Wednesday, April 13, 2011

New posts from Gas 2.0!

New posts from Gas 2.0!

Europe Considering Raising Diesel Taxes to Gasoline Levels

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 03:13 PM PDT

Europe is already paying upwards of $8.00 a gallon for fuel, so every penny (or Euro) counts. So a proposal to raise the tax on diesel fuel to gas-like levels has some people up rightly up in arms.

The European Commissions is proposing taxing vehicles based on their CO2 output, which I think is ridiculous. Are they going to start taxing people based on how much CO2 they exhale on a regular basis? Really, there are better ways of getting people do clean up their act, like raising taxes. Right now, about half of Europe drives diesel-powered vehicles for two reasons. One, the taxes on diesel are between 10 and 20% lower than those on gasoline, and two, diesel fuel has a higher energy content and thus gets better fuel efficiency. So everyone wins, right?

Well not only does the Commission want to tax vehicles based on CO2 output; they also want to raise taxes on diesel, by taxing fuels based on energy content, rather than just CO2 output. So despite the Commission's objections that diesel prices won't rise, they almost certainly will, which means countries and automakers that have invested heavily in diesel will now be shelling out even more money in taxes. The difference in taxes on diesel and gasoline in Germany, for example, is €1.03 per liter for diesel and €1.22 per liter, which works out to about $1.05 difference per gallon.

This kind of regulation is ridiculous. For decades the European Union has been herding people into diesel vehicles because diesel has a higher energy content, which means more miles per gallon. I understand the desire for a "level" playing field, but this kind of regulation really hurts the regular guy. And even discussing higher fuel taxes at a time when gas prices are already rising just isn't going to be popular with the plebeians. If there were more widely available options for alternatives, I’d be all “tax the hell out of diesel and gas.” But there aren’t, not yet anyways. If anything, diesel taxes should be lowered, and gas taxes raised. Give the people a break. Why don't they just ban fossil fuel vehicles and be done with it? That seems to be the road that Europe (and China) are heading down anyway.

Source: The Truth About Cars

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.

UK Trucks “Go Long” for Cleaner Emissions

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 01:00 PM PDT

You get the idea.

An independent UK study recently showed that increasing the overall length of commercial trucks could dramatically reduce overall emissions without compromising safety.  The study (available for download here) showed that a 2 meter increase in maximum length (without an increase in maximum weight) could “increase capacity for haulers transporting lightweight goods by up to 13%, and cut carbon emissions by around one hundred thousand tonnes each year.”

How big of an impact will cutting 100,000 tonnes of carbon emissions have in more familiar terms?  I’m glad you asked.

1 gallon of diesel fuel is allowed by the EPA (whose standard is comparable to Euro5) to contain 2778 g of carbon.  Each tonne of carbon emissions contains 1 million grams of carbon.  Some quick (probably flawed) math puts the “emissions savings” at just under 360 gallons of diesel (1,000,000 / 2,778 = 359.9).  Saving that 100,000 tonnes, then, is roughly equivalent to not burning 36 million gallons of diesel each year (360 * 100,000 = 36,000,000).

If any of that math is even halfway correct, lengthening trucks could be a huge win for the environment.

What do you think, readers?  I know we have a few energy industry guys out there – am I doing the math correctly?  Have I dramatically over-simplified things … and by how much?  Let us know in the comments, below.

Sources:  Department for Transport (UK), the EPA.

Faster, Lighter, More Efficient Piranha Nano-boat a Pirate’s Nightmare

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 11:11 AM PDT

The only thing today's pirates have in common with the swashbucklers of yesteryear is their sheer brutality. So what better way to fight pirates but with a superfast unmanned boat that is 400% more fuel efficient than similar vessels.

The aptly-named Piranha was developed by Ohio-based Zyvex Technologies. Wearing a high-tech carbon fiber shell utilizing nano-technology, the 54-foot unmanned naval vessel is 75% lighter than a comparably sized aluminum boat. It is also 40% stronger, and 400% more fuel efficient than similar boast thanks to this extra-strong and extra-light shell. Zyvex recently completed a 600 nautical-mile sea test, and while cruising at 25 knots a normal aluminum boat would have consumed around 50 gallons of fuel. The Piranha used only 12 gallons of fuel, returning approximately 2.5 MPG at 25 knots…which doesn’t sound like much, but is four-times better than most boats that size. That’ nothing short of amazing.

Designed to combat piracy, the unmmand vessel could stay at sea for extended periods and respond quickly to hijacking attempts by pirates. The Piranha can travel 2,800 nautical miles between refueling, and weighs just 8,400 pounds where most similar boats tip the scales at 20 tons, or 40,000 pounds. It can also perform oceanographic surveying, eliminating the need to feed and supply a whole crew, further eliminating unnecessary elements and weight.

Think about it; no kitchen, bathroom, bunks; just a dedicated service craft. And of course there are plenty of military applications too. I doubt we'll be seeing carbon fiber used on ships en masse anytime soon, but these materials could end up paying for themselves in fuel and weight savings. Imagine an entire container ship built from carbon fiber and stripped of its crew quarters? It’d be thousands of tons lighter, meaning we could deliver goods faster and more efficiently. Perhaps scaling up this technology isn’t as far away as I first thought.

