Are electric cars too quiet for pedestrians & bicyclists to hear them?

Even as the Department of Energy lends more than $500 million to Fisker Automotive Inc. to develop a pair of plug-in hybrids and $465 million to Tesla, another federal agency ponders a more pressing question: What kind of sound should electric cars make?

"Some automakers are seeking to address concerns in the United States and Japan that the nearly noiseless vehicles may be so quiet that they pose a threat to pedestrians," the Washington Post reports today.

An ongoing study by the University of California-Riverside has found that hybrids needed to be 74 percent closer than a combustion-engine car before test subjects could hear from which direction the cars approached. The study's sponsor, the National Federation of the Blind, has been pushing Congress for a law requiring hybrids and EVs to add some sort of warning noise to the noiseless cars.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been meeting with Nissan to pick a good warning sound, says the Post. So far the company's experts have presented a chime, a melody and what the paper calls "a futuristic whir" that's apparently based on the sound made by the flying cars in the movie "Blade Runner." A similar discussion is going on in Japan.

In what may be the weirdest solution, Lotus has been experimenting with putting a speaker under the hood to play a recording that sounds like a regular combustion engine:

The irony of the problem is not lost on the carmakers."Frankly, we've been working for 30 years to make cars quiet -- never thinking they could become too quiet," said Robert Strassburger, vice president for vehicle safety at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

--Craig Pittman

EPA, DOT unveils new emissions, fuel economy standards for cars, trucks

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation at last unveiled the government's tough new emissions and fuel economy standards for cars and trucks today.

"The standards would push corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, standards to a fleetwide average of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, four years ahead of the schedule Congress laid out in a 2007 energy law," the New York Times reports. "The carbon dioxide limit under the plan -- which will apply to passenger cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty passenger vehicles -- would reach an average of 250 grams per mile per vehicle in 2016."

Notes the Associated Press: "The proposal is expected to increase vehicle fuel efficiency by about 5 percent annually and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 950 million metric tons. The plan would also conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil."

“American drivers will keep more money in their pockets, put less pollution into the air, and help reduce a dependence on oil that sends billions of dollars out of our economy every year,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said.

President Obama, speaking at a General Motors plant in Ohio, said the new rules were the result of negotiations among groups that in the past would have had a hard time finding any common ground: "Unlikely allies came together -- automakers, the UAW, environmental advocates, Democrats and Republicans, California and more than a dozen other states -- all of them pledging to set aside the quarrels of the past for the sake of the future."

Jackson told USA Today that the next step would be regulating emissions from power plants and other industrial sources -- although she would still prefer Congress pass a new law taking that step.

--Craig Pittman

IBM studying "lithium-air" batteries

IBM is looking into a future generation of energy efficient ''lithium-air" batteries which have much larger potential storage capacity, The New York Times reports.

Lithium-ion batteries have the potential to deliver about 585 watt-hours of electricity per kilogram, while lithium-air batteries might reach targets well above 5,000 watt-hours, the paper reports. They are also much lighter, an important factor for hybrid and all-electric cars.

The technology is still a long way off and there are the usual cost and safety issues that have to be overcome. Here's more about the technology from MIT's Technology Review.

- David Adams, Times staff writer.

Old Ford plant gets new lease on life in Wixom, Mich.

Here's a lesson in green. An abandoned Ford plant is being converted into a renewable energy park, where solar panels and efficient batteries will be manufactured, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The $725-million conversion of the former Ford Motor Co. Wixom plant will create 4,000 new low-carbon economy jobs. The Wixom plant closed in 2007 after 50 years of assembling Lincoln products. It will now produce new wafer-film solar panels by Clairvoyant Energy of California, and large storage batteries by Xtreme Power.

David Adams, Times Staff Writer

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Hybrid trucks, not cars, the focus of bill that passed House

"The House on Wednesday passed a bill to encourage research and production of hybrid-powered commercial vehicles," according to Congressional Quarterly. Yep, we're talking trucks here -- panel vans, semis, you name it.

Right now the Energy Department is focused exclusively on development hybrid and electric cars for personal use. It isn't offering any competitive grants for developing hybrid trucks. Heavy-duty trucks typically rely on diesel or gasoline engines for power, and thus "have lower fuel economy and higher emissions than cars or SUVs because of their size and weight," notes CQ.

The bill, which last year passed the House but not the Senate, "would create two phases of the research program for grant recipients, who would be eligible to receive $3 million annually for three years to complete both phases. ... To be eligible, recipients would have to produce trucks with a gross weight between 14,000 and 33,000 pounds."

Craig Pittman, Times Staff Writer

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Electric car charging system expanding in time for launch of Leaf

An Arizona company has vaulted to the front rank of racing to build networks of electric vehicle charge stations in major metropolitan markets before the launch of the Nissan Leaf, the New York Times reports today.

Ecotality secured almost $108 million in federal and state grants this summer, enabling it to deploy its charging stations around San Diego -- one of five designated test regions, which also include Nashville, Phoenix/Tucson, Portland and Seattle. 

