2007 Fuel-Economy List
The Lamborghini’s rounded out the bottom of the list, with 9MPG city / 14MPG highway… on top of the heap are the hybrids…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the 2007 list today in Washington, saying the information will help consumers conserve energy and save money.
U.S. fuel prices that rose above $3 in midyear helped sales of hybrids, sold by Toyota, Honda and Ford, rise 24 percent from a year earlier to 192,312 this year through September, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Total sales of cars and light trucks fell 3.7 percent to 12.7 million, while Toyota’s rose 13 percent and Honda’s gained 4.3 percent as they benefited from demand for fuel-efficient models.
The EPA’s rating for the 2007 Prius is 60 miles per gallon in city driving and 51 mpg on highways. The Civic gets 49 mpg in cities and 51 on highways, the agency said. It rates the Camry hybrid at 40/38 and the Escape with front-wheel drive at 36/31.
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“The credibility of OPEC is at stake”
The recent “plunge” in oil prices since the end of summer has motivated OPEC to call for a cut in members oil production by 4.3% - restricting output to 26.3 million barrels-per-day. This is in effort to halt the fall in price, and “re-stabilize” the market.
OPEC surprises with deeper oil cut
OPEC agreed on Friday to curb its output by 1.2 million barrels per day, its first cut for more than two years, to halt a precipitous fall in prices.
The reduction, amounting to 4.3 percent of OPEC’s September production, was deeper than anticipated and the biggest since January 2002. It trims OPEC output to 26.3 million bpd from November 1.
“The credibility of OPEC is at stake,” Algerian Energy and Mines Minister Chakib Khelil told Reuters before the meeting that began Thursday and ended in the early hours of Friday.
OPEC believes that the “right price” for a barrel of oil is $55 to $60 USD - which is still 3 times to cost we paid in January 2002.
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Fuel Efficiency Flat-Line
Here’s a nice graphic from the Washington Post (found via AXP Blog) piece on the stagnation of fuel-efficiency ratings for new cars.
Over at the X PRIZE, they did a little computelating and figured that the average MPG of cars today should be in the low 40’s - and not slumming around the low 20’s.
Here’s a (first order) conjecture based on extrapolating the EPA data: Given that the average MPG increased roughly 7 MPG during 1975-1981, if that rate of change had continued (with constant average weight and acceleration), the average MPG today would be 42 MPG rather than 21 MPG.
But instead of spending all that engineering talent on creating highly efficient engines for cars, the money was spent building heavier cars with greater performance - and maintaining the status quo when it comes to mpg. Hopefully the new Automotive X PRIZE will invigorate the search for attractive-but-miserly car of the near future.
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Wow, I’m swamped…
I want to apologize for not posting more regularly recently. There is so much going on right now that I’ve not had the time to write. In fact, most of what’s going on is related to the very near future of Fuelishness! and FuelClinic.com - and I’m trying to keep it organized and remain focused.
My “real job” is keeping me occupied also, and promises to do so for the next few weeks until a major project is delivered. I wish I had the resources to devote all my time to FuelClinic, there is enough going on right now with fuel efficiency issues to keep me busy all week, but I have to keep the lights on so I can see what I’m doing…
The fuelclinic.com software is still under development with version 1.0 in alpha testing (in the few spare hours between work and sleep), but I think version 1.0 beta will be available within a few weeks. I’ll keep you posted.
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Next X PRIZE= High-efficiency automobiles that people will actually buy!
Part of the reason I’m developing this FuelClinic.com application is because I’m tired of waiting for things to change. While I believe that I can help people use what they already have in more efficent ways, I also know that I can’t reach as many people as I would like. So the announcement that the next big X PRIZE will be focusing on developing commercially viable high-efficiency automobiles is very exciting.
Why an Automotive X PRIZE?
- Because today’s oil consumption is not sustainable - our current use of oil endangers our health, our economy, and the political and social stability of the world.
- Because 40% of world oil output fuels the automotive industry - and, in the U.S., 65% of oil consumption is in the transportation sector.
- Because automotive emissions contribute significantly to global climate change.
- Because there are no mainstream consumer choices for clean, super-efficient vehicles that meet market needs for price, size, capability, image, safety and performance.
- Because the automotive industry is stalled - legislation, regulation, labor issues, manufacturing costs, legacy costs, franchise laws, obsolete technology, consumer attitudes, and many other factors have combined to block breakthroughs.
- Because increases in engine efficiency have been “spent” on increased vehicle power, acceleration, and weight, rather than on increased fuel economy.