Source: Nanotech Now

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.

Dubious DBM 400-Mile EV Passes German Government Tests

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 07:00 AM PDT

Late last year, DBM Energy drove an all-electric Audi A2 372 miles on a single charge, a potential game changer in the EV world. But nobody believed them until ze Germans ran a battery of tests proving the claims.

DBM Energy raised a lot of eyebrows last year when, over the course of seven hours, they drove 372 miles on a single charge of their lithium-metal-polymer battery-powered Audi A2. No range extender, no recharge halfway through, and the battery is 1/3 lighter than the Teslas, twice as powerful, and supposedly a helluva lot cheaper. Did I mention that the battery could also be fully recharged in just six minutes?

Sounds too good to be true, which is why I avoided writing about the subject when it first came around. So is really any wonder that when DBM's warehouse "mysteriously" caught fire and burned down (a different) A2 prototype, people started calling bullshit?

DBM was not happy though, and as it turns out the test car was not destroyed in the fire. According to GM-Volt, DBM went to German federal authorities, who independently verified DBM's claims on a 68 kWh battery pack (while the Audi-in-question had a 98 kWh battery pack.) During their tests, ze Germans found that DBM's smaller battery pack had an effective range of 284 miles…more than any other all-electric car on the market right now. Called the KOLIBRI battery system, it has an estimated life span of 10 years, or 5,000 charging cycles.

So by now you're thinking that it must cost a small fortune. Well, supposedly, the 98 kWh battery pack has a price of between $1,100 and $1,400. I know, I know, it still sounds unbelievable, and as much as I want to believe DBM's claims, I'll remain cautiously optimistic until I see some proof with my own eyes. But ze Germans make some pretty bold claims that could mean a new era of electric-powered automobiles.

How do you guys feel? Is this the breakthrough we’ve been waiting for, or just another would-be contender making claims they can’t back up?

Source: GM-Volt

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.

Lucky 13: Scania Announces 13 Liter Clean-burning Monster (video)

Posted: 13 Apr 2011 05:00 AM PDT

In an ideal universe, I would be writing a post about Scania’s new, “Euro6″ family of 13.0 liter turbodiesel engines on Friday the 13th, but it looks like Wednesday the 13th is as good as it’s gonna get for this one.  That’s not a bad thing, though – the new 440 and 480 hp Scanias employ a host of new innovations (including exhaust gas recirculation, variable-vane turbo geometries, common-rail fuel injection, selective catalytic reduction, and emissions particulate filtering) in order to meet the new, more stringent European emissions regulations without giving up power or fuel efficiency compared to their (non-compliant) ancestors.

Scania’s PR department put together this great CGI video to show off some of the tech involved, which is conceptually similar to the Mercedes BlueEFFICIENCY diesel engines found in cars like the new S350 flagship sedan.  I’ve included it here.

Euro6, by the way, is more than just the name of the engine: Euro6 is the name of the emissions standards Scania developed the engines to meet.  In terms of emissions standards, Euro6 is similar to emissions standards in Japan and the US, and is viewed as a move towards a single, unified emissions standard for all 3 markets.  Scania’s clean-burning, Euro6 compliant diesels have taken over than five years to develop at a cost of over about 1.6 billion USD.

You can read Scania’s full press release, below.

Scania unveils engines to meet future environmental standards

Scania is now prepared to start delivering trucks with engines that comply with the European emission standards (Euro 6) which are being introduced in 31 December 2013. The engines combine a host of innovative technical solutions to cut emissions radically. Emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates are cut by around 80 percent compared with the standards currently in force (Euro 5).

Scania’s Euro 6 engines make it possible for keen operators to take the next step and invest in the greenest technology available in the market. They will be able to benefit from lower motorway charges and other incentives that may be introduced by authorities. Vehicles with the latest emission standard also command a higher value in the second-hand market.

“We are proud to be able to make this remarkable feat of engineering available to our customers even now. The new engines are designed to give the same performance and fuel efficiency as their Euro 5 counterparts,” says Martin Lundstedt, Executive Vice President in charge of Scania’s sales and marketing.

In the development of the Euro 6 engines, all done in-house, Scania has combined all the new technologies developed by the company in recent years: exhaust gas recirculation, variable turbo geometry, common-rail high-pressure fuel injection, selective catalytic reduction and particulate filtering.

“Add to that our own engine and exhaust management technology, which has now been integrated into one system”, says Jonas Hofstedt, Senior Vice President Powertrain Development.

The development of the new engine generation and the technology to meet future emission legislation has taken five years and involves costs for Scania of approximately SEK 10 billion.

Euro 6 emission standards will enter into force in the European Union and certain neighbouring countries on 31 December 2012 for new vehicle models and one year later for all new vehicles sold.

Euro 6 is the first step towards the implementation of world harmonised emission standards, encompassing Europe, North America and Japan and this will facilitate coordination and development for future standards.

Source:  Scania.
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