Data compiled by TrueCar shows that, despite gasoline costing only $3.58 a gallon in the U.S., there was still a bit more of a rush to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles in September than there was back in August, when gas averaged a slightly higher $3.65.

TrueCar says that U.S. consumers purchased vehicles that averaged 22.0 miles per gallon in September 2011, compared with 21.7 mpg in August and 21.4 mpg in September 2010. Additionally, the automotive intelligence firm reports that, among individual automakers, Hyundai emerged the fuel economy victor, with an average of 26.7 mpg, while Chrysler’s 19.2-mpg average landed it in dead last poition.

Meanwhile, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute reports that the average fuel economy of vehicles sold in September came in at 22.1 mpg – unchanged from the University’s published month-of-August results. Michael Sivak, a research professor at the University of Michigan’s institute, says he’s not surprised by the slight discrepancy between his calculations and TrueCar’s measure:

The two methodologies and the data sources are slightly different. However, the actual values are not that different from each other

Why does nudging up that 22.0 or 22.1 mpg number matter? Well, TrueCar estimates that an increase of a mere one mpg on the estimated annual U.S. sales of approximately 13 million vehicles would reduce our fuel consumption by 416 million gallons. So, even 0.1 mpg is significant.

Average fuel economy of vehicles sold in September hits 22.1 mpg originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s the greenest way to get from point A to point B? Is it by airplane or train? How ’bout by bus? Or is a grid-charged electric vehicle the greenest mode of transport?

Well, the answer depends on the length of the trip. Is it 350 miles? If so, then a bus seems to be the greenest means to get there. If it’s a long-distance trip (2,500 miles), then, once again, the bus comes out on top, according to One Block Off The Grid’s “The Greener way to get there” infographic. But what if the trip is only 20 miles? Is the bus still king?

The full infographic, complete with the greenest way to get there from here to there and loads of additional carbon footprint-related statistics – including why solar panels could make a world of difference in regards to plug-in vehicle emissions – can be found after the jump.

Continue reading Infographic: What’s the greenest way to get there?

Infographic: What’s the greenest way to get there? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The simple, amazing, but not quite perfect Daimler Car2go car-sharing program is headed to France with the assistance of Europcar.

Within a month, Lyon will become the first city in France to participate in Car2go with a fleet of 200 on-demand Smart Fortwo commuter cars. A 44-square-kilometer (17-square-mile) area defined by Daimler will soon mark the “geofence” where the cars will be available for rent.

Like all Car2go programs, the system in Lyon will allow members to use the Smart Fortwos for as long as they like, without requiring users to commit to a specific return time or location. Members pay only for the time of use, with rentals as short as one minute.

More than 45,000 people and 1,100 vehicles in Germany, the U.S. and Canada participate in Car2go. Daimler says its on-demand vehicle rental service has so far proven to be a success in four cities: Ulm and Hamburg in Germany, Austin, TX and Vancouver, Canada. Daimler is also getting set to try out Car2o rentals of the all-electric Smart Fortwo ED in Amsterdam and San Diego, CA.

Continue reading Car2go Smart Fortwos headed to France with Europcar partnership

Car2go Smart Fortwos headed to France with Europcar partnership originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Korean automaker Hyundai is getting ready to take direct aim at the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid with its scheduled-to-launch-in-2013 Hyundai i30 gas-electric with a plug, according to a report from German news outlet Auto Motor und Sport.

Word is Hyundai’s first-ever mass-produced plug-in hybrid – to be based on the recently unveiled i30 – will debut in late 2012, with its European launch scheduled for sometime in 2013. Auto Motor und Sport reports that when it hits, the hybridized i30 will become Europe’s cheapest plug-in gas-electric, undercutting the less-than-£26,000-after-rebate price of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid in the UK (that’s $40,435 U.S. at today’s exchange rate).

At this time, no further details on the i30 plug-in hybrid have surfaced and Hyundai has not confirmed the development, launch schedule or pricing for this plugged-in compact hatchback. Still, if this is a trial balloon, we like the way it’s floating.

