It’s a strange dilemma China has on its hands.  And most Chinese will probably never even see this blog due to the massive censorship on its hands.

We all know that China’s so polluted that their air makes Los Angeles smog taste like a crisp mountain stream.  So naturally, they’re really putting the push on to go green and get some more electric cars on the market.

Well, they’re not the only ones there, but China’s got a SERIOUS problem.  Where most of us have been driving cars for a long time, and are starting to seriously think about going green just by ourselves, the Chinese have not had cars all that long.  Well, not INDIVIDUAL Chinese, anyway.  Individual Chinese haven’t had cars all that long and now that they’ve got them, they mean to keep them.

Now along comes the government telling them, oh, yeah, I know you’ve had this car like all of six weeks but we need you to give it back to the state.  Oh, don’t worry–we have electric cars coming out.  When?  Um…soon.  And they’ll only cost as much as what you paid for the last car!  Subsidies?  Um…look…just get back to work, okay?  Or we’ll kill your children.  You know how this works by now.

It’s a tough road China’s got to drive to get its citizens to go green, and there are plenty of ruts and bumps in it.

Tags: china, Chinese, electric cars, Gas, gas cars, going green, green cars

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Much has been said about the highly anticipated plug-in hybrid vehicle PHEV and it looks like its starting stages are getting off on the right foot. Green Star Products, Inc. today announced that preliminary testing of its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) has been successfully completed at the Corbin Motor Speedway in Kentucky.

This was a preliminary test for the full demonstration event scheduled during the first week of June. However, this preliminary test did produce some impressive on-road efficiency data as follows:

1. The test run was designed to simulate an intra-city driving delivery truck route at the test track.
2. The run consisted of 400 laps for a total of 100 miles.
3. The test included eight 10-minute delivery stops and a short lunch break during the 100-mile run.
4. The test vehicle was driven by 3 drivers and included 2 track test drivers and Brooks Agnew, President of Global Green Cars.

Intra-city driving delivery vehicles are the highest polluters and least energy efficient vehicles in use today on a per mile basis. For example, 85% of the huge U.S. Post Office fleet travels less than 13 miles per day yet consumes 2 to 4 gallons of gasoline per day. This is equivalent to a mileage of 3 to 6 miles per gallon. Compare this to the 100 mile test run of the GSPI plug-in hybrid which demonstrated over 100 miles per gallon at its preliminary test run.

(Source) Press

Tags: brooks agnew, delivery truck, demonstration event, efficiency data, energy efficient vehicles, green cars, hybrid electric vehicle, hybrid vehicle, lunch break, mile test, miles per gallon, minute delivery, motor speedway, phev, star products, test drivers, track test, truck route, u s post office

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Ford is thankful that it has one vehicle doing well in the market. The vehicle is their Ford Fusion and thanks to the growing popularity of this vehicle, they have moved up in the retail market share for April.

In April, the Ford Fusion paced the share performance. Fusion sales totaled 18,321, a record for any month. April was the first full month of sales for the redesigned 2010 model and the new Fusion Hybrid version, and April is believed to be the first month that Fusion was among the top three-selling mid-size sedans. Recent independent studies rate Fusion and the Mercury Milan – the most fuel-efficient mid-size sedans in America – as having the best predicted reliability among all mid-size sedans.

The new Fusion Hybrid is one of four hybrid models offered by Ford. Hybrid models also are offered in the Mercury Milan mid-size sedan and the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner small utility vehicles. All Ford hybrid models are the most fuel-efficient vehicles in their class, and the Ford Escape and Ford Fusion recently were named to Kelley Blue Book’s list of Top 10 Green Cars. In April, combined sales of all hybrid models totaled 2,299, up 21 percent versus a year ago.

Other new Ford products contributed to the retail share performance, including the new F-150 pickup, America’s best-selling vehicle, and Ford Flex, the distinctively styled crossover utility that had its best sales month ever (3,190).

(Source) Press

Tags: Crossover, ford escape, ford fusion, ford products, fuel efficient vehicles, green cars, hybrid models, hybrid version, kelley blue book, Mercury, mercury mariner, mercury milan, mid size sedans, new ford, utility vehicles

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The PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle) will be tested in public in the coming weeks, a demo that will certainly draw a lot of interested bystanders curious about the concept of plug-in hybrid electric cars. The demonstration will take place in Corbin, Kentucky, where the vehicle will be test driven and evaluated by industry representatives. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle will be driven on a simulated city driving test route. The company expects to demonstrate that during an eight hour delivery day simulation this plug-in hybrid vehicle can exceed 150 miles while exhibiting an efficiency of over 75 mpg (miles per gallon).

Earlier this month, Green Star Products along with its International Consortium partner Global Green Cars had publicly tested its full electric vehicle version at tracks in Utah and Kentucky. Global Green Cars is a U.S. and International Consortium of automobile companies and associated supply companies which includes Green Star Products as an engineering and technology provider.

