Automakers, Obama Announce Vehicle Mileage and Pollution Plan
U.S. President Barack Obama has outlined the nation's first comprehensive effort to curb vehicle emissions while cutting dependence on imported oil, calling the plan an historic turning point toward a "clean-energy economy." "As a result of this agreement," Obama said, "we will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in the next five years. And at a time of historic crisis in our auto industry, this rule provides the clear certainty that will allow these companies to plan for a future in which they are building the cars of the 21st century." He said the new rules amounted to removing 177 million cars from the roads over the next 6 1/2 years. The plan requires that vehicle carbon dioxide emissions be reduced by about one-third by the target date and that automakers build vehicles that average 35.5 miles per gallon. Under a system that develops standards for each vehicle class size, the overall fleet average would have to be 35.5 mpg by 2016, with passenger cars reaching 39 mpg and light trucks hitting 30 mpg.
Source: Automakers, Obama announce mileage, pollution plan, Los Angeles Times

In 2008, U.S. Transportation-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions Declined 5.2%
U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels decreased by 2.8% in 2008, according to estimates released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This is the largest annual decline since the EIA began reporting on greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation-related emissions, which account for about a third of total energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, decreased by 5.2% in 2008—again the largest annual decline since 1990. Within the transportation sector, motor gasoline accounts for 58.7% of CO2 emissions and diesel fuel accounts for 23.2% of CO2 emissions. Factors that contributed to the decline include: increased energy prices (in 2008, gasoline and diesel prices were at their all-time peak level); lower consumer income (near the end of the year, despite lower energy prices, gasoline and diesel demand was dampened by a drop in consumer income); and lower economic growth (in 2008, GDP growth was a modest 1.1%. In the fourth quarter, GDP fell at an annual rate of 6.3%).
Source: US Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions Declined by 2.8% in 2008; Transportation-Related Emissions Down 5.2%, Green Car Congress

California City Replaces Diesel Buses With CNG Buses
The city of Santa Clarita in California has announced plans to add more compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to its fleet next year, by replacing eight diesel buses with CNG ones. With the new buses, more than two-thirds of the city’s local buses—36 of the 52 buses—will be powered by CNG. The city's entire local fleet will be green within the next decade, said Adrian Aguilar, interim transit coordinator. A 2005 order by the regional air-quality agency required the city and other local governments to switch their fleets away from diesel fuel.  According to Aguilar, the city chose to use CNG because of its relatively low cost—about half the price of diesel. 
Source: More CNG Buses for California City, NGVAmerica

London’s Mayor Calls for Electrification of Municipal Fleets
At a climate change conference, London’s Mayor Boris Johnson outlined plans to make London "the cleanest, greenest city on earth" by the 2012 Olympics and called for commitments from other world cities. Johnson met with leaders of the world's 40 largest cities at the summit in Seoul. "What we should do in Seoul is agree that we will stop the endless addiction of mankind to the internal combustion engine," said Johnson. He also called for "real progress" by cities worldwide towards the electrification of municipal fleets and other vehicles. London has committed to reduce carbon emissions 60% by 2025. Johnson said that in the next few years, London will embark on a project to produce a “cleaner, greener” bus. Replacing 8,300 of London’s antiquated diesel buses with low-carbon vehicles could go a long way to achieving the city’s carbon targets, he said, adding that the city’s 32,000 taxis that are currently fueled by diesel could also be supplanted by electric vehicles.
Source: London bids to be world's greenest city, Associated Press

Taxi Stockholm Expands Green Fleet With 350 Biomethane Cars
In Sweden, Taxi Stockholm has stepped up its natural gas taxi fleet, ordering 350 natural gas vehicles which will be fueled by eco-friendly biomethane. And the company plans to add more natural gas cars to its fleet in the future. 200 of the 350 new vehicles are converted Volvo V70 bi-fuel vehicles, with a natural gas-fueled driving range of 300 kms. In addition, the company has ordered 100 Mercedes B170 natural gas and 50 Volkswagen Passat EcoFuel natural gas vehicles. In just two years, Taxi Stockholm has more than halved its CO2 emissions. Taxi Stockholm CEO Mikael Andersson says that, from the end of this year, the company will only purchase green cars and aims to reduce emissions by 70% by 2012.
Source: Taxi Stockholm Expands Green Fleet With 350 Biomethane, NGV Global

