Volkswagen has released the Touareg TDI in this country, finally. I'm not in the market to spend $62,000 on something that won't get me where I'm going any better than my Beetle TDI, but if you're still in the market for an SUV...
Brian --- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, "Eva Pierce" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I used to (before I discovered biodiesel) tell everyone I knew that when > they came out with a hybrid SUV I'd buy one. So. On the hybrid pickup. > woohoo!... a step in the right direction. but. 10 to 12 percent more > efficient? Seems like a pretty small step - for example, given that gas > prices where I live went up at least 20 percent in the last couple months. > > > > However, every step, however small, towards cleaner air and reduced > dependency on foreign oil counts. > > > > > > _____ > > From: EERE Network News (by way of Keith Addison) > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 12:56 AM > To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [biofuel] EERE Network News -- 05/05/04 > > > > > > A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) > http://www.eere.energy.gov/ Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable > Energy (EERE). > > May 05, 2004 > > #news News and Events > > #6836 GM Delivers the World's First Full-Sized Hybrid Pickup > #6837 U.S. Hybrid Vehicle Registrations and Sales on the Increase > #6838 Technologies to Boost the Fuel Efficiency of Cars and Planes > #6839 University of Victoria Wins Hydrogen Fueling Design Contest > #6840 Canadian Company Starts Production of Ethanol from Cellulose > #6841 New England Grid Operator Awards Energy Efficiency Contract > > #site Site News > > Treepower.org > > #energy Energy Connections > > EPA: No Change in U.S. Fuel Economy in 2004 > > > > News and Events > > GM Delivers the World's First Full-Sized Hybrid Pickup > > General Motors Corporation (GM) delivered its first commercial > hybrid-electric vehicle on Monday, presenting the first Chevrolet > Silverado hybrid pickup to Miami-Dade County in Florida. The vehicle > is the first full-sized hybrid pickup in the world, achieving a fuel > economy that is 10 to 12 percent higher than GM's other half-ton > pickups. GM also takes advantage of the truck's electrical generator, > providing four auxiliary power outlets under the rear seat of the cab > for use in powering tools and other accessories. By the end of May, > GM will deliver a total of 50 Silverado hybrid pickups to Miami- Dade > County for use in its fleet, and will start selling hybrid versions > of the Silverado and the GMC Sierra pickups at dealerships this fall. > See the > http://www.media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet? target=http://image.eme > rald.gm.com/gmnews/viewmonthlyreleasedetail.do?domain=3&docid=3640 GM > press release. > > > A look under the hood of the Ford Escape Hybrid. > Credit: Ford Motor Company > > GM delivered its new hybrid vehicle during the 10th National Clean > Cities Conference and Expo, now taking place in Fort Lauderdale, > Florida. DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy > (EERE) and the Gold Coast Clean Cities Coalition are hosting this > year's event, which EERE marked in part by launching a revised Web > site for its Clean Cities Program. The revised Web site provides > simple, intuitive access to information about the program, and > reflects the looks and feel of the EERE Web site. See the > http://www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/ Clean Cities Program Web site > and the > http://www.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/conference/lauderdale/ > conference Web site. > > Meanwhile, Ford Motor Company is preparing to start selling its > Escape Hybrid sport utility vehicle in late summer. Ford expects the > front-wheel-drive version to achieve 35 to 40 miles per gallon in > city driving. See the updated > http://www.fordvehicles.com/escapehybrid/home/index.asp Escape Hybrid > Web site. > > U.S. Hybrid Vehicle Registrations and Sales on the Increase > > The number of hybrid electric vehicles registered in the United > States increased nearly 26 percent in 2003 to a total of 43,435, > according to R.L. Polk & Co., a provider of automotive marketing > data. The Polk report, released in late April, found that the Honda > Civic Hybrid accounted for half of the hybrid registrations in 2003, > followed closely by the Toyota Prius, with 47 percent. Honda's > two-seater Insight accounted for the remaining 3 percent of hybrid > vehicles. California is by far the state where the most hybrids are > registered, and more than 40 percent of that state's owners are in > Los Angeles. See the http://www.polk.com/news/releases/2004_0422.asp > R.L. Polk press release. > > This year, U.S. sales of hybrids are continuing to climb, and Toyota > appears to be passing Honda by. American Honda sold a record 3,041 > Civic Hybrids in April and has sold 9,023 Civic Hybrids since the > start of this year, an increase of 10.9 percent over last year's > sales. Meanwhile, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. sold 3,684 Priuses > in April and 13,602 since the start of this year, an increase of 78.1 > percent over last year's sales. See the press releases from > http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_library/display_release.html? id=2004 > 0503 Toyota and > http://www.hondanews.com/CatID1000?mid=2004050352054 > <http://www.hondanews.com/CatID1000?mid=2004050352054&mime=asc> &mime=asc > Honda. > > Technologies to Boost the Fuel Efficiency of Cars and Planes > > While General Motors Corporation (GM) and Ford Motor Company are > entering the hybrid vehicle market, they continue pursuing other > technologies that will also yield improvements in gasoline mileage. > Notably, the two companies announced in late April that they are > investing $720 million to build a six-speed, front-wheel-drive, > automatic