Tuesday, April 19, 2011

New posts from Gas 2.0!

New posts from Gas 2.0!

Update: Nissan Promises to Fix All 5,300 Leaf EVs

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 02:00 PM PDT

Earlier this month, we reported that some early-production Nissan Leaf electric cars were experiencing re-starting issues that company spokesmen believed might be traced back to the cars’ cold-weather HVAC systems.  Last Friday, Nissan released an official explanation of the issue zeroing in on the Vehicle Control Module (VCM) and announced that all 5,300 “active” Leafs would receive updates to eliminate the problem.

I’ve included Nissan’s official press release, below.

Nissan has found that a very small proportion of the Nissan LEAFs in the market today have reported incidents which require reprogramming of the Vehicle Control Module to address incorrect diagnosis programming. Yet, as the LEAF is very important to us, Nissan has decided to perform a service campaign on 5,300 Nissan LEAF vehicles in the Japanese, North American, European and other markets to ensure all of our customers are satisfied.

This is not a safety issue as the vehicle will not stop running while being driven, but may not restart once it is turned off.

Approximately 500 Nissan LEAF customer vehicles in the U.S. are affected by this campaign. In an effort to minimize the inconvenience to these customers a message will be sent through the on-board telematics system early next week prompting the owners to contact their Nissan dealer to arrange reprogramming of the software to address this issue. Nissan will also contact potentially affected owners through traditional channels to inform them about this issue.

We are fully aware that this issue may have inconvenienced some of our customers. Nissan is committed to a high level of customer service and satisfaction, and is working with dealers to promptly address the issue.

Source:  Nissan, via Autoblog Green.

Brazil: Petrobras to Double Bio-fuel Production

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 12:00 PM PDT

In a bid to assert its authority as the world-leader in bio-fuel use, the Brazilian government has directed Petrobras (which is partially owned by the Brazilian government) to double its biofuel output over the next four years.  Brazil’s government has set aside over $3.5 billion USD to help the company meet its lofty production goals.

Petrobras’ announcement comes just a few days after a politically-motivated (and factually dubious) report was issued by the GOP front group AAPS claimed that bio-fuel production could lead to increased food prices and mass deaths.  Thankfully, Brazil’s powers-that-be have seen through the AAPS’ political smokescreen and are pushing forward with their biofuel plans, despite a recent a bump in global sugar prices that’s convinced many refineries to turn surgacane into sweetener rather than ethanol, causing ethanol’s prices to soar to a record $1.07 per liter last week.

This news follows the announcement of Shell’s plan to invest 12 billion USD into Brazil’s Cosan biofuel company last year, further cementing Brazil’s status as a global biofuel power.

Sources:  Bloomberg;  Petrobras, via Autoblog Green.

Automakers Oppose Bill Mandating 90% of Vehicles be E85 Capable

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 10:00 AM PDT

Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat from Iowa, has sponsored a bill that would require nearly all vehicles to run on a high blend of ethanol fuel by 2016. The Alliance of Automobile Manufactures, a group representing twelve major automakers, opposes the bill.

Currently around 8 million flex fuel vehicles are on the road in the United States (U.S.), making up about 3% of the nations fleet. Only 2% of gas stations sell the flex fuel needed to run those vehicles and are predominantly located in the Midwest. Senator Harkin's bill would call for 90% of all vehicles in the U.S. to run on a blend of 85% ethanol fuel (E85) by the 2016 model year. Presently the majority of fuel sold at the pump in the U.S. is already a 10% ethanol blend (E10) and safe for use in all vehicles.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufactures and other opponents of Senator Harkin's bill worry that the rapid change could be costly to consumers and that the consumer will not have immediate or easy access to the fuel needed to run the flex fuel vehicles. "Therefore, such a mandate is essentially a tax with little consumer benefit", said Shane Karr the Vice President of Government Affairs for The Alliance of Automobile Manufactures.