2013 Hyundai i30 plug-in hybrid to undercut price of Toyota Prius Plug-in originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The fuel cell boom is coming.

According to Pike Research, sales of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) will break the one-million-unit mark by 2020, with a cumulative 1.2 million vehicles sold globally by the end of that year. All those road-worthy FCVs will generate $16.9 billion in annual revenue by 2020. Yep, that’s billion, with a “b.”

Pike Research’s analysis indicates that, from 2010 to 2014, approximately 10,000 FCVs take to the streets. Then, in 2015, the firm forecasts that 57,000 FCVs will be sold around the globe, with sales soaring to 390,000 vehicles annually by 2020. To compare, it took one company, Toyota, a decade to sell a million gas-electric hybrids around the world.

Like with plug-in vehicles, the hydrogen boom won’t play out the same everywhere. Pike predicts the following places will be FCV-heavy by 2020: the United States (primarily California and New York City), Germany, Scandinavia, Japan, South Korea and Shanghai, China. It should go without saying that none of Pike’s predictions will come true without a significant increase in the hydrogen infrastructure, but that’s being worked on, too.

Continue reading More than 1 million fuel cell vehicles will be sold by 2020

More than 1 million fuel cell vehicles will be sold by 2020 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 08 Oct 2011 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Made almost entirely of aluminum and featuring direct injection, variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust sides and a high-efficiency turbocharger, the new-for-2013 1.8 liter gasser from Alfa Romeo and Fiat Powertrain Technologies is one of those downsized engines that combines all of the latest technologies into a single package.

This Euro VI-compliant turbo’d four-banger is designed to meet stringent emissions standards (U.S. Tier 2 Bin 5), while cranking out up to 300 horsepower. It’s this engine that’s expected to power the production version of the Alfa Romeo 4C and, given that it has been engineered to be mounted either in back or up front, longitudinally or transversely, it’s sure to end up in other Alfa Romeo and Fiat vehicles, too. It’s by no means a stretch to assume this 1.8-liter gasser will someday power at least a couple of future Chrysler vehicles, too, don’t you think? Details in the press blast after the jump.

Continue reading Fiat details Euro-VI 1.8-liter 300 hp Alfa Romeo 4-cylinder engine

Fiat details Euro-VI 1.8-liter 300 hp Alfa Romeo 4-cylinder engine originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oil-sippers failed to make even the slightest of dents in the U.S.’ hybrid-heavy green vehicle scene.

Through the end of September 2011, sales of diesel passenger vehicles in the U.S. were up 30.9 percent, compared to the same nine-month period in 2010. However, at only 7,663 total units sold last month – a decline of 13 percent compared to August’s numbers – the diesel’s take-rate rings in at a mere 0.73 percent, compared to hybrid vehicles at 1.68 percent and plug-ins at 0.17 percent.

Led by the Volkswagen Jetta TDI and Golf TDI, diesel vehicles have slowly inched their way up the sales charts. No U.S. automaker sold even a single diesel passenger vehicle in September of 2011.

Sales of the segment leader, the Jetta TDI, checked in at 4,158 units in September, bringing the diesel sedan’s year-to-date total to 41,083. The oil-burning Golf didn’t fare nearly as well, but its sales of 694 units in September landed the diesel hatchback in second place. In third, with 610 sales, was the diesel-fueled BMW X5 xDrive35d. And coming in fourth, with 449 units sold, was the spectacular BMW 335d.

Looking for more details? Head over to Hybrid Cars for a model-by-model breakdown of diesel vehicle sales for September 2011.

Diesel passenger vehicles sales slip 13% in September; VW, BMW on top originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Are plug-in vehicle incentives distributed correctly?

Apparently not. A study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University (PDF) suggests that by subsidizing vehicles with big battery packs (that is, bigger than 16 kWh), the return on investment (in terms of reducing gas/diesel consumption and lowering emissions) is less than if the $7,500 tax credit subsidized vehicles with meager battery packs (i.e. the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid).

