Transportation, Green Transportation, Zero Emission Vehicles

When I order an item online and have it delivered to my home, is that greener or less green than going to the store myself and picking it up. After all, my car is pretty efficient and I know it gets better mileage than those delivery trucks do.

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As someone who travels a lot, I must admit that you can’t beat the convenience of air travel, which, despite the annoyances of unpredictable arrival times and security hassles, is still the only way to get from coast to coast in half a day. Unfortunately, as currently practiced, flying the friendly skies is deadly in [...]

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Early so-called 1st generation biofuels are made by fermenting food products (e.g. grains, seeds, sugars) into short-chain alcohols (e.g. ethanol, butanol) or transesterifying plant oils into biodiesel.  Production of these fuels competes with food crops for land, reduces biodiversity, and, in the case of natural plant oils, feedstock is increasingly scarce.

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Europe’s highest court released an opinion on October 6th, finding that the proposed mandatory inclusion of non-European based airlines in the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), is compatible with international law. The opinion by the Advocate General constitutes the latest development in the ongoing dispute. Under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, beginning on January 1st [...]

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While riding San Francisco’s commuter train (BART) the other day, I was struck by the seeming incongruousness of the signs on adjacent walls. Closest to the door was the brightly painted “Bike Space,” BART’s designated bike priority area where even strollers and luggage take a backseat to cyclists. Just a few seats over was a huge poster advertising a nearby mall, which to its credit made clear it was accessible by BART, but also attempted to lure shoppers with a free $15 gas card as a reward for spending “$150 or more within seven days!”

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Five months out of the year, from November thru March, the California Central Valley experiences a mix of airborne toxins that exacerbate an otherwise natural phenomenon known as Tule Fog: This breathable toxic soup contains the product of ‘development’, such as diesel emission particles (DEP), ammonia, methane, pesticides, herbicides, and other particulate matter trapped in fog.

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The controversial European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) – a European wide cap and trade program – has sparked an ongoing dispute between the US and Europe regarding mandatory inclusion of non-European based airlines into the program. In August, the potential for a trade war seemed possible due to mounting opposition both in the USA as [...]

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India has always boasted the longest rail network in the world.  That network is also the fourth most heavily used in the world, transporting over 6 billion passengers and 350 million tons of freight annually. Many cities, however, are in desperate need of a public transport overhaul and the sector is riddled with issues like [...]

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Using a “breakthrough, zero-waste” process that can be incorporated into geothermal power plants, the lithium carbonate, manganese and zinc produced from Simbol’s facility near the Salton Sea will be of of the highest purity available on the world market and help assure that US clean energy growth continues.

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One of the biggest problems with casual carpooling is that in most cases you really don’t know who you’ll be riding with. It can be a great person and the beginning of wonderful friendship (hey, that’s how Harry met Sally!), but you might also find yourself riding eight hours with some weirdo making it your [...]

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This week, US aircraft maker Boeing celebrated the delivery of it’s first new-generation 787 Dreamliner to the Japanese carrier, All Nippon Airlines (ANA). This follows a series of setbacks which have beset the launch, delaying deliveries by around three years. Despite the setbacks, Bloomberg reported in August that the 787 is the fastest selling aircraft [...]

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Earlier this year, Ford announced its ongoing commitment to vehicle electrification. The automaker will be sticking to expansions in four-wheel offerings, but, surprisingly they’re also also turning their attention to two-wheelers: E-bikes. While this change represents a radical departure from the company’s core offering, it’s a logical move nonetheless. Vehicle electrification might be the sort [...]

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Earlier this week NASCAR announced race cars had racked up more than one million miles of driving on Sunoco Green E15 ethanol blend, the official fuel this season. This choice of fuel is part of a greater effort NASCAR is making to green up its auto racing business. Some see it as a great opportunity [...]

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Though we have all become accustomed to China as a major net exporter of goods to global markets in recent years, in the automotive world, China’s burgeoning domestic car market inspires all the major global auto companies to compete vigorously for a piece of the action. The size of the Chinese market is set to grow [...]

