What happened to the tax credits on hybrid cars?

I wish I could afford a hybrid car, but at $20-$26,000 that's unlikely. To make matters worse, the Los Angeles Times reports that tax incentives on many of the most popular hybrid cars are expiring - just when we needed them. The $3,150 tax credit on the best-selling Toyota Prius ended last fall.  The Honda Civic hybrid tax credit was cut in half from $1,050 to $525 on July 1st. It will disappear at the end of this year.

Under the 2005 law that set up the hybrid tax credit system, it begins to be phased out after 60,000 models have been sold. There are still a few credits available, including for the Ford Escape hybrid, Mercury Marina, Chevy Malibu and Nissan Altima. But better hurry if you are interested. The government has a very useful website, www.fueleconomy.gov where you can check the credits for each vehicle.

- David Adams

Highlights of the Miami Climate Change Summit #2 from solar to PHEVs.

Looking back at Governor Crist's Climate Change Summit this week, here are some of my favorite moments, featuring a former day-trader turned solar enthusiast, Progress Energy's plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius, a new $20 million clean energy prize offered by the Scottish government, a Spanish company that is investing $8 billion in alternative energy in the United States, a new $20 million clean energy prize, and of course, the return of Arnold, The Terminator, and much, much more .....

McCain's Clean Car Challenge gets a $300K push; meanwhile Obama's advisers are tied to ethanol

Republican candidate John McCain is giving a speech today to issue a "Clean Car Challenge" to automakers, according to the Associated Press. If they produce a zero-emissions vehicle, a McCain administration would push to give buyers $5,000 tax credits, he promises.

Also, he says his administration would offer a $300 million prize for development of a new, more powerful battery for hybrid vehicles that surpasses current technology. The bounty would equate to $1 for every man, woman and child in the country, "a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency," McCain said in remarks prepared for delivery Monday at Fresno State University in California.

Meanwhile the New York Times is reporting that his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, has close ties with the ethanol industry. One of his national campaign co-chairmen, former Sen. Tom Daschle, sits on the board of three ethanol companies. And his lead adviser on energy and environmental issues, Jason Grumet, came to the campaign from the National Commission on Energy Policy, a bipartisan initiative associated with Daschle and former Sen. Bob Dole, another advocate of ethanol.

The two candidates sharply differ on ethanol, with McCain calling for an end to government subsidies while Obama would continue them.

--Craig Pittman

[Associated Press]

Plug-in Prius: 99 mpg, 55 cent fill-up

With gas closing in on $4 a gallon around Florida, who wouldn't want one?

John Massiello, who heads up renewables for Progress Energy, uses one of the utility's two experimental plug-in Prius hybrids. He plugs in the car at home, and it quietly draws 5 kilowatt hours of electricity, more than enough to power his 26 mile round trip commute.

At 11 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity, his full-up costs 55 cents, or $2.75 a week. In a car that gets 30 miles to the gallon, that same commute would cost about $17 a week.

Detroit to Schwarzenegger: You're winning, so let's talk

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who sued Detroit to force automakers to produce less polluting vehicles, sat down with executives from six automakers last week to discuss how they could work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The meeting marked "a significant thaw" in the ongoing battle over California's attempt to battle global warming, noted the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Among the ideas they explored, according to the San Diego paper: "Automakers could sponsor more programs to take high-polluting older cars off the roads, help add synchronized traffic signals to limit idling times, incorporate more Global Positioning Systems that steer drivers away from choked traffic and encourage drivers to adopt more 'eco-friendly' habits – from regulating speed to keeping tires inflated."

The meeting -- which included executives from Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Chrysler, BMW and Volkswagen -- came at the request of the auto industry "which appeared to begin laying the groundwork to soften post-Bush regulations," the paper reported. All three presidential candidates have sided with California.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's attempt to impose similar regulations prodding automakers to clean up their products ran afoul of the Legislature this year. Lawmakers said Florida cannot borrow California's clean car standard without their approval.

--Craig Pittman

Hybrid car sales rising fast.

Sales of hybrid cars are soaring, presumably in response to $4 a gallon gasoline and growing concern over global warming.  U.S. registrations of new hybrid vehicles rose 38 percent in 2007 to a record 350,289, according to new data.

Hybrids still only make up just 2.2 percent of the U.S. market for the year. But that's not bad considering that overall auto sales declined 3 percent.

