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Policy
Congressman Steps Up Probe Into Fuel Economy Rules
By Scott Doggett November 30, 2011Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California, who has attacked efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to improve the fuel economy of vehicles sold in the United States, has sent letters to the chief executives of automakers that approved proposed fuel economy standards, asking them if in their discussions with regulators they felt coerced into approving the standards or cut a deal with the officials for their support. Meanwhile, CARB Chairwoman Mary Nichols has sent a letter to Issa, defending her agency's role in reducing climate-changing tailpipe emissions and said Issa's more
2012 Volt Moves Into California Carpool Lanes
By Scott Doggett November 21, 2011A low-emissions package that qualifies the 2012 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid hatchback for single-occupant travel in California's High Occupancy Vehicle traffic lanes will be standard on all models sold in the Golden State early next year, the automaker said, The special tuning will have no affect on the model's price, performance, fuel economy or electricity-only driving range, Rob Peterson, manager of the Volt and electric vehicle technologies at General Motors, told AutoObserver. California is a key state for Volt sales, and giving the Volt carpool lane access is expected to help swell sales there. more
More Corn Used For Fuel Than Fodder
By Danny King October 17, 2011More U.S. corn is being used to produce biofuels than for livestock feed for the first time in history, likely reflecting the federal government's continued efforts to boost renewable fuel production as a way to cut foreign oil dependency and increase farm-related jobs, according to a Scientific American report. For the 12 months ended August, 5.05 billion bushels of corn were used for biofuels, verses an even 5 billion for livestock feed. About 2.5 billion bushels of corn were used directly for human consumption. more
CAFE Standards Debated by Congress, Edmunds.com CEO
By Danny King October 12, 2011Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl, Competitive Enterprise Institute senior fellow Marlo Lewis and Natural Resources Defense Council transportation program director Roland Hwang were among those who spoke at a Congressional hearing Wednesday, debating the merits of the vehicle fuel economy standards federal regulators proposed for 2025 this past July. Members of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) expressed support for the proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards amid opposition from some Congress members in the Wednesday hearing. more
Beijing Gives Nissan OK To Export Leaf To China
By Scott Doggett September 15, 2011Nissan Motor Co. has received permission from Beijing to sell its Leaf (above) battery-electric vehicle (BEV) in China and is prepared to do so, the head of the company's Chinese venture said Wednesday. Speaking with reporters at Nissan's headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, Kimiyasu Nakamura, president of Dongfeng Motor Co., said Nissan will be the first to import an electric vehicle to China. However, Nakamura did not say when the imports will begin. Nissan, Japan's second-largest automaker, currently builds the sleek four-door hatchback in Oppama, Japan, and plans to add output in Tennessee and the U.K. "If sales numbers of more
China Appears Poised To Dump Support For EVs
By Scott Doggett September 8, 2011Beijing's strategy to electrify the country's automobiles has been extremely ambitious. For more than two years, the Chinese government has tried to leapfrog years of incremental fuel-economy improvements in conventional gas- and diesel-engine technology by massively supporting the development of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs). Its often-stated goal: No fewer than 1 million electric vehicles on China's roads by 2015 and 5 million by 2020. But Beijing appears to be on the verge of doing a U-turn on its support for plug-in vehicles, in light of the fact they have proven enormously unpopular despite hefty government more
CAFE Players Settle On 54.5 MPG For 2025
By John O'Dell July 28, 2011In a deal that likely will become a major plank in President Obama's reelection platform, the White House reportedly has hammered out a deal with major automakers that will – at least for now – establish a 54.5 mile-per-gallon Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard for passenger vehicles in 2025. That would be equal to an EPA "window sticker" fuel economy rating of about 40 mpg. A formal announcement is scheduled to be made by the President on Friday, but as of late Wednesday, according to one automaker involved in the talks, there had not yet been a final more
White House Floats 56.2-MPG CAFE Plan for 2025
By John O'Dell June 27, 2011In what is likely to be the opening round in a months-long battle to lock in next-generation federal fuel efficiency standards, the Obama administration has floated the idea of setting a 56.2 miles per gallon fleet average requirement for all light vehicles by 2025, a compromise between the 47 mpg the auto industry was asking for and the 62 mpg the environmental community wants to see. The administration is estimating that hiking the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard to 56.2 miles per gallon from the 35.5 mpg requirement already set for 2016 would add from $2,100 to $2,600 more
EPA Boosts 2012 Renewable Fuel Goal By 9%
By Danny King June 23, 2011The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing that fuel producers boost 2012 renewable-fuels production by about 9 percent from 2011, as U.S. regulators look to take steps toward a goal of almost tripling annual renewable-fuel production by 2022 while reducing the amount made from the dominant feedstock - corn. The agency wants renewable fuels producers to make 15.2 billion gallons next year, or 9.2 percent of all fuel produced, up from 13.95 billion gallons in 2011. About 13 percent of the 2012 total would come from “advanced biofuels,” which include cellulosic ethanol, biomass-based diesel and fuel made with algae more