REPORT: CAFE fuel economy standards to rise 8% by 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

[Source: AOL Autos]

California gives its lawmakers unlimited gas cards originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Could U.S. become net exporter of gasoline? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hurricane season may bring $6-a-gallon gas originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In a move certain to generate both controversy and publicity, a new and used car dealer in Butler, Missouri, is offering his customers a choice between two sales incentives with their vehicle purchase: $250 in gasoline or a free semi-automatic handgun.

"We got high gas prices, theft, carjackings, innocent people getting hurt," Walter Moore, from Max Motors, told KMBC-TV. It seems the resourceful dealer is offering car buyers a solution for it all -- and the gun is proving to be the popular choice with 80 percent of his customers choosing the firearm over free fuel. As expected, not everyone is happy. Considering most of his customers already own guns, Moore doesn't understand why people's feathers are getting all ruffled. Customers who choose the semi-auto pistol over the gas are handed a certificate that must be redeemed, after the requisite forms and background check are complete, at a local gun shop. This, of course, keeps the local police much happier. Thanks for the tip, mccreery!

[Source: KMBC-TV]

Dealership offers free gas or gun with new car: 80% choose gun originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 May 2008 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Price of gas capped at $4/gallon for pumps that can't help it originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 May 2008 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to NPD Group analyst David Portalatin, consumers cite "product performance" as their justification for buying one particular brand over another. It's all due to very effective branding and marketing, cites Portalatin. (We'd have to agree, as we've yet to meet anyone who can discern a difference between a tank of Chevron or Costco fuel from the driver's seat.) Now that the massive oil mergers are behind them, the petroleum giants are focusing on selling "quality" to differentiate themselves from the discount fuel stations. As consumers continue to blindly drive towards big brand gasoline, their efforts are apparently working -- regardless of cost. Let's just hope Starbucks doesn't catch wind of this trend and try a new source of revenue...

[Source Advertising Age, Photo by David McNew, Getty Images]

Gas buyers favor brand, not price originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

2009 HUMMER H2 and H2 SUT will be E85 compatible originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In a sign that the high cost of gasoline has finally struck a central nerve, car shoppers today are reportedly more concerned about fuel economy than they are about the brand of vehicle when shopping for a new car. In addition, consumers want more government control over fuel economy. This startling news, and a reversal of consumer trends two years ago, is the result of a new AAA survey which studied consumers' attitudes towards fuel prices.

It appears that consumers were getting used to the cyclic fluctuations of gas prices. Prices shot up based on market conditions, supply and demand, and season increases. However, they always seemed to drop back to more palatable levels... at least they used to. Today, according to leading economists, consumers are finally catching-on to the idea that $4 a gallon gas might be the norm. This reality-check of fuel costs will lead to downsizing, and a focus on vehicle efficiency. Have we finally found the Achilles heel of the SUV?

[Source: The Detroit News, photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty]

AAA survey says fuel mileage paramount in consumers minds originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel

Continue reading Geneva '08 Preview: Lotus goes tri-fuel with Exige 270E

Geneva '08 Preview: Lotus goes tri-fuel with Exige 270E originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Science magazine declares ethanol worse for the Earth than fossil fuels originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Consumers prefer cup holders and heated seats over fuel efficiency, according to CNW Marketing Research. That's right, we all talk about how we want our vehicles to be environmentally friendly and easy on gas, but when it comes down to it, what we really want are things to hold our coffee and keep our derrières warm. On the plus side, General Motors is saying fuel economy is becoming more of a priority to shoppers - it points out that four years ago it wasn't even in the top ten (studies by GM list fuel economy behind styling and value). So, what is it going to take to wake up consumers and make fuel efficiency a priority? Most experts feel that a significant hike in the cost of gas will be the kick that sets us straight. Just don't take away the cup holders.

[Source: Forbes via AutoblogGreen]

Report: Consumers want cup holders, not fuel economy originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

On again, off again: BMW and Daimler may enter engine partnership originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The hallmark of the environmental debate is that there are so many important players on so many different sides. Eminent scientists and intellectuals have taken every side of the debate, challenging their eminent colleagues. When it comes to the two most involved and highly charged players, the automakers and politicians, things get even more curious. On the same day that Bush opposed a gas tax to give states more money to repair bridges, Alan Mulally said he supports the idea of a gas tax to encourage customers to buy more fuel efficient vehicles.

Mulally believes Congress' CAFE standards represent failed policy and has hurt automakers. Regulating fuel efficiency has, in his opinion, only lead to consumers buying more cars and driving more. While making sure to stress that he and Ford are all in favor of fuel efficient vehicles and environmental health, he wants some of the onus put back on consumers. He said, "I just think it's so important that we all join in this debate and we really decide what we want to do about energy security and global warming. A piece of that could be a tax."

