It is a fact that cars produce tons of carbon dioxide which prove to be harmful to the environment. And while we know that for a fact, this is actually the reason why the push for electric or even lower emitting vehicles has been pushed.

However for some, the task is easier said than done. And while many are trying, the real measuring stick to determine the level of CO2 emitted cannot be easily measured. But it looks like there is a program being pushed right now and it is called carbon offsetting.

Put simply, carbon offsetting is based around the idea that you can pay to wipe clean the environmental damage that occurs every time you drive to the supermarket, or pick the grandchildren up from school. In return for your money, a growing number of companies will offer to invest, on your behalf, in any number of environmentally sound projects. Anything from planting trees in the Amazon, to offshore wind farms in the North Sea or solar panels for third world hospitals.

It really sounds something like the conventional tasks and efforts we see today. However, it remains that it may take more than this to really put the carbon emission issue to rest. The only good side about this proposed program is that it helps in any little way it can. And most of all, the important thing is will car owners bite?

(Source) Press

Tags: amazon, car owners, carbon dioxide, carbon emission, Cars, co2, conventional tasks, environmental damage, grandchildren, hospitals, measuring stick, money, north sea, offshore wind farms, planting trees, solar panels, sound projects, supermarket, third world

Continue reading...

The new generation Volvo hybrid double deck buses made a memorable debut today at the Alexandra Palace, signaling the start of eco-friendly transportation that are tasked to render service to Arriva London.

A total of six Volvo B5L Hybrid Double Deck buses have recently entered service on Route 141 in the UK’s capital city and representatives from Volvo Bus and Arriva London, together with other stakeholders gathered to formally mark another historic occasion at the Alexandra Palace.

The new Hybrid Double Deck buses offer savings both in terms of fuel consumption and emissions. Evidence from test tack development and in service field trials with Arriva London show significant savings in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (C02) emissions as well as reduction in Nitrous Oxides and particulates.

(Source) Press

Tags: alexandra palace, arriva, buses, carbon dioxide, double deck, emissions, fuel consumption, London, new generation, nitrous oxides, stakeholders, Volvo, volvo bus

Continue reading...

Volvo is shifting into high gear for their fuel cell technology venture, possibly creating additional jobs in Stockholm if everything goes according to plan. Swedish Energy Agency and the Volvo Group are investing SEK 200 M in Volvo’s development of fuel cells. The investment will create around 100 new positions in the Gothenburg region within the next three years.

In the autumn of 2009, Powercell Sweden will need to hire around 60 people in an entirely new plant in the Gothenburg region. Per Wassén, who is Investment Director at Volvo Technology Transfer and chairman of Powercell Sweden AB, foresees that the company will create around 100 new jobs within the next three years.

With the growing need for alternative energy and fuel for various means but largely for vehicles, fuel cell technology can truly be a big help towards the efforts of local motorists and car companies. A fuel cell resembles a small battery. It is charged with hydrogen gas and converts this into electricity, water and carbon dioxide through a chemical reaction.

The areas of use can be power supply units for households, trucks, boats, radio masts in remote locations and electric hybrid vehicles. Compared with normal diesel or gas-powered engines, fuel cells produce significantly less carbon dioxide and no emissions at all of particulates and nitrogen oxides. In addition, they are more efficient, smaller and lighter.

(Source) Press

Tags: Alternative Energy, car companies, carbon dioxide, chemical reaction, energy agency, fuel cell technology, fuel cells, gothenburg region, hybrid vehicles, hydrogen gas, investment director, jobs in stockholm, motorists, new jobs, nitrogen oxides, particulates, powercell, radio masts, technology venture, volvo group

Continue reading...

Tagged as one of the most promising source of renewable oil these days, OriginOil Inc. was profiled by several high-profile media outlets this week following its announcement of a new, single-step algae oil extraction process.

During the segments, Eckelberry explained OriginOil’s inherently eco-friendly production process by elaborating that nothing goes unused in an algae production system – that is, the process not only purifies dirty water, digests carbon dioxide and produces a biofuel, but even the remaining biomass can be used as a fertilizer.

He also commented on OriginOil’s ability to solve a critical issue for scalable algae-to-oil production: “We’ve pioneered a single-step extraction technology that will get the oil out of the algae in one simple, elegant step. We are taking this solution to market while continuing to enhance our end-to-end system for the growing algae industry,” said Eckelberry.

