Transportation, Green Transportation, Zero Emission Vehicles

Being in the sustainable business realm, it makes for interesting conversation with the relatives during the holidays. From the father who thinks that global warming is based on loose science and is politically motivated to the mother who asks at the restaurant whether the fish is farmed or wild caught, you’re in for some interesting [...]

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At this week’s International Electric Vehicle Symposium in Anaheim, California, several exciting all-battery electric vehicles were on display. These vehicles have already been successfully introduced into the European market and are now available to American consumers. If you are looking for ways to reduce your corporate carbon output, it is worthwhile to invest in electric [...]

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A new survey conducted by The Field Poll reveals that seventy percent of Californian citizens believe that global warming is very important to them personally. This is significantly higher than 52% of Americans who reported this in a national poll earlier in 2007. Public concern over global warming in California is high because of recent [...]

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At the L.A. Auto Show this year, there were two separate award ceremonies for the Green Car of the Year 2008. Inside, at the “official” award ceremony, the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid was announced the winner. Outside, at an “unofficial” ceremony staged across the street, the Plug-In Toyota Prius Hybrid won the prize. So which is [...]

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by Lorna Li The Big Three Auto Makers in America – General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler – are spending millions to convince Congress not to pass a 35 mpg fuel efficiency standard in the new 2007 Energy Bill. A large group of auto workers and dealers have broken from the industry in order to support [...]

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by Lorna Li On Halloween, the Pew Campaign for Fuel Efficiency is sending out “Spooky Truth” Trick or Treat bags to every member of Congress, urging them to approve strong fuel efficiency standards for the 2007 Energy Bill. In June, the Senate passed the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standard – a strong, bipartisan compromise [...]

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Contrary to the title of the documentary released last year (“Who Killed the Electric Car?”), the electric car is alive and well. Independent car companies like Tesla Motors and Phoenix Motorcars have demonstrated that all-electric battery vehicle technology is feasible, sexy, and (almost) affordable. While the Tesla Roadster is still out of most people’s price [...]

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I always have to preface any Walmart post with my grain of salt, but when it comes to demonstrating the raw financial savings of better efficiency, they’ve constantly amazed and should serve as a common-sense model. Simply by increasing the fuel efficiency of their truck fleet from 6mpg to 7mpg (though a variety of means) [...]

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Hybrid Technologies, known for their Smart Car and sponsoring UC Berkeley’s sophisticated Cal Sol Project, announced today that their all-electric, Lithium-Ion powered BMW AG Mini Cooper has moved into production. The car is reported to have a range of 120+ miles on a single charge, speeds up to 80 miles per hour, and acceleration of [...]

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“Enough about the climate problem. Let’s talk climate solutions.” Thus begins the new blog by Amory Lovins on Yahoo! Green. Prepare to have your assumptions turned on their heads as the co-author of Natural Capitalism and founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute shows us how “protecting the climate is not costly but profitable.” Mr. Lovins [...]

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Today’s NYTimes has a great announcement from New York City that’s been a long time coming – The entire city’s taxi fleet is proposed to be replaced with hybrid vehicles over the next few years, replacing the woefully inefficient Crown Victorias that now patrol the streets. The plan comes from Mayor Bloomberg himself, which certainly [...]

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You might need a subscription to read this Wall Street Journal article, so I’ll paraphrase it here: it’s a glowing article on the miracles of bike transportation in Amsterdam and Copenhagen where an astonishing 40% and 33% (respectively) of commuters bike to work. Granted these cities are flat, but they also have phenomenal biking infrastructure [...]

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Freight trains are already three times more fuel efficient than over-the-road trucks, and 400 miles or less seems to be the only place where trucks beat trains in overall efficiency. Yet the times necessitate innovation and invention from all. Union Pacific, GE and Mother Nature teamed up in Oakland on Friday morning for an outstanding [...]

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One has to admit that fantasizing about private jet travel has its appeal, although perhaps that’s partly beacuse it’s so unrealistic for 99% of us. It’s also mostly an unneeded perk enjoyed by the super wealthy for largely frivelous reasons. But that doesn’t mean it’s going away. So what can be done to make private [...]

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BMW has just released its new 7-series Hydrogen Powered Vehicle. This is landmark event by any accounts. They plan to build one hundred of them over the next year, and up to several thousand per year eventually. Unfortunately, like its non-tailpipe emitting brethren in green, the electric cars, The New 7 series is limited in [...]