- Because we believe there is great opportunity for technological change.
Goals of the PrizeOur goal is to stimulate automotive technology, manufacturing and marketing breakthroughs that:
- Radically reduce oil consumption and harmful emissions
- Result in a new generation of super-efficient and desirable mainstream vehicles that people want to buy
Funny how a giant cash reward has a way of motivating people to come up with great inventions…
South Carolina’s Alternative-Fuel Credits
Last year, the only tax incentive South Carolina offered to consumers for using alternative fuels was a $1,000 tax credit for installing a solar water heater. The state provided only enough funding for 20 people to receive the tax credit, and no one applied.
“In the past year and a half, we’ve seen tremendous awareness of energy issues and global warming issues,” said John Clark, director of the South Carolina Energy Office. “It seems to be snowballing, nationally and locally.”
The federal government approved tax credits for purchasing hybrid vehicles, solar heating systems, energy-efficient windows and other fuel-saving measures in 2005.
Unlike the federal incentives, South Carolina’s income tax credit for hybrid vehicle purchases is not slated to expire. The state credit is worth 20 percent of the current federal credit, which varies by vehicle make, model and year.
The state sales tax rebate for flex-fuel vehicles, which can use either gasoline or the ethanol-gas blend known as E85, is good only through June 30, 2007, but applies to new and used vehicles.
Hybrid vehicles typically cost more than non-hybrids, and there are waiting lists to buy some models, but vehicles that can run on E85 are common and usually carry the same price as similar models that only run on gasoline.
“There are a good number of E85 vehicles on the market,” said Pat Watson, executive vice president of the South Carolina Automobile Dealers Association. “You didn’t hear much about them before, when gas prices were low.”
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The Basics of Biodiesel
From: DesMoines RegisterThe idea that vegetable oil could be used as an engine fuel has been around for more than a century. But it wasn’t until the 1990s that commercial production of biodiesel began in the United States. Production has skyrocketed from under 1 million gallons in 1999 to 91 million gallons last year.
Biodiesel can be produced from palm, canola, cottonseed and other vegetable oils or from animal fats, including beef, pork or poultry. Research has even explored using algae. But the primary feedstock in America has been soybean oil. Iowa led the nation in soybean production four of the past five years, topping Illinois in all but 2003. Likewise, Iowa leads the nation in biodiesel production capacity, edging Texas, according to a September compilation from the National Biodiesel Board.
Diesel engines have long been attractive as a more powerful, fuel-efficient alternative to similar-sized gasoline engines - delivering 30 percent to 35 percent greater fuel efficiency. But the soot and smell were turnoffs for most American drivers. Today’s diesel fuel has cleaned up its act. Petroleum-based diesel meets the same emissions standards as gasoline. And biodiesel, while slightly less fuel efficient than petrodiesel, reduces emissions of several greenhouse gases.
Biodiesel represents a tiny percentage of overall diesel usage, however, and widespread use likely will be stymied by limits on supplies of soybean oil and other feedstocks and by biodiesel’s relatively high cost without hefty subsidies.
Consumer’s guide
Blends of biodiesel and petroleum are designated by B followed by the percentage of biodiesel. So B20 is 20 percent biodiesel, and B100 is pure biodiesel. Use of biodiesel in blends up to B20 requires no new equipment or modifications to your vehicle. Some care is urged with the initial switch to biodiesel, because it can loosen deposits that petrodiesel builds up in fuel systems.
Engine performance: Even 1 percent or 2 percent blends of biodiesel can improve lubricity of diesel fuels. The required move to ultra-low-sulfur petroleum diesel, which has poor lubricating properties, might create significant demand for biodiesel as an additive.
Like petroleum-based diesel, biodiesel has the ability to autoignite, quantified by a high cetane index - earning a somewhat higher number than conventional diesel, some studies show.
The biggest knock against biodiesel has been its cold-weather performance. As temperatures drop, both petrodiesel and biodiesel can form wax crystals that clog fuel lines and filters. At severe temperatures, diesel fuel turns into a gel and can’t be pumped. Biodiesel’s cold-weather performance is even worse than conventional diesel’s. Consumer perceptions weren’t helped when B2 users experienced plugging of fuel filters last fall in Minnesota, which as of 2005 required most diesel sold in the state to contain at least 2 percent biodiesel.
