Gas 2.0

Hydrogen-Powered Flying Yacht in the Making for 2025
Sub5Zero Drives the Lexus GS450h
$7,500 Tax Credit for First 500,000 of Each Electric Vehicle?
Canada Thinks Green Cars are a Problem (Really)
California Electricity Rates Could Increase for EV Owners

Hydrogen-Powered Flying Yacht in the Making for 2025

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 01:00 PM PST

Yes, you read correctly, a hydrogen-powered, flying yacht – and you thought hovercrafts were cool. Australian designer Jaron Dickson has come up with, what he has dubbed the EkranoYacht: an eco-friendly design based upon the well-known Soviet vehicle, the Ekranoplan.

Perhaps the most famous Ekranoplan is the “Caspian Sea Monster,” which weighed 550 tons while flying up to 66 feet above the water at speeds up-to 460 mph (740 km/h). It used the ground effect, also known as the wing-in-ground-effect, where a cushion of high-pressure air is created by the aerodynamic contact between the wings and the water's surface. Smaller versions of this craft was used to transport troops and vehicles in the Black and Caspian seas until the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Ekranoplan’s have become a niche market more than anything. While the Ekranoplan was a marvel during its time, Dickson has new plans in store for the EkranoYacht.

Aimed for environmental protection and for faster, more efficient sea travel, Dickson plans on fueling the yacht/plane, which should fly 4m above the water's surface, using a hydrogen power wing-in-ground-effect. Being hydrogen fueled, the vehicle will release water vapor and small amounts of hydrogen rather than polluting the environment with carbon emissions. This 118 foot vehicle is estimated to be able travel at a top speed of 250 mph and can fit up to 6 guests in its comfortably designed, permanent living quarters. That’s a whole lot faster than even the fastest speed boats, as there is less drag flying above the water as opposed to plowing through the water. Of course, this is still a concept vehicle, far from actual production, so saying it can go 250 mph, and actually doing it, are two very different things.

Dickson finds that displaying one's wealth and success is freedom and that the greatest freedom is being able to bring your home with you wherever you go. Hence one of the reasons's behind his design for the EkranoYacht– it "has the livability of a yacht and the convenience of an aeroplane." Yet, not everyone is fortunate enough to own such a luxury. Down the line, are we going to see similar ideas but for smaller water crafts and not just yachts? How will the public perceive such a lavish, flying yacht and how much will it cost – we can only guess.

Source: Gizmodo

Sub5Zero Drives the Lexus GS450h

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 12:00 PM PST

Lexus’ performance-oriented GS450h hybrid promises supercar acceleration and Lexus’ usual levels of “vault silent” luxury, with just enough green-washing to keep the GS’ usually performance-focused buyers from feeling too guilty about their non-Prius purchase. Given a chance to put one through its paces, my good friend Ari Cox over at Sub5Zero discovered this hybrid’s secret: that electric motor? It makes the car faster.

Gunning the engine from a start causes it to pause for a millisecond and ask you a simple question “Are we doin this?.” And when you drop the hammer and say “Hell yeah!” the GS450h says "Word!” and gets you on your way with an urgency you'll not soon forget. 0-60 mph comes quickly at just 5.2 seconds. But where the GS450h really shines is at higher speeds, especially on the highway where passing and carving through traffic with an effortless agility is truly awe-inspiring.

Looks like the guys had some fun! Many more pictures and a fully detailed review/road test can be found at the original article.

Source: Sub5Zero.

$7,500 Tax Credit for First 500,000 of Each Electric Vehicle?

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 10:30 AM PST

If you are interested in purchasing an electric vehicle, but are still on the fence with your decision, you may have more time to consider it before you plunge. Legislation is in the works that may allow more EV buyers to be eligible for government tax credits.

President Obama plans on having 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015, and during his State of the Union address, he urged Congress to help him pursue those goals. U.S. Representative Sandy Levin heeded the President’s call by introducing legislation to permit the first 500,000 electric vehicles sold by an automaker to be able to gain tax credits up to $7,500.

Currently, the amount of vehicles eligible is 200,000, which seems like a lofty number until you consider that even in trying times, the American car market moves about a million cars per-month. These incentives are very important for electric vehicle acceptance, and make the purchase of an electric car much more affordable for the average person. The Chevrolet Volt extended-range EV is priced at $41,000 before any tax credit, but comes down to a much more reasonable $33,500 after the credit. With GM hoping to sell 25,000 Volts this year, and 120,000 Volts next year, the tax credit for this car will quickly run out without an extension of the program.

However, at a cost of $3,750,000,000 ($3.75 billion) per electric vehicle, it could be a hard sell at a time when many Americans are calling for less government spending. With every major automaker planning on releasing an electric car in the next few years, will these incentives be enough to make it to Obama’s goal of one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015?