You can watch the video on Algae Oil here.

(Source) Press

Tags: algae, Biofuel, biomass, carbon dioxide, critical issue, dirty water, extraction technology, fertilizer, high profile, media outlets, oil development, oil production, profile media, promising source, segments, single step

Continue reading...

In-car entertainment takes a new look as Fujitsu Electronics has reportedly announced the first ever 1394 Automotive controller that transmits high-definition video over the 1394 in-vehicle multimedia network. The new Fujitsu MB88395 controller can simultaneously transmit multiple streams around the vehicle, such as HD video (1,280 dots x 720 lines) from Blu-Ray DVDs, digital TV, and car navigation images.

The Fujitsu MB88395 uses a high-speed 800Mbps physical layer and link layer, along with the Fujitsu proprietary SmartCODEC, which provides high compression and can transmit HD video without perceptible latency. This combination brings the rich-HD experience to rear-seat entertainment, reduces vehicle weight and improves fuel efficiency.

The combination reduces the system cost of in-vehicle multimedia networks by up to 30 percent, while reducing the number of wire harnesses by a maximum of 70 percent, and can reduce the environmental impact by approximately 10kg of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year for a car traveling 10,000km. That roughly translates to the amount of CO2 a beech tree absorbs in one year.

The controller can transmit HD video from Blu-Ray DVDs and digital TV, as well as high-resolution navigation images. For example, an HD video stream (1,280 dots x 720 lines) from a Blu-Ray DVD that has been decompressed has a rate of 885 Mbps. With subsequent compression by the SmartCODEC, the rate becomes 249Mbps, so two channels can be transmitted in the 800Mbps bandwidth.

The MB88395 is available now in samples in 224-pin FBGA packages. Pricing begins at $17.00 each.

(Source) Press

Tags: beech tree, blu ray dvd, car entertainment, car navigation, carbon dioxide, co2, digital tv, fuel efficiency, high compression, multimedia network, multimedia networks, multiple streams, seat entertainment, video stream, wire harnesses

Continue reading...

U.S. President Barack Obama announced today that he will be ordering 2,500 hybrid vehicles for the U.S. General Service Administration made up of hybrid vehicles from GM, Ford and Chrysler by June 1. The purchase goal is fuel economy that’s 10 percent higher than the vehicle being replaced.

While auto sales have fallen 36 percent in the first quarter of 2009 compared to last year, the government’s purchase is still only symbolic, representing less than two-tenths of one percent of total US annual sales. But lawmakers from auto-industry states like Michigan and Ohio reacted with fervent support.

The first step will be an order for 2,500 hybrid sedans by April 15. Qualifying cars include the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, and the 2009 Saturn Aura Hybrid. The Ford Fusion Hybrid received excellent reviews and generated intense public interest, but the incremental mileage improvements of the Malibu and Aura mild hybrids have neither sparked much enthusiasm nor sold particularly well.

The total cost of $285 million would come from the $787 billion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress last month. A statement from the White House said the entire purchase will “reduce gasoline consumption by 1.3 million gallons per year and prevent 26 million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.”

(Source) Hybridcars

Tags: auto industry, auto sales, carbon dioxide, economic stimulus bill, ford fusion, fuel economy, gasoline consumption, general service administration, gm ford, hybrid cars, hybrid sedans, hybrid vehicles, hybrids, saturn aura hybrid

Continue reading...

After the successful debut of the Toyota Prius, it looks like Toyota Motors is taking it to the next level as it is reportedly planning the car of the future using bioplastic materials made from seaweed.

Named the 1/X (pronounced 1-x’th) after the fraction of its carbon footprint compared to other vehicles, the hybrid is greener than others not only because of it gas mileage: Compared to standard petroleum-based plastic, bioplastic allegedly produces up to 60 percent less carbon dioxide and uses about 30 percent less energy as well.

Toyota plans on presenting their 1/X concept car at the Melbourne Motor Show on Feb. 28, even though it could be another 15 years until this seaweed car actually makes it to production.

(Source) Wired

Tags: bioplastic, carbon dioxide, concept car, gas mileage, hybrid, melbourne motor show, petroleum, seaweed, Toyota, toyota motors, toyota prius

Continue reading...