Port of L.A. Incentive Program Seeks 1,000 Alternative Fuel Trucks by 2009
The Los Angeles Harbor Commission has approved up to $44.2 million in funding toward the 2009 Clean Truck Incentive Program at the Port of Los Angeles. The program's goal is to introduce 1,000 alternative fuel trucks into Port service by the end of 2009. Of the 1,000 vehicles, 900 will run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG), with the remaining 100 running on lithium battery-electric power. “Natural Gas technologies offer a variety of environmental benefits that make them a good fit for drayage in this market. Through this program we will help truck operators purchase alternative fuel trucks and continue our aggressive efforts to reduce port truck emissions,” said Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. Since the launch of the Clean Truck Program in October 2008, the Port claims that pollution at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex has been reduced by more than 23%.
Source: Port of Los Angeles launches Alternative Fuel Truck Incentive Program, NGV Global

Toyota May Speed Up Hydrogen Car, Despite DOE Lack of Support
In January, Toyota announced that it would begin selling a fuel cell car by 2015, but now may move that timetable up to late 2014. John Hanson, a Toyota spokesman, was asked about the company’s plans in light of the Department of Energy’s proposed elimination of funds for hydrogen fuel-cell motor vehicles. “Toyota is planning to go ahead with its program in certain world markets by 2015, if not sooner,” he said. The influence of California’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate may move the timetable up to late 2014, explained Mr. Hanson. “So much of what happens is directly related to the California ZEV mandates—they’re followed by at least 14 states, and they affect nearly half of the cars on the market in the United States.” Fuel-cell credits under the ZEV program, Mr. Hanson said, are worth more than plug-in hybrid credits.
Source: Toyota May Speed Up Hydrogen Car, New York Times

Honda Insight: First Hybrid to Rank as Japan’s Best-Selling Vehicle
Honda Motor Co. announced that the Insight has managed to rank as best selling car amongst new car registrations in Japan for the month of April 2009—the first time that a hybrid vehicle has held the top spot. According to figures from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, 10,481 Honda Insight cars were bought, taking its total sales for the last three months to more than 19,000. The new Insight, which offers a more affordable price tag than the Toyota Prius, went on sale in Japan in February 2009 and made its North American market debut in March 2009.
Source: Honda Insight: 1st Hybrid to Rank as Best-Selling Vehicle in Japan, Zig Wheels

Chrysler-Fiat Merger Could Bring More Alternative Fuel Vehicles to U.S.
Fiat’s rescue of Chrysler could result in a wider array of alternative fuel vehicles for America car buyers. Chrysler is now poised to get access to Fiat’s vast experience with alternative fuel vehicles, including hybrids, natural gas models, and dual-fuel and tetrafuel variants. Fiat has first class hybrid and electric vehicle technologies, but most notably, is a world leader when it comes to developing, building, and marketing natural gas vehicles (NGVs). In 2008, Fiat sold 68,000 NGVs and hopes to sell 120,000 in 2009. The automaker says that natural gas is currently the most appropriate and readily available technology for solving pollution problems in urban areas. Fiat is the first manufacturer to offer a wide range of dual-fuel vehicles in its eco-friendly ‘Natural Power’ line, which can all run on gasoline or compressed natural gas (CNG). Fiat Brazil has developed tetrafuel vehicles, and in Brazil it now markets cars that run on gasoline, alcohol, any ethanol blend, or natural gas. As the largest producer of NGVs, Fiat would be in the position of investing significant resources toward making these vehicles a market success in the U.S.
Source: Chrysler-Fiat Merger Could Bring Natural Gas Vehicles, Green Car