Source: USA Today

Canada Thinks Green Cars are a Problem (Really)

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 09:10 AM PST

Alberta’s tar sands have been called “the dirtiest oil in the world” by Greenpeace and National Geographic, and “mining” these fields means high carbon emissions and serious pollution of natural water supplies. So why are Canadians afraid of electric vehicles?

Canada’s own government agents claim that the area’s boreal forests “could be gone within a generation.” Canadians in Alberta, of course, are very interested in the progress of EVs, battery technology, and alternative fuels programs …

… they’re interested, because they’re scared to death of them.

“The entire country has evolved into a petro-dollar economy,” says Canadian news source CTV News. “Canada’s fortunes – and its currency – are now more closely tethered to oil than any other industry.” So, while the rest of the world looks to EVs and new technology to safeguard resources and global environmental health, Canadian newspapers like the St. Albert Gazette worry that EVs “could put some Albertans out of work."

Think this is a short-term problem for Canada’s environment? Think again. CTV reports that “economic power is shifting, and the trend will continue and gather momentum as oil sands production increases over the next couple of decades.”

That’s right, people. Canada is pushing for increased oil output over the next. Few. DECADES. (!?) Kind of makes your Monday morning, doesn’t it?

It’s not like the Canadian government isn’t aware of the environmental impact of the tar sand oil extraction, either. Preston McEachern, who works for Alberta Environment (a government agency in the province) says that (beyond the greenhouse emissions) the tailings ponds are his top concern. According to McEachern, the mines dump wastewater in the ponds “because they need to reuse the water. As the thick, brown slurry gushes from the discharge pipes, the sand quickly settles out, building the dike that retains the pond; the residual bitumen floats to the top. The fine clay and silt particles, though, take several years to settle, and when they do, they produce a yogurt-like goop—the technical term is ‘mature fine tailings’—that is contaminated with toxic chemicals such as naphthenic acid and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and would take centuries to dry out on its own.” (from National Geographic)

Defenders of the oil-recovery effort are quick to point out that, under the terms of their license, mining companies are required to reclaim these chemicals. However, these companies have been missing their deadlines and still have not fully reclaimed a single pond.

Are you horrified yet?

Even decidedly pro-big-block blogs like The Truth About Cars are pointing out the seemingly backwards stance the Canadian government is taking on the matter, reporting that, as Canadians are “reading the papers about the success of EVs, Albertans are worried about a bust cycle. People did what people do when they don't know what to do: They assembled a panel of experts. The panel will first meet next Tuesday in Edmonton.”

The proceedings of the panel's meetings will be available at www.abctech.ca, and I (for one) hope someone organizes an EV / alt-fuel rally to meet these guys at the gates.

Sources: National Geographic, CTV, TTAC, etc. (links, above).

Photos: National Geographic (full, maddening photo gallery AVAILABLE HERE).

California Electricity Rates Could Increase for EV Owners

Posted: 07 Feb 2011 08:37 AM PST

Electric cars are supposed to help protect and improve the environment, while also lowering the cost of automobile ownership. Well, the California government is making it a bit more expensive to own electric vehicles.

The California government is allowing their electric companies to enforce higher rates for those who seem to exceed the average amount of power used in the household. In other words, the owners of EV's and plug-in hybrids will not be saving as much money over gas-powered cars as they thought as these rate hikes could directly affect them. This may hinder the chance for these vehicles to compete in the automotive industry, as not only do they already cost more, but the financial savings over gas cars could be curtailed if other states follow suit.

So what does this mean for gasoline powered vehicles? Some, such as the Chevy Cobalt actually seem to be the smarter, economical choice over an EV, like the Volt, when you get down to the dollars and cents of it. According to US economist professor, Wally Tyner, the Cobalt (which was just replaced by the Chevy Cruze) would be the better choice of vehicle only when oil prices are low. In Tyner's study, he showed that the price of oil must rise between $171 and $254 per barrel in order to make the Volt the more economical choice to justify the extra $20,000 in cost. However, even with California’s electricity rates 35% higher than the national average (around 14.42 cents per kWh), charging the Volt and many electric cars is still far, far cheaper than filling up a tank of gas. But when half the state starts plugging in electric cars, will those same savings still be there?

Consumers are still trying to save money right now, and the high cost of EV's as well as this increase in electricity rates will make these vehicles less financially attractive, government incentives or not. Funny that California, a state that prides itself on being green and progressive, would let this kind of legislation pass without thought of what it could do to EV acceptance. At the same time, we should have seen this coming. If EV's are to eventually replace gasoline and diesel fueled cars and more and more people are driving EV's and recharging them at the same time, than the costs of electricity are bound to increase, and the actual savings over a gas-powered car might not be as steep as we were led to believe. Besides, electric companies are still companies, and they need to turn a profit, so they can’t exactly “give away” electricity to EV drivers.

How far are people really willing to "go green" when the green in their wallets is about to take a hit?

Source: Carscoop via Purdue University