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Electric cars are coming to dealers near you. The question is, should you buy one? After testing driving the Mitsubishi i Electric Car and the Chevy Volt the encouraging answer is yes. These cars will provide us with energy independence at a lower cost than gasoline, and they are fun to drive to boot. I [...]

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The DOE awarded ~$15 million for 16 projects in 24 states and DC ‘to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles across the nation and seven projects in seven states to help prepare college students for careers designing and building advanced vehicle technologies.’

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It’s finally happening. Circumstances, public opinion and political will have aligned to create massive increases in biking infrastructure and bike sharing across the world. Bike businesses are seeing massive, sustained increases in demand, despite the troubled economic times. I must admit that with all the rosy reporting on global bike sharing companies and city schemes, I’ve [...]

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More about the Tata Air Car Tata Motors Air Car—Is it Really Coming? How Does a Compressed Air Car Work? Tata Nano Will Come in Hybrid Flavor It seems like every few months, we get wind of another vehicle that is supposed to be powered by compressed air. The Mini Cat Air Car, from India-based [...]

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Sustainability Guru Heads Up an Exiting Day of Alt-Vehicle Fun, at Northern California Racetrack Sustainability leader L. Hunter Lovins is well-known for her love of horses, and her ubiquitous 10-gallon hat. It just so happens that she also has love affair with a completely different kind of horsepower: the kind generated by noisy creatures with [...]

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When auto makers get serious about developing a performance car, they invariably take a trip to Germany’s fabled test track, the Nürburgring Nordschleife, to gather data to engineer a true drivers car. The track is a popular test ground since it offers 40 left-hand bends, 50 right-hand bends with extreme gradients to fully put a [...]

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This week the Volvo announced a strategic partnership with Siemens to work on the development of electrical drive technology, charging technology, and battery management.

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It appears that retail giant Walmart is ready to take another step on its sustainability journey. Sources within the food industry are reporting that Walmart is planning to begin collecting data from its fruit and vegetable vendors in order to assess the sustainability of their operations. This is a continuation of Wamart’s initiative rolled out [...]

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In an interview with the Financial Times, Jurgen Leohold, Volkswagen’s head of research, revealed that a new electric-powered, experimental car will be announced on September 8.

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Hot on the heels of the meltdown of Green Vehicles, yet another electric vehicle start-up is showing signs that it may not make it to the finish line. Carlsbad, California-based Aptera Motors announced today that it is refunding all customer deposits taken for its unique-looking, 2-seat, 3-wheeled, Aptera 2e electric vehicles. The announcement comes only [...]

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Plug In America, a very vocal, electric vehicle (“EV”) advocacy group, has issued an “action alert” to its members, after Costco Corporation announced that it would be removing its EV charging stations in California. “Costco corporate officials have told Plug In America that the company has decided not to participate in the California Energy Commission [...]

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This week, automaker Nissan  announced a two-way charging system that will allow the new all-electric Nissan Leaf  to not only charge up, but also to reverse the flow of electricity to allow the car to power the home for brief periods during power outages or shortages. Considering the recent calamity in Japan’s power generation system, [...]

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Auto companies with electric vehicle offerings are increasingly taking the opportunity to build links between their vehicles and renewable energy. Perhaps in response to those who say (incorrectly) that EVs do nothing to help mitigate carbon emissions – due to a prevalence of coal-fired electricity generation – manufacturers are forging strategic partnerships with solar companies [...]

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As Phil Covington reports above, Ford and SunPower Corp. have teamed up to offer customers a rooftop solar system, called “Drive Green for Life” which aims to provide Ford electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle customers with enough clean, renewable energy to offset the electricity used to charge their vehicle(s). The system should cost approximately $10,000, [...]

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Boyd Cohen, Climate Strategist As many of this column’s readers know, I am from the U.S. and have lived in Europe and most recently Canada for the 10 years since getting my Ph.D. at the University of Colorado.  While I am no economist (my Ph.D. is in business), I believe that the recent U.S. debt [...]

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I’m going to make an assertion here. Any car enthusiast is, by definition, a fan of the BBC show Top Gear. Unless of course, such a person hasn’t seen it, and to that individual I say, check it out on BBC America sometime, you’ll love it! The show has gained so much international acclaim that [...]

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