The price margin for hybrids appears to be coming down, and the range of models are steadily improving. Car makers still insist on putting hybrid engines in the most inefficient SUVs where energy savings are relatively minor. Most of these SUV hybrids still only get 22-26 miles per gallon, compared to over 40 for the Toyota Prius. That's mostly because a hybrid engine cannot generate enough power for the big SUV engines. The electric engine gives out after about 25 mph and has to switch to gas. (The Prius and the Honda Civic remain the only small hybrid car on the market, as far as I am aware. They can generate enough power up to about 40mph. Reviewers say the Prius is a far better drive.)

Click here to read a story from CNN.

- David Adams

New York's yellow cabs go hybrid

I was in New York over the weekend and impressed to see how many hybrid taxis there are now. I was picked up at La Guardia airport by Aki Uddin from Bangladesh, proudly driving a Ford Escape hybrid. He told me that the yellow cab company he works for, Woodside, has a couple of hundred hybrids. Other companies are also using them and they have become a common sight on Manhattan streets over the last six months.
Uddin said he averages about 28 miles per gallon in his hybrid, about double what the standard yellow cab (Crown Victorias) can achieve.

Since New York’s taxi fleet has approximately 13,000 cabs, the switch to hybrids is hoped will help reduce New York City’s air pollution.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he wants all New York cabs to be hybrid by 2012. He recently announced that the Taxi and Limousine Commission will also require black cars that service corporate clients to increase fuel efficiency standards to a level currently achievable only by using hybrid technology.

Click here for more The New York Times report on hybrid yellow cabs.
- David Adams

GM's new hydrogen concept car, the Provoq, launches today

GM is set to unveil its new hybrid electric/hydrogen fuel car concept car, the Cadillac Provoq in Las Vegas today at the Consumer Electronics Show.

I'm not sure about the name, but there's no question that GM continues to impress with its determination to find innovative alternatives to gasoline driven vehicles. GM's all-electric Volt got exciting reviews in 2007. GM says the Provoq has a 300 mile range, combining a lithium-ion battery pack capable of 20 miles range, with 280 miles hydrogen tanks. GM is also expected to make a major announcement at the weekend involving its ethanol-powered vehicles. (I'll have more on that on Sunday afternoon.)

Click here for more on the Provoq.

- David Adams

Governors focus on getting biofuels to market

Bestirred by weird weather, bothered by dependence on foreign oil, and blitzed by advertising, many a motoring do-gooder has purchased a flex-fuel vehicle.
If said motorist lives here in Florida, a cruel surprise awaits: Sioux Falls has more ethanol stations than all of Florida.
Bringing biofuels to Floridians -- and to other ethanol-hungry parts of the U.S. -- is the theme of a two-day National Governors Association conference at Tampa’s InterContinental Hotel. Gov. Charlie Crist joined the governors of Minnesota, Montana, and Kansas on Thursday morning to voice their commitment to getting biofuels flowing.
“Governors have the opportunity in states across the country to drive a national conversation, and, frankly, to make some national policy by the agreements we forge with one another,” said Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, chairman of the governors association, said states can act as “laboratories of democracy.” They are smaller and more “nimble” than the federal government, he said.
Crist has styled himself a climate-change warrior in recent months, joining state-by-state efforts to reform energy policy in the Sunshine State and around the country. On Thursday, he cautioned against pessimism and politics, billing his green crusade as a bipartisan effort. He consistently side-stepped the issue of cost, an issue his critics have hammered in recent weeks.
“If you look at this full of gloom and pessimism, then you will depress people from moving forward and doing what’s right,” Crist said.
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer echoed Crist’s optimism. “American has always led by converting adversity to opportunity.”
When it comes to reforming transportation, alternative fuels face several hurdles on their way to our cars, explained Rick Eggebrecht, co-founder of VeraSun Energy, a South Dakota company that produces 560-million gallons of ethanol each year.
First, many states don’t make the fuels at home, and don’t have the rail resources to get it cheaply to market, Eggebrecht explained. Then there aren’t enough places that can store the fuels, and blend them with gasoline. Finally, retail stations face enormous costs to retrofit their stations to sell biofuels. This is where governors and legislators can help, creating tax breaks and incentives to help speed infrastructure development, he said.
Florida doesn’t yet produce ethanol, and has limited production of biodiesel. Several alternative fuel projects in the state have run into delays.
--Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

Crist promotes energy innovation across Florida

Florida Governor Charlie Crist is continuing to show his keen interest in emerging alternative energy technologies. Yesterday he visited an eco-friendly roofing company, Advanced Green Technologies, in Fort Lauderdale.
The company designs different various systems, including solar-powered canopies (see photo) which uses a high light-transmissive polymer, instead of the traditional photo-voltaic roof panels.