Honda Begins U.S. Production of Civic GX Natural Gas Vehicles
Honda Manufacturing of Indiana has started production of the natural gas-powered 2009 Civic GX at its plant in Greensburg, Indiana. The Civic GX is the only natural gas vehicle built by a major automaker in the US. First introduced in 1998, the Civic GX is the cleanest internal combustion vehicle certified by the EPA—90% cleaner than the average gasoline-powered car on the road today. As a result, the GX is certified by the EPA as an Inherently Low Emissions Vehicle (ILEV). It is the only natural gas powered passenger car available for sale in all 50 states, and is eligible for a $4,000 federal tax credit as a qualified alternative fuel vehicle. Honda Manufacturing of Indiana began Civic GX production just seven months after starting mass production of the 4-cylinder Honda Civic sedan at its new plant in Greensburg, Indiana. The $550 million plant is designed as a zero waste-to-landfill facility.
Source: Honda Begins Production of Civic GX Natural Gas Vehicles at Indiana Plant, Green Car Congress

U.S. Says Hydrogen Fuel Cells Cars Not Practical Over the Next 10-20 Years
Cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells, once hailed as a pollution-free solution for reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, will not be practical over the next 10 to 20 years, said the U.S. Energy Secretary, announcing that the government will cut off funds for the vehicles’ development. Developing those cells and coming up with a way to transport the hydrogen is a big challenge, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in releasing energy-related details of the administration’s budget for the year beginning Oct. 1. Dr. Chu said the government preferred to focus on projects that would bear fruit more quickly. The Energy Department will continue to pay for research into stationary fuel cells, which Dr. Chu said could be used like batteries on the power grid and do not require compact storage of hydrogen. The Obama administration will also establish eight “energy innovation hubs,” small centers for basic research that will be financed for five years at a time to lure more scientists into the energy area. “We’re very devoted to delivering solutions—not just science papers, but solutions—but it will require some basic science,” Dr. Chu said at a news conference.
Source: U.S. Drops Research Into Fuel Cells for Cars, New York Times

Biomethane Powered Truck Cuts CO2 by 62% in U.K. Trial
Iveco, a leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, has successfully concluded a six-month trial of a recycling and street cleaning truck powered by liquid biomethane. The natural-gas-powered Iveco Daily produced 62% less CO2 than comparable diesel vehicles during its trial operations for the London Borough of Camden in the United Kingdom. Throughout the trial, the Daily ran exclusively on fuel supplied by Gasrec, the UK’s first commercial producer of Liquid Biomethane (LBM), allowing direct comparisons to be drawn against similar vehicles operating on diesel. The LBM-powered Daily emitted just 2,771 kg of CO2 over this period, compared with 7,295 kg for the equivalent diesel model. Commenting on the results, Martin Flach, Product Director at Iveco says: “The trial demonstrated a 62% saving in CO2 over diesel and highlighted the suitability of LBM as a high quality fuel.” The trial also showed that the amount of LBM consumed per month for the vehicle equated to displacing 444 litres of diesel, showing a 30% fuel cost saving per month. Following the success of the trail, Iveco is gearing-up production of the right-hand drive natural gas-powered truck.
Source: Iveco step up production of biomethane-powered vehicle, The Green Car Website

Ford Invests $550 Million to Build New Small Cars and Electric Vehicles
Ford Motor Company is investing $550 million to transform its Michigan Assembly Plant into a flexible manufacturing complex that will build Ford’s next-generation Focus global small car along with a new battery-electric version of the Focus for the North American market. The plant, formerly the production site for Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs, is one of three North American light truck plants Ford is retooling to build fuel-efficient global small cars in the coming years. The new Focus will begin rolling off the line next year and Ford’s first all-electric passenger car, the battery-electric version of the Focus, debuts in 2011. The zero-emission vehicle features a high-voltage electric motor powered by a high capacity Lithium Ion battery pack and is charged by plugging in to a 110-volt or 220-volt outlet. In addition to the Focus battery-electric vehicle, Ford is collaborating with Smith Electric to sell a Transit Connect battery-electric commercial vehicle for North America in 2010.
Source: Ford invests $550 million to build new global small cars, electric vehicle at Michigan plant, Ford Media