[Source: Detroit News]

Continue reading Mulally not proposing a gas tax - but he's not against it

Mulally not proposing a gas tax - but he's not against it originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Diesel technology has improved by leaps and bounds, but the trouble is, it still runs on diesel. In the American market, at least, finding a diesel pump is still a pain compared to filling up with conventional gasoline. Mercedes-Benz says it's found the solution with a new developmental powertrain concept it calls DiesOtto.

We first reported on the project a couple of years ago, but the German automaker now has a functioning prototype. Rather than actually running on diesel, the DiesOtto engine is said to incorporate the benefits of a diesel engine, but runs on regular old unleaded. The prototype is a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that uses direct injection, variable compression, turbocharging and something MB calls "controlled auto ignition" to deliver 238 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, with a claimed return of "less than 6 liters per 100 kilometers", which translates to 39.2 mpg. Those numbers, Benz claims, are not based on a small car (like the C-Class or smaller) but on a large sedan (like the S-Class). They may not be entirely revolutionary figures, but any way you look at it, they're damn impressive.

Mercedes hasn't put a timeline on producing and marketing a powertrain based on the DiesOtto prototype, but says it's a "feasible proposition in the midterm". We certainly hope so.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz DiesOtto

[Source: Edmunds' Inside Line]

Diesel, without the diesel: Mercedes-Benz debuts DiesOtto originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Seriously, gas isn't THAT expensive originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 May 2007 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The nation's No. 2 oil producer Chevron had a "disappointing" 4th quarter, earning only $3.77 billion dollars in the closing months of 2006. You may be thinking that $3.77 billion can't be all that bad, but No. 1 oil producer ExxonMobil ended the same quarter with $10.25 billion in profits, nearly tripling its closest rival. Chevron's profit drop of 9% was expected by analysts after total revenue fell from $47.75 billion to $53.79 billion during the same period in 2005. In fact, Chevron actually beat analysts expectations by a penny per share, so the quarter wasn't that bad, it just looks that way in comparison to the record profits of ExxonMobil.

[Source: Reuters]

We can't all make $39.4 billion: Chevron earns only $3.77 billion last quarter originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Feb 2007 07:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

OPEC wants gas prices at the sweet spot which looks a little like this: "high enough to justify its investment in future production capacity but low enough to allow economic growth and deter a flood of alternative fuels," or roughly $2.25 a gallon, according to Fox News. Good business sense or a case of irritating exploitation?

Regardless of one's interpretation, the idea seems to be that high fuel prices this summer and last stirred up the E85 pot enough that it freaked out our friends over at OPEC, who weren't thrilled to read about all of the plans to increase production of E85 and improve our infrastructure to distribute it. By reducing the price of gasoline, consumer confidence in gasoline and vehicles that don't burn it all too efficiently is back on the rise and interest in E85 and other alternative fuels has dipped once more.

[Fox News via GM Inside News and E85fuel.com]

OPEC keeping cost of gas low to discourage alternatives like E85 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Oct 2006 08:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We're certain that we're not the only ones that shake our heads in disgust when we roll by a gas station (and bow our heads in shame when we actually have to fill up). With the price of gas starting to come down, we certainly all are a little puzzled about what influences fuel prices. Howstuffworks.com comes to the rescue with a overview about what factors control the price of gasoline and the price of oil. While this is far from an exhaustive analysis at the elements that influence energy prices, the article does provide more in-depth analysis about the hot button topics in the economics of fuel.

The only explanation that we did not see is how oil companies are making record profits with oil AND its derivative product, gasoline, at such high prices. We want to see a step by step look at each stage in the process from well to wheels, and where each side takes its cut. Otherwise, the howstuffworks.com article does give more time to the subject than we typically see in other media outlets. So get going and find out what goes into making a $3.00 gallon of gas.

How gas prices work originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 24 Sep 2006 10:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Alternative-fuel engines of different sorts all suffer from one major drawback or another: poor range, hard-to-find filling stations, high cost, poor performance. EEStore is out to change all that with a revolutionary new kind of "battery". We put "battery" in quotation marks because the unit doesn't store power in a chemical capsule like a conventional battery, but instead uses some kind of glass- and aluminum-coated ceramics. The inventors are understandably tight-lipped on the way their creation works, but they're adamant it could completely replace the internal combustion engine.

Feel Good Cars, the Toronto company responsible for the ZENN, wants to get the unit on the road by 2008. The most significant benefit would be its efficiency: a car powered by the EEStor unit could run on the equivalent of 45 cents per gallon, driving 500 miles on $9 worth of electricity after just five minutes to charge.

We could tell you this invention could be the fix for our addiction to foreign oil, but that's scary talk for gear-heads. So we'll tell you about the performance instead. The company's CEO insists that "a four-passenger sedan will drive like a Ferrari". That's a tall order, but if he's right, the prancing horse could find itself grazing on greener pastures.

(Thanks to Robert for the tip!)

[Source: CNN]

EEStor ceramic electric motor originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Sep 2006 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.