Autoblog

If you think that gas prices are high in the U.S., consider that the average price for a gallon of gas in Germany is $9.40. Yikes. Since the record high prices in the States are causing some people to change their lifestyles, imagine how Europeans feel. Bet they're pretty upset, right? One man was ticked off enough to send his 1995 BMW 3 Series out in a blaze of glory. That's right, after parking the Bimmer on the lawn of the Convention Center in Frankfurt, he doused the car in gasoline and torched it in protest of high gasoline prices.

The car was already nice and crispy by the time firefighters arrived. At this point, the local authorities are still considering what, if anything, to charge the man with. Interestingly, various environmental laws were likely broken which could send the perpetrator to jail for up to five years.

[Source: AP via WIBW.com]

These days it seems more common to overhear comments about a particular car's appalling fuel economy than idle chatter about the weather, which makes sense when a gallon of gas costs as much as a cheap umbrella. For instance, just the other day there was some guy going on about how his car was getting 3 mpg less than just a few months ago and had no idea why. That is until it was pointed out to him that his car's adjustable luggage rack was in its full, upright position, giving his car the aerodynamic efficiency of a cinder block.

That's just one of the points Forbes includes on its list of things to do so you can drive green without buying a new car. Improving your gas-guzzling vehicle's sleekness by losing that luggage rack, ditching that inefficient and egregiously ugly three-foot-tall spoiler and quit sticking your hand out the window are all little things that add up to an appreciable difference at the pump.

Most of the advice is common sense we've all heard before, but Sebastian Blanco, editor of AutoblogGreen, offered a novel suggestion for the list. Reduce your car's weight by only filling up half the tank. One gallon of gasoline can weigh as much as 6.5 lbs. On a 2008 Ford Escape, a half a tank of gas weighs 53 pounds.

Like the Forbes article points out, there's only so much you can do to curb a car's drinking habit, especially if you're driving something like an Escalade. But in smaller, lighter cars, even small steps like this can make a big difference in your fuel bill.

[Source: Forbes.com]

click above to view more images of the Tata Nano

A report at CNN kinda states the obvious, that if the $2,500 Tata Nano proves as popular in India as most people think it will be, there will be a huge increase in demand for gasoline there. And if worldwide demand for oil goes up, the price of gasoline here will go up. Basic economics, right? Well, CNN looks a little deeper, and gets into why we're likely to see higher pump prices soon.

The target market for the Nano in India is people who do not currently own cars. That means droves of fuel-efficient scooter drivers will trade two wheels for four. And even though the Nano gets 54 mpg, that's still not as good as most of the scooters sold there.

And the second reason is that Tata sees the Nano as a "gateway" car. Get 'em addicted to the cheap stuff, then move 'em up to bigger, more profitable, less fuel-efficient cars later.

Combine these two reasons with the fact that the Nano will likely be sold in China as well, and you potentially have hundreds of millions of newly licensed drivers in line at the pump. The CNN story quotes one oil analyst who says we're likely to see gas prices near $4 or $5 well before 2015.

[Source: CNN]

The picture at right nicely captures the sales message at many service centers. But will you get better gas mileage if you inflate your car's tires with nitrogen instead of compressed air? That's one of the claims of advocates of nitrogen inflation systems, like N2Revolution, and auto service centers that offer nitrogen inflation services (often for a fee).

The idea stems from the fact that underinflated tires increase rolling resistance, adversely affecting fuel economy (among other things). Any gas mileage improvement through using nitrogen in tires would come from nitrogen's reported ability to maintain tire pressure at the correct level for longer, because nitrogen is supposed to leak through the walls of the tire more slowly than oxygen. Well, perhaps, but air is already about 78 percent nitrogen, so devotees won't really realize a huge benefit from switching to pure nitrogen. Not only that, but leakage is likely to be more significant at the tire bead or around the valve than through the body of the tire.

Other nitrogen benefits are sort of "inherited" from its use in aircraft tires, truck tires and race car tires. (If it's good for the pros it should be good for us, right?) The use of nitrogen is required in the braked wheels of aircraft over a certain weight, because the inert gas reduces explosion risk under combinations of extreme loads and high temperatures that far exceed the conditions experienced by car tires. As an inert gas, nitrogen may also extend the life of the tire carcass - important if tires are retreaded, as is common for trucks and aircraft, but insignificant for car and light vehicle tires, where tread wear determines longevity. Racers know that the most important benefit of using nitrogen is that it is "dry" - the water vapor in compressed air causes too great a pressure change as the tire heats up, a big deal when a half-pound of air pressure change can affect the handling of a racecar at the outer limits of performance.

The bottom line? Nitrogen is no substitute for checking your tire's inflation regularly. If it's free, go ahead and use it. If you have to pay for it, save your money.

[N2Revolution via CNET]

The New York Times reports that California, New York and eight other states plan to file a suit to force the Bush administration to impose tougher CAFE rules on SUVs, trucks and minivans. The suit claims the federal government's analysis of the environmental impact of the new fuel economy regulations was not sufficiently rigorous. The states also assert that the government did not take into account the impact of gasoline consumption on climate change when formulating the new CAFE standards.

Meanwhile, President Bush is pushing a proposal to raise U.S. fuel economy standards, in a bid to address widespread consumer concern about rising fuel prices.

[Source: New York Times - registration required]

Or so says Andris Piebalgs, the European Union’s energy commissioner. Gas prices in Europe are currently at the equivalent of $6.62/gallon, more than twice the average price of a gallon of go-juice in the U.S. Imagine paying $72.82 to fill your 11-gallon gas tank, or how about $125 to fill your 20-gallon tank? Though we in the U.S. cry foul at $3/gallon gas, Europeans can only remember with envy those days when fuel didn’t cost a day’s wage. Meanwhile fuel-dependant companies are passing the extra costs right down the line to consumers.

One interesting note is that taxes comprise 66% of the cost of fuel in Europe. As of 2005 gas in the U.S. carried with it federal, state and local taxes that ranged anywhere from 32.9 cents to 62.9 cents per gallon. New York’s combined gas tax is the highest in the nation at near 63 cents/gallon, which means at last week’s price of $2.914/gallon about 29%, or less than half the amount of taxes Europeans pay, went to the government.

Despite a conspicuous rise in gas prices over the last three months, the demand for hybrids isn't budging.

According to analysts cited in a new Reuters article, consumers aren't being swayed by increases in fuel economy, available tax credits and in some areas, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane privileges that hybrid ownership offers. The reason? Most cite a reluctance to pay the up-front premium of around $3,000, while others believe would-be buyers are turned off by hybrid vehicles' added complexity and potential long-term costs.

Earlier this month, Consumer Reports magazine worked out ownership costs over five years and 75,000 miles for a number of hybrids, determining that only the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius saved owners any money (the former scrimped just $400 and latter $300). More to the point, others cost thousands more over the long haul.

[Sources: Reuters; Honda UK]

To all General Motors executives and news reporters proclaiming the company's new SUVs a rousing success, hold your horses-- at least through the summer. The new GMT900 siblings may be fine vehicles, but gas prices are back up and consumers are starting to feel the pinch again. While full-size SUVs like the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon (pictured) appeal to buyers who would buy an SUV regardless of the state of gas prices, vehicles such like the Chevy Trailblazer and GMC Envoy are arguably more price sensitive purchases. These buyers may in fact choose a more fuel-efficient crossover vehicle instead -- a vehicle doesn't make GM nearly as much money, not to mention the fact that the company is currently experiencing a gaping hole in the mid-size crossover segment, sending potential GM buyers elsewhere.

[Source: Reuters via Stuff.co.za]