Natural Gas Passat Rated Europe’s Most Environmentally Friendly Car
The German drivers' association, Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (ADAC), has declared the compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered VW Passat 1.4 TSI Trendline EcoFuel to be currently the most environmentally friendly car in Europe, achieving the maximum rating of five stars. Scoring a total of 92 points out of 100, the car scored 42/50 points during ADAC's on-road testing of CO2 emissions and a maximum of 50/50 points in ADAC's Ecotest (ECOT) for pollutants. Emphasizing that the results were relative to car size, ADAC awarded second place to the smaller Toyota Prius with 89 points out of 100. The respected ADAC ECOT was set up in 2003 to provide practical, relevant consumption and pollutant measurement, and tests beyond the requirements of Germany's mandatory manufacturer's specifications.
Source: CNG Passat Rated Best Environmentally Friendly Car by ADAC, NGV Global

Bioelectricity Promises More 'Transportation-Miles-Per-Acre' Than Ethanol
Biofuels such as ethanol offer an alternative to gasoline, but growing energy crops to produce them can compete with food crops for farmland, and clearing forests to expand farmland will aggravate the climate change problem. Researchers, writing in the journal Science, investigated how to best maximize our ‘miles-per-acre’ from biomass. They say the best bet is to convert the biomass to electricity, rather than ethanol. They calculate that, compared to ethanol used for internal combustion engines, bioelectricity used for battery-powered vehicles would deliver an average of 80% more miles of transportation per acre of crops, while also providing double the greenhouse gas offsets to mitigate climate change. “It's a relatively obvious question once you ask it, but nobody had really asked it before,” says study co-author Chris Field, director of the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution. The researchers performed a life-cycle analysis of both bioelectricity and ethanol technologies, taking into account not only the energy produced by each technology, but also the energy consumed in producing the vehicles and fuels. Bioelectricity was the clear winner in the transportation-miles-per-acre comparison, regardless of whether the energy was produced from corn or from switchgrass, a cellulose-based energy crop.
Source: Bioelectricity Promises More 'Miles Per Acre' Than Ethanol, Science Daily

California Adopts Landmark Low-Carbon Fuel Standard—First in Nation
California regulators have adopted landmark rules to curb carbon emissions from transportation fuels. Transport alone accounts for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions in California. The low-carbon fuel standard, adopted by the state’s Air Resources Board, is the first measure in the nation—and the world—to impose such limits on motor fuels. Similar rules are being considered in at least 11 other states. President Obama has also called for a nationwide low-carbon fuel standard to help meet his goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions more than 80% by mid-century. California's plan takes a sweeping "cradle-to-grave" approach that aims to reduce the carbon footprint of fuels from production to combustion. It also seeks to spur development of cleaner-burning alternatives to gasoline and diesel to help abate climate change and reduce oil imports. The new standard requires refineries, producers and importers of motor fuels sold in California to reduce the "carbon intensity" of their products by 10% by 2020, with greater cuts thereafter. As a result, carbon emissions in California should fall 16 million metric tons over the next decade, with 20% of the state's fossil fuels eventually being replaced by cleaner options, such as electricity, hydrogen, natural gas and biofuels.
Source: California adopts landmark low-carbon fuel rule, Reuters