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I’ve been lucky enough to attend the LA auto show this week along with TreeHugger team members Hank and Jeff. Joel Makower is also here and rumors are afoot that big green news awaits us all at this biggest of all auto shows. Announcements about electric, hybrid, fuel cell and more are expected from multiple [...]

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Sometimes it’s the little things that count. At Detroit Airport, and apparantly in San Jose as well, there is now a special lane for cars waiting to pick people up known as the “Cell Phone Lane”. The idea is that instead of circling endlessly in bumper to bumper traffic, you pull in to this special [...]

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Since I don’t own a car, my princiipal contribution to transport derived carbon emissions is flying. Until now, it’s been rather difficult to find a way to offset those emissions by buying credits. Terrapass has just announced a partnership with Expedia offering flyers the same sort of credits that they sell to drivers. There’s a [...]

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Joining the ranks of other leading companies, Bank of America will now offer up to $3,000 per employee as a reimbursement for purchasing a hybrid vehicle. That’s pretty cool. The project will be evaluated in select markets, and possibly rolled out nationwise. I’m curious if BofA manages to share in some of the tax benefits [...]

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Now this is just too cool – Enterprise car rental will now offer cars that run on biodiesel in the Portland, OR market. It’s a mere 5 cars for now, but with biodiesel now cheaper than gasoline, that’s bound to get better. The cars are only running on B20 (a 20% bio, 80% regular diesel) [...]

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With high gas prices taking a bite out of people’s wallets, transit and other car-alternatives are on on the rise in popularity. A great way to make transit easier and save employees money is to sign up for Commuter Check. This brilliant service allows employers to pay out as much as $105 tax-free per month [...]

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With bike to work day coming up, this article in GreenBiz is all the more pertinent. There’s an EPA program called the “best workplaces for commuters” which outlines a host of ways in which companies can make commuting easier and more flexible on their workforce, from telecommuting a few days a month, to flexible hours, [...]

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I lived in London when the famous congestion charge went into effect, and I have to say that it definitely reduced the traffic on my street making the neighborhood far more pleasant and less smoggy. To top it off, London seems to have gotten quite used to it, and has sinced raised the daily fee [...]

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I’m still a little disapointed with the status of American carmakers when it comes to high efficiency vehicles. Still, the advertisement which ran during the Super Bowl featuring Kermit the Frog and the Ford Escape Hybrid was cute, and hopefully effective. True, it’s still an SUV, but Americans find trucks to be more fashionable than [...]

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Thinking about what to get your friends this holiday season? How about something that’s materially intangible, holds real value, and promotes both ecology and economy? Drive Neutral certifications are avilable in three different classes to offest the carbon emissions of any vehicle. Once “neutralized”, drivers get the satisfaction of knowing that for the next year, [...]

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If any US city could sucessfully implement a London-style congestion charge, it would be the New York City borough of Manhattan. The New York Times reports yesterday that this may indeed happen, someday. In my opinion, cars ought to be banned from large swaths of the island because their utility is negligable compared to the [...]

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Why is a massive car-culture considered the only way to a strong, modern economy? Is there a better way? I keep thinking, optimistically, that there has to be a sane compromise. Nonetheless, according to the South China Post, some Chinese cities are moving to ban electric bicycles in favor of automobiles. This ban follows similar [...]

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Is schadenfreude a sin? Well, sue me. The Hummer, including the “less bad” H3 model, is selling so poorly that excess Hummers are piling up in remote lots because there’s no room for them at dealers. Sleuthing bloggers from “The Mess that Greenspan Made” have uncovered a semi-secret series of parking lots in Southern California [...]

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This isn’t exactly new information, it’s something a friend of mine dug up. But it’s new to me, and very interesting. The Ford Model U was a concept car from 2003 that ran on a hydrogen engine. But the most interesting thing about it was the soy and corn based tires, panels, and engine oil. [...]

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There is talk that car sharing may be approaching its “Tipping Point“. Sustainable Industries Journal reports on two major investments made recently in FlexCar and ZipCar that enphasize the level of interest in this nascent industry. Here in San Francisco, City Car Share continues to grow, and you can’t go 10 minutes without seeing one [...]

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