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Legislation and Policy


CAFE credits for EVs - will we repeat the E85 system?

What is a plug-in vehicle worth? When it comes to CAFE credits, the answer to this question is a bit complicated. As we discussed in our Greenlings look at CAFE, the system allows for credits. One effect is that automakers who build vehicles that can burn E85 – even if these cars don't actually use the biofuel – get a bit of a pass for their dirtier vehicles. When it comes to EVs, a potential "sell one, get one free" deal is in the works. Basically, the system might allow plug-in vehicles to count as 1.2 or even 2 vehicles in the ... Read more →

Plug-in vehicles will get special license plate in Ontario next year Sebastian Blanco

Want to emblazon your ride with Ontario's new "environmentally friendly vehicles" license plate? There are two hurdles you'll have to jump. First, wait until next year when the plate actually becomes ...

Perennial wishes: Auto industry execs calling for higher gas tax yet again Sebastian Blanco

How often do the Wall Street Journal, Bill Ford, Jr. and Thomas Friedman agree on something? When it's the gas tax, it's 100 percent of the time, and now a number of auto executives have added their ...

UK expands fuel economy label to include used cars Xavier Navarro

The UK's Minister for Transport, Sadiq Khan, has announced a new color-coded label that would help identify the most fuel-efficient cars right in the showroom. This label will also include information ...

GM awarded DOE money to research Shape Memory Alloy heat engines Chris Shunk

General Motors has been awarded $2.7 million by the Department of Energy to create a working prototype engine using Shape Memory Alloys (SMA). The idea is for the prototype to use SMA tech to ...

Aptera officially resubmits application for DOE loan 7 days ago on Autoblog Green

Not that it comes as a shock or anything, but word comes from Aptera (by way of Green Car Advisor) that it has officially resubmitted its application for DOE loans. The hopeful manufacturer of three-wheeled electric vehicles had previously submitted an application for funds from the DOE's ...

President signs bill expanding ATVM program to three wheelers 8 days ago on Autoblog Green

When congress established the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program in the 2007 energy bill, it explicitly said that it applied to making cars that come under the federal motor vehicle safety standards. Those safety standards apply only to vehicles with four or more wheels, ...

Mitsubishi to work with Netherlands government on EV promotion 9 days ago on Autoblog Green

Osamu Masuko, president of Mitsubishi Motors, paid a visit to the Netherlands this week to meet with prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende on the subject of electric vehicles. Mitsubishi recently delivered a production iMiEV to the Dutch embassy in Japan for use there. The Dutch government ...

PEV 2009: David Cole explains why adding plugs to cars is anything but simple 11 days ago on Autoblog Green

David Cole is the chairman of the Center For Automotive Research. As such, he is deeply connected to the industry and played a big role in organizing the Business of Plugging In expo in Detroit last week. We've talked with Cole in the past, and caught up with him at the expo to hear what the ...

REPORT: All those clunkers messed up with no where to go 12 days ago on Autoblog Green

We found out which vehicles were the most popular "green" clunkers in the Car Allowance Rebate System that ran its course earlier this fall, but it won't take much sleuthing to discover where all these clunkers have ended up. According to the AP, the disabled SUVs, minivans and trucks (mostly) ...

HFO-1234yf: Get used to hearing it 14 days ago on Autoblog Green

What the heck is HFO-1234yf? That's the name of a new refrigerant that's reportedly 350-times less damaging to the atmosphere than the current HFC-134a (or 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane, if you prefer). You may recall that today's refrigerant was actually put into widespread use back in the early ...

World's Largest Rebate? Save $42,000 on Tesla Roadster in Colorado 15 days ago on Autoblog Green

We didn't believe it until we verified it with our own eyes, but amazingly it's true: Colorado is offering a $42,083 rebate on the 2009 Tesla Roadster until December 31st. Carry the one, move the decimal point... yep, that's a 38-percent discount on what must be the most desirable electric car ...

