Autoblog

The Blue Oval has gifted the U.S. Department of Energy a one-of-a-kind vehicle: a plug-in Escape Hybrid that can run on E85, has a 30-mile range on pure electric power at up to 40 mph, and gets 88 mpg in the city and 50 mpg on the highway. Yes, you read that correctly. But you might want to read it again.

The Escape uses a 4-cylinder engine assisted by a 10kW lithium-ion battery pack made by Johnson Controls/Saft. In pure electric mode, the battery pack runs until it is 70-percent depleted, and then the gasoline engine kicks in. The vehicle's emissions are estimated to be 60-percent less than that of a traditional gas vehicle, and that could climb all the way to 90-percent less if the car used cellulosic ethanol.

This is one of 20 vehicles that Ford is giving to government and research bodies in order to help push the growth and penetration of hybrid vehicles. Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, said "There's no silver bullet solution, so we're pursuing multiple technology paths – recognizing that commercial viability is an essential component for success." And we say hear hear, well done, and it's about time...

[Source: Ford via GM Inside News]

In Dallas, a businessman has spent half a million dollars to install nine pumps that dispense E85, E10, and biodiesel. The catch: the businessman is a HUMMER dealer, and the pumps are next to his dealership. The station is called Classic Clean Fuels, and it is intended to make a statement for next year's H2 and H2 SUT, which will be the first production models to be Flex-fuel capable.

You won't need to drive a HUMMER to get E85 at the station. The pumps are open to the public, a first for a dealer-owned gas station. By 2010, GM has said all HUMMERs will be biofuel-capable. GM plans to market 15 Flexfuel models next year, but only one percent of the country's service stations sell E85. GM is using that as an opportunity to open the public's (and dealers') minds to putting alternative fuel stations in alternative places.

Said GM's Larry Burns, "Down the road we may even want to consider hydrogen dispensers at dealerships."

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

In the fuel economy and future tech debate, the hybrid vs. diesel vs. hydrogen fuel cells vs. smaller cars and smaller engines always provokes a fair bit of discussion among Autoblog commentators. At this point, no one yet knows what's going to win since nobody knows how the volatile mix of products, timelines, prices, regulations, legislation, state standards, and gas prices will ultimately pan out. Bob Lutz's prediction is that diesels, at least as far as the US is concerned, won't be much of a factor.

His reasoning is simple: "I think customers are going to say, 'Wait a minute. At equal fuel prices I'm paying $4,000 more for this." Unlike many countries in Europe, the US offers no incentive for people to buy diesels. In the States the price of a diesel vehicle is often more than $1,000 higher than that of a gasoline-engined car, and diesel fuel is just as expensive as gas (throughout California and other states, it's slightly more expensive than premium unleaded). In that case, Lutz's opinion is that just about all the customer will glean from an oilburner is a higher car payment.

Lutz sees diesel uptake in the US hovering at about eight-percent. The technology he sees as winning the day: ethanol. It's clean, it's easy to integrate into the refueling infrastructure, and it "doesn't require a change in consumer behavior." (Except for the people in emerging markets who've seen the price of corn skyrocket.) For another take on the fuel economy battle, according to Kelly Blue Book, 40-percent of US new car shoppers think hybrids are the future, with just 17-percent citing flex-fuel.

[Source: The Car Connection]

If you're interested on getting an Autoblog Garage-style take on the new Dodge Avenger, head over to AutoblogGreen, where Sam Abuelsamid reviews the medium-sized Charger doppelganger after spending a few days with one of the sedans in SXT trim. Why AutoblogGreen? Well, Sam ran the car on E85 once the partial tank of gasoline it was delivered with ran out, so in addition to a review of the car in general, he weighs in on that aspect as well. Check out the full review here.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

As automakers blitz Washington with their answers to the U.S. dependency on increasingly expensive foreign oil, it was Toyota's turn to step up to the plate Wednesday. Speaking to the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, Toyota's advanced technology manager, William Reinert, focused on his company's hybrid solution, saying its annual production of hybrids could pass the one million mark within the next decade.

While Toyota is far from alone in its development of hybrid vehicle technology, according to Reuters, it would appear to be far ahead of its U.S. competitors, who are instead focusing on alternative fuels (notably ethanol) as their near-term 'silver bullet,' while they play catch-up with hybrid technologies.

Of course, Reuters points out, the problem with the flex-fuel alternative is the necessary, massive build-out of an ethanol infrastructure before the fuel can have a significant impact on America's energy situation. Building flex-fuel-capable vehicles is not the problem - growing, refining and distributing the fuel is, and in the mean time, Toyota continues to refine its hybrids, focusing on improving production efficiency and lowering costs.

[Source: Reuters]

General Motors is offering a $1,000 fuel card with the purchase of a 2006 or 2007 Chevy or GMC FlexFuel vehicle. The promotion is only available in the Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul markets between May 2nd and July 31st and is good with the purchase of an FFV Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche, Sierra, Silverado, Impala or Monte Carlo. The fuel card is good at participating fuel stations in both markets that offer both gas and E85.

GreenCarCongress has broken down how far $1,000 in fuel will go with the purchase of a FlexFuel Tahoe. A new Tahoe owner can expect to drive 5,800 miles on GM’s dime if he or she fills up with gas and only 5,400 miles if E85 is chosen. The Tahoe returns 17 mpg on regular gas, a figure that drops to 13 mpg on E85.

[Source: GreenCarCongress]

Dodge unveiled its refreshened Durango for 2007 yesterday at the Dallas Auto Show with the announcement that in 2008 the company will be producing the Durango HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle). The HEV version of Dodge’s big brute ute will feature the company’s lauded 5.7L HEMI V8 mated to a two-mode hybrid system. The pair will achieve up to a 25-percent increase in fuel economy. Also of note is the availability of Dodge’s Multi-displacement System (MDS) that can power down the HEMI V8’s cylinders at will to save fuel and a new E85-compatible 4.7L flex-fuel V8.

As for the Durango’s new design, it’s restricted to a new grille, front and rear fascias and an optional set of dubs (read: 20-inch wheels). The inside is augmented with available second-row bucket seats for the first time.

Catch all of Dodge’s official pics and the company’s press release after the jump.

[Source: Dodge]

Well, not exactly, but President Bush's current fascination with E85 fuel aside, problems with widespread adoption of high ethanol content fuels go far beyond the lack of special pumps at your corner gas station-- the U.S. has an E85 shortage, and we're importing ethanol from Brazil to make up the shortfall.

The reason? Too much demand, and not enough supply, a conondrum that leads to shortages and high prices.

Oil companies that still use MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether to you chemists) to oxygenate gasoline are rapidly shifting to using ethanol instead, to avoid the public health hazard created by the additive (and the attendant lawsuits). While much of the U.S. already uses E10 blended gasoline, the East Coast and Texas region still depend on MTBE-blended fuel.

Unfortunately, U.S. ethanol production is running at capacity, and there isn't enough U.S. ethanol to replace all that MTBE. U.S. capacity will increase as new facilities eventually come on line, but that isn't solving this year's problem.

Already, ethanol prices have been driven high enough that E85 is selling for as much or more than gasoline, even though its energy content is lower (leading to comparatively lower fuel efficiency). Things will get worse before they get better, with CNN/Money reporting that the ethanol shortage will affect regions depending on it to replace MTBE... leading to high prices and possible fuel shortages on the East Coast and in Texas.