transmission. The new six-speed transmission is expected to > offer up to four percent better gas mileage compared to today's > four-speed transmissions, according to the automakers. Starting in > 2006, the new transmissions will be built at a GM plant in Warren, > Michigan, and at Ford plants in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and > Sharonville, Ohio. In November, Ford also announced a $155-million > investment in its Sharonville plant to build rear-drive six-speed > automatic transmissions there. See the > http://www.media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet? target=http://image.eme > rald.gm.com/gmnews/viewmonthlyreleasedetail.do?domain=3&docid=3234 GM > press release. > > > An artist's concept of Boeing's new 7E7 jetliner. > Credit: Boeing Company > > Fuel efficiency improvements are also coming to jetliners, as Boeing > Company has launched its new energy-efficiency 7E7 Dreamliner > passenger jet. According to Boeing, the 7E7 uses 15 to 20 percent > less fuel than today's airplanes of comparable size. Boeing achieved > the fuel savings using lightweight, fuel-efficient engines; improved > aerodynamics; smaller, lighter wings; and more efficient on-board > systems. Japan's ANA (All Nippon Airlines) has ordered 50 of the new > jets from Boeing. See the > http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2004/q2/nr_040426g.html Boeing > press release and > http://www.newairplane.com/USA/efficient_rollover.htm 7E7 Web site. > > University of Victoria Wins Hydrogen Fueling Design Contest > > Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced last week that the > University of Victoria from British Columbia, Canada, is the grand > prize winner of the first Hydrogen Fueling Station Design Contest. > The University of California, Davis came in a close second in the > contest, which was sponsored by DOE, the National Hydrogen > Association (NHA), ChevronTexaco, Natural Resources Canada, and > Swagelok Company. Seventeen teams from universities in the United > States and Canada participated in the competition, which challenged > the teams to address the technical specifications, environmental > impact, safety issues, profitability, and education and marketing for > a hydrogen fueling station. See the NHA press release ( > http://www.hydrogenus.org/Press%20releases/NHA-Press-Release- 042804.pd > f PDF 68 KB). http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/alternate.html > Download Acrobat Reader. > > The NHA is requesting suggestions for next year's contest, which will > be called "H2U." See the http://www.h2ucontest.org/ preliminary H2U > Web site. > > DOE also challenged high school students on Saturday to design and > build hydrogen-powered model cars. Using fuel cells and other > components provided by General Motors Corporation, and with technical > assistance from DOE engineers, 16 high school teams built model cars > and competed in a speed race and a hill-climbing competition. > University High School of Morgantown, West Virginia, took first place > in the speed race and Chaska High School of Chaska, Minnesota, > conquered a 48-degree incline to become "King of the Hill." The teams > were drawn from finalists in the National Science Bowl, a national > competition among high school students to answer increasingly > difficult questions about science. This year, 64 teams visited > Washington, D.C., as finalists after winning regional competitions in > which 1,800 schools participated. On Monday, Thomas Jefferson High > School of Alexandria, Virginia, took the first prize for the third > consecutive year. See the DOE press releases from > http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?PUBLIC_ID=15780 > <http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do? PUBLIC_ID=15780&BT_CODE=PR_PRE> > &BT_CODE=PR_PRE > SSRELEASES&TT_CODE=PRESSRELEASE May 1st and > http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?PUBLIC_ID=15782 > <http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do? PUBLIC_ID=15782&BT_CODE=PR_PRE> > &BT_CODE=PR_PRE > SSRELEASES&TT_CODE=PRESSRELEASE May 3rd. > > Canadian Company Starts Production of Ethanol from Cellulose > > Ethanol fuel is now being produced from cellulose and sold for > commercial use by Iogen Corporation, the Canadian-based company > announced in late April. Ethanol is currently produced from starchy > grains such as corn, but cellulose ethanol is produced from more > "woody" agricultural byproducts, such as straw, corn cobs, and corn > stalks, which are often discarded as waste. Iogen is producing its > cellulose ethanol at a demonstration plant, but claims to be in the > process of finalizing locations for a full-scale commercial plant. > The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) hailed the achievement > as a "key breakthrough." See the press releases from > http://www.iogen.ca/HTML2/news/04_21_2004.html Iogen and > http://www.bio.org/newsroom/newsitem.asp?id=2004_0422_01 BIO. > > DOE is also supporting research and development in cellulose ethanol. > In late April, Novozymes A/S announced that it has cut the cost of > the enzymes needed for producing ethanol from cellulose by a factor > of 20. The gains were achieved in part by Novozymes' advances in > enzyme technologies, and in part by improved pre-treatment processes > for corn wastes that were developed by DOE's National Renewable > Energy Laboratory (NREL). The new pre-treatment process allows the > use of fewer enzymes per gallon of ethanol produced. See the > http://www.novozymes.com/cgi-bin/bvisapi.dll/press/press.jsp? id=28895 > <http://www.novozymes.com/cgi-bin/bvisapi.dll/press/press.jsp? id=28895&> & > lang=en Novozymes press release. > > Meanwhile, the traditional ethanol fuel industry continues to grow. > In February and March, two new ethanol plants started production in > Iowa-one near Hanlontown and one near Ashton. Annually, each plant > will convert