On Thursday, Crist is due to attend a Governors Roundtable on Alternative Fuels and Vehicles, as part of National Governors Association’s 'Securing a Clean Energy Future Initiative,'  taking place in Tampa.

While the Governor advocates increased state and federal involvement in promoting alternative energy he is also highlighting the important role of innovative private companies (something this blog has also focused on).

"I'm very proud of what these Florida corporations are doing. In my opinion, they are the leaders in green initiatives," Crist said. ''It's people that make a difference. It's private enterprise that makes a difference."

Click here to read more from The Miami Herald. Click here to read more from The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.

- David Adams

GM's Chevy Volt making progress

GM has received the first experimental lithium-ion battery packs from LG Chem/CPI, according to an interview with Bob Lutz, GM's vice-chairman of product development, in The Detroit Free Press. They are going to be tested on the Chevy Malibu.

This announcement brings one step closer the much anticipated comercial production of the all-electric Chevrolet  Volt, which some believe could revolutionize the auto industry.
Lutz says he hopes for 60,000 to 100,000 vehicles to be produced in the first model year. GM has yet to announce when the Volt will come on the market.

Click here to read the interview with Lutz.

- David Adams

Test driving the plug-in car -- for free

In what's being billed as their first widespread consumer test, 100 California households will be given use of experimental plug-in hybrid cars next spring under a program announced this week by the University of California-Davis and AAA of Northern California.

"The households, to be chosen from the ranks of more than 4 million members of AAA of Northern California, will each have an eight-week loan of a Toyota Prius converted to run on batteries that are twice as powerful as those originally installed by the automaker," the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"We're the advance guard of putting a lot of these (cars) in households," said Tom Turrentine, director of the Plug-In Hybrid Center at the UC-Davis Institute of Transportation Studies.

"The cars can easily get 100 miles per gallon on their combined power from electric motors and gasoline engines," the story noted. "They also spew out far fewer environment-harming emissions than even conventional hybrid cars."

The test-drivers will be people who have a garage, carport or parking place with a nearby 110-volt outlet so they can plug in their hybrids every night. Turrentine told the Chronicle they will be seeking people with daily roundtrip commutes from 20 to about 120 miles, and they'll be looking for households with differing lifestyles: "It could range from a typical American family to a young urban dweller to a retired couple living in Tahoe."

To read the full story, complete with a short pro and con argument about plug-ins, click here.

--Craig Pittman

How New York's taxis went from yellow to green.

Thomas Friedman writes in The New York Times today about the greening of New York City's taxis.

Click here to read his column.

- David Adams

Is energy independence a realistic notion?

We take a look at the notion of "energy independence" in today's edition of PolitiFact, the St Petersburg Times political fact-checking feature.

PolitiFact asked me to check a recent claims by Republican candidate Mitt Romney that the United States can be energy independent.

Click here to read my analysis, 'Difficult to go it alone on energy.'

- David Adams

Plugging away on rechargeable hybrid cars

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that it will invest nearly $20-million in plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) research with five companies. The DOE is interested because "PHEVs have the potential to displace a large amount of gasoline by delivering up to 40 miles of electric range without recharging—a distance that includes most daily roundtrip commutes."

The five companies selected for the projects include EnerDel, Inc. in Indiana; A123Systems in Massachusetts; Compact Power Inc. in Michigan; 3M in Minnesota; and Johnson Controls – Saft Advanced Power Solutions in Wisconsin. The projects will focus on developing batteries and cells for 10- and 40-mile range PHEVs and building small cells to test new cathode materials. The work is expected to begin this year and continue through 2009.

In addition, the DOE will give the University of Michigan nearly $2-million to explore the future of PHEVs in a two-year study, in conjunction with General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and DTE Energy. "The study will evaluate how PHEVs would share the power grid with other energy needs; monitor the American public's view of PHEVs and their driving behavior in such vehicles; assess the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; and identify how automakers can optimize PHEV design to increase performance and reduce cost," the DOE announced.

To read the DOE announcement, click here.

To read the draft R&D plan for the so-called "Freedom Car," click here.