Distributors and drivers historically have overcome cold-flow problems with conventional diesel by adding kerosene or cold-flow additives, using fuel-line heaters or storing vehicles indoors. Biodiesel advocates believe that more experience with appropriate blends and strict quality control can address cold-flow problems.
Mileage: Pure biodiesel contains 8 percent less energy per gallon than typical petrodiesel, according to the Department of Energy. “If you are using B20, the difference in power, torque and fuel economy should be between 1 percent and 2 percent, depending on the diesel with which you are blending,” according to the DOE’s 2004 Biodiesel Handling and Use Guidelines. “Most users report little difference between B20 and No. 2 diesel fuel.”
Price: In mid-October, Krueger’s Amoco stations in Des Moines were selling B10 for $2.39 a gallon. The Iowa average for diesel was $2.50.5, according to AAA.
The nation
In 2005, U.S. plants produced 91 million gallons of biodiesel.
That’s only 0.15% of the 60 billion gallons of diesel used annually. (Comparatively, the United States used about 140 billion gallons of gasoline.)
Production is expected to more than double this year.
Iowa
The state had six operating biodiesel plants as of mid-October, representing 93.5 million gallons of production capacity, according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. Eight plants are under construction, and one plant is being expanded, which will increase production capacity to 223 million gallons. Other plants are on the drawing boards. As of September, Iowa’s production capacity represented 19 percent of the national total, according to a separate compilation from the National Biodiesel Board.
Computerized operating procedures result in the need for relatively few employees to operate each plant. As an example, Renewable Energy Group’s plant in Wall Lake, with a production capacity of 30 million gallons, employs about 30 people. There’s rollover economic impact, of course, as those employees spend their paychecks, as technicians service the plant and as the plant buys supplies.
There’s not necessarily a direct tie between the plant and nearby farmers. Some soybean oil used at the plant is shipped in by rail from out of state. A January study for the Iowa Soybean Association projected that biodiesel-fueled growth in demand would push up farm-level prices an average of 9.5 cents a bushel over the next five years. Iowa elevator bids for soybeans ranged from $4.71 to $5.12 a bushel in mid-October.
However, plants are built to accommodate a variety of feedstocks. So theoretically Iowa’s biodiesel plants could move away from soybeans if another feedstock proves cheaper.
The world
In Europe, diesel engines power about half of new cars. Likewise, the European Union has raced ahead of the United States in biodiesel production, making nearly 13 times as much in 2005, according to Reuters News Service. Germany produced about half the European Union’s total. The EU, seeking to reduce its dependence on imported oil and cut auto emissions, has set targets for biofuels to replace 5.75 percent of transportation fuels in member states by 2010, according to Reuters.
Other major biodiesel players are Australia and China. China, with its widespread use of trucks, consumes twice as much diesel as gasoline, according to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. It hopes to use biofuels to meet 15 percent of its transportation-energy needs by 2020. But production of biodiesel is lagging because it lacks feedstocks. China is a net importer of edible vegetable oils. Long term, it needs to plant oil crops such as rapeseed or produce biodiesel from animal fats.
Air quality
Biodiesel reduces global-warming gas emissions such as carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons, as well as particulate matter over a wide range of blends, regardless of feedstock used. Pure biodiesel can remove as much as 90 percent of these air toxics, and B20 can achieve 20 percent to 40 percent reductions.
However, biodiesel has been shown to increase nitrogen oxide. Research is ongoing into the extent that nitrogen-oxide emissions would increase ground-level ozone or whether blends with other materials could reduce the nitrogen oxide.
Another environmental plus: Because biodiesel is biodegradable, it can fuel ships and be pumped in sensitive environments without risking toxic spills.
Energy balance
Considerable research has probed whether renewable fuels burn more fossil fuels in their production than they give off when burned. A July report for the National Academy of Sciences found that biodiesel yields 93 percent more energy than the fossil energy invested in its production. That’s much better than ethanol, which has a plus-25 percent energy balance, and both are better than gasoline. The calculations include everything from the fertilizer used to grow the soybeans to the fuel used to plant, harvest and transport the crop.
Sustainability
Ideally, the world’s future fuel choices will be ecologically sustainable. The report for the National Academy of Sciences set these conditions for viable alternatives to petroleum-based fuels: “…A biofuel should provide a net energy gain, have environmental benefits, be economically competitive, and be producible in large quantities without reducing food supplies.”
Biodiesel rates better than corn-grain ethanol by yielding a better energy balance and greater reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions, the report found. Soybeans produce less runoff of nitrogen, phosphorus and pesticide than corn, and the conversion of biomass to fuel takes far less energy with soybean biodiesel than corn-grain ethanol. However, “neither biofuel can replace much petroleum without impacting food supplies,” the report said.