more than 16 million bushels of corn into 45 million > gallons of ethanol. Construction began on another new plant near > Emmetsburg, Iowa, in late April, so the state currently has 12 > operating ethanol plants and 5 under construction. Nationwide, 75 > ethanol plants are now operating and are able to produce more than > 3.2 billion gallons of ethanol per year. The thirteen plants now > under construction will add another 500 million gallons in production > capacity. With new plants coming on line, the industry breaks its > production records each month; in February, the industry produced a > record 212,000 barrels of ethanol each day. See the Renewable Fuels > Association press releases from > http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pr040227.html February 27th, > http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pr040326.html March 26th, > http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pr040426.html April 26th, and > http://www.ethanolrfa.org/pr040427.html April 27th. > > New England Grid Operator Awards Energy Efficiency Contract > > ISO New England Inc., the operator of the region's electrical grid, > took an unusual step in late April by contracting for energy > efficiency services in order to improve the reliability of its power > grid in southwest Connecticut. Under the new contract, Conservation > Services Group (CSG) will help reduce energy demand in southwest > Connecticut by four megawatts over the next four years, primarily by > retrofitting buildings in the area with energy-efficient lighting. > The contract is a small part of an effort to secure emergency energy > resources for southwest Connecticut, including 125 megawatts of new > generating capacity and up to 255 megawatts of demand-response > resources such as emergency generators and voluntary load reductions. > ISO New England predicts that it has adequate electrical supplies for > the region this summer, but continues to be concerned about > transmission constraints that threaten reliability in southwest > Connecticut. See the CSG press release ( > http://www.csgrp.com/images/pdf_press_releases/CSGCT.pdf PDF 83 KB) > and the April 16th and April 26th press releases from > http://www.iso-ne.com/iso_news/newnews.html ISO New England. > http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/alternate.html Download Acrobat > Reader. > > Utilities in the Pacific Northwest are also looking at demand > reduction as a possible alternative to building a new transmission > line. DOE's Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) recently worked > with a Washington state utility, two paper companies, and the U.S. > Navy to test an Internet-based trading system for demand reduction. > During the test, BPA posted an hourly price per megawatt, allowing > the participants to choose whether to buy the power or to place bids > for reducing their power demand, using either emergency generation or > load reductions. BPA hoped to achieve 10 to 20 megawatts of demand > reduction during the test, and actually averaged 22 megawatts of > demand reduction. See the > http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/BPAnews/2004/NewsRelease.cfm? ReleaseNo=49 > 2 BPA press release. > > > > Site News > > http://www.treepower.org/ Treepower.org > > Treepower.org is a public and industry research partnership in which > the Common Purpose Institute, the University of Florida, energy > companies, and others are studying ways to grow and harvest > fast-growing trees as a renewable energy fuel source for electric > utilities in the southeastern United States. The Web site details a > Florida project that uses biomass energy "bridge crops" for renewable > energy and to restore native habitats on damaged, mined lands. The > site contains project- and state-specific information as well as > general biomass energy information and resources. > > > > Energy Connections > > EPA: No Change in U.S. Fuel Economy in 2004 > > The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week > that the average gas mileage of new cars, pickups, and sport utility > vehicles (SUVs) sold in the United States is 20.8 miles per gallon > (MPG) for 2004, essentially equal to last year's value of 20.7 MPG. > According to EPA's annual fuel economy trends report, U.S. fuel > economy has held roughly steady since 1997, varying only between 20.6 > and 20.9 MPG. U.S. fuel economy peaked at 22.1 MPG in the late 1980s, > but since then the fuel efficiency of cars, pickups, and SUVs has > remain unchanged, while sales of the less-fuel-efficient pickups and > SUVs have increased. In 2004, the EPA estimates that 48 percent of > new light-duty vehicles sold in the United States will be either > pickups or SUVs. See the EPA press release and the full report on the > http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm EPA Web site. > > > > This newsletter is funded by DOE's http://www.eere.energy.gov/ > Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and is also > available on the http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/ EERE news page. > You can http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/about.cfm subscribe to the > EERE Network News using our simple online form, and you can also > http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/changes.cfm update your email address > or http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/unsubscribe.cfm unsubscribe > online. > > If you have questions or comments about this newsletter, please > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] contact the editor, Kevin Eber, at > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > You are currently subscribed as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuels list archives: > http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ > > Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > Yahoo! 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