Clean Fleet Articles

Ten Reasons for drop in Car Ownership

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In the United States, we embarrassingly have more vehicles than people with driver’s licenses. AAA estimates that it costs $8,000 per year for each car owned, which creates a financial burden on cash-strapped Americans. To the rescue are 10 positive trends that helped Americans scrap 14 million cars in 2009, while only buying 10.5 million new ones. Ownership is declining because of 10 factors including urban density, transit, employer programs, and intermodal intelligence.

President Obama Awards $2.3 Billion Tax Credits for Cleantech Jobs

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President Obama announced this January 8 the award of $2.3 billion in Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits for clean energy manufacturing projects across the United States.  183 electric car, smart grid, renewable energy projects in 43 states. “Building a robust clean energy sector is how we will create the jobs of the future,” said President Obama. “The Recovery Act awards I am announcing today will help close the clean energy gap that has grown between America and other nations while creating good jobs, reducing our carbon emissions and increasing our energy security.”

GM Sales in China Grows 67% in 2009

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GM and its joint ventures grew China sales 66.9 % in 2009 to a record 1,826,424 units. Buick, Chevrolet and Wuling vehicles – the GM China family – achieved an estimated market share of 13.4 %. In 2009, SAIC-GM-Wuling became the first automaker in China to sell more than 1 million vehicles in a year. China is now the world’s biggest automotive market. China auto sales soared 44 percent to 13.5 million units in 2009. GM’s dazzling growth exceeds the soaring growth of the China market.

Renewable Energy Supplies 10 Percent of U.S. Energy

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Renewable energy (i.e., biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, wind) provided 10.51% of domestic U.S. energy production during the first nine months of 2009. RE grew by 4.10% during the first nine months of 2009 compared to the first nine months of 2008 – an increase of 0.228 quadrillion Btu’s. Most of that growth came from wind which expanded by 28.46% during the first nine months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. Renewable energy’s (RE) contribution to the nation’s domestic energy production is now almost equal to nuclear power.

2010 Honda Civic Hybrid

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Honda Civic Hybrid is a good alternative for those who want a traditional looking sedan that seats 5. This front-wheel drive compact saves fuel at 42 mpg. At 4.4 annual tons of CO2e, this hybrid emits actually emits less greenhouse gases than its CNG cousin. After driving our 2002 Toyota Prius for six years, my 85-year old mother gave us her 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. The Honda has been a trouble-free pleasure to drive. Lacking the Toyota Synergy hybrid drive, the Honda does not deliver the fuel economy of our 2002 Prius and delivers 20 percent less miles per gallon than the 2010 Prius.

National Academies Predicts 13 to 40 Million Plug-ins by 2030

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A new National Academies report considers two vehicles. One, the PHEV-10, uses hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) technology similar to that used in the Toyota Prius. However, it has a larger battery than an HEV to allow 10 miles of driving powered by electricity only and a gasoline engine that drives the wheels in parallel with the electric motor when power demand is high or the batteries are discharged. The other vehicle, the PHEV-40, is similar to the Chevrolet Volt. Thirteen to 40 million PHEV out of 300 million total vehicles are projected to be on the U.S. roads by 2030 under different scenarios.

San Jose’s Personal Rapid Transit

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As London readies for record numbers for the 2012 Olympic Games, Heathrow airport is installing a personal rapid transit in the form of six seat cars that take you from terminal to parking garage on dedicated pathways. By 2015, San Jose plans to have a more extensive PRT system that connects major hubs within two miles of the airport including connections to VTA bus rapid transit, Caltrain rail to Silicon Valley and San Francisco, major hotels, major employers, and the Kiss N Ride lot. By the end of the decade, connections will be added to BART and the new 800 mile California High-Speed Rail system.

More Greenbacks for Greentech

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More venture capital will be invested in innovative greentech firms. Continued investment is needed to bring us the next generation of batteries, solid state lighting, smart grid components, electric cars, lighter and stronger materials, and solar power. Forty IPOs of venture-backed firms were predicted for 2010 and 600 through M&A.

Toyota and GM Fight for Plug-in Market

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At the LA Auto Show, GM’s Bob Lutz highlighted big plans for the Chevy Volt. Toyota, owning 70 percent of the U.S. hybrid market, displayed the Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) along with a growing family of Toyota and Lexus hybrids. The Volt will have triple the electric range of the PHV. Toyota is the only car maker to have sold over one million hybrid cars in the United States. Health competition is a win for enthusiasts of plug-in vehicles.

Audi A3 TDI with Diesel Performance and Good Mileage

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The Audi A3 gets the best mileage of any diesel in the United States with 42 mpg highway, 30 city, and 34 mpg combined. It even outperforms the popular VW Jetta TDI. The Audi adds some premium touches over the VW with the same drive system, but uses new materials to reduce vehicle weight, making the Audi the new diesel mileage champion. Today at the LA Auto Show, the 2010 Audi A3 TDI was named Green Car Journal’s 2010 Green Car of the Year®. This 5-door Sportsback was fun to test drive, well appointed, and comfortable for 5 passengers, while saving at the fuel tank.

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