Stimulus for clean diesel

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on August 18, 2009 at 2:30 pm

Tennessee will get about $1.7 million from the Recovery Act to help truckers convert their fleet to run on clean diesel.

The grant rebates will cover up to 50 percent of the costs of idle reduction technologies, such as auxiliary power units, which provide an alternative to the truck’s main engine when power is needed for electricity or heating and cooling the cab during rest periods. Auxiliary power units use an average of 0.2-0.3 gallons of diesel fuel an hour, compared to the approximately one gallon of diesel fuel used every hour when the truck’s engine is idling.

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Tags: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, energy efficiency, fuel economy, government stimulus, transportation, trucking  

230 mpg

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on August 11, 2009 at 3:32 pm

Nice headline number, huh? GM says its Volt electric car will get monstrous mileage, but ZDNet’s Larry Dignan’s eye landed on the fine print instead.

What happens when it’s summer, 90 degrees and humid and you have a car pool going? When the battery hits a minimum level, the Volt will switch to extended-range mode. In this mode, the Volt’s fuel engine produces electricity.

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Tags: alternative energy, automotive industry, electric cars, fuel economy, General Motors Corp., Larry Dignan, manufacturing, ZDNet  

Michelin settles with AGs over savings claims

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on May 14, 2009 at 11:58 am

The tire maker will pay $375,000 to settle claims of false advertising related to the financial savings its tires could produce. In all, 17 states were part of the investigation, which was led by Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper.

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Tags: advertising and marketing, Attorney General, automotive suppliers, Bob Cooper, energy efficiency, fuel economy, governmental investigations, Michelin North America Inc.  

Getting paid to give away your old cars

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on April 24, 2009 at 2:13 pm

Lawmakers, environmentalists and auto manufacturers are making progress on a plan that would encourage people to trade in their old cars for energy-efficient new models.

The formula for what vehicles would qualify is still being hashed out. But trades, such as a nine year old or older Ford Explorer traded for a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, for example, would probably be the kind of swap that would get the maximum benefit. Legislators have been leaning toward exempting businesses from a stiff fuel economy requirement, so that a building contractor, for example, would be able to simply trade in an old pickup truck for a new one to get a big rebate.

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Tags: alternative energy, automotive industry, cars, energy efficiency, fuel economy, government stimulus, incentives