--Craig Pittman

FreedomCar gets R&D dollars

The Department of Energy announced yesterday $20-million for plug-in electric cars. The goal is to create a reliable battery-powered car that can go 40 miles without a charge, longer than most commutes. A lot of research and development money is now targeting the safety and reliability of the battery. No one wants a repeat of the flaming laptop fiasco, which could kill the prospects of popularizing the new technology. Also crucial, making sure the battery works reliably for several years. Know how your cell phone battery can weaken on you over time? Imagine that happening to your car.

There's a few plug-in test models out there, and GM's Chevy Volt is expected to be out in 2010 or 2011.

Read the Department of Energy release here. For more information on the program, click here and here.

David Pogue of the New York Times interviewed GM's Bob Lutz about electric cars. Read the interview transcript from last week's blog post here.

-By Asjylyn Loder, Times Staff Writer

Florida company wins battery award for hydrid vehicles.

A Florida company, EnerDel has won a $6.5 million contract to develop lithium-ion battery technology for hybrid electric vehicles.

The contract was awarded by the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC). Its members include Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors.

Fort Lauderdale-based EnerDel is a subsidiary of Ener1.

Click here for more information.

 

- David Adams

Is it a stretch to call a Prius a limo?

Limo company owner Moshe Leib is upset that Hillsborough County officials won't allow him to operate a Toyota Prius as part of his limo fleet at Tampa airport.

Apparently the county's Public Transportation Commission doesn't consider the Prius to be limo material.

Now a state politician has come to his defense. Florida State Representative, Rick Kriseman, says the county needs to take a look at its rules.

"If the Toyota Prius is luxurious enough for drop-offs and pickups at the Academy Awards, surely it's good enough for Tampa International Airport," he wrote in a letter to the county.

Kriseman is a member of the Environment and Natural Resources Council and serves as the Ranking Democrat on the Committee on Energy.

Click here to download Kriseman's letter

Click here to read a story in The St Petersburg Times

- David Adams

The pursuit of fuel efficiency.

Vehicle fuel efficiency standards are at the heart of the debate over how to tackle global warming and our dependence on foreign oil.

Congress is divided on whether to set a higher 35-mpg standard. The auto industry opposes it, and so does the Bush administration.

St Pete Times energy correspondent and Fueling Station contributor, Asjylyn Loder, takes a look at the issue and asks why US auto companies make profits selling smaller gas-sipping cars in Europe (such as the Opel Astra, see photo), but are leery of offering them to US consumers.

Click here to read Asjylyn's article.

- David Adams

Hybrids headed for record 2007 sales in the US.

Hybrid vehicles look set to make record U.S. sales this year.

An estimated 187,000 hybrids were sold in the first six months of 2007, accounting for 2.3 percent of all new vehicle sales, according to J.D. Power and Associates. J.D. Power is forecasting total sales of 345,000 hybrids for 2007, a 35 percent increase from 2006 when the current record of 256,000 was set.

Currently, the Toyota Prius continues to be the bestselling hybrid model, accounting for just more than half of all hybrids sold. It was the 6th best selling car in May! But competition is growing. Seven new hybrids are set to hit the market before the end of the year.

- David Adams

New report backs plug-in hydrid electric vehicles.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) last week released an important new study of the use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (excuse my lateness in reporting this as I was on vacation and my mother's house doesn't have internet!!).

The report finds that widespread use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the United States could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and potential for improve ambient air quality.

This is a major change of position for the NRDC which has until now been concerned by the energy balance of hybrid electric vehicles - the so-called 'smokestack factor.' Basically, the issue was that because so much electricity is produced by dirty sources (such as coal) it begged the question how green a hybrid electric car really can be.

The new research seems to have satisfied NRDC, one of the largest and most influential energy/environmental groups in the country.

Among study’s key findings were:

* Widespread adoption of PHEVs can reduce GHG emissions from vehicles by more than 450 million metric tons annually in 2050 -- equivalent to removing 82.5 million passenger cars from the road

* There is an abundant supply of electricity for transportation; a 60 percent U.S. market share for PHEVs would use 7 percent to 8 percent of grid-supplied electricity in 2050

* PHEVs can improve nationwide air quality and reduce petroleum consumption by 3 million to 4 million barrels per day in 2050

"The EPRI-NRDC study represents the most comprehensive analysis of the potential reductions of global warming and other emissions from wide-scale introduction of PHEVs over time," the authors say.

"Several benefits result from the use of grid electricity as a transportation fuel.  PHEVs can reduce direct emissions at the vehicle tailpipe and indirect emissions at the fuel source when they recharge by electricity produced by a portfolio of efficient combustion, non-emitting or renewable generation. It is this linkage to a cleaner grid that could enable PHEVs to produce less GHG emissions than conventional or hybrid vehicles.

