Deutsche Bank analysts took a serious look at the proposal of Project Better Place for electric cars in Israel and Denmark and came away impressed with its viability. The researchers returned to Germany believing that the Better Place idea would work not only in small countries with extremely high automobile taxes and gasoline prices, but also in the U.S.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal to make mid-town Manhattan the first American urban center to institute congestion pricing has died in a secret vote in a Capitol conference room, the New York Times reports. ABG reported on this proposal when the NY City Council app
Lexus is taking hybrid hype to the next level, the penthouse. For $869, the well-heeled (or expense-account laden) can spend a night living the "new eco-luxury lifestyle" in a "Lexus Hybrid Living Eco-Chic Suite" at the Fairmont Hotels in San Francisco and Washington DC. Along with the the bamboo, organic mattress and "custom coffee table...utilizing pieces of leather recycled from Lexus vehicles," the package includes "complimentary use" of a Lexus LS 600h L. This $100,000, 21 mpg, 12 cylinder
Luscious Garage is as green as a garage could be. As ABG reported back in September, this female-owned shop specializes in service for hybrids and was constructed with every possible attention to environmental details. It not only hosts the monthly meetings of the San Francisco Electric Vehicle Association, it has got to be the only garage
One defining characteristic of Americans is our incessant movement in personal vehicles of all sorts. From the Conestoga Wagons that crossed the continent to Hummers that take (some of) us down the block to buy a quart of milk, our love affair with vehicles remains undiminished. And museums large and small devoted to transport dot the landscape, necessitating further travel to visit them.
Back in the day, the Automobile Association in the United Kingdom used two-wheelers to aid stranded motorists. Bicycles were replaced by motorcycles after World War Two.
The great hope for lithium batteries is their energy density. With six times the energy capacity of lead acid, and two to three times that of the Nickel Metal Hydride chemistry used in every hybrid and all-electric cars such as the Toyota RAV4 EV, they offer promise of longer range zero-emission driving with less weight.
Everett, Washington Toyota dealer Buzz Rodland has no plug-in cars to sell, but he has no doubt the future is electric. Toyota may behave as if the RAV4 EV never existed, but as a one-time member of the company's national dealer council, he knew about the cars. He nagged until he received one. "My sales pitch was I would evaluate it in cold weather," he said.
Bolinas, California is not your typical American small town by any measure. Priuses and Mercedes sports cars share the streets with 30, 40 and 50 year old pickup trucks and jeeps. An unusual mix of boho artists, multimillionaires, unreconstructed hippies, and surfers, the town would be overrun with tourists if they could find it. As the Wikipedia entry puts it, "Bolinas is perhaps best known for its reclusive residents; historically,
Dr. Gloria Duffy is the President and CEO of the the Commonwealth Club of California, the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum, bringing together its more than 18,000 members for over 400 annual events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy. Dr. Duffy served as U.S. Special Coordinator for Cooperative Threat Reduction and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Clinton Administration. Her column in the April
One day remains before the California Air Resources Board (CARB) votes on the latest proposed revision (read weakening) of the Zero Emission Vehicle Program, and the press is picking up the story, with headlines trumpeting Will California Kill the Electric Car Again? (here, here and here) CARB opted to promote hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles (FCV)
The erroneous contention that a Hummer is more efficient and earth-friendly than a Prius over the vehicles' lifetime has sailed across the net for months. The argument defies common sense, and has been debunked repeatedly. The "studies" were flawed by design, but they served the purpose of sowing confusion and doubt. The point by point rebuttal to this nonsense can be found here and Marc Geller
Sierra Club California is appealing to its members to take action for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). Sierra Club is one of the large environmental organizations that have been quite active federally and at the state level as government wrestles with automotive and emissions policies. Its involvement in the California debate is significant.
Toyota made the electric RAV enticing but it is now unavailable. Ever wonder what a regular old gasoline RAV4 converted into a electric RAV4 would be like? Some folks have taken matters in their own hands. A RAV4 in Oregon converted to electric drive is up on eBay. Take a look.
Look, more signs that Project Better Place is taking root in Israel.