How’s that possible, you ask? The logic behind the study is actually rather simple and makes some cents sense. Massive batteries are expensive, require significant energy to manufacture and take ages to recharge. And because they’re so damn costly, few consumers can afford to buy vehicles fitted with them. That’s why subsidies are essential, right?

But even with the $7,500 tax credit factored in, the Chevy Volt is still fairly expensive, meaning that consumers aren’t yet lined up ’round the corner to buy one. And because the subsidy is huge ($7,500 a unit), the U.S. government is unlikely to extend its incentive program once the cap of 200,000 qualifying vehicles per manufacturer is met. This means that there’s a chance that fewer total vehicles will be subsidized via the program. Additionally, budget cuts in Washington could someday abruptly end the incentive program, perhaps well before that 200,000-unit cap is hit. But, if $7,500 were slashed off the price of the significantly cheaper Prius Plug-in (base MSRP $32,000), it would become a raging bargain and almost guarantee immediate sales at massive levels. And that would reduce petroleum use in a big way.

Carnegie Mellon University’s Jeremy J. Michalek, concludes:

Given the major spending cuts under debate in Washington, it is important that we get the most benefits out of spending designed to improve the environment and energy security. In the near term, HEVs and plug-in vehicles with small battery packs offer more cost-effective benefits. More research on batteries – especially lowering cost – and a transition to a cleaner electricity grid are needed to pursue a future where large battery packs may also be able to help address climate change, air pollution and oil dependency at competitive costs.

Like most all studies, Carnegie Mellon’s should be taken with a bit of caution. And since there are a lot of assumptions at work here, it’s difficult to accurately evaluate the University’s results. What’s your take on Carnegie Mellon’s evaluation of plug-in subsidies?

Continue reading Why plug-in vehicles with “small” battery packs should be subsidized in a big way

Why plug-in vehicles with “small” battery packs should be subsidized in a big way originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Ford Escape Hybrid will soon cease to exist.

The next-generation Ford Escape, slated for its grand reveal next month at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, will feature three four-cylinder engine options, including both a 1.6- and 2.0-liter EcoBoost lump and a 2.5-liter Ti-VCT four-banger.

Vanishing for Model Year 2013 will be the V6 engine option and following it out the door will be the hybrid powertrain previously offered on Escape SUVs.

On the plus side, the next-gen Escape will be Ford’s first SUV available with two EcoBoost engines, which Ford says should boost the Escape’s fuel economy rating to class-leading status. For example, with the 1.6-liter engine under its bonnet, Ford says the 2013 Escape will beat the current Escape Hybrid’s rating of 31 miles per gallon highway and that the 2.0-liter EcoBoost will boast a fuel economy rating that bests its competitors’ six-cylinder offerings.

Meanwhile, most of the Escape’s existing hybrid components will find a home in the five-passenger, dedicated hybrid C-Max.

Continue reading Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rating

Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rating originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“The future of the internal combustion engine is bright and clear; I don’t think that could be any more obvious to all of us.” Those are the words of Byron Bunker, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s heavy-duty on-road center – a division of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality.

During a panel discussion on the future role of internal combustion engines (ICEs) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2011 Directions in Engine-Efficiency and Emissions Research Conference in Detroit, MI, Bunker made it known that he firmly believes ICEs will power nearly all of the vehicles – not just heavy-duty ones – well into the future:

When you look at our actual analysis and you look to our projections for the future, 95 percent or more of the vehicles and all of the heavy-duty vehicles in our analysis are relying on IC engines. The future that we point to [is] very conventional-looking engines.

Bunker says the IC engines of tomorrow need to become more accepting to fuel variation, should trade elastic power delivery for peak efficiency, must be produced in volume to control costs and should include sophisticated controllers and advanced sensor technologies.

Looking beyond 2050, Bunker – along with several other industry experts who spoke at the recent conference in Detroit – agreed that alternative technologies (i.e. battery, hydrogen fuel cell and advanced biofuels) could displace IC engines as the dominant source of motivation for vehicles. Today’s focus, though, they say, should be on extracting every last bit of efficiency from conventional gas- and diesel-burning engines.

EPA director: “The future of the internal combustion engine is bright and clear” originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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