Hybrid vehicles may hold most of the headlines right now, but both analysts and industry insiders agree that oil burners will comprise a far greater slice of the automotive propulsion market by 2020. BorgWarner CEO Tim Manganello told the SAE Automotive World Congress in Detroit that diesels would account for 20% of vehicles by 2020, and both Ford product chief Derrick Kuzak and Toyota engineering vice president Ed Mantey agreed with the assessment. Manganello based his prediction on powertrain trends in Europe, which already feature diesel engines in about half of its vehicles.
Hybrids were predicted to account for about 10% of the market by that time, which doesn't quite match up with the technology's considerable hype. We're all for more diesel and hybrids on America's streets, and with new oil-burners from Ford, GM, Honda and more already on the way, 20% sounds like a very attainable goal for 2020.
Ford has been in the cross hairs of environmentalists for years, but the Blue Oval is now out of the solar-powered dog house after detailing its environmental plans to activist shareholders. The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and the Investor Network on Climate Risk Network are now giving Ford the green thumbs up after FoMoCo detailed its initiative to reduce emissions by 30-percent by 2020. That date is also when all automakers have to hit 35 mpg for all US-sold cars and trucks, so the Dearborn, MI automaker can't forsake CO2 for fuel economy. Ford group VP of sustainability Sue Cischke told the Free Press that the automaker could detail its plans because the company has been working on a green plan for three years.
Since Ford was the first company to pledge a specific and detailed reduction plan to the two environmental groups, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and the Investor Network on Climate Risk Network will use Ford's promise as an example for other companies. Hit the jump to view the press release.
Click above for high-res gallery from Daimler's press conference
Just like any good political campaign, Mercedes came to the New York Auto Show touting nothing much as a whole lot. Actually, the faux political rally might have been less than compelling with its old news, but the new M Class sporting 50-state legal BlueTec diesel power is exciting. Almost as exciting as the very original 1965 190 D Mercedes had borrowed to illustrate its long-running experience with Rudy's coal dust motor. The senescent sedan will be helping MBZ recreate Bill Carroll's cross-country diesel-fueled journey to celebrate the U.S.-wide availability of what it's touting as the cleanest diesel ever. BlueTec allows the M-, GL- and R-class oil burners to earn ULEV and TierII/Bin 5 classification.
Mercedes says its new diesels are now as clean as gasoline powerplants, and once they drop BlueTec hybrids on us, emissions and economy will improve yet again. JD Power projects that fully 40 percent of vehicles will be diesel powered by 2017, and Mercedes wants to increase diesel sales beyond the current level of 22 percent. The newly tweaked M-Class should help move the powertrain off dealer lots. Sporting plenty of safety upgrades, new headlights, a Hannibal-Lechter inspired grille and some interior tweaks, the M-Class has returned from the gym freshly chiseled. It was not all utes and politely obscured minivans (*ahem* R-Class). Just before Mercedes wrapped the presser, they said, we're paraphrasing here, "Oh yeah, we also brought the SL, w00t."
Efficiency is a large stumbling block if you're looking for a way to replace gasoline. It's pretty hard to better such an exceptional fuel, and several alternatives show promise but are nagged by inefficiencies or cost, and usually both. Nanotech to the rescue; it may soon be possible to produce your own hydrogen at home cheaply and easily, and NiMH batteries and fuel cells also stand to become less expensive and offer much better performance. With claims like that, QuantumSphere might well be selling fairy dust, but the Portland, Oregon-based company has developed a nanoparticle coating that may end up being the key to making alternative fuels actually viable.
QuantumSphere's catalytic nanoparticle coatings have 1,000 times the surface area of traditional materials, which means that more catalytic action can be housed in the same space. It's the the highly reactive nature of the coatings that allows cheap home electrolysis, also boding well for replacing precious metals like platinum in fuel cells with a coated piece of stainless steel. QuantumSphere's president Kevin Maloney claims that his company's technology makes electrolysers so efficient that they can supply hydrogen on demand while driving. The technology will roll out later this year in a battery that uses a coated cathode for a five-fold increase in energy density, which translates into a 320-percent power gain over alkaline cells. If things go QuantumSphere's way, we won't be paying $100,000 for the Tesla Roadster in a few years, and it will have an even better range than already promised.
After a controversial two-year run, the Canadian government has announced their ecoAUTO rebate program will be ended next year. The ecoAUTO plan offered a $1000 to $2000 CDN rebate to owners of new cars that consumed gas at a rate less than 6.5 l/100 km. Although the ambitious plan sounded like an excellent way to reward drivers of frugal transportation, the mathematical line in the sand snuffed those whose vehicles were still very efficient, yet just under the threshold.
One of the most vocal protests came from Honda. Unfortunately for them, their Canadian-market Fit was "unfit" for the rebate, yet the competing Toyota Yaris was approved. It didn't take long for the Japanese automaker to call out the Ottawa government in protest. Honda took their message public, and even offered their own version of the rebate to match the government's offer.
To mend the wounds of this green-rebate-gone-awry, the Canadian government has pledged $250 million to the auto industry for the development and research of environmentally-friendly technologies.