Nissan and City of Seattle Form Zero-Emission Vehicle Partnership
Nissan and the City of Seattle are forming a partnership to advance zero-emission mobility by promoting the development of an electric vehicle (EV) charging network. Nissan will introduce zero-emission vehicles in the United States in 2010 and will mass market them globally two years later. "Nissan and the City of Seattle share in the belief that electric vehicles offer one of the best solutions to reducing CO2 emissions. This partnership expands our infrastructure development efforts on the West Coast, which also includes initiatives in Oregon and California," said Dominique Thormann, senior vice president, administration and finance, Nissan North America. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has set a goal to combine clean, green electricity with the city's transportation system. In Seattle, power comes from the city's utility, Seattle City Light, the first public utility in the world to be "net zero" for greenhouse gas emissions. "Electric-powered transportation is particularly attractive in a city with a carbon-neutral utility, generating clean electricity through hydropower," said Mayor Nickels. As part of the agreement, Nissan and the City of Seattle will develop plans to promote a charging infrastructure for EVs, as well as the deployment, operation and maintenance of a charging network.
Source: The Renault-Nissan Alliance Forms Zero-Emission Vehicle Partnership With City of Seattle, PR Newswire

Venezuela Wants 50% of Vehicles to be Natural Gas by 2011
Venezuela’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has introduced a measure that, starting this month, 30% of the automobiles manufactured and sold in the country must be capable of operating on natural gas. The measure is the latest step in a national plan to "promote the rational use of liquid fuels on the domestic market" and to reduce pollution, according to the Ministry. The quota for natural gas-powered vehicles will increase to 40% in 2010, and 50% in 2011, according to the plan. Toyota, Chevrolet, Volkswagen, Ford, and BMW all produce models that are subject to the regulations. The state oil company, PDVSA, has confirmed that nearly 150 gasoline stations across the country are currently equipped to provide natural gas fuel for vehicles. The company plans to construct up to 350 more stations to accommodate the half a million natural gas-powered cars expected to be on the road by the end of this year. In this initial phase, PDVSA has offered to pay the expense of any conversion (approximately $3,000 per vehicle), has setup 126 conversion stations throughout the country, and has signed accords with companies in Argentina and Brazil to import the necessary engine conversion kits.  
Source: Venezuela Begins NGV Quota Program, NGV America Newsletter

Study: U.K. Power Infrastructure Can Support Significant EV and PHEV Use
According to the results of simulation studies in the U.K., a substantial medium-term rise in the number of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles would have a much lower impact on the nation’s power grid than has previously been estimated. The research study was carried out by a consortium as part of the Range Extended Hybrid Electric Vehicle (REHEV) project, which is led by Jaguar-Land Rover and part-funded by the U.K.’s Technology Strategy Board. The study focused on a range of vehicle charging scenarios and levels of market penetration in order to predict the likely increase in national energy usage. Four vehicle fleet charging scenarios were simulated: uncontrolled domestic charging; uncontrolled off-peak domestic charging; ‘smart’ domestic charging; and uncontrolled public charging throughout the day—such as commuters who recharge their vehicles while at work. Assuming a 10% market penetration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and pure electric vehicles in the U.K. vehicle parc (representing approximately 3 million passenger and light goods vehicles), the study showed a daily peak increase in electricity demand of less than 2% for the ‘worst case’ scenario of uncontrolled domestic charging.
Source: Study Finds UK Power Infrastructure Has Capacity for Significant Rise in Use of EVs and PHEVs, Green Car Congress

Mercedes-Benz Announces Production of B-Class With Fuel-Cell Drive System
Mercedes-Benz has announced plans to begin "small-series production" of an affordable B-Class fuel-cell car before the end of 2009. The fuel-cell drive vehicle could be based on a family of BlueZero concept vehicles that the automaker unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in January, said to preview styling for the next-generation Mercedes B-Class vehicles. The three concept models unveiled included the BlueZero F-Cell, which uses a hydrogen fuel cell to deliver 136 horsepower with zero emissions. It also announced that, by the end of 2009, the “first examples of the Smart Fortwo electric-drive model will also leave the production line” for testing in the e-mobility Berlin project—what the automaker is calling “the largest electric car field test in the world.” The announcements were made during a road trip undertaken by the Mercedes-Benz F-Cell Roadster—a student-build concept project. The hydrogen-powered open-air vehicle retraced the first long-distance journey ever traveled by an automobile, covering part of the historic German auto route taken by Bertha Benz in 1888.
Source: Mercedes-Benz Announces Production of B-Class With Fuel-Cell Drive System , Edmunds Inside Line