Green Options » automakers

Baylor University Researchers Find New Uses for Coconut Husks to Make Car Parts

Janet Shan — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:47:33 +0000

Researchers at Baylor University have been working on designing multiple low-cost products that can be derived from coconuts in poor coastal regions, where the fruit grows in abundance and is a renewable resource. The group, led by Dr. Walter Bradley, Distinguished Professor of Engineering, has found an innovative way to use coconut husks in automotive interiors.

They are are using coconut fibers in place of currently used synthetic fibers to make compression-molded composites for automobile parts such as bed liners, floorboards, sun visors and inside door covers. The idea for new uses of the coconut grew out of a desire to aid poor coconut farmers in coastal regions in countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Ghana and Sri Lanka. In most developing countries, the coconut husk is basically a throwaway material.

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Live Online Debate Today: The Auto Industry Bailout

Nick Chambers — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:01:39 +0000

The US auto industry’s woes are well known — we’ve covered them here at Gas 2.0 many times — but are these companies deserving of taxpayer money for a government bailout, or should they be left to deal with a mess that they mostly created?

This is the question that will be debated live on NPR.org today at 3 PM EDT (19:00 Greenwich Mean Time).

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New Fiesta Gets 73 MPG, But Ford Says It’s Not For The U.S.

Nick Chambers — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:45:50 +0000

Back in July, Ford released the details of a new Fiesta it plans to begin selling this November. The new car is based on Ford’s ECOnetic platform and can get 63 mpg in the city and 73 mpg on the highway. So why is it only available in Europe? It’s a diesel, and Ford doesn’t think Americans will ever adopt diesel cars.

According to Businessweek, Ford lists a littany of excuses why they could never market this car in the US. Chief among these excuses is that they don’t think they could ever sell enough of them to make a profit. Ford says that in order to produce them for the US market they’d have to build a new plant and then make at least 350,000 of them a year.

If there’s no way to make a profit on these cars and Americans won’t buy them, why are so many European and Asian car makers bringing these new “clean diesels” to the U.S. starting next year? When I see news that Mercedes, Nissan, Volkswagen and even Honda are all building clean diesel cars with excellent fuel economy for the US market, Ford’s excuses start to seem pretty hollow.

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“Producible” Chrysler Plug-In Hybrid: 0-60 in 4 Seconds

Nick Chambers — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 05:08:24 +0000

Apparently, Chrysler has been demonstrating plug-in hybrids to select dealers around the US that have “at least” a 300 mile range and can go from 0-60 in “less than” 4 seconds. According to the LA Times, Chrysler Vice Chairman and President Jim Press claims these prototypes are in a “producible” state.

Following in lock step, Chrysler has screwed the pooch like every other American car company over the last 5 years by completely ignoring the market for fuel efficient vehicles.

While both GM and Ford have finally reacted to this plight by beginning drastic company-wide overhauls from the ground up, I’ve been left wondering: does Chrysler still know that they’re losing money?

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Like GM, Ford Decides They’d Better Start Producing Smaller, More Fuel-Efficient Cars

Clayton B. Cornell — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:26:42 +0000

Gas Prices are Killing Large Cars and Trucks

Ford Motor Company announced today it will be scrambling to realign its North American Manufacturing operation with the realities of consumer needs today.

With gas prices above $4 / gallon, most Americans are shying away from giant gas-guzzling vehicles in favor of smaller fuel efficient models. Starting in December, Ford said it will accelerate production of new fuel efficiency technology, double their hybrid production and lineup, and downsize vehicles across the board. By 2010, Ford says 2/3 of its spending will be on small cars and crossovers, and it will pull six small European models to the US by 2012.

“While we have no intention of giving up our longtime truck leadership, we are creating a new Ford in North America on a foundation of small, fuel-efficient cars and crossovers that will set new standards for quality, fuel economy, product features and refinement,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas.
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Automakers Lose Vermont Greenhouse Gas Standards Case

Max Lindberg — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:11:05 +0000

They tried, but Chief Judge of the US District court in Vermont, William K Sessions III ruled against the auto industry’s attempt to block states, including Vermont, from adopting more rigorous greenhouse gas emission standards for new light-duty vehicles.

In his ruling, Judge Sessions said the industry failed to prove that the state standards were unattainable, that they usurp the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) prerogative to set fuel economy standards, and were preempted by federal authority.

The ruling came on the heels of an effort by the federal government to block California, and other states, from requiring that new, more stringent emission standards go into effect in 2009 models. The EPA blocked the California law in a contentious move that followed signing of the new energy bill in December of 2007.

I wrote about the action and urged all states involved that had followed California’s lead to file suit against the EPA to force their hand. You can read it here

California was the first to file suit, as outlined here.

California is awaiting resolution of their lawsuit in US District Federal Court in California.

This one is worth watching.

To read the case, it’s in PDF and you can access it at the Vermont Federal Court site.

(Case 2:05-CV-302 Green Mountain Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge et al v. Crombie et al)