Biodiesel’s challenges
Price-competitiveness: Biodiesel production enjoys heftier subsidies than ethanol, and it remains questionable whether biodiesel can be cost-competitive with conventional diesel without them. Blenders receive a $1 federal tax credit per gallon of gasoline made from oil crops and animal fats, and there’s a 10-cents-a-gallon small-producer income-tax credit. (Comparatively, the federal tax credit for ethanol is 51 cents.) Government loans and grants also have financed plant construction. Iowa this spring approved subsidies as well, including a 3-cent-per-gallon credit and cost-share grants for retail infrastructure.
Engineers, plant operators and agronomists continue work to reduce feedstock and production costs and improve plant genetics to produce higher oil yields.
Related products also figure into the industry’s economics. Soybean meal - what’s left after soybeans are crushed to produce oil - is a high-protein animal feed that can be consumed by poultry, hogs and beef and dairy cattle. But it must compete for market share and price against the distillers dried grains produced by ethanol plants.
Also, a key byproduct, glycerin, is separated from the oil during processing. As the biodiesel industry has taken off, the market is awash in glycerin. Research that develops greater demand and higher prices for glycerin also could benefit industry margins.
Availability of feedstock: Demand for biodiesel is strong, and the overall U.S. market for diesel fuel is huge. But there simply aren’t enough oil crops and animal fats available to supplant much of it. For the 2005/06 crop year, biodiesel production accounted for 5 percent of soybean-oil use. That’s expected to rise to 13 percent for 2006/07, representing about 8 percent of U.S. soybean production in 2006, according to testimony by Keith Collins, USDA chief economist, before a Senate committee last month. It becomes a vicious cycle: Increased biodiesel demand is expected to push up prices for soybean oil, which in turn raises production costs, making biodiesel less price-competitive.
Information compiled by Carol Hunter, The Register.Read Original Article…
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Small, Clean, Powerful Diesel Engines
From: Edmunds.com
Honda Motors unveiled its latest development in diesel technology on September 25, putting the carmaker well ahead of the pack in the race to bring clean diesel vehicles to market. Its next-generation diesel engine uses a catalytic converter requiring no additives of any kind and will run cleaner through its new design…
…What sets Honda’s new technology apart is that its catalytic converter requires no outside chemicals whatsoever. As the exhaust hits the first layer of the unit, a small amount of NOx is converted to ammonia, which is then absorbed by a second layer. The second layer, now ammonia rich, then reacts with the remaining NOx and spits it out as harmless nitrogen…
…Honda designed the converter for use in its 2.2 iCTDi diesel engine, which has garnered widespread attention since its debut in the current model European Accord. The engine, which is remarkably quiet, is also much cleaner than most diesels right out of the gate. Thanks to a redesigned combustion chamber, a reduction in fuel injection time and other efficiency improvements, the engine already emits significantly less NOx. Add on the new technology the converter affords, and clean diesel could be right around the corner.
While European drivers may be seeing this technology sooner than we will, Honda estimates that their diesel vehicles will start hitting our shores in about three years. Couple this with their recent announcement concerning future diesel hybrid vehicles, and it looks as if Honda is pulling to the head of the clean diesel pack.
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The Tesla Roadster Update
If you are not familiar with the Tesla Roadster, it’s the electric car your mother warned you about. Currently number one on my Christmas Wish List, this US-engineered and English-built super car (based on a Lotus chassis and sub-systems) is sure to change your mind about what an electric car is all about.
The guys at Popular Mechanics have all the fun…
Today I found a short-but-sweet video report at Yahoo! that will put a smile on the face of any fans of the Tesla Roadster. (It’s nice to see it in motion)
And The Car Connection puts it in context.
Oil Continues to Slide
Oil prices continue to slide today, with news that the US Market is a little over-supplied right now. Through more conservation and better efficiencies, this is the same method consumers can practice to help keep the supply high, and demand low.
…The drop extended a 6 percent slide over two days, pressured by ample fuel stockpiles in top consumer the United States and no evidence of other OPEC members joining Nigeria and Venezuela in cutting output.
“We believe that the market is slightly oversupplied,” OPEC President Edmund Daukoru, who is also Nigeria’s top oil official, told Reuters. “(Today’s drop in the oil price) vindicates what Nigeria is doing and I hope other members will act in the same way.”