PEV 2009: GM's Lauckner wishes for bigger incentives to get drivers out of gas-powered vehicles 16 days ago on Autoblog Green

At this point, it's no secret that the Chevy Volt and other plug-in vehicles are not going to come cheap. The least-pricey full-speed electric vehicle may very well be the Nissan Leaf, which after incentives might drop into the $27-28,000 range before the extra cost of leasing the battery. While the ...

Opposite World: Is traffic good for the environment? 18 days ago on Autoblog Green

Traffic congestion is good for the environment. Wait, come again? Are we talking about Bizarro World here? Actually, according to Wall Street Journal writer David Owen, excessive congestion can actually be a good thing when it convinces drivers to explorer transportation alternatives instead of ...

Why can't Americans have good, small diesels? 19 days ago on Autoblog Green

The question is often asked, "Why is it that drivers in Europe can get all of these amazing high-mileage cars that get 50, 60 or even 70 mpg but we have to celebrate when we get half of that?" There are plenty of reasons, but one of the main ones is the remarkable compression ignition engine, ...

Kansas newspapers calls for end to ethanol subsidy 19 days ago on Autoblog Green

It's no secret that ethanol is a controversial fuel. There are numerous arguments against the use of corn-derived alcohol as a fuel, both economic and environmental. The federal and some state governments have been subsidizing corn ethanol production for many years, but the 2007 energy bill ...

Congress approves three-wheelers for DOE funds 21 days ago on Autoblog Green

Following months of debate, Congress has approved a bill that will pave the way for three-wheeled vehicle manufacturers like Aptera to qualify for funding from the Department of Energy. Next step: President Obama's desk, and the Commander-in-Chief is reportedly expected to sign the bill into law ...

Congress restores hydrogen funding with $187 million in appropriations bill 22 days ago on Autoblog Green

Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu is not getting his way in Washington. Recently (and, at this point, still allegedly) he said that he "would put every cent into electric cars." The Senate, though, has other plans and has now restored almost all of the hydrogen funding money that the DOE ...

REPORT: Energy Secretary Chu: "I would put every cent into electric cars" 24 days ago on Autoblog Green

U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has a penchant for making some straightforward statements about energy policy. He's said that electric vehicles are inevitable, for example, and that all American cars should be E85-capable. Recently, he apparently said that "if it were up to me, I would put every ...

Darryl Siry moves to WIRED, calls for changes to electric vehicle tax credit 25 days ago on Autoblog Green

Darryl Siry, who once worked for Tesla Motors and currently advises Coda Automotive with their all-electric sedan, has started writing for WIRED's Autopia blog. In his first post out of the gate, Siry leaves technical EV details aside and suggests some policy changes. Siry wants enhancements to ...

Zero Motorcycles nabs EPA Certificate of Conformity, gets rated at 455 mpg 25 days ago on Autoblog Green

We still think it's a wee bit odd that electric motorcycles need a Certificate of Conformity from the Environmental Protection Agency, but that is indeed the case and Zero Motorcycles has issued a press release indicating that its two-wheeled highway-speed EVs now satisfy that requirement. For ...

Who should get carbon credits, automakers or utilities? 25 days ago on Autoblog Green

Governments everywhere are trying to use a carrot and stick approach to get reductions in emissions, particularly when it comes to greenhouse gases. The stick is well-known approach: fail to miss the requirements and you pay a fine. For the carrot, things get a bit more complicated. The most ...

What is CAFE? 25 days ago on Autoblog Green

It was big news when the Obama Administration updated CAFE requirements in May to a new and higher national MPG standard of 42 mpg for cars (26 mpg for light trucks) by 2016. The higher standards will start increasing with 2011 model year vehicles. But what is CAFE? And how do these new numbers ...

U.S. feds spends $300 million on green vehicles, will save $40 million in fuel costs 26 days ago on Autoblog Green

Every few months, the federal government puts out a little note announcing which and how many green vehicles they we bought recently. Back in June, for example, we learned over 17,000 new and more efficient vehicles, mostly Fords, were added to the national fleet. Most recently, the General ...

Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid qualifies for tax credit worth up to $1,150 28 days ago on Autoblog Green

The Mercedes-Benz S400, the first production hybrid to use lithium-ion batteries, has been declared eligible for the IRS' Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit as a Qualified Hybrid Motor Vehicle. For the S400, this credit is worth up to $1,150. This puts the S400 near the bottom of the list, with ...

Ford of Germany offers retrofit diesel particulate filters for just €133.33 29 days ago on Autoblog Green

2009 Ford S-Max - Click on image for high-res gallery Ford has launched a campaign to retrofit diesel vehicles in Germany with diesel particulate filters (DPF) for a very attractive price: just €133.33 (plus installation and 19 percent VAT). This measure complements the German Federal ...

AltCar 2009: Dan Neil, "Some Inconvenient Questions," and GM hints it could sell Chevy Volt gliders 29 days ago on Autoblog Green

On top of the test drives (Wheego Whip), test rides (Coda Sedan) and a visit to the unlimited energy booth, a highlight of the AltCar Expo last weekend was getting to hear the LA Times' premiere auto scribe Dan Neil moderate two sessions called "Some Inconvenient Questions." Neil was lucky to ...

REPORT: V-Vehicles waiting for DOE response, looking for future workers 29 days ago on Autoblog Green

V-Vehicle Co., the ambitious start-up that's received backing from T. Boone Pickens (among others), is moving forward with its plan to build a "fuel-efficient car for the U.S. market." The company has put in a request to the DOE for $250 million in low-interest Advanced Technology Vehicle ...

France issues 14 Commandments to speed up electric vehicle adoptions 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

The French minister for Environmental Alffairs, Jean-Louis Borloo, has found some stone tablets issued a set of 14 "commandments" for the successful introduction of electric vehicles in France. Borloo didn't hide the fact that he aims to make the French auto industry the leader in EV ...

Aptera's chances of getting DOE loan money improving? 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

Aptera is planning to build the 2e, a fully electric, extremely efficient, highway-speed vehicle that can seat two occupants, and the company would like to get some funding from the Department of Energy. For its part, the DOE is looking for qualifying companies to grant attractive loans in order ...

France to spend €2.5 billion to jump start EV deployment 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

The French government has announced a ten-year, €2.5 billion program to jump-start vehicle electrification in the country. Energy minister Jean-Louis Borloo said that the money would be disbursed for incentives for the production and purchase of plug-in vehicles as well as upgrading ...

Italy extends its cash for clunkers program for 100,000 more vehicles 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

The Italian cash for clunkers program was supposed to last until the end of 2009. However, there were voices that called for the extension of the program. Once such voice was Sergio Marchione, the CEO of Fiat, who said that there could be "severe social consequences" if the program was suddendly ...

REPORT: EPA planning to address outlandish fuel economy claims of electric cars 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

The EPA is aware that range-extended electric vehicles can game the current fuel economy test to deliver mileage estimates way up in the stratosphere. It makes for impressive advertising, like General Motors' touting of the Chevrolet Volt's estimated 230 mpg, but the EPA wants to give a more ...

Attention 2004-2009 Prius owners: Remove your floor mats 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

As part of the 3.8 million vehicle recall that was recently announced, Toyota and the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration are advising owners of all 2004 to 2009 Prius hybrids to remove their driver's side floor mat immediately and not replace it with another brand until further ...

Vectrix officially files for bankruptcy, plans to stay in business 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

Vectrix has officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Much like what recently took place with General Motors and Chrysler, the old company will be purchased by an entity called New Vectrix LLC in relatively short order unless another interested party comes along and presents a ...

Average new car mpg levels hit record high in August, spurred by Cash for Clunkers 1 month ago on Autoblog Green

The success or failure of the Cash for Clunkers program that recently came to an end here in the United States has been and will continue to be debatable, but at least some good was accomplished by the legislation. According to data compiled by Wards Auto, the average new car fuel mileage hit a ...

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