In yet another move demonstrating that Porsche is capitulating to the greener crowd, an industry newsletter is reporting that the German automaker's executives have overcome their long-time reservations about diesel powerplants and are considering such a vehicle for their lineup by 2010.
Reportedly, Porsche is studying a diesel engine for its upscale Cayenne SUV. This would be the second non-gasoline engine for the Cayenne, as the Cayenne Hybrid is expected to turn up in 2010 as well. The diesel would be borrowed from Volkswagen, a company Porsche has significant stake in. The platform-sharing Volkswagen Touareg has offered a diesel in the States since 2006 (you know, it's the one that pulls 747s).
Chrysler president Jim Press saw what hybrid technology did for Toyota, and now the 37-year auto industry vet wants to repeat that success with the Pentastar brands. Press informed attendees at a seminar in New York recently that Chrysler would one day utilize hybrid power in each and every Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep. Of course, the charismatic exec had no timetable for Chrysler's full immersion into the land of hybrid hyperbole, but we would guess that kindergarteners may be ready for college by the time this happens. Before Press finished, he also mentioned an intention to sell as many Chryslers in other markets as the Auburn Hills-based company sells in the States.
While it's easy to kick Chrysler when it's down, the privately-owned company has to aim high or it won't have much of a chance. From the day Press entered Chrysler's hallowed halls, he's had a consistent message that the company would have plenty of alternative powertrains for its vehicles. Maybe we'll see Press one day driving down Woodward in a Dodge Zeo. OK, probably not.
Toyota has an ambitious goal to begin selling one million hybrids per year by early next decade, and the Japanese automaker's home market Crown sedan reveals part of Toyota's strategy. The Crown Hybrid will only be available on the top line model, which also features industry firsts such as an LCD instrument panel, and a night vision pedestrian detector. The goal for Toyota is to make an actual profit on all of its hybrids, and the added tech amenities will help make the sharply higher prices easier to swallow. Unfortunately, the added cost of the Crown Hybrid will be about $21,600, which could buy you a Prius.
Head Toyota hybrid engineer Shinichi Matsumoto told Automotive News that the automaker is also engineering the flexibility of both hybrid and conventional powertrains in all future vehicle architectures. That means Toyota can and most likely will give every vehicle in its lineup a battery-assisted model, which will come in handy as fuel prices continue to wildly fluctuate. It's just unfortunate that the folks that can least afford $4 or $5 fuel prices won't be able to buy vehicles that can cushion the blow. Let's hope Toyota also continues to offer an affordable hybrid like the Prius, because one shouldn't have to purchase a rear camera, moon roof and upscale leather seats to save at the pump.
It's the mayor of London in one corner and Porsche, the maker of thoroughbred sports cars, in the other.
In the green trunks, Mayor Ken Livingstone has decreed that a $50 daily tax shall be levied against all gas-guzzling, emission-spewing vehicles that drive through his city beginning in October. His logic says that it will fight global warming, and the money raised will help implement a Paris-style bicycle plan for the city. Re-election is around the corner, so this initiative is imperative to his tenure.
In the black trunks, Andy Goss, the Managing Director of Porsche Cars GB, rejects the tax as unjust. The automaker claims it is a disproportionate fee that will have a very limited effect on CO2 emissions. Its plan is to write Livingstone a letter requesting that he reconsider the proposal, and if nothing happens after 14 days, take the matter to the courts, which could throw out Livingstone's tax altogether.
And the winner is... neither side. Both are unable to deliver a knock out punch, so the winner will likely be chosen by decision.
Britain's Automobile Association has found another bump in the road to environmental kindness: speed bumps and really low speed limits. They took a car that got 58-mpg running a constant 30-MPH, and ran it over speedbumps at the Millbrook Proving Ground, slowing down and speeding up for each bump. What they discovered was that mileage dropped to 31-mpg and carbon dioxide emissions went up. The findings correlate with those of the country's Transport Research Laboratory, which reported that "carbon monoxide emissions are increased by as much as 82% and nitrous oxide levels by 37% on roads with speed bumps."
The AA also found that setting the speed limit at 20-MPH instead of 30-MPH raised car emissions and consumption by 10-percent. Along with the speed bump results, these are intriguing findings, but in the real world, how long do you spend each day driving over speed bumps, and driving 20-MPH? The AA says that it knows speeds need to be kept down on residential roads to keep children safe, but thinks that "average speed cameras" would be more acceptable to the driving public. Based on the comments we get at Autoblog about speed cameras, we doubt it.
Hybrid vehicles may hold most of the headlines right now, but both analysts and industry insiders agree that oil burners will comprise a far greater slice of the automotive propulsion market by 2020. BorgWarner CEO Tim Manganello told the SAE Automotive World Congress in Detroit that diesels would account for 20% of vehicles by 2020, and both Ford product chief Derrick Kuzak and Toyota engineering vice president Ed Mantey agreed with the assessment. Manganello based his prediction on powertrain trends in Europe, which already feature diesel engines in about half of its vehicles. 
Ford has been in the 
One of the most vocal protests came from Honda. Unfortunately for them, their Canadian-market 
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