 of the award year. Green Car Journal editor Ron Cogan said in a statement that the finalists offer "five exceptional answers" to the green car question. Which one is the most exceptional? We'll find out at the LA show on November 17. You can share your opinion in the poll below.
We may have a preview from the DC Auto Show earlier this year, when Green Car Journal gave the Focus Electric its Green Car Vision award. The awards aren't all that connected, though, since the Nissan Leafwon in 2010 while the Chevy Volt won in 2009.
View Poll Continue reading Green Car of the Year Award finalists include diesel, hybrid, natural gas, electric Green Car of the Year Award finalists include diesel, hybrid, natural gas, electric originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Waste Management wheels out 1,000th natural gas garbage truck
Filed under: Natural Gas, USA 
With the addition of its 1,000th clean-burning garbage truck, Waste Management can now officially claim that it operates the largest natural gas fleet in all of North America.
Turning trash into fuel, natural gas trucks at Waste Management use renewable, ultra-low carbon fuel produced from the decomposition of organic waste at its landfills. The 1,000th truck symbolizes Waste Management's ongoing commitment to green operations, says Duane Woods, senior vice-president at WM:
This is a special milestone in our journey to develop the cleanest fleet of heavy duty trucks in our industry. We are pleased that we have so many natural gas trucks now in service, particularly in Southern California where clean air is such a critical issue.
More importantly, in one calendar year, WM's 1,000 natural gas trucks will eliminate the need for eight million gallons of petroleum and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45,100 tons.Waste Management wheels out 1,000th natural gas garbage truck originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Honda kicks off production of 2012 Civic Natural Gas
Filed under: Manufacturing/Plants, Honda, Natural Gas 
Let the natural gas revolution begin.
Tuesday marked the start of mass production of the 2012 Civic Natural Gas at Honda Manufacturing of Indiana (HMIN). HMIN will rapidly ramp-up output of the Civic Natural Gas to meet anticipated demand for the clean-burning compact.
As part of the ramp-up, HMIN has hired nearly 1,000 additional workers and will add a second shift on October 24 to double the facility's annual production capacity. Honda says the added production will be required to support the automaker's growing network of natural gas-certified dealers throughout the U.S. The number of qualified dealers will soon climb from 72 in four states to nearly 200 in 36 states.
The 2012 Civic Natural Gas is powered by the cleanest internal combustion engine ever certified by the EPA and is the only OEM-manufactured natural gas passenger vehicle available in America. The fully redesigned Civic Natural Gas will hit dealerships October 18 with an MSRP starting at $26,155.Continue reading Honda kicks off production of 2012 Civic Natural Gas Honda kicks off production of 2012 Civic Natural Gas originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Ford Super Duty F-250, F-350 to be bi-fuel curious in 2012
Filed under: Ford, Natural Gas 
Westport Innovations, a self-described global leader leader in alternative fuel, low-emissions transportation technologies, announced last Wednesday that it will transform select Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks into bi-fuel versions of their former selves in 2012.
Westport Innovation signed an agreement with Ford Motor - its second tie-up with a major U.S. automaker - to make available its bi-fuel (natural gas and gasoline) Westport WiNG Power System for 6.2-liter gas engine-equipped Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks sold through Ford dealerships.
Westport says its WiNG system will be available on Super Duty trucks starting in the second quarter of 2012 and states that pickups equipped with its bi-fuel system will retain Ford's bumper-to-bumper and full powertrain warranty. Now, who's interested?Continue reading Ford Super Duty F-250, F-350 to be bi-fuel curious in 2012 Ford Super Duty F-250, F-350 to be bi-fuel curious in 2012 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Global spending on advanced oil, gas exploration tech to hit $10.17 billion in 2011
Filed under: Etc., Natural Gas 
Although the Arctic has incredible potential energy resources - the United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates 90 billion barrels of undiscovered oil and 1,668 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered gas - extracting that fuel will be costly.
A calculated and cautious approach to exploitation will be vital to optimal development, according to the UK-based analytical firm Visiongain. Due to the lack of geological data in the Arctic, oil and gas exploration and extraction will be a high-risk, massive-reward venture in which only the most experienced and wealthy of companies will compete.
Visiongain predicts that global spending on advanced oil and gas exploration technologies, including those used in the Arctic, will exceed $10.17 billion in 2011 and soar to exorbitant levels by 2021. Why all this spending? Well, as the world shifts to discovering hidden oil and gas deposits, the exploration industry will be required to use advanced surveying methods and outrageously expensive equipment. This kind of energy doesn't come cheap.Continue reading Global spending on advanced oil, gas exploration tech to hit $10.17 billion in 2011 Global spending on advanced oil, gas exploration tech to hit $10.17 billion in 2011 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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