Using electricity produced from diverse domestic resources, PHEVs can reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil.  The scale of the greenhouse gas benefit from PHEVs will depend on the efficiency of the vehicles, their range on a battery charge and the greenhouse gas emissions from the electric generation fleet."

Click here for a link to the report.

- David Adams

Hybrids hard to find in Mexico City

Hybrid car sales are beginning to do well in the United States. But try looking across the border in Mexico. Mexico City, one of the largest and most heavily polluted cities in the world could do with some cleaner air. But, it's hard to find a hybrid there, according to The  Austin American-Statesman.

Click here to read the article, 'A Hard Sell for Hybrid Cars.'

- David Adams

The dance of legislation, this time on energy

Having botched the immigration bill and failed to muster enough votes for a no-confidence vote on the attorney general, the U.S. Senate has now turned its attention to the subject of the nation's energy policy.

"With gasoline prices hovering near all-time highs, the Senate on Monday began debating a sprawling energy bill that has already kicked off an epic lobbying war by huge industries, some of them in conflict with one another: car companies, oil companies, electric utilities, coal producers and corn farmers, to name a few," the New York Times reported today.

"Industry groups have raced to sign up influential lawmakers and are nervously calculating how much regulation they might have to accept from the Democratic majority in Congress," the Times story noted. "Detroit’s automakers are lobbying hard against tough fuel economy standards, but they support increased production of ethanol and other alternative fuels."

According to the Los Angeles Times, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was promising tougher fuel-economy rules, which have been blocked for years by lobbying from Detroit automakers.

"The measure would boost fleetwide average fuel economy standards to 35 mpg by 2020, up from 25 mpg," the LA Times reports. "It would increase standards by 4% a year from 2021 to 2030. If passed, it would be the first increase in standards for passenger cars in about 18 years. The first increase could come in model year 2011."

But there's far more on the table besides fuel-economy standards for cars. The energy bill "would also ramp up domestic production of alternative fuels, from about 7 billion gallons projected this year to 36 billion gallons by 2022," the LA Times reports. "It would authorize funding for projects to capture greenhouse gases emitted by power plants and other polluters. It would promote energy efficiency in such products as light bulbs and big-screen TVs."

Although the Senate has set aside two weeks for debating the issues, the  New York Times reports, some of the most basic questions have yet to be dealt with: "Does 'clean' and 'renewable' energy include nuclear power? Should the government subsidize only 'renewable' fuels, like wind or ethanol, or should it subsidize 'alternative' fuels, including coal-based liquids, that might substitute for oil and reduce dependence on foreign oil?"

Stay tuned. Whatever happens, it's lliable to cost you money.

To read the full NYT story, click here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/washington/12energy.html?ex=1339300800&en=0e77afb0bcc82757&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

For the LA Times story, click here:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/la-na-energy12jun12,0,7081558.story?coll=la-home-center

--Craig Pittman

GM offers new SUV fuel economy hybrids

GM is reports a 25% fuel savings for its new pre-production Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon Hybrids to go on sale later this year.

Tim Grewe, GM’s chief engineer for rear-wheel drive powertrain hybrids, says that the Tahoe and Yukon will be able to run on electric motors mounted inside the transmission, the gasoline engine alone or a combination, according to Automotive World.

Grewe said that both hybrid models feature a valve shutoff system that allows the 6.0L V-8 engine to operate on half its cylinders to help conserve fuel while running at cruising speeds. In slow driving, the Tahoe can reach 25mph without starting the gasoline engine.

Click here for more details from Automotive World.

- David Adams
 

New plug-in electric sportscar: the L1X-75.

Here's another new all-electric sportscar, the L1X-75 from Hybrid Technologies. This little thing can go from zero to 60 in just 3.1 seconds and has a top speed on 175mph. But critics say it's over-priced at $120,000.

Click here for a useful link about the L1X-75 from Popular Mechanics, including a test-drive video. (Read the comments as well which discuss the energy efficiency issues of electric cars - including the notorious 'smoke-stack factor' i.e. how clean are green cars if the batteries are recharged by electricity generated by a coal fired power plant?)

- David Adams

Green muscle cars: the Lexus 600h L

One of my editors was intrigued by the new 'ultra-low emissions Lexus 600h L and asked me what I thought of it. Here's what I wrote about the automobile's industry's green muscle dilemma.

Click here to read 'Wonder why this wonder car exists.'

- David Adams