A multitude of other problems exist surrounding the use of ethanol based flex fuels in vehicles. Today's flex fuel vehicles do not meet with state emissions standards. As states such as California make efforts to increase their state emission standards active flex fuel vehicles are already falling behind the current regulations. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently approved the use of E15 flex fuels, it is a long road before E85 flex fuel is even up for consideration by the EPA.

Separate from the environmental impact, automakers fear that the increased ethanol blends in fuels could damage the engines of vehicles (It won’t. – Ed.). Automakers also raise the concern of consumer confusion at the pump surrounding what type of flex fuel is needed to properly run their specific vehicle and the potential of law suits stemming from miss fueling.

With most of the ethanol produced in the U.S being made from corn this has provided an economic stimulus to U.S. agriculture. Ethanol has also created a new market for corn which means increased farm income. However, there are certain problems with using corn to convert to ethanol since this process requires fossil fuel to make the corn in the first place.

It has been found that one acre of U.S. corn can be used to make 328 gallons of ethanol.  The planting as well as growing and harvesting of that one acre of corn require nearly 140 gallons of fossil fuels being used in the needed farm equipment. The cost– $347 per acre of corn. This translates to $1.05 per gallon of ethanol being spent even before the corn leaves the farm. After the corn leaves the farm this price tag may be further increased by the refinery process of the harvested corn. The overall end cost of producing ethanol from corn works out to be more expensive than that of petrol.

America's dependency on foreign oil has been a looming problem for decades. As gas prices reach, and is some cities exceed, $4.00 a gallon and unemployment and wage stagnation remaining high, the need for alternative fuels has taken center stage. Although corn based ethanol may not be the ideal alternative fuel source at least people, experts, and leaders are thinking about alternative fuels and trying to adapt and design for the future.

Source:  The Detroit News

Andrew Meggison was born in the state of Maine and educated in Massachusetts. Andrew earned a Bachelors Degree in Government and International Relations from Clark University and a Masters Degree in Political Science from Northeastern University. Being an Eagle Scout, Andrew has a passion for all things environmental. In his free time Andrew enjoys writing, exploring the great outdoors, a good film, and a creative cocktail.

Meet the Sora, the Tesla Roadster of Electric Motorcycles

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 08:20 AM PDT

What's as fast as a Tesla Roadster, has more range than a Nissan Life, and costs about as much as a Chevy Volt? The answer is the Sora by Lito Green Motion, an electric motorcycle that's just badass.

Lito Green Motion, based out of Barthélémy Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, built this bullet of a bike to have a top speed of 124 mph, or 200 kph. That's just 1 mph shy of the Tesla Roadster's electronically limited top speed of 125 mph. Power comes a 12 kWh lithium-polymer battery pack that puts down a claimed 708 ft-lbs of torque at the wheels, and while they don't list a 0-60 mph time, I'm gonna go ahead and just say "pretty damn fast."

What really helps this electric motorcycle stand out from the crowd is its claimed 185 miles of range. That's probably "best case scenario," but even a 100 mile range is something to brag about on an electric motorcycle. The Brammo Enertia Plus, which hasn't hit showrooms yet, will yield around 80 miles of range, while the Empulse sport bike will have around 100 miles of range of a 100 mph top speed. The Brammo also lacks the 5.7-inch LCD touchscreen with integrated GPS, three-performance modes (performance, eco, and safe range), and the lightweight carbon fiber fairing and high-tech aluminum chassis.

Then again, the Enertia Plus will have a price around $10,000, and the Empulse a bit more, while the Batman of electric motorcycles will cost C$42,399, or about $43,750. Yee-ouch. Even with tax credits pooled in from different sources, you're talking about a motorcycle with the price tag of a Chevy Volt, seating for one, and perhaps even a fill-in-the-blanks death certificate, ’cause ya might just kill yourself on this thing. It ain't always cheap going green, but at least you can be quick about it if your pockets are deep enough. I’m glad to see the Canadians getting in on the electric motorcycle action. Maybe Jo can lay off the Canadians for a little while. Then again, maybe not.

Source: Lito Green Motion via Treehugger

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.

sora1 sora2 sora3


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