The company has a strong motive to move quickly. In 2010 Ecotality is supposed to market 5,000 Nissan Leaf electric vehicles and install 12,750 charge stations in urban areas and at strategic highway locations, the NYT says.

“This is the largest deployment of EV chargers and vehicles ever,” said Colin Read, the firm’s vice president of corporate development. “The success of this program will help dictate the future of EV transportation in the United States.”

If they need an ad for the product, here's a catchy new children's song by They Might Be Giants (from their new CD Here Comes Science) that might fill the bill:

Craig Pittman, Times Staff Writer

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Cash-for-clunkers nets 9.1 miles per gallon average improvement

The final numbers are in for the federal government's Cash for Clunkers program: Some 690,114 applications were taken for a total cost of $2.9 billion, according to the Transportation Department.

See below for the Top 10 vehicles purchased in the program, which gave new car buyers a $4,500 taxpayer-supplied credit toward purchase. The average mileage for new vehicles is 24.9 miles per gallon, compared to 15.8 miles per gallon for traded in clunkers, saving 9.1 miles per gallon.

CNN has this story about recycling of clunkers. The automobile is the most recycled component in the world, according to the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA), based in Manassas, Va.. Pretty much everything except the seats are recycled. Scrap metal ends up being exported to China, tires are transformed into asphalt, windshields are turned into wine and beer glasses, as well as lamps and counter tops.

Prius vs. Insight: The hybrid showdown

  For those of you rushing to beat the Cash for Clunkers deadline of 8 p.m. Monday, here's a little consumer advice.

Since Honda introduced its Insight for 2010, there's been talk of a hybrid showdown with the popular Toyota Prius. The St. Petersburg Times' two test drivers, Peter Couture and Lyra Solochek, tested both and then played compare and contrast. Their conclusion:

"Honda says it isn't going head-to-head with the Prius, but aiming for buyers at a lower price point (its base price is $2,200 less than that of Toyota). Prius may be for gadget lovers who like all the bells and whistles. The Insight may be for conventional drivers who appreciate simplicity. Either way, you're going green — and not with envy."

[Insight on the left, Prius on the right]

--Craig Pittman

GM workers put their hopes in the Chevy Cruze

Thanks to hot sales of the subcompact Chevrolet Cobalt, 2,200 people are back to work at General Motors' Lordstown Assembly Plant in northeast Ohio, NPR reports. GM announced this week that they will be joined by nearly 1,100 more this fall.

But the future of the plant depends on a much-anticipated new 40 mpg model, the Chevy Cruze, due out early next year. Plant workers sound excited about their new product. Listen to this radio report from NPR.

- David Adams, Times staff writer.

Is the Equinox as efficient as Chevy claims? (REVISED POST)

Last night I saw a TV advert for the 2010 Chevy Equinox, which described it as the best crossover in its class, with an impressive 32 mpg EPA rating. It credits its ECOTEC 2.4L 4-cylinder engine with direct fuel injection, as well as good aerodynamics and low-rolling resistance tires.

That sounded too good to be true, so I thought I would look into it. Seems to me that Chevy is making exaggerated claims for the Equinox fuel efficiency.
The EPA rating for the 2010 Equinox currently stands at 20 mpg (city) and 29 mpg (highway), for a combined 23 mpg. (SEE BELOW FOR CORRECTION)
Chevy also claims the Equinox has a better fuel economy than other crossover vehicles in its class, such as the Honda CR-V, Toyota Rav4 and the Ford Escape Hybrid.
I found no basis for that. While it is slightly better than the CR-V and the Rav4 it falls well short of the Ford Escape hybrid, 34 mpg (city) and 31 mpg (highway). I also compared it to the Kia Soul, which has 31 mpg (highway) and 26 mpg (city).
I also compared the Equinox to a true crossover vehicle, the Pontiac Vibe. The Vibe gets 26 mpg (city) and 32 mpg (highway)

UPDATE: (With my apologies): several readers have commented about this post pointing out that the data I used on the Equinox was for the all-wheel drive version. I stand corrected. The correct fuel economy estimate for the front-wheel drive Equinox is 32 mpg (highway). However, it's mpg for city driving is 23, with an average of 26 mpg overall. The Chevy ad does not make this clear. I should also point out that the number is still only a government estimate and certification is pending.

Readers also correctly pointed out that my comparison with the Vibe does not equate as the Equinox is far larger. However, Chevy's claim versus the Ford Escape hybrid is misleading. Yes, the Equinox has a better highway rating of 32 versus the Escape's 31. But the Ford Escape hybrid gets 34 in the city, compared to only 23 for the Equinox. Overall the Escape hybrid gets a much better combined mpg of 31, compared to only 26 for the Equinox.

Also, what about the Mazda Tribute: 34 mpg (highway) and 31 mpg (city), or the Mercury Mariner : 34 mpg (highway) and 31 mpg (city).

- David Adams, Times staff writer (with thanks to Green Car Congress for helping me sort through the mpg data)