Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

BP Gets Served … a Massive Lawsuit

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 03:30 PM PST

Coast Guard fighting the Deepwater fire, April 2010.

The BBC is reporting that the United States government has filed suit against BP Exploration and Production, Inc., claiming that the company (among others, also named in the suit) failed to take necessary precautions to keep the Macondo well under control in the period leading up to the 20 April explosion.  According the the BBC, the suit filed asks that BP be held liable – without limitation – for all clean-up costs and damages associated with this summer’s oil spill.

Attorney General Eric Holder has openly claimed that “violations of safety and operational regulations” were the root causes of April explosion, and names BP Exploration and Production Inc, Anadarko Exploration & Production LP, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC, Triton Asset Leasing GMBH, Transocean Holdings LLC, Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc, Transocean Deepwater Inc., and insurer QBE Underwriting Ltd/Lloyd’s Syndicate 1036 in the suit.

The accusations against BP are summed up, below.

  • Failing to take necessary precautions to keep the Macondo well under control in the period leading up to the 20 April explosion
  • Failing to use the best available and safest drilling technology to monitor the well’s conditions
  • Failing to maintain continuous surveillance
  • Failing to use and maintain equipment and material that were available and necessary to ensure the safety and protection of personnel, equipment, natural resources and the environment

Halliburton and Cameron, the companies that cemented the Macondo well, were not targeted in the lawsuit.

Source:  BBC News, via Treehugger.

First Chevy Volt Auctioned Off for $225,000

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 01:30 PM PST

Two weeks ago, GM took the first Chevy Volt destined for public purchase, and put it up for auction. The final auction tally, the proceeds of which go to charity, came to $225,000.

So I still think that the Volt is a bit overpriced at $41,000, and the initial bidding went up to $180,000 within the first day of this charity auction. That was an awful lot of money for the first Chevy Volt. But $225,000?  Very few vehicles with the Chevrolet bowtie are worth that kind of money, and most of them were made 40 or 50 years ago.  Cars like the 1969 Corvette Stingray ZL1 (just two ever built). This is actually the second Volt ever built, not the first, as GM likes to hold on to one-offs and first cars for the GM Heritage Collection. It’s the first car being sold to the public. It’s a nice tradition GM has if you ask me.

The proceeds from this auction are being invested right in GM's backyard, the Detroit Public School System. The money will go towards improving education initiatives in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Interestingly enough, only eight people actually bid on this Volt. Will history prove it worth the price, or did this buyer just overpay?

On that note, would you rather own a 2-of-2 ‘Vette, or a one-of-(hopefully)-a-million Volt?

Source: Charity Buzz

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.

Update: the Russian Hybrids are Real!

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 10:01 AM PST

Less than a year after Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov announced that he was going to produce a line of credible, Russian-built hybrid cars – and less than 2 months after showing the final concept renderings –  a trio of running prototypes of Prokhorov’s “Yo!” CNG/electric hybrid are on display, proving that the new company means business.

Yo! hopes, in the words of its founder, to "overcome existing stereotypes … that Russia cannot make normal cars."

Just one problem, Mikhail:  a CNG/electric hybrid – while undeniably cool – is not exactly normal.  Best of luck, anyway!

Prokhorov-with-Yo-prototypes citycar1 citycar3 citycar4

Source:  the Detroit Bureau.

Is This the New 40 mpg Chrysler?

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 08:21 AM PST

Chrysler announced plans to bring a Fiat-based 40 mpg small car to US shores last month.  At the same time – while most industry insiders were discussing an Alfa Romeo-based replacement for the Dodge Caliber – another Fiat brand, Lancia, was quietly preparing an all-new version of its Y (“Epsilon”) city car.  The sketches shown here were found on the official Lancia site on May 24th of this year, and certainly the sketch below seems to indicate that the new Lancia Y would be bigger than the current model and available with 4 doors …

… could this be a move to “upsize” the car for North America?

Absolutely.

BMW’s overwhelming success with Mini brand has proven that Americans will pay premium dollars for a small car, but only if it’s compelling and fun to drive.  Mercedes tried to get into the act already with the Smart brand (and failed), and others are preparing to follow suit.  You can bet that Chrysler/Fiat want a piece of that action, and – with Chrysler and Lancia essentially being “merged” into one brand by parent-company Fiat – the case for a CAFE-boosting Chrysler-badged Lancia Y to go along with a Chrysler-badged Lancia Delta and Lancia-badged Chrysler 300 (slotted just above the 2-door-only Fiat 500 already being sold in select Chrysler showrooms) just makes good business sense.

Source:  Automotive News.

First Chevy Volts Depart Detroit Factory

Posted: 14 Dec 2010 06:17 PM PST

Over the weekend, Nissan delivered the first Leaf to a costumer in San Francisco. Not far behind, the first shipment of the 2011 Chevy Volt has left the Detroit factory where its made en route to dealerships across the country.

This week, about 350 Chevy Volts are scheduled to be delivered to select areas of the country where the Chevy Volt will initially launch. Some of the initial markets include Washington D.C., New York, California, and Texas. Eventually, the Volt will be available nationwide, and GM is already looking at ways to double or triple the initial production target of 10,000 Volts in 2011.

Anybody reading this eagerly awaiting delivery of their Volt?

Source: GM

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.
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