President Barack Obama’s New Energy For America program calls for deployment of 1 million plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2015, and on March 19, 2009, he announced programs directing $2.4 billion to electric vehicle development.

(Source) Press

Tags: automobile companies, Barack Obama, driving test route, green cars, hybrid electric cars, hybrid electric vehicle, hybrid electric vehicles, hybrid vehicle, hybrid vehicles, interested bystanders, new energy, star products

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Ford gets the nod of Kelly Blue Book as two of its vehicles have been included in the Top 10 Green Cars list. Today, editors of Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com named the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid to its 2009 list of “Top 10 Green Cars.”

“This recognition says strong things about Ford as a hybrid manufacturer,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com. “What we really like about both the Fusion and Escape Hybrids is that they do everything great hybrids should do – in terms of providing excellent fuel economy – but at the same time, they drive like conventional vehicles.”

Nerad says fuel economy was just one of the factors editors of Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com took into consideration when selecting this year’s list of “Top 10 Green Cars.”

“We go beyond fuel economy and powertrain, and we look at things that people generally look at when buying any car, such as comfort, convenience, safety and value for the money,” he said.

Ford Hybrid Marketing Manager David Finnegan says winning two of the 10 spots on kbb.com’s “Top 10 Green Cars” list for 2009 demonstrates Ford’s versatility as a hybrid manufacturer.

“We are continuing to expand our portfolio to offer consumers a wider range of alternatives,” said Finnegan. “Not only do we have the most fuel-efficient SUV on the planet with the Ford Escape Hybrid but we also are committed to being a leader in the car segment. The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid provides 41 mpg in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway, making it North America’s most fuel-efficient midsize sedan.”

(Source) Press

Tags: car segment, ford escape, ford escape hybrid, ford fusion, ford vehicles, fuel economy, fuel efficient suv, green cars, hybrid marketing, hybrids, kelley blue book, kelly blue book

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The bad news is that Toyota Australia is scaling back in production but the good news is that they are not announcing any immediate job cuts. That is for now. The global car industry is in a deep downturn and figures released this week show February was the worst month for car sales in Australia since 2003. Sales were down 22 per cent from last year.

Toyota’s Max Yasuda has told ABC1’s Inside Business the company is hoping its new green cars will help generate a recovery in the market early next year.

“Our first priority, even in these difficult times, is to keep our workforce … to keep our jobs,” he said.

He says federal and state governments should commit to using the green car when it is released.

“This is the most serious challenge that we’ve faced … in the 50-year history of Toyota Australia,” Mr Yasuda said.

“I think we have to invent something that we have never done before in terms of production system as well as … in terms of how to sell a car.”

(Source) ABC News

Tags: bad news, car industry, car production, car sales, difficult times, green car, green cars, how to sell a car, state governments, toyota australia, workforce, yasuda

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Volvo has announced that they will be unveiling 7 fuel-efficient cars at the Geneva Motor Show, all with best-in-class CO2 emission levels. The extremely low figures for the C30, S40 and V50 have been achieved thanks to an advanced Start/Stop system.

The cars that will be unveiled are:

• Volvo C30, 3.9 l/100km, 104g CO2/km
• Volvo S40, 4.0 l/100km, 107g, CO2/km
• Volvo V50, 4.0 l/100km, 107g, CO2/km
• Volvo V70, 4.9 l/100km, 129g, CO2/km
• Volvo S80, 4.9 l/100km, 129g CO2/km
• Volvo XC60, 6.0 l/100km, 159g CO2/km
• Volvo XC70, 6.0 l/100km, 159g CO2/km

The DRIVe badge is attached to cars in the Volvo range that have the best environmental performance in their class. All today’s DRIVe models are equipped with a conventional diesel engine and manual gearbox optimised for extra-low fuel consumption. These cars are also tailored specifically for low rolling resistance and reduced air drag.

(Source) The Auto Channel

Tags: co2 emission, fuel efficient cars, geneva motor, green cars, volvo c30, volvo s40, volvo s80, volvo v50, volvo v70, volvo xc60, volvo xc70

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Green cars are hogging the limelight these days and British sports-car company Lotus is taking its cue in incorporating eco-friendly considerations alongside usual sports car efficiency. And one vehicle that has been trying to carry the green awareness flag is the Lotus Eco Elise.

The Eco Elise features an interior made from wool, instead of more traditional materials such as alcantara or leather, while some of the exterior body panels are made from hemp.

On the roof there are solar panels that provide the electricity to run the stereo and air conditioning, and the rest of the body is coated in a new water-based paint developed with DuPont that is not only more environment friendly, but also cheaper to produce.

The Eco Elise, which is based on the standard Elise sports car costing £24,000, is part of a company-wide drive by Lotus to green up its image: “It came from a staff initiative to improve our environmental credentials,” said Alastair Florance at Lotus.

(Source) Times Online

Tags: alcantara, british sports car, florance, green cars, hemp, limelight, Lotus, solar panels, sports car company, traditional materials

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