Dane Muldoon - Autoblog

We've mentioned fuel cell manufacturer Quantum a few times recently in conjunction with their hydrogen storage systems being selected by General Motors for the fleet of fuel cell powered Equinoxes GM are building, plus via their supply of hydrogen fuel systems and storage to Ford for its Escape Hydrogen Hybrid.

Audi's best selling A4 2.0 TDI diesel car has been presented with the coveted "Auto-Umwelt-Zertifikat" (car environment certificate) by the ÖKO-TREND institute in Wuppertal, Germany. The award was given for the A4's eco-friendliness, for the high environmental standards in its production processes and for Audi's noteworthy recycling measures.

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) has named the Toyota Camry Hybrid, in front of nine other best new category winners, overall winner of the 2007 Canadian Car of the Year. The Camry is the first hybrid to ever win the top award which is based on new vehicles released during the year. Each entrant is thoroughly tested and must perform well in the real-world to have a chance at joining the winners' circle.

Brazil has already proved themselves to be an aggressive supporter of ethanol, and currently produces more of the renewable petrol substitute than any other country. Now they're looking to biodiesel as another way to produce a renewable, locally produced fuel. With a significant biodiesel industry already established and growing quickly, the Brazilian government has decided to push forward by moving their planned introduction of a mandatory B5 fuel standard up by three years from 2013 to 2010.

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the 2007 Volkswagen Passat.

The Minnesota Senate has passed their state's Renewable Energy Standard requiring Minnesota utilities to generate a minimum 25 percent of their electricity renewably by 2025. Xcel Energy is to jump the gun and aim for 30 percent renewable generation by 2020. There is a back door clause however which allows the Public Utilities Commission to modify the standard in relation to a particular utility if it determines that electricity prices will significantly increase or reliability would decrease if

Australian motoring site CARSguide has done a round-up of affordable, practical and economical vehicle options on the local market. Looking at sub-$40,000 transport, their complete list of criteria in weighing up the models was:

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the 2007 Volkswagen Passat.

As discussed in URGE² theory, utilising the grid to overcome the supply intermittency of renewable energy sources is a critical step in moving forward towards a green energy future. Californian utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is looking to do just that by combining the overnight charging of EVs via renewable energy with the opportunity for consumers to sell some of t

Port representatives from around the U.S. are currently attending the third Faster Freight - Cleaner Air (FFCA) conference which examines technologies and processes designed to reduce the environmental impact of all sectors of the goods movement industry (rail, trucking, marine, off-road equipment and air freight). Last November the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach adopted

Volvo has created what they term an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) website which covers two of their best-selling truck models, the Volvo FH and Volvo FM. The intention of the world-first EPD is to provide Volvo customers with materials, specifications and statistics to enable them to understand the how particular Volvo truck models fare environmentally. The information a

A directory featuring E85 Ethanol Fuel and Biodiesel Fuel retail stations across the U.S. has been published for the first time by USA Energy Independence Publications. The guide is designed to help flex-fuel vehicle (FFV) and diesel vehicle owners find retail outlets offering renewable fuels in their areas and comes complet

The first ever Greaseball Challenge charity car rally will take place in April when five teams will drive from the U.S. to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama in under four weeks promoting biofuels and green adventure travel. Designed to show that you can use locally-available fuels as viable alternatives to petroleum fuels, the participating Greaseballers are out to have a good time and promote a great cause.

Fox 11 Los Angeles has posted a four-part video series online called Auto Evolution which looks at the green vehicles and auto technology of the future which promise lower emissions and better mileage. John Beard and Christine Devine filed the reports which offer a good cross-section of interviews, backgrou

Australian federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced plans for a national switch from incandescent bulbs to more efficient technology such as compact fluorescent bulbs in a bid to save enormous amounts of electricity. Inefficient standard light bulbs use approximately five times as much electricity to produce the same amount of light as compact fluorescent b

In a lengthy, two-part editorial, David Roberts, a staff writer at Grist, presents his position on unifying the green lobby around the flag of URGE2: Use Renewably Generated Electricity, Efficiently. He is expecting bumper stickers and t-shirts - here's why.

How much is filling up going to cost you this Summer?

The world's second-largest truck company, Volvo AB, has agreed to buy Nissan Diesel Motor Co. for $1.1 billion in a bid to gain a greater foothold in the booming Asian market. Asia has been a weak spot for Volvo thus far, comprising just seven percent of its sales in 2006. By buying Japan's fourth largest truck producer, Volvo should be able to establish a far more secure position through Nissan's r

BP has pledged to put $500 million into a new research program that will investigate how bioscience can boost energy production and reduce energy's environmental impacts. A number of institutions have been selected to join with BP in the new Energy Biosciences Institute including the University of California Berkeley and its partners the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.